Abstract:
An assembly for angle adjustment may be used with agriculture equipment such as planters, applicators and tillage equipment wherein deployment of a coupler upon a shaft to allow introduction of an angle is beneficial. A closing wheel assembly incorporating the assembly for angle adjustment allows control of the angle of a closing wheel to improve soil gathering action for delivery of more or less soil to the seed slot/open furrow generated by the opener or opener assembly of a planter (drill) row unit. Exemplary applications of the assembly for angle adjustment include row unit closing wheel assemblies, fertilizer applicators and strip tillage closing systems.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Applicant states that this non-provisional patent application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) from provisional U.S. Pat. App. No. 62/011,214 filed on Jun. 12, 2014, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The methods and apparatuses described herein are generally applicable to the field of agricultural equipment. The embodiments shown and described herein are more particularly designed for improving assemblies benefitting from inclusion of an angle and adjustability therein. As discussed in detailed, the concept may be applied to many embodiments and designs allowing for improved performance in varying soil types and soil moisture conditions including closing wheel assemblies, fertilizer applicators, strip tillage closing systems and other farm equipment. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     No federal funds were used to develop or create the invention disclosed and described in the patent application. 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISK APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable. 
     AUTHORIZATION PURSUANT TO 37 C.F.R. §1.71 (d) 
     A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright and trademark protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever. 
     SUMMARY OF REFERENCES 
     
         
         1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,918 Closing Wheel Mounting for a Planter 
         2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,957,219 Agricultural adjustable closing tool for use with a cutting implement 
         3. U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,616 Mid Row Banding Coulter Drill 
         4. U.S. Pat. No. 7,814,847 Seed boot for double-shoot disc opener 
         5. U.S. Pat. No. 8,359,987 Depth Adjustment Assembly for a Disc Opener of an Agricultural Implement 
       
    
     The preceding list of references provides useful background for the present disclosure and is incorporated by reference herein. The incorporation of the preceding list of references and the teaching of each reference therein is not an admission by the Applicant as to relevancy of the references as prior art. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     An assembly for angle adjustment is disclosed and shown for use with agriculture equipment such as planters, applicators and tillage equipment wherein deployment of a coupler upon a shaft to allow introduction of an angle is beneficial. Without restriction or limitation, exemplary applications include row unit closing wheel assemblies, fertilizer applicators and strip tillage closing systems. 
     In one embodiment, a closing wheel assembly to adjust the angle of a closing wheel relative to the seed slot (furrow) opening is disclosed herein and illustrated herein. In one illustrative application, the closing wheel assembly may be retrofitted to existing drill, planter or air-seeder closing wheel arms. As disclosed and claimed herein, the closing wheel arm modification allows adjustment or change in the gathering action (side angle relative to the direction of travel) and caster angle (left/right tilting action, relative to the direction of travel). This is beneficial to users as soil types and conditions may change from day to day, from farm to farm, and or region to region. Adjustment of the angle of the closing wheel may be accomplished simply by rotating the outer coupler as shown in the enclosed figures. The range of adjustment is up to 12 degrees as necessitated by various soil and field conditions. As disclosed, the closing wheel adjusting assembly may be used with paired closing wheels, wherein each planter row unit includes two closing wheels, or it may be used with single closing wheels, wherein each planter row unit includes one closing wheel, as shown in the figures. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
       In order that the advantages of the assembly for angle adjustment will be readily understood, a more particular description of the closing wheel briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the assembly for angle adjustment as deployed for a row unit closing wheel and are not therefore to be considered limited of its scope, the closing wheel will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings. 
         FIG. 1  provides a top view of the closing wheel assemblies as found on as an air-seeder type drill as is well known in the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  provides an exploded view of the prior art opener assembly and closing wheel assembly of a row unit as would be mounted to the row unit frame and tool bar of an air-seeder as further disclosed in the Appendix herein. 
         FIG. 3  provides a top view of the closing wheel assemblies as found on the air-seeder of  FIG. 1  and shown in detail in  FIG. 2  with the addition of the assembly for angle adjustment with a spiked tooth closing wheel mounted therein as disclosed. 
         FIG. 4  provides a detailed side view of one embodiment of the assembly for angle adjustment incorporated into a closing wheel assembly wherein a smooth type closing wheel is mounted therein. 
         FIGS. 5A and 5B  provide several views of the coupler and angled bolt of the assembly for angle adjustment as disclosed with a portion of the closing wheel assembly hidden to better illustrate the features therein. 
         FIG. 6A  is a side view of the face of the coupler with the angled bolt positioned therein. 
         FIG. 6B  is a side of the angled bolt illustrating the shoulder and angled nature. 
         FIG. 6C  is a front view of the face of the D-Hole with concentric bore positioned in the coupler. 
         FIG. 6D  is a perspective view of the D-Hole with concentric bore positioned in the coupler. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the assembly for angle adjustment applied to a closing wheel assembly wherein indicator marks have been positioned around the outer circumference of the body of the coupler. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the assembly for angle adjustment wherein an annular groove has been positioned in the interior of the shaft end with a rubber seal positioned therein. 
         FIG. 9  is a rear view of a right mounted closing wheel assembly with the assembly for angle adjustment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     The Appendix provides several figures as referenced and included herein to illustrate an air-seeder of the prior art upon which the assembly for angle adjustment of the present disclosure may be mounted for use with a closing wheel assembly. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Listing of Elements 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Element Description 
                 Element Number 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Air-Seeder (also known as a drill or 
                  1 
               
