Abstract:
A method of installing a dock includes providing first and second dock sections, each having a bottom transport member, and a dock support that supports the dock section when installed. The first dock section is installed adjacent to a shoreline. The dock lifting device of a dock cart is attached to the second dock section and the lifting device of the dock cart lifts the first end of the second dock section such that the second dock section is supported by the bottom transport member and the cart transport member. The cart moves the second dock section along the first dock section until the first end of the second dock section is adjacent to the second end of the first dock section. The lifting device then lowers the first end of the second dock section to be level with the second end of the first dock section.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    This relates to a dock installation apparatus and method for a temporary dock structure. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    It is often required to install and remove a dock for recreational or other purposes according to seasonal or other demands. Installing and removing a dock or dock sections can be a labour intensive process, and is often difficult to accomplish without a number of people in and out of the water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,300 is one example of a dock installation assembly. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0003]    According to an aspect, there is provided a method of installing a dock, the method having the steps of providing a first dock section and a second dock section, with each dock section having a first end, a second end, a bottom transport member spaced from the first and second ends, and a dock support attached to the dock section, the dock support supporting the dock section when installed, as well as providing a cart, the cart having a first end having a cart transport member and a second end having a dock lifting device. The first dock section is installed adjacent to a shoreline. The dock lifting device is attached to the first end of the second dock section and the lifting device is activated to lift the first end of the second dock section such that the second dock section is supported by the bottom transport member and the cart transport member. The cart moves the second dock section along a top surface of the first dock section toward the second end of the first dock section until the first end of the second dock section is adjacent to the second end of the first dock section. The lifting device is then caused to lower the first end of the second dock section to be level with the second end of the first dock section, and the first end of the second dock section is supported by the second end of the first dock section. 
         [0004]    According to another aspect, the method may have the further steps of providing a shore attachment point at the first end of the first dock section and attaching the shore attachment point to the shoreline. 
         [0005]    According to another aspect, the bottom transport member may comprise a set of rollers. 
         [0006]    According to another aspect, the cart transport member may comprise a set of rollers. 
         [0007]    According to another aspect, the bottom transport member may be positioned at a balance point of the dock section. 
         [0008]    According to another aspect, the dock section has a length and the balance point may be located ⅗ of the length from the first end of the dock section and ⅖ of the length from the second end of the dock section. 
         [0009]    According to another aspect, the dock section may comprise a truss support structure. 
         [0010]    According to another aspect, the cart may have guide members that engage the sides of the dock sections. 
         [0011]    According to another aspect, the second end of the cart may rest on the first end. of the second dock section such that the lifting device may also lift the second end of the cart and the first section of the cart may rest on the cart transport member. 
         [0012]    According to another aspect, the dock support may be attached at the second end of the dock section and may engage the sides of the first dock section to act as a guide as the cart moves the second dock section along the top surface of the first dock section. 
         [0013]    According to another aspect, the dock support may have support legs attached at the second end of the dock section that pivot between a stored position adjacent to the dock section and a support position extending downward from the dock section. 
         [0014]    According to another aspect, the support legs may comprise wheels. 
         [0015]    According to another aspect, the support legs may be adjustable in length. 
         [0016]    According to another aspect, the method may further comprise the step of attaching a guide and support device to the second end of the first dock section to assist in moving the second dock section over the second end of the first dock section. 
         [0017]    According to another aspect, when the bottom transport members reach the second end of the first dock section, the dock support may be pivoted to the support position. 
         [0018]    According to another aspect, the method may further comprise removing the cart from the second dock section and attaching the cart to an additional dock section to be installed. 
         [0019]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise a winch that pulls the cart. 
         [0020]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise a motor for driving the cart transport members. 
         [0021]    According to another aspect, the dock lifting mechanism may comprise a hand crank or a hand drill attachment. 
