Abstract:
Curled decorative grasses and methods for producing same are disclosed wherein the curled decorative grasses have improved bulk and simulate Spanish moss in color and appearance.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 10/180,715, filed Jun. 25, 2002, entitled “SYNTHETIC DECORATIVE GRASS SIMULATING SPANISH MOSS AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,605,170; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/847,831, filed May 2, 2001, entitled “SYNTHETIC DECORATIVE GRASS SIMULATING SPANISH MOSS AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,468,196 which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/338,249, filed Jun. 22, 1999, entitled “SYNTHETIC DECORATIVE GRASS SIMULATING SPANISH MOSS AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME,” now abandoned; which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of provisional application U.S. Ser. No. 60/092,150, filed Jul. 9, 1998, entitled “SYNTHETIC DECORATIVE GRASS ASSIMILATING SPANISH MOSS AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME,” the contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated in their entirety by reference. 

   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to decorative grass and methods for producing same, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to curled, intertwined decorative grass simulating Spanish moss and methods for producing same. 
   2. Brief Description of Prior Art 
   Spanish moss is an epiphytic of the pineapple family which forms pendent tufts of grayish green filaments on trees from the southern United States of America to Argentina. Spanish moss, when dried has heretofore been used as decorative material as well as a packing material. However, Spanish moss is expensive and Spanish moss often contains undesirable amounts of chaff and dust. 
   Synthetic decorative grass has been used for many years in Easter baskets and for other decorative purposes. The synthetic decorative grass of the prior art has been produced by numerous methods and from a variety of materials such as polymeric materials, paper, cellophane or the like. Typically, such materials are cut and shredded to produce segments having predetermined dimensions. One such prior art method for making decorative grass is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,266, issued to Weder, et al., wherein a plastic film is extruded and cut into plastic strips which are passed through a slow-speed godet, an oven and a high-speed godet so that the strips are drawn down in width and thickness without breaking. From the high-speed godet, the strips or strands are chopped to a desired length and conveyed to a storage area for subsequent bagging and packaging. 
   While the prior art methods for making decorative grass have been widely accepted, new and improved methods for making decorative grasses having improved bulk and aesthetic qualities, such as simulating the appearance of Spanish moss, are being sought which are less costly. It is to such decorative grasses and methods for producing same that the present invention is directed. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to curled, intertwined decorative grasses having improved bulk and which simulate the appearance of Spanish moss. In one aspect, the present invention relates to methods for making decorative grasses which simulate, in appearance and color, Spanish moss. Because of the reduced amount of chaff and dust present in the curled decorative grasses simulating the appearance of Spanish moss made in accordance with the present invention, as well as the increased bulk of such curled decorative grasses, such decorative grasses can be used as decorative materials, as a filler for Easter baskets, i.e. Easter grass, as well as for animal bedding, cat litter, mulch for soil and media for plants. 
   The curled decorative grasses having improved bulk and which simulate the appearance of Spanish moss are produced by imparting a curl to a web or sheet of material having a color simulating the color of Spanish moss (i.e. grayish green) and thereafter cutting the curled web or sheet of material into stands of material which are intertwined and simulate Spanish moss in appearance. 
   The web or sheet of material can be formed of any material capable of being curled and dyed to a color simulating the color of spanish moss. Examples of materials which can be used as the web or sheet of material in the production of curled, intertwined decorative grasses which simulate Spanish moss in appearance are paper and laminates, such as laminates made of at least two polymeric films, or laminates made of polymeric film and paper, or laminates made of metal foil and a polymeric film or paper. 
   An object of the present invention is to provide curled decorative grasses which simulate the appearance of Spanish moss. 
   Another object of the present invention, while achieving the before-stated object, is to provide curled decorative grasses which simulate the appearance of Spanish moss and which have improved bulk. 
   Yet another object of the present invention, while achieving the before-stated objects, is to provide methods for producing curled decorative grasses simulating the appearance of Spanish moss which are cost effective. 
   Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of a system for making a curled decorative grass simulating Spanish moss from a laminated web of material in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic representation of another system for making a curled decorative grass simulating Spanish moss from a laminated web of material in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a first web of material and a second web of material employed to produce the laminated web of material of  FIG. 2 , the first web of material being shorter in length than the second web of material. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the first and second webs of material of  FIG. 3  wherein the first web of material is stretched prior to laminating the first and second webs of material so that a curl is imparted to the laminated web of material. 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic representation of a system for making a curled decorative grass simulating Spanish moss from a web of paper in accordance with the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a pictorial representation of curled decorative grass simulating Spanish moss prepared in accordance with the present invention. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring now to the drawings,  FIG. 1  illustrates schematically a system  10  for making curled decorative grass  12  simulating Spanish moss in accordance with the present invention. That is, the curled decorative grass  12  has an intertwined configuration and a color (i.e. grayish green) which provides the curled, intertwined decorative grass with an appearance simulating Spanish moss (see FIG.  6 ). Thus, the curled decorative grass  12  is especially suited for use as a decorating material in place of Spanish moss, and as a decorative grass in Easter baskets, or as packing material, animal bedding, cat litter, mulch for soil and media for plants. 
   The system  10  includes a roll of material  14  which consists of a substantially flat web of laminated material  16  capable of having a curl imparted thereto. The laminated material  16 , which is dyed or colored to have a grayish green color substantially corresponding to the color of Spanish moss, can be formed by laminating a first web of material  18  to a second web of material  20  by any method known in the art. 
   Any ink or dye capable of imparting the desired grayish green color to the laminated material  16  or the first and/or second webs of material  18  and  20  so that the laminated material  16  is provided with a grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss can be employed as the dye or ink in the practice of the present invention. Such inks and dyes are commercially available and well known in the art. An example of an ink which may be applied to the laminated material  16  or the first and/or second webs of material  18  and  20  so that the laminated material  16  is provided with a grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706 entitled “Water Based Ink On Foil And/Or Synthetic Organic Polymer” issued to Kingman on Sep. 15, 1992 and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. In addition, if a bonding material is used to laminate the first and second webs of material  18  and  20  together, the bonding material may also be tinted or colored by using a dye, pigment, or ink having a grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss. 
   The roll of material  14  is supported on a mandrel  22  having a brake assembly  24  operably connected thereto so that the web of laminated material  16  can be controllably withdrawn from the roll of material  12 . The web of laminated material  16  withdrawn from the roll of material  12  is drawn over a curling edge  26  of a curl bar  28  so as to provide a curled web of laminated material  30 . 
   The curling edge  26  of the curl bar  28  is angularly disposed relative to the travel path of the web of laminated material  16  so that as the web of laminated material  16  is drawn over the curling edge  26  of the curl bar  28 , the curled web of laminated material  30  is produced. The angular disposition of the curling edge  26  of the curl bar  28  relative to the web of laminated material  16  can vary widely and will be dependent to a large degree on the amount and type of curl to be imparted to the web of laminated material  16 , as well as to the curling properties of the first and second webs of material  18  and  20  or the web of laminated material  16 . Generally, however, the curling edge  26  of the curl bar  28  will be disposed at an angle of from about 15 degrees to about 180 degrees relative to the direction of travel of the web of laminated material  16 . 
   To maintain the desired tension on the web of laminated material  16  as the web of laminated material  16  is drawn over the curling edge  26  of the curl bar  28 , the system  10  may further include a pair of tension or nip rollers  32  and  33  positioned upstream of the curl bar  26  and a pair of tension or nip rollers  34  and  35  positioned downstream of the curl bar  28  to ensure proper tension on the web of laminated material  16 , as well as angular disposition of the web of material laminated  16 , as the web of laminated material  16  is drawn over the curling edge  26  of the curl bar  28 . The curled web of laminated material  30 , upon passage through the tension rollers  32  and  34 , is fed into a slitter or shredder unit  36  where the curled web of laminated material  30  is slit to provide a slit web of curled laminated material  37  having a plurality of curled strips of predetermined width. 
