Abstract:
An image forming apparatus includes a judging unit for judging as to whether paper jamming occurs in the medium feeding unit at a time that the paper jamming occurs in the medium conveyance route and a controller for controlling the medium positioned on an upstream side of the medium feeding unit to be conveyed into the medium feeding unit when judging that no paper jamming occurs in the medium feeding unit, to allow the feeding unit detaching from the apparatus body without tearing or breaking the jammed paper.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as, e.g., a printer or photocopier and, more particularly, to an image forming apparatus forming a portion of a medium conveyance route and having a unit detachably attached to an apparatus housing or a unit that can be drawn from the apparatus housing.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     Image forming apparatuses have been disclosed in which images are formed as paper is fed sheet by sheet successively and the paper side is reversed to make the double side of the paper printed. With such an apparatus, to print plural pages, the paper is sequentially and successively supplied, and images are formed on the respective papers as the papers are conveyed parallel in the respective conveyance routes to deliver the paper completed with image formation is delivered at a delivery portion, see, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Heisei 11-208,962.  
         [0005]     With such an image forming apparatus, paper feeding operation and printing operation are immediately stopped upon recognition of paper jamming occurrences, when plural sensors arranged in the respective conveyance routes detect occurrences of, e.g., feeding defects and doubly feeding, or namely, when paper is not fed for a prescribed period or when the apparatus detects existence of a paper at a certain place for a prescribed period. For example, paper may occasionally stop astride a conveyance route and a reverse conveyance unit during execution of double side printing. If the reverse conveyance unit is drawn out of the apparatus body to remove the jammed paper in such a situation, the paper may be tom or broken up, thereby rending paper removing work laborious and complicated, and thereby raising problems such that it forces delayed recovery and needs a long time to restart printing.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     It is an object of the invention to provide an image forming apparatus in which a detachable medium feeding unit can be drawn out of an image forming apparatus body without tearing or breaking a jammed medium in a case where the jammed medium is located astride the image forming apparatus body and the medium feeding unit on an upstream side of the medium feeding unit.  
         [0007]     In accordance with the invention, an image forming apparatus for forming an image on a medium includes: a medium feeding unit forming a part of a medium conveyance route and having a structure detachably attached to an apparatus body; a judging unit for judging as to whether paper jamming occurs in the medium feeding unit at a time that the paper jamming occurs in the medium conveyance route; and a controller for controlling the medium positioned on an upstream side of the medium feeding unit to be conveyed into the medium feeding unit when the judging unit judges that no paper jamming occurs in the medium feeding unit.  
         [0008]     With this structure of the invention, the medium is conveyed into the interior of the medium conveyance unit detachably attached to the apparatus body, when the medium is positioned on the upstream of the medium conveyance unit astride the apparatus body and the medium conveyance unit, so that the medium conveyance unit can be detachably drawn out of the image forming apparatus body without tearing or breaking the jammed paper, and so that other media remaining in the image forming apparatus body can be removed easily. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     This invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, a preferred embodiment and method of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and wherein:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is a cross-sectional diagram showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional diagram showing a structure of the image forming apparatus in a situation in which a medium is stopped astride the image forming apparatus body and the medium feeding unit at an occurrence of paper jamming;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is an illustration showing an essential portion of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment;  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a diagram showing a state that the medium feeding unit is drawn;  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is an illustration showing the essential portion of the image forming apparatus at a time that a remaining paper is removed;  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional diagram showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the invention;  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the second, the third, and the forth embodiments;  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is an illustration showing an essential portion of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment;  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is an illustration showing the essential portion of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment;  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional diagram showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the invention;  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is an illustration showing an essential portion of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment;  
         [0022]      FIG. 13  is an illustration showing the essential portion of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment;  
         [0023]      FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional diagram showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the invention;  
         [0024]      FIG. 15  is an illustration showing an essential portion of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment; and  
         [0025]      FIG. 16  is an illustration showing the essential portion of the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0026]     Referring to the drawings, preferred embodiments according to the invention are described. In the drawings, the same reference numbers among the embodiments are assigned for common elements of the apparatuses.  