               
                   
                 planter) 
               
               
                   
                 Wheels 
                  2 
               
               
                   
                 Hitch (shown in Appendix) 
                  3 
               
               
                   
                 Tool bar 
                  4 
               
               
                   
                 Linkage (shown in Appendix) 
                  5 
               
               
                   
                 Seed Hopper (shown in Appendix) 
                  6 
               
               
                   
                   
                  7 
               
               
                   
                 Ground surface 
                  8 
               
               
                   
                 Furrow/Seed Slot 
                  9 
               
               
                   
                 Soil 
                 10 
               
               
                   
                 Soil direction 
                 10a 
               
               
                   
                 Row unit 
                 11 
               
               
                   
                 Row unit frame (shown in Appendix) 
                 12 
               
               
                   
                 Seed delivery mechanism (tube) 
                 13 
               
               
                   
                 Opener assembly 
                 14 
               
               
                   
                 Opener assembly closing wheel 
                 14a 
               
               
                   
                 assembly receiver 
               
               
                   
                 Opener (disc) 
                 15 
               
               
                   
                 Opener assembly arms (upper/lower) 
                 16 a/b 
               
               
                   
                 Opener assembly spring (down 
                 17 
               
               
                   
                 pressure) 
               
               
                   
                 Depth regulator 
                 18 
               
               
                   
                 Cotter pin 
                 19 
               
               
                   
                 Clevis pin 
                 19a 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel assembly 
                 20 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel arm 
                 21 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel arm post 
                 21a 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel shaft 
                 22 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel shaft - mating threads 
                 22a 
               
               
                   
                 Closing Wheel 
                 23 
               
               
                   
                 Angle 
                 23a 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel torsion spring 
                 24 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel torsion spring rack 
                 25 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel arm locking pin 
                 26 
               
               
                   
                 Closing wheel shaft bolt 
                 27 
               
               
                   
                   
                 28 
               
               
                   
                   
                 29 
               
               
                   
                 Assembly for angle adjustment 
                 30 
               
               
                   
                 Coupler 
                 31 
               
               
                   
                 Coupler - shaft end (receiver) 
                 31a 
               
               
                   
                 Coupler - adjustment end 
                 31b 
               
               
                   
                 Tapped (Timed) hole for set screw 
                 32 
               
               
                   
                 Bolt 
                 33 
               
               
                   
                 Bolt - shaft end 
                 33a 
               
               
                   
                 Bolt - angled end 
                 33b 
               
               
                   
                 Bolt - indexing barrel 
                 33c 
               
               
                   
                 Set screw 
                 34 
               
               
                   
                 Indicator marks 
                 35 
               
               
                   
                 D-Hole (passage) 
                 36 
               
               
                   
                 D-Hole face 
                 36a 
               
               
                   
                 D-Hole indexing edge 
                 36b 
               
               
                   
                 D-Hole non-indexing edge 
                 36c 
               
               
                   
                 Bore 
                 37 
               
               
                   
                 End nut 
                 38 
               
               
                   
                 Annular groove 
                 39 
               
               
                   