         [0022]    According to an aspect, there is provided a method of removing a dock, the dock having a first dock section and a second dock section, each dock section having a first end, a second end, a bottom transport member spaced from the first and second ends, and a dock support attached to the dock section, the dock support supporting the dock section when installed. The method has the steps of providing a cart for manipulating dock sections, the cart comprising a first end having a cart transport member and a second end having a dock lifting device. The cart is placed adjacent to the first end of the second dock section and the second end of the first dock section. The lifting device is attached to the first end of the second dock section and activated to lift the first end of the second dock section, and the cart moves the second dock section along a top surface of the first dock section toward the first end of the first dock section. The bottom transport member of the second dock section is caused to engage the top surface of the first dock section such that the second dock section is supported by the bottom transport member and the cart transport member. 
         [0023]    According to another aspect, the method may have the further step of removing the second dock section, releasing an attachment of the first dock section to a shoreline, and removing the first dock section. 
         [0024]    According to another aspect, the method may have the further step of providing a shore attachment point to the first end of the first dock section and attaching the shore attachment point to the shoreline. 
         [0025]    According to another aspect, the bottom transport member may comprise a set of rollers. 
         [0026]    According to another aspect, the cart transport member may comprise a set of rollers. 
         [0027]    According to another aspect, the bottom transport member may be positioned at a balance point of the dock section. 
         [0028]    According to another aspect, the balance point may occur at ⅗ from the first end of the dock section and ⅖ from the second end of the dock section. 
         [0029]    According to another aspect, the dock section may comprise a truss support structure. 
         [0030]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise engagement members that may engage the sides of the dock sections. 
         [0031]    According to another aspect, the second end of the cart may rest on the first end of the second dock section such that the lifting device may also lift the second end of the cart, the first section of the cart may rest on the cart transport member. 
         [0032]    According to another aspect, the dock support may be attached to the second end of the dock section and may be spaced to engage the sides of a previously installed dock section to act as a guide. 
         [0033]    According to another aspect, the dock support may comprise support legs attached at the second end of the dock section that may pivot between a stored position adjacent to the dock section and a support position extending downward from the dock section. 
         [0034]    According to another aspect, the support legs may comprise wheels. 
         [0035]    According to another aspect, the support legs may be adjustable in length. 
         [0036]    According to another aspect, the method may further comprise the step of attaching a guide and support device to the second end of the first dock section to assist in moving the second dock section over the second end of the first dock section. 
         [0037]    According to another aspect, when the bottom transport members reach the second end of the first dock section, the support legs may be pivoted to the stored position adjacent to the dock section. 
         [0038]    According to another aspect, the method may further comprise removing the cart from the second dock section and attaching the cart to an additional dock section to be removed. 
         [0039]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise a winch that pulls the cart. 
         [0040]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise a motor for driving the cart transport members. 
         [0041]    According to another aspect the dock lifting mechanism may comprise a hand crank or a hand drill attachment. 
         [0042]    According to an aspect, there is provided a combination of a first dock section and a second dock section, each dock section having a first end, a second end, a bottom transport member spaced from the first and second ends and a dock support attached to the dock section, the dock support supporting the dock section when installed, and a cart having a cart body with a first end and a second end, each of the first end and the second end having a dock engaging member, a cart transport member at the first end of the cart body, and a dock lifting mechanism being spaced between the first end and the second end and adjacent to the second end, the dock lifting mechanism having an attachment that attaches to a dock section such that when in use the cart engages a first and second dock section, the first end of the cart resting on the first dock section and the second end of the cart resting on the second dock section, the dock lifting mechanism applies a lifting force to the second dock section and causes the cart body to pivot about the first end of the cart body as it raises the first end of the second dock section, the second end of the cart being lifted with the first end of the second dock section. 
         [0043]    According to another aspect, the first dock section may have a shore attachment point at the first end of the first dock section. 
         [0044]    According to another aspect, the bottom transport member may comprise a set of rollers. 
         [0045]    According to another aspect, the cart transport member may comprise a set of rollers. 
         [0046]    According to another aspect, the bottom transport member may be positioned at a balance point of the dock section. 
         [0047]    According to another aspect, the balance point may occur at ⅗ from the first end of the dock section and ⅖ from the second end of the dock section. 