         [0027]      FIG. 1  to  FIG. 6  illustrate an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention;  FIG. 1  shows a structure of an image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the invention. It is to be noted that the image forming apparatus can be any of a printer, a photocopier, a facsimile machine, and a complex machine having multiple functions of those.  
         [0028]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , a paper container  2  for containing paper (hereinafter referred to as “paper cassette  2 ”) is detachably attached to an apparatus body  1  of the image forming apparatus. The paper cassette  2  is provided with a paper up and down stage  4  (hereinafter referred to as “sheet plate  4 ”), a spring  5  as a means for moving up and down the sheet plate  4 , and a separation piece  7  for separating paper.  
         [0029]     A feeding roller  6  is arranged on a paper in the paper cassette  2  for feeding paper. The drive shaft of the feeding roller  6  is connected to a feeding motor  101  controlled by a controller  100 . A register roller  8  and a conveyance roller  9  are arranged above the feeding roller  6  to make correction against oblique feeding of the paper. The register roller  8  and the conveyance roller  9  constitute an inlet portion of a paper conveyance route serving as a medium conveyance route. The drive shafts of the register roller  8  and the conveyance roller  9  are coupled to a register motor  102  controlled by the controller  100 .  
         [0030]     An image forming section  10  for forming images on the paper and a fixing section  11  for fixing toner transferred on the paper are arranged at the apparatus body  1 . The drive shafts of a belt drive roller of the image forming section  10  and a fixing roller of the fixing section  11  are coupled to a belt motor  104  and a fixing motor  102 , respectively, controlled by the controller  100 . A delivery roller  12  is disposed on a downstream side of the fixing section  11  and constitutes a delivery portion of the conveyance route. A delivery tray  13  is formed at a top of the apparatus body  1 , to which paper with printed double sides thereof is delivered.  
         [0031]     A conveyance switching guide  15  is disposed at the apparatus body  1  between the fixing section  11  and the delivery roller  12 . The conveyance switching guide  15  switches the paper conveyance route according to a switching solenoid  106  controlled by the controller  100 . The paper can be introduced selectively to either of the delivery roller  12  and the reverse conveyance unit  14  by switching the paper conveyance route.  
         [0032]     A roller  16  rotatable in the normal and reverse directions (hereinafter referred to as “reverse roller”) with respect to the conveyance route  17  is arranged at the reverse conveyance unit  14 . A re-feeding roller  18  is provided for conveying the paper located in the reverse conveyance unit  14  to the register roller  8  again. The drive shafts of the reverse roller  16  and the re-feeding roller  18  are coupled to a reverse motor  105  controlled by the controller  100 . The re-feeding roller  18  is structured to rotate always in a fixed direction even where the reverse motor  105  rotates in normal and reverse directions.  
         [0033]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , plural paper detection sensors are arranged at the paper conveyance route formed of the apparatus body  1  and the medium feeding unit, or namely the reverse conveyance unit  14 . Three paper detection sensors (S 1  to S 3 ) are disposed at an entrance of the paper conveyance route; paper introduction sensors S 1 , S 2  are arranged above the paper cassette  2  for detecting paper&#39;s introduced state in the conveyance route; a writing sensor S 3  is provided immediately before the image forming section  10  for detecting paper&#39;s arrival to the image forming section  10 . A delivery sensor S 4  is provided on a downstream side of the fixing section  10  to detect a delivery state of paper on the surface of which image are formed and fixed, and four paper sensors S 5  to S 8  are disposed in the reverse conveyance unit  14 . Reverse sensors (S 5  to S 7 ) detecting paper&#39;s reverse conveyance state in the reverse conveyance unit  14 , a reverse feeding sensor S 8  detecting a re-feeding state of the paper fed to the apparatus body from the reverse conveyance unit  14 , are disposed near the outlet. Upon receptions of the detecting signals from the plural paper detection sensors S 1  to S 8 , the controller  100  can recognize states that the paper cannot be conveyed in a prescribed time or that the paper is stagnated at the same place beyond a prescribed time.  