                 O-ring 
                 40 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Before the present closing wheel adjusting assembly is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the assembly for angle adjustment  30  is not limited to specific methods, specific components, or to particular implementations. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Also, it is to be understood that phraseology and terminology used herein with reference to device or element orientation (such as, for example, terms like “front”, “back”, “up”, “down”, “top”, “bottom”, and the like) are only used to simplify description of the present closing wheel adjusting assembly, and do not alone indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation. In addition, terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used herein and in the appended claims for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance. 
     As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint. 
     “Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not. 
     Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word “comprise” and variations of the word, such as “comprising” and “comprises,” means “including but not limited to,” and is not intended to exclude, for example, other components, integers or steps. “Exemplary” means “an example of” and is not intended to convey an indication of a preferred or ideal embodiment. “Such as” is not used in a restrictive sense, but for explanatory purposes. 
     Disclosed are components that can be used to perform the disclosed closing wheel adjusting assembly. These and other components are disclosed herein, and it is understood that when combinations, subsets, interactions, groups, etc. of these components are disclosed that while specific reference of each various individual and collective combinations and permutation of these may not be explicitly disclosed, each is specifically contemplated and described herein, for all closing wheel adjusting assembly. This applies to all aspects of this application including, but not limited to, components of an assembly for angle adjustment  30 . Thus, if there are a variety of additional components that can be added it is understood that each of these additional components can be added with any specific embodiment or combination of embodiments of the disclosed assembly for angle adjustment  30 . 
     Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views,  FIG. 1  is a top view of a closing wheel assembly  20  of the prior art which may be mounted upon a row unit  11  (not shown) of a planter, drill or air-seeder  1 . One of ordinary skill will appreciate that a planter, drill or air-seeder  1  of the prior art upon which the closing wheel assembly  20  of the present disclosure may be mounted are well known. As shown in Appendix A, the air-seeder  1  is similar to a model built and sold by Case-IH, which is also branded and sold as New-Holland. The general design is similar to many models on the market upon which the assembly for angle adjustment  30  may be applied to allow introduction and control of an angle of the closing wheels  23 . Planter row units  11  of the type depicted in  FIG. 8  and Appendix A are generally mounted to a tool bar  4  or similar structure using linkage  5  and may be oriented in either a parallel or non-parallel arrangement. The planter row unit  11  generally includes an opener assembly  14  to open a furrow in the ground surface (shown as disc  15 ), a down pressure member (shown as a spring  17 ) for applying a biasing force to the opener assembly  14 , a depth regulator  18  for regulating the depth of the furrow, a seed delivery mechanism  13  for delivering seed to the opened furrow (shown as a hose), a closing wheel assembly  20  for closing the furrow, at least one hopper  6  for holding seed, and a row unit frame  12  to which various elements of the planter row unit  11  are mounted. (See Appendix A for linkage  5 , hopper  6 , and row unit frame  12 ) 
     As shown,  FIG. 2  illustrates a detailed view of the closing wheel assembly  20  of one particular air-seeder row unit  11 , particularly the opener (disc)  15  and closing wheel  23 . The model shown is a row unit offered by CNH and marketed as a Case-IH 500/500T and by New Holland as a 2080/2085. As those practiced in the art will appreciate, the closing wheel assembly  20  shown in  FIGS. 1-2  allows the closing wheel  23  to raise or lower, relative to the air-seeder row unit and row unit opener, to allow the closing wheel  23  to follow the soil surface. The closing wheel assembly  20  shown herein includes a closing wheel torsion spring  24  and closing wheel torsion spring rack  25  that function to adjust the pressure upon the closing wheel  23  and thus the amount of soil compression and the potential soil engaging depth of the closing wheel  23 . Typically, increasing pressure upon the closing wheel  23  increases the scraping action of the closing wheel  23  on the ground surface  8  thereby increasing the dirt or soil moved during planting for delivery to the open furrow  9  to improve closing of the furrow. (See also  FIG. 9  and Appendix along with discussion herein) 
     Applicant has studied the prior art closing wheel assembly  20  as depicted by  FIGS. 1-2  and ascertained that in operation the preferred and beneficial amount of soil is many times not delivered to the furrow  9  opened by row unit opener  15  resulting in poor closing of the furrow, poor soil to seed contact and generally poor conditions for germination and growth of seeds. The closing wheels  23  and closing wheel assembly  20  as pictured in  FIGS. 1 and 2  are an illustrative example of a configuration in which the closing wheel  23  when operated across a field does not have enough “soil gathering action” to effectively close the furrow/seed slot, particularly in moist field and soil conditions. 