   The slitting of the curled web of laminated material  30  to produce the slit web of curled laminated material  37  having a plurality of curled strips of predetermined width can be accomplished using any well known method and device. Such common methods of slitting the curled web of laminated material  30  include: (a) slitting the curled web of laminated material  30  to produce side-by-side strips of material wherein the longer dimension of the strips is in the direction of travel of the curled web of laminated material  30 , i.e. the machine direction; or (b) slitting the curled web of laminated material  30  so that the longer dimension of the strips of material are oblique to the direction of travel of the curled web of laminated material  30 , i.e. obliquely to the machine direction. 
   The slit web of curled laminated material  37  is then passed through a cutting unit  38  where the curled strips of the slit web of curled laminated material  37  are cut into segments to form the curled decorative grass  12  which, in cluster form, simulates Spanish moss in appearance. 
   Any conventional device and method can be employed as the slitter or shredder unit  36  for slitting of the curled web of laminated material  30  to produce the slit web of curled laminated material  37  and for cutting the curled strips of the slit web of curled laminated material  37  to form the curled decorative grass  12  simulating Spanish moss. Examples of conventional devices which can be used as the slitter or shredder unit  36  and/or as the cutting unit  38  are rotary knives, reciprocating knives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting and the like. 
   The curled decorative grass  12  simulating Spanish moss produced by cutting the slit web of curled laminated material  37  can then be conveyed to a storage area (not shown) which may be in the form of a suitable bin, or the curled decorative grass  12  simulating Spanish moss may be conveyed to a packaging machine, or the curled decorative grass  12  simulating Spanish moss may be conveyed to a baling machine for baling prior to storage. As other alternatives, the curled decorative grass  12  simulating Spanish moss may be placed into boxes or cartons, subjected to further processing immediately or held for subsequent processing. 
   Any material capable of having a curl imparted thereto and which can be dyed or colored can be employed as the first web of material  18  and second web of material  20 . However, desirable results can be achieved wherein the first web of material  18  is paper and the second web of material  20  is a polymeric film; or wherein the first and second webs of material  18  and  20  are each made of a polymeric film, or wherein the first web of material  18  is a polymeric film or paper and the second web of material  20  is a metal foil. 
   The first web of material  18  and the second web of material  20  can be constructed of any material capable of having a curl imparted thereto so that the laminated web of material  16  produced by lamination of the first and second webs  18  and  20  is capable of having a curl imparted thereto. The first web of material  18  can be constructed of either a transparent polymeric material which permits the color of the second web of material  20  to be viewed through the first web of material  18 , or a polymeric material which can be dyed or colored so that the laminated web of material  16  simulates the color of Spanish moss, or paper; and the second web of material  20  can be constructed of a polymeric material or metal foil which can be dyed or colored so that the laminated web of material  16  simulates the color of Spanish moss. 
   The first web of material  18  will generally have a thickness in a range from about 0.1 mils to about 10 mils, and more desirably in a range of from about 0.4 mils to about 0.9 mils; and the second web of material  20  will generally have a thickness in a range from about 0.1 mils to about 10 mils, and more desirably in a range of from about 0.4 mils to about 0.9 mils. Further, the first and/or second webs of material  18  and  20  may be constructed of a single layer of material or a laminated material containing a plurality of layers of the same or different types of materials as long as the web of laminated material  16  can have the desired curl imparted to it. 
