Abstract:
Apparatus related to a dental shield. Light may be filtered or blocked through the dental shield to delay the curing of a light-cured adhesive or cement. The shield has an elevated portion designed to provide clearance sufficient for a bracket as well as a nose relief and breathing passages.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Present embodiments pertain to a dental shield. More specifically, present embodiments pertain to a dental shield which inhibits curing of light curable fixatives used with brackets for dental or orthodontic braces, or other uses. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is common in the field of orthodontics to secure orthodontic brackets in place on a patient&#39;s tooth using light-cured adhesive or cement. The light-cured adhesive or cement used often cures when exposed to ultra-violet light. Some states may require an orthodontist to place a bracket before the cement is cured, but even in states with no such requirement orthodontists may still wish to place the brackets themselves. At the same time, the trend in modern orthodontics has been for orthodontists to become more efficient, that is, to see more patients in less time. However, the common practice of an orthodontist placing brackets often leads to a situation where an orthodontist becomes a bottleneck in the treatment of patients and thus this common practice may decrease the efficiency of an orthodontic practice. To help increase efficiency, it may often be desirable for an orthodontic assistant to place orthodontic brackets on patients&#39; teeth using light-cured adhesives or cement but to also delay the light-curing of the adhesive or cement. This delay of curing may allow an orthodontist to inspect the brackets and the placement of the brackets without significantly slowing the treatment of patients. 
     It would also be desirable to delay curing of fixatives used with application of dental implants in order to allow a dentist to properly adjust the implant prior to curing of the fixative. 
     It would be desirable to overcome these and other deficiencies in the application of orthodontic braces, implants or other applications utilizing light curable fixatives. 
     SUMMARY 
     In some embodiments of an orthodontic shield, there may be provided, in any combination, some or all of the following: a base, an upper member, a nose relief, and one or more breathing passages. The base may be shaped to rest on a person&#39;s face or on cheek retractors in such a way as to cover the person&#39;s mouth. The base may have a substantially planar top surface and a substantially planar bottom surface. The top surface and the bottom surface of the base may be substantially parallel, although the top surface and the bottom surface may alternatively be formed in other shapes. 
     In some embodiments, the upper member may have a top portion having a top face and a bottom face. The top face and the bottom face of the top portion of the upper member may be substantially planar. The upper member may have at least one top portion, a left side support portion, a right side support portion, and a front side support portion. In an alternative embodiment, the upper member may be substantially dome-shaped, where the top face and the bottom face of the upper member are substantially concentric domes. The upper member may be elevated from the base to provide sufficient clearance, between the bottom face of the upper member and a person&#39;s tooth, for an orthodontic bracket or other orthodontic device or other implement such as an implant veneer. The upper member may be substantially translucent and may also have light-filtering characteristics, including but not limited to, ultra-violet light filtering characteristics. Alternatively, the upper member and/or the entire shield may be opaque and not allow any light passage therethrough. 
     In some embodiments, the base may have a mouth and nose relief wherein there is an opening that leaves a person&#39;s mouth and nose substantially uncovered by the base. The mouth relief of the base may be substantially covered by the upper member, with the upper member at an elevation sufficient to provide clearance for an orthodontic bracket or other orthodontic device. The upper member may have a nose relief wherein there is an opening that leaves a person&#39;s nose substantially uncovered by the orthodontic shield. The top portion of the upper member may have a shape similar to, but slightly larger than, the mouth relief of the base member. In this way, top portion of the upper member may slightly overlap the base on some or all sides of the mouth relief so that support portions of the upper member may attach to the base, supporting the top portion of the upper member at an elevation thereto. 
     In some embodiments, one or more openings may be located in the upper member adjacent to the support portions. The openings may be substantially perpendicular to the top face of the base and/or the bottom face of the upper member. The openings may be substantially parallel to the faces and base and may be offset vertically and/or horizontally from one another. The openings may extend sufficiently far through the upper member so as to create a breathing passage. The opening(s) may allow airflow so that the openings may be used as a breathing passage(s) for a person wearing the dental shield. In this way, the dental shield may cover a patient&#39;s mouth while still allowing the patient to breathe through his or her mouth because inhaled and exhaled air may pass through the breathing passage(s). Thus, with the aforementioned nose relief and the breathing passage(s), a patient may breathe substantially unimpeded, whether through mouth or nose, while wearing the dental shield. At the same time, with the breathing passage(s) arranged substantially perpendicular to the path of external light rays, light may not pass through to the patient&#39;s mouth without passing through the light filtering or blocking upper member. 