         [0048]    According to another aspect, the dock section may comprise a truss support structure. 
         [0049]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise engagement members that engage the sides of the dock sections. 
         [0050]    According to another aspect, the dock support may attached to the second end of the dock section and may be spaced to engage the sides of a previously installed dock section to act as a guide. 
         [0051]    According to another aspect, the dock support may have support legs attached at the second end of the dock section that pivot between a stored position adjacent to the dock section and a support position extending downward from the dock section. 
         [0052]    According to another aspect, the support legs may comprise wheels. 
         [0053]    According to another aspect, the support legs may be adjustable in length. 
         [0054]    According to another aspect, the adjustable legs may be adjusted with a hand crank on the scathe of the dock section. 
         [0055]    According to another aspect, when the bottom transport members reach the second end of the first dock section, the support legs may be pivoted to the support position. 
         [0056]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise a winch that pulls the cart. 
         [0057]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise a motor for driving the cart transport members. 
         [0058]    According to another aspect, the docklifting mechanism may comprise a hand crank. 
         [0059]    According to an aspect, there is provided a cart for installing and removing a dock section. The cart has a cart body having a first end comprising a cart transport member and a second end comprising a dock contact member, and a dock lifting mechanism carried by the cart body toward the second end, the dock lifting mechanism having an attachment that attaches to a dock section, the dock lifting mechanism selectively raising and lowering the dock section. In use the cart transport member rests on a first dock section and the dock contact member rests on a second dock section, and the dock lifting mechanism attaches to the second dock section and applies a lifting force to the second dock section such that the cart body pivots about the cart transport member and the second dock section moves vertically relative to the first dock section. 
         [0060]    According to another aspect, the cart transport member may comprise a set of rollers. 
         [0061]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise cart guide members that may engage the sides of the first and second dock sections. 
         [0062]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise a winch that pulls the cart. 
         [0063]    According to another aspect, the cart may comprise a motor for driving the cart transport members. 
         [0064]    According to another aspect, the dock lifting mechanism may comprise a hand crank. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0065]    These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein: 
           [0066]      FIG. 1  is a side elevation view of a dock with a second section being rolled onto a first section. 
           [0067]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation view of a dock with a second section rolled along a first section and a cart. 
           [0068]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of a dock with a cart positioned on the first and second sections. 
           [0069]      FIG. 4  is a side elevation view of a dock with a cart attaching to the first section. 
           [0070]      FIG. 5  is a side elevation view of a dock with a cart lifting the second section. 
           [0071]      FIG. 6  is a side elevation view of a dock with a cart moving the second section toward the water. 
           [0072]      FIG. 7  is a side elevation view of a dock with the support legs being pivoted downward. 
           [0073]      FIG. 8  is a side elevation view of a clock with the support legs in the support position. 
           [0074]      FIG. 9  is a side elevation view of a dock being moved into the water. 
           [0075]      FIG. 10  is a side elevation view of a dock with the support legs reaching the bed of the body of water. 
           [0076]      FIG. 11  is a side elevation view of a dock with the cart lowering the second dock section. 
           [0077]      FIG. 12  is a side elevation view of a dock with the first and second dock sections being attached together. 
           [0078]      FIG. 13  is a side elevation view of a dock that has been installed. 
           [0079]      FIG. 14  is a side elevation view of a cart. 
           [0080]      FIG. 15  is a side elevation view of a cart attaching to a second section of a dock. 
           [0081]      FIG. 16  is a side elevation view of a cart lifting a second section of a dock. 
           [0082]      FIG. 17  is a perspective view of a first section of a dock with a second section of a dock resting on top. 
           [0083]      FIG. 18  is a front cross section view of a cart resting on a first section of a dock and lifting a second section. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0084]    A dock assembly generally identified by reference numeral  10 , will now be described with reference to  FIG. 1 through 18 . 