         [0034]     In operation of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment, with reference to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 6 , first, the paper  3  set on the sheet plate  4  in the paper cassette  2  is lifted by the spring  5  up until that the top surface of the topmost paper of the paper stacked comes in contact with the feeding roller  6 . The feeding roller  6  is driven to rotate in a counterclockwise direction in association with a drive system formed of the feeding motor  101  and gears, not shown. The topmost paper of the stacked sheets is fed in a right direction in  FIG. 2  with frictional force of the feeding roller  6  according to the rotation of the feeding roller  6 . The separation piece  7  is formed as a prevention means for preventing the sheets of two or more from being pulled by the rotation of the feeding roller. The frictional force of the immobilized separation piece  7  prevents plural sheets of paper from being pulled at the same time, thereby separating the paper sheet by sheet and feeding the paper.  
         [0035]     In the apparatus body  1 , the paper fed out of the paper cassette  2  by the feeding roller  6  is conveyed to the register roller  8  located at the inlet of the conveyance route. The paper&#39;s oblique feeding if any is corrected by the register roller  8 , and the paper is conveyed to the image forming section  10  via the conveyance roller  9 . Images are formed on the paper at the image forming section  10 , and the images are fixed through the fixing section  11 . The paper is then conveyed to the reverse roller  16  in the reverse conveyance unit  14  by the conveyance switching guide  15 . When the reverse conveyance sensor S 5  detects the passage of the rear end of the paper, drive of the reverse roller  16  is stopped, thereby temporarily stopping the paper. Subsequently, the reverse roller  16  is rotated reverse by reverse rotation of the reverse conveyance motor  105 , thereby switching the conveyance route to a direction different from the direction that the paper is conveyed, and thereby conveying the paper to the re-feeding roller  18 . While the paper is conveyed in the reverse conveyance unit  14 , a subsequent paper is conveyed out of the paper cassette  2 . By repeating the above steps, the paper is fed from the paper cassette  2  to the reverse conveyance unit  14 .  
         [0036]     The paper fed by the re-feeding roller  18  in the reverse conveyance unit  14  is conveyed to the register roller  8  in the apparatus body  1  as the surface on which images are formed faces to the lower side. Subsequent image formation and fixing operation is done in substantially the same manner as that of image formation for paper surface, and a duplicated description is omitted herein. After images are formed on the backside of the paper, the paper with the double side on which images are printed is conveyed to the delivery roller  12  via the conveyance switching guide  15  and delivered to the delivery tray  13 .  
         [0037]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the first embodiment. The controller  100  is for controlling operation of the image forming apparatus and is formed of a CPU, and so on. In the image forming apparatus of the first embodiment, plural paper detection sensors (S 1  to S 8 ) are provided in the conveyance route for conveying papers. The plural paper detection sensors detect the status of the paper&#39;s feeding and transmit detection signals to the controller  100 . The controller  100  receives the detection signals from the plural paper detection sensors (S 1  to S 8 ) and temporarily stops the paper conveyance and printing operation upon a judgment that paper jamming occurs when the paper is not conveyed for a prescribed period or when the paper is stagnated at the same place for a prescribed period or more, thereby conveying the paper stopping astride the apparatus body  1  and the reverse conveyance unit  14  to the reverse conveyance unit  14  upon confirming that the paper jamming does not occur in the reverse conveyance unit  14 .  
         [0038]      FIG. 3  is an illustration in a situation in which a paper P 1  causes jamming, and proceeding paper P 2  is stopped astride the fixing section  11  of the apparatus body and the reverse feeding unit  14  detachably attached to the apparatus body.  