     In an alternative embodiment, there may be a base, a first upper member, a second upper member, a nose relief, and one or more breathing passages. The first upper member may be substantially the same as the aforementioned upper member, except that the first upper member may, in the alternative embodiment, have one or more apertures substantially parallel to the bottom and/or top face of the first upper member. A second upper member may be elevated relative to the first upper member so as to create a cavity between the first upper member and the second upper member. The second upper member may be elevated by one or more additional support portions extending at least from a top side of the first upper member to a bottom side of the second upper member. The second upper member may have one or more apertures substantially offset from the aperture(s) of the first upper member. The aperture(s) of the first upper member and the aperture(s) of the second upper member may be arranged in such a way that no aperture of the first upper member overlaps any aperture of the second upper member, or vice versa. The first upper member and/or the second upper member may be at least semi-translucent and the first upper member and/or the second upper member may have light-filtering characteristics. Thus, air may flow through the first and second upper members, via the cavity between the first and second upper members, substantially perpendicular to the first and second upper members, but light may not pass through to the patient&#39;s mouth without passing through the first and/or second upper members. 
     In some embodiments, the base may be made of a material that is at least semi-pliable. The bottom surface of the base member may have a sufficiently high coefficient of friction when resting on cheek retractors or a person&#39;s face to prevent the base member from sliding off of the cheek retractors or person&#39;s face when the person is in a reclined position. The bottom surface may also have a sufficiently high coefficient of friction when resting on a person&#39;s face or cheek retractors to prevent the base member from sliding when the person turns their head, within a certain range, in any direction. The base may be at least semi-pliable so that it may, at least somewhat, conform to the contours of a human face. The base may have a thickness sufficient to provide durability and a weight sufficient to, as a non-limiting example, prevent the base from sliding or being blown by ambient breeze off of a person&#39;s face or the cheek retractors. In such a way, the device may be hands-free in that neither the patient, dental assistant nor the dental professional needs to hold the shield in place. The upper member or, in the case of an alternative embodiment an upper member formed of at least a first portion and a second portion, may be made of a translucent material having light filtering characteristics. These upper members may be semi-pliable or rigid, and they may cover a patient&#39;s mouth. In this way, the upper member(s) may filter substantially all light that reaches a patient&#39;s mouth when the patient is wearing the dental shield. It may be that the orthodontic shield is constructed of one type of material. If the dental shield is constructed of one material, the material may be semi-pliable, translucent, opaque and light filtering. 
     A dental shield, comprises a base and an upper member, wherein at least a portion of one of the base and the upper member is formed of at least a semi-translucent material having ultra-violet light filtering characteristics, one of the base and the upper member having a nose relief, the upper member being elevated from the base to provide a clearance from at least one orthodontic bracket on a patient&#39;s tooth, the base having a top face and an aperture large enough to allow at least a portion of a person&#39;s mouth to be substantially uncovered by the base, the upper member having a bottom face wherein the bottom face of the upper member is at least large enough to substantially cover the aperture of the base, the bottom face of the upper member being elevated from the top face of the base by at least one support, at least one air flow aperture allowing air to flow substantially parallel to at least one of the top face of the base and the upper member. The dental shield wherein the base is substantially planar. The dental shield wherein the upper member is substantially planar. The dental shield wherein the upper member is substantially convex. The dental shield wherein the translucent material is substantially rubber. The dental shield wherein at least a portion of the body is at least semi-pliable. The dental shield wherein the at least one air flow aperture is substantially perpendicular to at least one of the top face and the base, and the bottom face of the upper member. The dental shield wherein the at least one air flow aperture is a first aperture in the upper member offset a distance from a second aperture in the base. 