     FIG. 2  illustrates schematically another system  40  for making a curled decorative grass  42  simulating Spanish moss from a roll of material  43  which consists of a substantially flat web of laminated material  44  which has a preset curl formed therein. The laminated material  44  is dyed or colored to have a grayish color substantially corresponding to the color of Spanish moss. The web of laminated material  44  (only a segment being shown in  FIG. 3 ) is provided with a preset curl formed during lamination of a first web of material  46  to a second web of material  48  to produce the web of laminated material  44 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4  in combination with  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the preset curl is provided in the web of laminated material  44  by stretching at least one of the webs of material, such as the first web of material  46 , and maintaining the first web of material  46  in a stretched condition during lamination of the first web of material  46  to the second web of material  48 . That is, as depicted in  FIG. 4 , the first web of material  46  is provided with a length  50  which is less than a length  52  of the second web of material  48 . It should be understood, however, that the first web of material  46  could be provided with a width  54  which is different than a width  56  of the second web of material  48 ; or the length  50  and the width  54  of the first web of material  46  could be of a different dimension than the length  52  and the width  56  of the second web of material  48 . 
   As shown in  FIG. 4 , the first web of material  46  is disposed adjacent the second web of material  48 . The first web of material  46  is then stretched in direction  60  ( FIG. 4 ) a predetermined amount required to produce the desired curl in the web of laminated material  44  when the stretch first web of material  46  is laminated to the second web of material  48 . 
   With the first web of material  46  in the stretched condition and substantially aligned with the second web of material  48 , the first and second webs of material  46  and  48  are then laminated together by any method known in the art. By laminating the first web of material  46  to the second web of material  48  while the first web of material  46  is in the stretched condition, the first web of material  46  creates a recoil tension wherein the first web of material  46  tends to return to its original length which results in a preset curl being formed in the web of laminated material  44  substantially as shown in FIG.  3 . 
   Any ink or dye capable of imparting the desired grayish green color to the web of laminated material  44  or the first and/or second webs of material  46  and  48  so that the web of laminated material  44  is provided with a grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss can be employed as the dye or ink in the practice of the present invention. Such inks and dyes are commercially available and well known in the art. An example of an ink which may be applied to the surface of the web of laminated material  44  or the first and/or second webs of material  46  and  48  so that the web of laminated material  16  is provided with a grayish color simulating the color of Spanish moss is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706 entitled “Water Based Ink On Foil And/Or Synthetic Organic Polymer” issued to Kingman on Sep. 15, 1992 and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. In addition, the bonding material used to laminate the first and second webs of material  46  and  48  together may also be tinted or colored by using a dye, pigment, or ink having a grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss. 
   The first web of material  46  can be constructed of any material which can be stretch and laminated to the second web of material  48  so as to impart a curl to the laminated web of material  44 . Further, the first web of material  44  is constructed of either a transparent polymeric material which permits the color of the second web of material  48  to be viewed through the first web of material  44 , or a material which can be dyed-or colored so that the laminated web of material  44  simulates the color of Spanish moss. However, desirable results can be achieved wherein the first web of material  46  is a polymeric film and the second web of material  48  is paper; or wherein the first and second webs of material  46  and  48  are each made of a polymeric film; or where the first web of material  46  is a polymeric film and the second web of material  48  is a metal foil. 
   The first web of material  46  will generally have a thickness in a range from about 0.1 mils to about 10 mils, and more desirably in a range of from about 0.4 mils to about 0.9 mils; and the second web of material  48  will generally have a thickness in a range from about 0.1 mils to about 10 mils, and more desirably in a range of from about 0.4 mils to about 0.9 mils. Further, the first and/or second webs of material  46  and  48  may be constructed of a single layer of material or a laminated material containing a plurality of layers of the same or different types of materials as long as the web of laminated material  44  is provided with a preset curl. 