     To address and correct this failure to deliver soil  10  (not shown) in a direction  10   a  (see  FIG. 9 ) to the open furrow/seed slot  9 , thus improving soil gathering action, for a closing wheel assembly  20  of the type depicted herein, an assembly for angle adjustment  30  incorporated into the closing wheel assembly  20  is beneficial. As depicted in  FIGS. 3-9 , an assembly for angle adjustment  30  comprised of a coupler  31  is mounted to the closing wheel shaft  22  of the closing wheel assembly  20 . The coupler  31  has a hollow body and is configured with a first end (shaft end  31   a ) that mounts to the closing wheel shaft  22  by sliding onto and over the closing wheel shaft  22 , after removal of the closing wheel  23 . (See  FIGS. 5A &amp; 5B ) A tapped (timed) hole  32  is configured in the body of the coupler  31  proximate the first or shaft end  31   a  of the coupler and is typically threaded and configured for engagement with a set screw  34 . The second end of coupler  31   b  is configured as a cap having a bore  37  creating a straight passage through the coupler  31  with a special face and end  36   a  configured therein which applicant has named a “D-hole”  36  as the interior barrel of the D-hole is made up of indexing and non-indexing edges, referenced respectively as,  36   b  and  36   c  as illustrated in  FIG. 6C . The D-hole  36  and bore  37  are concentric at the cap end and pass straight through the body of the coupler  31 . The face (D-hole face)  36   a  of the cap end may be angled up to 12 degrees as illustrated throughout and particularly by  FIG. 6B . Further, the D-hole  36  has an angled face  36   a  which correspondences to the range of angle allowed by the closing wheel adjustment assembly  30 , which as disclosed is 0-12 degrees. Rotating the coupler  31  upon the shaft  22  changes the angle  23   a  between shaft  22  and closing (rotatable) wheel  23  while maintaining even contact between closing wheel  23  and angled face  36   a  to support smooth rotation of closing (rotatable) wheel  23 . A bolt  33 , specially configured for the coupler  31  is configured for insertion in the coupler  31 . (See  FIGS. 6A and 6B ) The angled bolt is comprised of three sections as illustrated throughout but particularly in  FIG. 6B . A first section—the shaft (receiver) end  33   a  is straight and is threaded and is configured for insertion inside to interlock with the mating threads  22   a  (not shown) inside closing wheel shaft  22  of the prior art. (See  FIG. 2 ) The first section is generally parallel with the body of the coupler  31 . An indexing barrel  33   c  forms the second section and interconnects the first section and the third sections, referenced respectively as,  33   a  and  33   b  as illustrated in  FIGS. 6A and 6B . The indexing barrel  33   c  has locking or indexing edges which correspond to the interior shape of the D-hole  36  to index the bolt  33  in the d-hole  36 . The third section is the angled end  33   b  which is also threaded and is angled relative to the first section of the bolt and the indexing barrel  33 . The assembly for assembly for angle adjustment  30  comprising coupler  31  and bolt  33  are typically constructed from high quality galvanized steel to inhibit corrosion and increase run life. The above-referenced elements may, however, be constructed of any material known to those skilled in the art or later developed, which material is appropriate for the specific application of the assembly for angle adjustment  30  without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. One of ordinary skill will also appreciate that the actual mating shape of the D-hole  36  and locking edges ( 36   b ,  36   c ) of the indexing barrel ( 33   c ) are inconsequential, i.e. shapes other than a “D” may be chosen without departure from the present disclosure, but that the indexing nature of the design disclosed provides additional benefits in operation and adjustment. One of ordinary skill will also appreciate that although applicant has disclosed the assembly for angle adjustment  30  having two components including coupler  31  and bolt  33 , one of ordinary skill will appreciate the end of an axle could be figured as bolt  33  for engagement with coupler  31  to allow for a similar end result and function, rotation to allow for angle introduction and control, without departure from the scope, spirit and intent of the present disclosure. 
     Illustrative Use and Adjustment 
     Use and operation using the assembly for angle adjustment  30  is illustrated by  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 9  as incorporated into a closing wheel assembly  20 . The opener assembly unit pictured in  FIG. 3  is a right-hand (RH) opener, and the timed hole  32  of the coupler  31  is pointing straight backwards (towards the user), assuming the user is positioned posterior of the closing wheel assembly  20  in  FIG. 3 . For example, and by way of illustration and without limitation, positioning the set-screw  34  straight backwards on a RH opener, as shown, allows the maximum closing wheel adjustment angle of 12 degrees. Further, if the coupler  31  is rotated further so the set-screw  34  is now pointed straight downwards (for a RH opener) the closing wheel angle  23   a  is now neutral. Finally, if the coupler  31  is rotated further (so the set-screw  34  is pointing straight forward (or away from the user), on a RH opener), the closing wheel angle  23   a  becomes negative at the maximum angle (not desired as it doesn&#39;t gather the soil to close the open furrow  9 . 