     A dental shield comprises a base and an upper member, wherein at least one of the base and the upper member is at least partially formed of a translucent material having ultra-violet light filtering characteristics, wherein at least a portion of the dental shield is at least semi-pliable, the base having a cut-away portion that is positionable over a person&#39;s mouth, the upper member having a base, a first portion and a second portion, the upper member being elevated from the base to provide a clearance between the body and at least one orthodontic bracket on a patient&#39;s tooth, the base having a top face and a mouth relief, the first portion being elevated from the top face of the base by at least one support portion, the second portion spaced above the base, at least one aperture located in one of the dental shield inhibiting ingress of external light through the dental shield. The dental shield wherein the base is substantially planar. The dental shield wherein the first portion is substantially planar. The dental shield wherein the first portion is substantially convex. The dental shield wherein the second portion is substantially planar. The dental shield wherein the second portion is substantially convex. The dental shield wherein the first portion and the second portion being parallel. The dental shield wherein the at least one aperture is a first aperture and a second aperture offset from the first aperture. The dental shield wherein the second upper member is substantially convex. The dental shield wherein the translucent material is substantially rubber. 
     A method of inhibiting light from curing a dental fixative, comprises the steps of placing at least one dental implement which utilizes a curable fixative in a patient&#39;s mouth, positioning a dental shield over the patient&#39;s mouth, limiting light exposure to the fixative with the dental shield, removing the dental shield when a dental professional has approved positioning of the implement. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS 
       The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an illustration of an embodiment of the dental shield in use on a patient&#39;s face. 
         FIG. 2  is an illustration of the dental shield of  FIG. 1  standing alone. 
         FIG. 3  is an illustration of a perspective view of the bottom of the dental shield. 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of a front view of the dental shield. 
         FIG. 5  is an illustration of a top view of the dental shield. 
         FIG. 6  is an illustration of a left side view of the dental shield. 
         FIG. 7  is an illustration of an alternative embodiment having an alternate airflow path. 
         FIG. 8  is an illustration of a further alternative dental shield. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a patient with the dental shield exploded from the cheek retractors. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted,” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. In addition, the terms “connected” and “coupled” and variations thereof are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings. The term dental implement should be understood to include any bracket, implement, implant or other dental structure which utilizes a light curable fixative. 
     A dental shield is shown in the various  FIGS. 1-9 . The dental shield utilizes an at least semi-pliable material which has ultraviolet light filtering characteristics so as to limit curing of light curable fixatives, including but not limited to epoxy, cements, composites, and the like, typically used in positioning orthodontic brackets of dental braces, implant, implements or other structures. The description of the dental shield however should not be construed as limited to orthodontic uses. Instead the term dental should be considered more broad so as to include orthodontic as well as other uses, such as for example dental implants. The light limiting characteristics should be understood to include light blocking materials as well. The dental shield has a nose relief to allow breathing and a mouth relief to elevate the shield above the bracket and not interfere therewith. The shield also inhibits curing of epoxy until the dental professional approves of positioning of the one or more brackets on the teeth, implants in a mouth or other uses. This apparatus relieves the bottleneck which may typically occur during installation of braces and aids to increase efficiency of the dental professional, for example. 
     Embodiments of the invention may further be understood with reference to  FIG. 1 , which illustrates a dental shield  100  in use on a patient&#39;s face  10 .  FIG. 1  illustrates a translucent and light filtering shield  100  as it might be positioned while in use. This figure also illustrates the arrangement of a nose relief  130  around a patient&#39;s nose as well as breathing passages  150 ,  170 . A base  110  comes in contact with a patient&#39;s face. In this figure, the base  110  is illustrated as being a substantially planar semi-circle with a rectangular mouth and nose relief to accommodate a patient&#39;s mouth. It is understood that the base  110  and reliefs could also be a number of other shapes, such as a rectangle, square, triangle, or other shape. Base  110  is depicted in  FIG. 1  as having a top face  112  that is substantially planar but may be other geometries, such as convex for example. An upper member  120  is illustrated extending from the base  110  and is parallel thereto, forming the dental shield  100 . Upper member  120  is illustrated with a substantially planar top face  122 . While upper member  120  is illustrated as being generally rectangular in shape with nose relief  130  and breathing passages  150 ,  170 , it is understood that upper member  120  could also be a number of other shapes, such as convex, dome, a pyramid, or other prisms or shapes. 