         [0039]     For example, where the paper detection sensors detecting that the paper jamming occurs are any one or more of the two paper introduction sensors S 1 , S 2  and the writing sensor S 3  and where either the paper delivery sensor S 4  or the reverse conveyance sensor S 5  detects the existence of the paper, the controller  100  judges not that paper jamming occurs in the reverse conveyance unit  14  but that the paper is remaining as located astride the apparatus body  1  on the upstream of the reverse conveyance unit  14 . The controller  100  generates, based on the judgment, an instruction to drive the roller in the fixing unit  11  and the reverse roller  16  in the reverse conveyance unit  14 , thereby moving the remaining paper P 2  until that both of the paper delivery sensor S 4  and the reverse conveyance sensor S 5  detect that no paper exists. That is, the paper P 2  is moved to the position shown in  FIG. 4 , and is loaded in the reverse conveyance unit  14 .  
         [0040]     A monitor  107  at that time displays that the paper P 2  remaining on the upstream side of the reverse conveyance unit  14  in the image forming apparatus is loaded in the reverse conveyance unit  14  and that the paper jamming occurs.  
         [0041]     An operator, upon viewing displayed contents, pulls out the reverse conveyance unit  14  from the apparatus body  1 , opens the cover, and removes the remaining paper P 2  (see,  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 ). The reverse conveyance unit  14  is thereafter inserted into the apparatus body  1 , and the apparatus resumes printing operation, which is interrupted due to the occurrence of paper jamming, where the reverse conveyance sensor S 6  detects no paper exists.  
         [0042]     With the structure of the first embodiment, the stopped paper is conveyed into the reverse conveyance unit  14  when the paper located around the upstream of the reverse conveyance unit  14  is stopped astride the apparatus body  1  and the reverse conveyance unit  14  during occurrences of paper jamming, so that the reverse conveyance unit  14  can be pulled out of the apparatus body  1  without causing any tear on the paper, and so that other remaining paper in the image forming apparatus can be removed easily to render the remaining printing operation restart.  
         [0043]     Referring to  FIG. 7  to  FIG. 10 , an image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the invention is described in detail.  FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional diagram showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the invention.  
         [0044]     As shown in  FIG. 7 , a conveyance switching guide  19  and a delivery route  20  are provided at a reverse conveyance route  17  in the reverse conveyance unit  14 . The conveyance switching guide  19  switches the conveyance route of the paper. The conveyance switching guide  19  does switching operation with force of a reverse solenoid  108  controlled and driven by the controller  100 . The delivery route  20  is used when the paper is delivered out of the reverse conveyance unit  14 . A delivery outlet  21  is formed at the apparatus body  1  to deliver the paper out of the image forming apparatus. Other structures are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment.  
         [0045]      FIG. 8  is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the second embodiment. Where the paper detection sensors detecting that the paper jamming occurs are any one or more of the two paper introduction sensors S 1 , S 2  and the writing sensor S 3  and where either the paper delivery sensor S 4  or the reverse conveyance sensor S 5  detects the existence of the paper, the controller  100  judges not that paper jamming occurs in the reverse conveyance unit  14  but that the paper is remaining as located on the upstream of the reverse conveyance unit  14 .  
         [0046]     Where the reverse conveyance sensor S 6  disposed at the reverse conveyance unit  14  detects that no paper exists, the controller  100  judges that the front end of the paper P 2  remaining on the upstream side of the reverse conveyance unit  14  does not reach the location of the reverse conveyance sensor S 6 . As a result of this judgment, the controller  100  switches the conveyance switching guide  19  toward the delivery route  20 , or an arrow direction in  FIG. 7 , by the reverse solenoid  108  and the like (see,  FIG. 10 ).  