       FIG. 9  is a rear view of a right mounted closing wheel assembly with the assembly for angle adjustment  30  of the present disclosure incorporated therein. The closing wheel  23  is adjusted to approximately to an angle  23   a  having a value of 10.4 degrees and soil  10  (not shown) is moving right to left (soil direction  10   a ) for a right handed (RH) opener towards the furrow  9  (not shown) to be closed. (See  FIG. 1  for illustrative example of an open furrow  9 ) When the coupler  31  is installed on the closing wheel shaft  22 , the assembly for angle adjustment  30  is infinitely adjustable allowing an angle  23   a  operating range of −12 and +12 degrees to the open furrow  9  (aka seed slot) (when viewed from above, with the closing wheel arm  21  in the horizontal position). One of ordinary skill will appreciate that a closing wheel  23  positioned with a negative angle  23   a  typically is not desirable as the closing wheel  23  does not gather sufficient soil to close the open furrow  9  so the operating range for a closing wheel angle  23   a  is 0-12 degrees. Applicant has found that 12 degrees of closing wheel angle  23   a  is best suited for higher moisture clay soils, especially with no-till conditions. The maximum 12 degree angle is achieved when the set screw  34  is positioned straight backwards on a closing wheel arm  22  that&#39;s horizontal when viewed from the side. As the coupler is rotated downwards, the closing wheel angle  23   a  is reduced. The reduced angle is better suited for looser soils, drier soils or when operating at higher speeds where increased soil throw is common. When the coupler  31  is adjusted so the set screw  34  points straight downwards, the closing wheel  23  will run parallel to the open furrow  9  with little to no closing wheel action which is typically undesirable for this particular application. 
     After setting the desired closing wheel angle  23   a , the lock nut on the axle and the set screw  34  on the coupler  31  are both tightened to lock the coupler  31  in position. The opener assembly unit pictured in  FIG. 3  is a right-hand (RH) opener, and the set screw  34  is pointing straight backwards (towards the user). The settings are the same with the left-handed (LH) opener as the coupler  31  is reversed on the opposite side. Indicator marks  35  are provided on the coupler  31  to ensure all couplers  31  are positioned at a consistent angle within all of the closing wheel arm shafts  22  across the drill/planter/seeder  1 . 
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the assembly for angle adjustment  30  wherein indicator marks  35  have been positioned around the outer circumference of the body of the coupler  31 . One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the assembly for angle adjustment  30  may be configured for use and operation adjacent a plurality of closing wheel assemblies  20  attached to a plurality of corresponding planter row units  10  attached to a tool bar  4  to form a contiguous planter unit (not shown). Furthermore, the assembly for angle adjustment  30  may be adapted for use with non-symmetrical closing wheels (not shown), or walking style closing wheels (not shown), or multiple point closing wheels (shown), independent of the styles or types of closing wheels shown or disclosed herein. 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the assembly for angle adjustment  30  wherein an annular groove  39  has been positioned in the interior of the coupler (shaft end  31   a ) with a rubber o-ring  40  positioned therein to inhibit intrusion of soil, dirt, water and dust between the coupler shaft end  31   a  and shaft  22 . 
     Having described the preferred embodiments, other features of the will undoubtedly occur to those versed in the art, as will numerous modifications and alterations in the embodiments as illustrated herein, all of which may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the assembly for angle adjustment  30  disclosed herein. Accordingly, the methods and embodiments pictured and described herein are for illustrative purposes only, and the scope of the present disclosure extends to all method and/or structures for providing increased functionality, comfort, and/or longevity to shoes and/or components thereof. Furthermore, the methods and embodiments pictured and described herein are no way limiting to the scope of the assembly for angle adjustment  30  unless so stated in the following claims. 
     It should be noted that the assembly for angle adjustment  30  is not limited to the specific embodiments pictured and described herein, but is intended to apply to all similar apparatuses and methods for providing the various benefits and/or features of a assembly for angle adjustment  30 . Modifications and alterations from the described embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art without departure from the spirit and scope of the assembly for angle adjustment  30 . It is understood that the assembly for angle adjustment  30  as disclosed herein extends to all alternative combinations of one or more of the individual features mentioned, evident from the text and/or drawings, and/or inherently disclosed. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the assembly for angle adjustment  30  and/or components thereof. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the assembly for angle adjustment  30  and/or components thereof and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the same. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art. 
     While the assembly for angle adjustment  30  has been described in connection with preferred embodiments and specific examples, it is not intended that the scope be limited to the particular embodiments set forth, as the embodiments herein are intended in all respects to be illustrative rather than restrictive. 
     Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that any method set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps be performed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim does not actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is not otherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that the steps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended that an order be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possible non-express basis for interpretation, including but not limited to: matters of logic with respect to arrangement of steps or operational flow; plain meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation; the number or type of embodiments described in the specification. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope or spirit. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as illustrative only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.