     Upper member  120  is illustrated with a left breathing passage  150  and a right breathing passage  170 .  FIG. 1  illustrates breathing passages  150 ,  170  on the front side of the upper member  120 . However, it is understood that one breathing passage may be used, or any number of breathing passages could be used, and  FIG. 1  merely is illustrative. Likewise, the upper member  120  may have one or more breathing passages on the left side ( FIG. 2 ) and/or the right side additional to, or in lieu of, one or more breathing passages on the front side of the upper member  120 .  FIG. 1  also shows a nose relief  130  for accommodating a patient&#39;s nose. While  FIG. 1  illustrates the nose relief  130  substantially as a semi-circle, it is understood that the nose relief  130  could be a number of other shapes as well, such as a square, a rectangle, a triangle, or other shape. 
     The shield  100  may be formed of various materials which filter ultraviolet light in various manners. The term filter should be understood to mean partially or completely block light. Additionally, the material may block more than just UV light. For example, the material may be opaque or solid so as to block all light from entering the patients mouth. The present exemplary shield  100  is formed of urethane rubber. This at least semi-pliable material inhibits the ultraviolet light from curing the epoxy. Other materials which may be used include silicone, plastic, acrylic, composites, paper and the like. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the shield  100 . This figure illustrates a base  110  and an upper member  120 . The exemplary base  110  in this figure has a substantially planar top surface  112  and is substantially semi-circular in shape. It is understood that a number of other shapes could be used for the base as well, such as a square, a rectangle, a triangle, or another shapes. The base is also illustrated with a front face  114 . The upper member  120  is illustrated with a substantially planar top face  122  and a substantially planar front face  124 . It is understood that the upper member  120  could be a number of other shapes as well, such as a dome, a pyramid, another type of prism, or another shape. In this illustration, the front face  124  of upper member  120  is substantially perpendicular to the top face  122  of upper member  120 . It is understood however, that the front face  124  may be angled relative to the top face  122  at an acute angle or at an obtuse angle or may be curved.  FIG. 2  shows a nose relief  130  in the upper member  120 . Nose relief  130  is shown as substantially a semi-circle, although it is understood that nose relief  130  could be a number of other shapes as well, such as a square, a rectangle, a triangle, or another shape.  FIG. 2  also shows a left side support portion  140 , a right side support portion  160 , and a front side support portion  180 . It is understood that a number of different arrangements of support portions may be used to elevate the upper member  120  from the base  110 .  FIG. 2  merely shows an example of one arrangement of support portions  140 ,  160 ,  180  that may achieve the relative elevation of the upper member  120  to the base member  110 . 
     While support portions  140 ,  160 ,  180  are shown in  FIG. 2  as being substantially rectangular prisms, other shapes could also be used for the support portions, including, but not limited to, cylinders, rods, angular members, square prisms, or other shapes. The support portions  140 ,  160 ,  180  may be integral or may be formed separately and later combined. Similarly, the base  110  and upper member  120  may likewise be formed separately from or may be formed integrally with upper member  120 . Further, while  FIG. 2  shows one left side support portion  140 , one right side support portion  160 , and one front side support portion  180 , it is understood that more than one support portion per side may be used. It is also understood that using additional support portions, spaced apart from each other, would add additional breathing passages similar to the left side breathing passage  150  and the right side breathing passage  170  shown in  FIG. 2 . This figure illustrates breathing passages  150 ,  170  as an opening substantially perpendicular to the top face  112  of base  110  and/or the top face  122  of the upper member  120 , wherein the opening extends through the shield in a direction substantially parallel to the top face  112  of base  110  and/or the top face  122  of the upper member  120 . It is understood that less than two breathing passages may be used, or more than two breathing passages may be used. It is further understood that breathing passages may also be located on the left side and/or the right side of the upper member, or located on the left side and/or the right side instead of being located on the front side. In any alternative though, ultraviolet light should be limited from direct contact with the patient&#39;s teeth having the epoxy. 
       FIG. 2  also illustrates an outside face  146  of left side support portion  140 , a front face  144  of left side support portion  140 , a front face  184  of front side support portion  180 , a left side face  186  of front side support portion  180 , and a front face  164  of right side support portion  160 . Faces  146 ,  144 ,  186 ,  184 ,  164  are shown as being substantially planar, substantially flush with upper member  122 , and substantially perpendicular to top face  122  of upper member  120 . It is understood that faces  146 ,  144 ,  186 ,  184 ,  164  need not be planar, they need not be flush with upper member  120 , and they could be angled other than 90 degrees with respect to top face  120  or may be curvilinear.  FIG. 2  is merely an illustration of an embodiment. 