   Referring again to  FIG. 2 , the roll of material  43  is supported on a mandrel  50  having a brake assembly  52  operably connected thereto so that the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl can be controllably withdrawn from the roll of material  43 . The web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl is passed through a pair of tension or nip rollers  54  and  56  and into a slitter or shredder unit  62  where the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl is slit to provide a slit web of curled laminated material  64  having a plurality of curled strips of predetermined width. The slitting of the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl to produce the slit web of curled laminated material  64  having a plurality of curled strips of predetermined width can be accomplished using any well known method and device. Such common methods of slitting the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl include: (a) slitting the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl to produce side-by-side strips of material wherein the longer dimension of the strips is in the direction of travel of the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl, i.e. the machine direction; or (b) slitting the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl so that the longer dimension of the strips of material are oblique to the direction of travel of the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl, i.e. obliquely to the machine direction. 
   The slit web of curled laminated material  64  is then passed through a cutting unit  66  where the curled strips of the slit web of curled laminated material  64  are cut into segments to form the curled decorative grass  42  simulating Spanish moss. 
   Any conventional device and method can be employed as the slitter or shredder unit  62  for slitting of the web of laminated material  44  having a preset curl to produce the curled strips of the slit web of curled laminated material  64  and for cutting the curled strips of the slit web of curled laminated material  64  to form the curled decorative grass  42  simulating Spanish moss. Examples of conventional devices which can be used as the slitter or shredder unit  62  and/or as the cutting unit  66  are rotary knives, reciprocating knives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting and the like. Examples of such conventional devices and methods which can be employed to cut the slit web of curled laminated material  64  are rotary knives, reciprocating knives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting and the like. 
   The curled decorative grass  42  simulating Spanish moss produced by cutting the slit web of curled laminated material  64  can then be conveyed to a storage area (not shown) which may be in the form of a suitable bin, or the curled decorative grass  42  simulating Spanish moss may be conveyed to a packaging machine, or the curled decorative grass  42  simulating Spanish moss may be conveyed to a baling machine for baling prior to storage. As other alternatives, the curled decorative grass  42  simulating Spanish moss may be placed into boxes or cartons, subjected to further processing immediately or held for subsequent processing. 
     FIG. 5  illustrates schematically another system  70  for making a curled decorative grass  72  simulating Spanish moss from a roll of material  74  which consists of a substantially flat web of paper, polymeric film, or metal foil  76  capable of having a curl set therein. The paper can include additives, such as shape-sustaining agents, water-proofing agents, anti-static agents and the like as long as the paper containing such agents can be curled and used to produce the curled decorative grass  72  which is intertwined and simulates Spanish moss in appearance. Similarly, the polymeric film can be any commercially available polymeric film which can be curled and used to produce the curled decorative grass  72  which is intertwined and simulates Spanish moss in appearance. An example of a commercially available polymeric film which, when dyed to the desired grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss, can be used to produce the curled decorative grass  72  is Vifan BT medium slip biaxially oriented polypropylene film which is available from Vifan Canada, Inc., Vifan street, Lanoraie d&#39;Autray, Quebec, Canada JOK 1EO, Another example of a commercially available polymeric film which, when dyed to the desired grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss, can be used to produce the curled decorative grass  72  is Hercules B523 oriented polypropylene packaging film which is available from Hercules Incorporated, Hercules Plaza, Wilmington, Del. 19894. 
   The paper, polymeric material, or metal foil is dyed or colored to have a grayish green color substantially corresponding to the color of Spanish moss. Any ink or dye capable of imparting the desired grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss can be employed as the dye or ink for the paper, polymeric film or metal foil. Such inks and dyes are commercially available and well known in the art. An example of an ink which may be applied to the paper or polymeric film or metal foil so that the web of material  76  is provided with a grayish green color simulating the color of Spanish moss is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,706 entitled “Water Based Ink On Foil And/Or Synthetic Organic Polymer” issued to Kingman on Sep. 15, 1992, and which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
   The thickness of the web of material  76  employed to produce the curled decorative grass  72  simulating the appearance of Spanish moss can vary widely. Generally however, the web of material  76  will have a thickness in the range of from about 0.1 mil to about 30 mils, and more desirably from about 0.1 mil to about 10 mils. 