         [0047]     The remaining paper P 2  is moved by drive of the roller in the fixing section  11  and the reverse roller  16  in the reverse conveyance unit  14  until that both of the paper delivery sensor S 4  and the reverse conveyance sensor S 5  detect that no paper exists. The remaining paper P 2  in the image forming apparatus is conveyed to the reverse conveyance unit  14  and is delivered from the reverse conveyance unit  14  to the delivery route  20  by the conveyance switching guide  19 . The remaining paper P 2  is delivered from the delivery outlet  21  formed at the apparatus body  1  to the exterior of the image forming apparatus. The monitor  107  at the same time displays that the remaining paper is removed to notify the message to the operator.  
         [0048]     As shown in  FIG. 9 , where the controller  100  judges that the remaining paper P 2  exists and where the reverse conveyance sensor S 6  in the reverse conveyance unit  14  detects that the paper exists, only the reverse roller  16  in the reverse conveyance unit is rotated reverse to return the paper. The paper is temporarily contained as being loosen in a relatively wide conveyance route provided between the switching guide  15  and the reverse roller  16 . The paper is returned, and the conveyance switching guide  19  is switched toward the delivery route  20  by the reverse solenoid  108 , until that the reverse conveyance sensor S 6  detects the situation that no paper exists (see,  FIG. 10 ). The operation to deliver the paper P 2  out of the image forming apparatus is substantially the same as the operation described above.  
         [0049]     With the structure of the second embodiment, by proving conveyance switching guide  19  in the reverse conveyance unit  14 , the stopped paper is conveyed into the reverse conveyance unit  14  when the paper located on the upstream side of the reverse conveyance unit  14  is stopped astride the apparatus body  1  and the reverse conveyance unit  14  during occurrences of paper jamming, so that the stopped paper can be removed away out of the image forming apparatus. Consequently, the paper remaining on the upstream side of the reverse conveyance unit  14  in the image forming apparatus can be can be easily removed away out of the image forming apparatus even without pulling the reverse conveyance unit  14  out of the apparatus body  1 .  
         [0050]     Referring to  FIG. 11  to  FIG. 13 , an image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the invention is described in detail.  FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional diagram showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the invention.  
         [0051]     As shown in  FIG. 11 , in the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment, a conveyance switching guide  19  is formed at the conveyance route  15  in the reverse conveyance unit  14 , and a conveyance route  22  is arranged to convey the paper to the paper cassette  2  disposed below the reverse conveyance unit  14 . A conveyance roller  23  for conveying paper is provided at the conveyance route  22 . The conveyance roller  23  is coupled to the reverse motor  105  via gears, not shown. The apparatus body  1  is formed with a cassette existence sensor S 9  for detecting existence and non-existence of the paper cassette  2 . Other structures are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment.  
         [0052]     The block diagram of the control system of the image forming apparatus according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as that in the second embodiment (see,  FIG. 8 ). Where the paper detection sensors detecting that the paper jamming occurs are any one or more of the two paper introduction sensors S 1 , S 2  and the writing sensor S 3  and where either the paper delivery sensor S 4  or the reverse conveyance sensor S 5  detects the existence of the paper, the controller  100  judges not that paper jamming occurs in the reverse conveyance unit  14  but that the paper is remaining as located on the upstream of the reverse conveyance unit  14 . Where the paper introduction sensor S 1  detects that the paper exists and where other paper detection sensors (S 2  to S 8 ) detect that no paper exists, the controller  100  judges that the jammed paper P 2  is remaining in the paper cassette  2 .  
         [0053]     Where the reverse conveyance sensor S 6  disposed in the reverse conveyance unit  14  detects the situation that no paper exists, the controller  100  judges that the front end of the paper P 2  remaining on the upstream side of the reverse conveyance unit  14  does not reach the location of the reverse conveyance sensor S 6 . As a result of this judgment, the controller  100  switches the conveyance switching guide  19  toward the delivery route  20 , or an arrow direction in  FIG. 11 , by the reverse solenoid  108  and the like (see,  FIG. 10 ).  