       Structure and Relationship of Parts: 
       [0085]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , dock assembly  10  is shown as having a first section  12  and a second section  14 . Other sections may be attached in the manner discussed below, in a preferred embodiment, dock sections  12  and  14  are constructed with a truss support structure  36  although other dock designs may also be used. 
         [0086]    First dock section  12  has a first end  16  and a second end  22 . First end  16  is installed adjacent to a shoreline  18  and in a preferred embodiment, carries a shore attachment point  20  used to anchor the first section  12  to the shoreline  18 . Shore attachment point  20  provides access to dock assembly  10  while maintaining its position as forces are applied to dock assembly  10  during use. It will be understood that various types of anchors or attachments may be used for this purpose as will be recognized in the art. For example, attachment point  20  may be include an attachment between first section  12  and posts or other permanent anchors that are fixed to the shoreline  18 , or may be an anchor that. Second end  22  of first section  12  is designed to extend out onto the body of water, in the depicted embodiment, second end  22  has support legs  24  with wheels  26  that contact the bed  28  of the body of water. It may be possible to adapt the teachings herein to a floating dock with floatation devices, or dock sections  12  and  14  may be supported on posts set on the bed of the body of water. While various methods of support may be used to support a dock, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, the example that is depicted and described uses support legs  24  with wheels as this facilitates the installation and removal of sections  12  and  14 . 
         [0087]    First section  12  has a bottom transport member  34  provided between first end  16  and second end  22 . In a preferred embodiment bottom transport member  34  is a set of rollers. However, bottom transport member  34  may also be another transport device such as a skid or other low friction surface. Bottom transport member  34  is preferably positioned at a balance point of the first dock section  12 . In the depicted example, this balance point occurs at a point approximately ⅗ of the length of the first dock section  12  toward the second end  22  to account for the additional weight of support legs  24 . 
         [0088]    Second end  22  has an attachment point  30  intended to attach to second dock section  14 . Various attachments may be used as will be recognized. In one example, attachment point  30  uses brackets  31  shaped to receive first end  32  of second dock section  14 . Brackets  31  may receive and hold second section  14 , or may simply be used as a support and guide while additional attachments, such as bolls or clamps, are attached to secure first and section sections  12  and  14 . Attachment point  30  may be a two-part connection that mates with a corresponding connection section on second section  14 . Second section  14  is constructed also has a second end  38  constructed in a similar manner to first section  12 , and in a preferred embodiment has an attachment point  40  at second end  38  provided to attach to an additional dock section that is the same as second section  14  should additional dock sections be required. As with first section  12 , second section  14  preferably has support legs  42  with wheels  44  that contact the bed  28  of the body of water when the second section  14  is installed. The support legs  42  of second section  14 , as well as the support legs  24  of first section  12 , are preferably attached at the respective second ends  38  and  22  and are capable of pivoting between a stored position adjacent to the dock section and a support position where they extend downward to contact the bed  28  of the body of water. The support legs  42  and  24  may be adjustable in length to level the dock section and account for differences in the depth of the bed  28  of the body of water. Referring to  FIG. 7 , the length of support legs  24  and  42  may be adjusted using a rotary adjustment, such as a threaded rod rotated by a drill or a hand crank  46  to provide these different lengths. Other adjustment methods may also be used, such as an attachment for a hand drill or other driver. Referring back to  FIG. 1 , second section  14  also has a bottom transport member  48 , as described above for bottom transport member  34 . Support legs  24  and  42  preferably have wheels  26  and  44  as depicted to assist with the installation. Wheels  26  and  44  are spaced apart at a distance that is slightly larger than the width of dock sections  12  and  14 . This allows them to act as a guide as one dock sections is moved along the top of another dock section. 