   The roll of material  74  is supported on a mandrel  78  having a brake assembly  80  operably connected thereto so that the web of material  76  can be controllably withdrawn from the roll of material  74 . The web of material  76  withdrawn from the roll of material  74  is drawn over a curling edge  82  of a curl bar  84  so as to provide a curled web of material  86 . 
   The curling edge  82  of the curl bar  84  is angularly disposed relative to the travel path of the web of material  76  so that as the web of material  76  is drawn over the curling edge  82  of the curl bar  84 , the curled web of material  86  is produced. The angular disposition of the curling edge  82  of the curl bar  84  relative to the direction of travel of the web of material  76  over the curling edge  82  of the curl bar  84  can vary widely and will be dependent to a large degree on the amount and type of curl to be imparted to the web of material  76 , as well as to the curling properties of the web of material  76 . Generally, however, the curling edge  82  of the curl bar  84  will be disposed at an angle of from about 15 degrees to about 180 degrees relative to the direction of travel of the web of material  76 . 
   To maintain the desired tension on the web of material  76  as the web of material  76  is drawn over the curling edge  82  of the curl bar  84 , the system  70  may further include a pair of tension or nip rollers  88  and  90  positioned upstream of the curl bar  84  and a pair of tension or nip rollers  92  and  94  positioned downstream of the curl bar  84  to ensure proper tension on the web of material  76 , as well as angular disposition of the web of material  76 , as the web of material  76  is drawn over the curling edge  82  of the curl bar  84 . The curled web of material  86 , upon passage through the tension rollers  92  and  94 , is fed into a slitter or shredder unit  96  where the curled web of material  86  is slit to provide a slit web of curled material  98  having a plurality of curled strips of predetermined width. 
   The slitting of the curled web of material  86  to produce the slit web of curled material  98  having a plurality of curled strips of predetermined width can be accomplished using any well known method and device. Such common methods of slitting the curled web of material  86  include: (a) slitting the curled web of material  86  to produce side-by-side strips of material wherein the longer dimension of the strips is in the direction of travel of the curled web of material  86 , i.e. the machine direction; or (b) slitting the curled web of material  86  so that the longer dimension of the strips of material are oblique to the direction of travel of the curled web of material  86 , i.e. obliquely to the machine direction. 
   The slit web of curled material  98  is then passed through a cutting unit  100  where the curled strips of the slit web of curled material  98  are cut into segments to form the curled decorative grass  72  which, in cluster form, simulates Spanish moss. 
   Any conventional device and method can be employed as the slitter or shredder unit  96  for slitting of the curled web of paper or polymeric film  86  to produce the slit web of curled paper or polymeric film  98  and for cutting the curled strips of the slit web of curled paper or polymeric film  98  to form the curled decorative grass  72  assimilating Spanish moss. Examples of conventional devices which can be used as the slitter or shredder unit  96  and/or as the cutting unit  100  are rotary knives, reciprocating knives, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, air jet cutting and the like. 
   The curled decorative grass  72  assimilating Spanish moss produced by cutting the slit web of curled paper or polymeric film  98  can then be conveyed to a storage area (not shown) which may be in the form of a suitable bin, or the curled decorative grass  72  assimilating Spanish moss may be conveyed to a packaging machine, or the curled decorative grass  72  assimilating Spanish moss may be conveyed to a baling machine for baling prior to storage. As other alternatives, the curled decorative grass  72  assimilating Spanish moss may be placed into boxes or cartons, subjected to further processing immediately or held for subsequent processing. 
     FIG. 6  is a pictorial representation of the curled decorative grasses  12 ,  42  and  72  assimilating Spanish moss prepared in accordance with the systems  10 ,  40  and  70  hereinbefore described with reference to  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  5 . 
   Changes may be made in the embodiments of the invention described herein, or in parts or elements of the embodiments described herein, or in the steps or sequence of steps of the methods described herein, without departing from the spirit and/or scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.