         [0054]     By drive of the roller in the fixing section  11  and the reverse roller  16  in the reverse conveyance unit  14 , the paper is fed until that both of the paper delivery sensor S 4  and the reverse conveyance sensor S 5  detect that no paper exists. Furthermore, the reverse roller  16  and the conveyance roller  23  are driven until that the remaining paper P 2  goes by the conveyance roller  23 , thereby conveying the remaining paper P 2  to the paper cassette  2 . The monitor  107  at that time displays that the remaining paper P 2  on the upstream side of the reverse conveyance unit  14  of the image forming apparatus is delivered to the paper cassette  2 . Where the cassette existence sensor S 9  detects that the paper cassette  2  is pulled out, the controller  100  begins remaining printing operation.  
         [0055]     As shown in  FIG. 12 , where the controller  100  judges that the remaining paper P 2  exists and where the reverse conveyance sensor S 6  in the reverse conveyance unit  14  detects that the paper exists, only the reverse roller  16  in the reverse conveyance unit and the conveyance roller  23  are rotated reverse to convey the paper P 2  until the reverse conveyance sensor S 6  detects that no paper exists, and the conveyance switching guide  19  is switched toward the delivery route  22  by the solenoid  108 . The roller in the fixing section  11  and the reverse roller  16  and the conveyance roller  23  in the reverse conveyance unit  14  are driven to convey the paper until that both of the paper delivery sensor S 4  and the reverse conveyance sensor S 5  detect that no paper exists, and the reverse roller  16  and the conveyance roller  23  are driven until that the paper P 2  goes by the conveyance roller  23 , thereby conveying the paper P 2  to the paper cassette  2  (see,  FIG. 13 ). In this situation, the paper P 2  remaining in the image forming apparatus is also delivered to the paper cassette  2  via the delivery route  22  from the reverse conveyance unit  14  according to the conveyance switching guide  19 .  
         [0056]     With the structure of the third embodiment, by proving conveyance switching guide  19  in the reverse conveyance unit  14 , as well as by providing the conveyance route  22  for conveying the paper to the paper cassette  2 , the stopped paper is conveyed into the reverse conveyance unit  14  when the paper located on the upstream side of the reverse conveyance unit  14  is stopped astride the apparatus body  1  and the reverse conveyance unit  14  during occurrences of paper jamming, and is delivered and to contained in the paper cassette  2 , so that it is advantageous that the necessary space can be made smaller for installing the image forming apparatus.  
         [0057]     Referring to  FIG. 14  to  FIG. 16 , an image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the invention is described in detail.  FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional diagram showing a structure of an image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the invention. As shown in  FIG. 14 , in the image forming apparatus according to the fourth embodiment, the paper cassette  2  is formed with a paper conveyance route  24  other than the plural paper containers. Other structures are substantially the same as those in the third embodiment.  
         [0058]     The operation up to that the paper P 2  stopping and remaining astride the apparatus body  1  and the reverse conveyance unit  14  is conveyed to the interior of the paper cassette  2 , during occurrences of paper jamming, is substantially the same as those in the third embodiment. The remaining paper P 2  conveyed to the paper cassette  2  is contained in another container, which is different from a container for containing paper not yet subject to printing.  
         [0059]     With the structure of the fourth embodiment of the invention, where the operator re-enter the paper cassette  2  as leaving the remaining paper introduced in the paper cassette as it is, the feeding roller  6  prevents the remaining paper from being fed to the image forming apparatus again.  
         [0060]     It is to be noted that although in the above embodiments exemplified as the medium is a paper, the medium can be made of any material capable of being printed, e.g., plastic film sheet, metal foil, etc.  
         [0061]     It is to be noted that this invention is not limited to these above described embodiments but can be variously modified based on the purpose of this invention, and these modifications are not excluded from the scope of this invention.  
         [0062]     The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. The description was selected to best explain the principles of the invention and their practical application to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specification, but be defined by the claims set forth below.