       FIG. 3  is an illustration of a perspective view from the bottom side of an embodiment of the dental or dental shield  100 . This figure shows the base  110  having a bottom face  313 . Bottom face  313  of base  110  may have a coefficient of friction sufficient to prevent the bottom face  313  from slipping when the shield  100  is in use on a patient&#39;s face. The shield  100  further comprises a back face  315  of base  110 . Upper member  120  has a bottom face  323  and a back face  325  that at least partially shapes the nose relief  130 . A left side support portion  140  has an inside face  347  and a back face  345 . A right side support portion  160  has an inside face  367  and a back face  365 . Front side support portion  180  is shown having an inside face  385 , a left face  186  and a right face  387 . Faces  347 ,  345 ,  367 ,  365 ,  385 ,  186 ,  387  are shown as being substantially planar, substantially flush with upper member  120 , and substantially perpendicular to top face  122  of upper member  120 . It is understood that faces  347 ,  345 ,  367 ,  365 ,  385 ,  186 ,  387  need not be planar, they need not be flush with upper member  120 , and they could be angled other than 90 degrees with respect to the bottom face  313  of base  110  and/or the bottom face  323  of upper member  120 .  FIG. 3  is merely an illustration of an embodiment. 
       FIG. 3  depicts a mouth relief  132  formed by the cut-away portion of base  110  and the spaced upper member  120 . The aperture or mouth relief  132  provides clearance for the patient&#39;s mouth and more specifically clearance for the orthodontic bracket placed on the patient&#39;s tooth before curing of the epoxy. Thus a technician can place the bracket and wait for the orthodontist to approve or adjust the positioning before the shield  100  is removed and the curing begins to occur. 
       FIG. 4  is an illustration of a front view of an embodiment of the dental shield  100 . This figure shows the front face  114  of base  110 . It also shows the front face  124  of upper member  120 .  FIG. 4  shows the front face  144  of left side support portion  140 , the front face  164  of right side support portion  160 , and the front face  184  of front side support portion  180 . This figure also shows left side breathing passage  150  and right side breathing passage  170 . While this figure illustrates breathing passages  150 ,  170  as substantially rectangular, it is understood that the breathing passages  150 ,  170  could be oval, circular, square, triangular, or one of many other shapes. It is further understood that there may only be one breathing passage, or there may be more than two breathing passages, and that the breathing passage(s) could be located on the left side, right side, and/or front side of the upper member  120 . 
       FIG. 5  is an illustration of a top view of an embodiment of the shield  100 . This figure illustrates the top face  112 , the front face  114 , and the back face  315  of base  110 . It is understood that the base  110  could have a shape, other than a semi-circle as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , in which front face  114  may not extend as far around the base  110 , there also may be more than one front face  114 . It is also understood that, depending on the shape of the base  110 , front face  114  may extend further than is illustrated.  FIG. 5  further illustrates the top face  122 , the front face  124 , the left side face  126 , and the back face  325  of upper member  120 .  FIG. 5  also illustrates the nose relief  130 . 
       FIG. 6  is an illustration of a left side view of an embodiment of the shield  100 . This figure illustrates the front face  114  of base  110 .  FIG. 6  illustrates upper member  120  and also the outside face  146  of left side support portion  140 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 7 , an alternative embodiment of a shield  400  is depicted having a base  410  and an upper member  420  having a first portion  422  or second portion  423 . The second portion  423  is disposed between the first portion  422  and the base  410 . The upper portion  420  includes an air flow aperture  450  which is offset from the lower aperture  470 . The offset is represented by a distance “X” in the figure. The offset provides that light is inhibited from traveling in a straight path from the upper aperture  450  through the lower aperture  470  and reaching the epoxy on the patients&#39; teeth. Also this allows airflow to and from the patient&#39;s mouth, between the first portion  422  and the second portion  423  as indicated by the airflow arrows shown. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , a further alternative embodiment of a light filtering or blocking dental shield  500  is shown. The shield  500  may be formed of a single unitary piece or two or more pieces and is formed of an at least semi-pliable material which may be at least semi-translucent or may be opaque to limit UV light or all light. The shield  500  includes a base  510  and an upper member  520  which may be formed unitarily or may be formed of two pieces, first and second portions  522 ,  524 , which are joined or may be separable from one another. Toward an upper end of the shield  500  are structures forming tent shaped coverings or portions  522 ,  524 , although other shapes may be used. The coverings or portions  522 ,  524  may be formed to pivot open, like doors or may be removed entirely if the shield  500  is formed in two or more pieces. The coverings  522 ,  524  allow the dental professional to view, access and position or re-position dental implants for example before the fixative used to adhere the fixative cures. The dental shield  500  may be, as with the previous embodiments, fully light blocking or may be semi-translucent and/or limiting only UV light, or some function in between. The shield  500  may also have breathing apertures or passages  550 ,  570  in any of the manners previously described so that light is limited from accessing the teeth below the shield  500 . The desired function should be understood as delaying or inhibiting curing of a fixative used with orthodontic braces, implants or veneers. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a user  10  is shown. The user or patient  10  is positioned in a dental chair from the dental professional&#39;s perspective and has a cheek retractor  600  inserted into her mouth which allows optimal viewing of the patient&#39;s teeth by the dental professional. The cheek retractor  600  may come in various forms, one of which is shown but should not be considered limiting. The exemplary retractor  600  has a first support surface  610  and an opposed second support surface  620 . The shield support surfaces  610 ,  620  provide a surface upon which any of the dental shields described herein previously may be positioned for use. The dental shield  100  is exploded from the cheek retractors  600  and broken line arrows indicate positioning of the shield on the retractors  600 . 
     For example, with the cheek retractor  600  inserted, a technician could first apply a plurality of dental brackets or other implement utilizing a light curable fixative such as cement or epoxy or other known fixative to the patient&#39;s teeth. Prior to the curing of the epoxy or cement fixative and, in order to delay such curing, the technician would place the shield  100  on the support surfaces  610 ,  620  of the cheek retractor  600 . It should be understood that the support surface can be any surface of the cheek retractor  100 , the surfaces  610 ,  620  being merely exemplary. Further, it should be understood that the exemplary dental shields may be utilized without such retractor  600 . In either event with the dental shield positioned on the cheek retractor  600 , the curing of the fixative is delayed until the dental professional can remove the shield and review the placement of the brackets on the patient&#39;s teeth. Once the bracket positioning is approved or adjusted, the dental shield is removed and the curing of the fixative continues. 
     While several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the invent of embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure. 
     All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms. The indefinite articles “a” and “an,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, should be understood to mean “at least one.” The phrase “and/or,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims, should be understood to mean “either or both” of the elements so conjoined, i.e., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases. Multiple elements listed with “and/or” should be construed in the same fashion, i.e., “one or more” of the elements so conjoined. Other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “and/or” clause, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, a reference to “A and/or B”, when used in conjunction with open-ended language such as “comprising” can refer, in one embodiment, to A only (optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to B only (optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to both A and B (optionally including other elements); etc. 
     As used herein in the specification and in the claims, “or” should be understood to have the same meaning as “and/or” as defined above. For example, when separating items in a list, “or” or “and/or” shall be interpreted as being inclusive, i.e., the inclusion of at least one, but also including more than one, of a number or list of elements, and, optionally, additional unlisted items. Only terms clearly indicated to the contrary, such as “only one of” or “exactly one of,” or, when used in the claims, “consisting of,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements. In general, the term “or” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives (i.e. “one or the other but not both”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity, such as “either,” “one of,” “only one of,” or “exactly one of.” “Consisting essentially of,” when used in the claims, shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law. 
     As used herein in the specification and in the claims, the phrase “at least one,” in reference to a list of one or more elements, should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements, but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements. This definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “at least one” refers, whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified. Thus, as a non-limiting example, “at least one of A and B” (or, equivalently, “at least one of A or B,” or, equivalently “at least one of A and/or B”) can refer, in one embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, with no B present (and optionally including elements other than B); in another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, B, with no A present (and optionally including elements other than A); in yet another embodiment, to at least one, optionally including more than one, A, and at least one, optionally including more than one, B (and optionally including other elements); etc. 
     It should also be understood that, unless clearly indicated to the contrary, in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act, the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited. 
     In the claims, as well as in the specification above, all transitional phrases such as “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” “holding,” “composed of,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” shall be closed or semi-closed transitional phrases, respectively, as set forth in the United States Patent Office Manual of Patent Examining Procedures, Section 2111.03.