         [0089]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , the assembly of dock sections  12  and  14  may be assisted using a cart  50 . Referring to  FIG. 14 , cart  50  has a cart transport member  54  at a first end  52 , which is preferably a set of rollers as depicted but may be any transport device known in the art. First end  52  may also have guide members  62  spaced to engage the sides of the dock sections  12  and  14 . Cart  50  may also have a dock contact member  58  and guide members  64  at a second end  56 , similar to cart transport member  54  and guide members  62 . When used in combination with wheels  44  in the storage position, dock section  14  is guided at two points, which ensures that it will be properly aligned until wheels  44  extend past second end  22  of first dock section  12 , at which point second end  38  of dock section  14  will need to be guided manually. Second end  56  also has a dock lifting device  60 . Dock lifting mechanism  60  has an attachment device  66  shaped to attach to second dock section  14 . As depicted, the attachment device  66  is a hook that is designed to engage trusses  36 , but other attachments may also be used. Dock lifting mechanism  60  is used to lift second dock section  14 . Dock lifting mechanism  60  may take various forms, such as a motor driven lifting device. In the depicted embodiment, dock lifting mechanism  60  is a hand crank mechanism  68 . Cart  50  may also have a device  70  for moving the cart  50 . The device  70  for moving the cart  50  may take various forms. For example, the device  70  may be a winch, such as a capstan winch, that can pull the cart as it carries second dock section  14 . Device  70  may also be a motor that drives the cart transport member  54 , pushing the cart as it carries second dock section  14 . Cart  50  may also be manually operated and may not have a device  70 . 
       Installation 
       [0090]    The installation process of the depicted embodiment will now be described. 
         [0091]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , in order to install dock assembly  10 , the first dock section  12  is placed into the water and attached to a shoreline  18 . First dock section  12  will generally be manipulated manually using wheels  26 . Once positioned, the height of support legs  24  is adjusted to level first section  12 , with wheels  26  resting on the bed  28  of the body of water. Second dock section  14  is then moved onto first dock section  12  using bottom transport member  48 , and guiding the movement with wheels  44 , which preferably engage the sides of the first dock section  12  as shown in  FIG. 17 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , cart.  50  is then moved onto first dock section  12 , and referring to  FIG. 3 , the cart  50  is positioned such that the cart transport member  54  rests on the first dock section  12  and the dock contact member  58  rests on the second dock section  14 . Referring to  FIG. 4 , dock lifting mechanism  60  is attached to the second dock section  14  using attachment device  66 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , dock lifting mechanism  60  is activated to apply a lifting force to the second dock section  14 . This results in the cart  50  pivoting about the cart transport member  54  and the first end  32  of the second dock section  14  moves vertically relative to the first dock section  12 , as shown in  FIG. 15  and  FIG. 16 . This movement results in bottom transport member  48  becoming a balance point, such that the second dock section  14  is supported by the bottom transport member  48  and the cart transport member  54  while being guided by wheels  26  and guide members  62 , while first end  32  of second dock section  14  is secured by guide members  64 . Referring to  FIG. 6 , cart  50  is then used to move the second section  14  along the top surface  72  of the first dock section  12  to the point at which bottom transport member  48  reaches the second end  22  of first dock section  12 . The respective positions of first section  12 , second section  14 , and cart  50  are further shown in  FIG. 18 . Referring to  FIG. 7 , at this point support leg  42  is preferably pivoted from the stored position adjacent to the dock section  14  to a support position extending downward from the dock section  14 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . A guide and support device  43  may be positioned at second end  22  of first dock section  12 . Preferably, guide and support device  43  includes rollers that support second dock section  14  in order to protect second end  22  of first dock section  12  as well as the underside of second dock section  14 , if necessary. Guide and support device  43  also preferably has side flanges or guides that engage the sides of second dock section  14  to provide the function of wheels  44  when they no longer engage second dock section  14 . Guide and support device  43  may be removed once wheels  44  engage the bed  28  of the body of water and can therefore support and help guide second dock section  14 . Referring to  FIG. 7 , support leg  42  may be adjusted in length using hand crank  46  such that wheels  44  will be able to engage the bed  28  of the body of water. Referring to  FIG. 9 , second dock section  14  may then be further moved into the water until the wheels  44  reach the bed  28  of the body of water as shown in  FIG. 10 . Referring to  FIG. 11 , the second dock section  14  is then positioned such that the first end  32  of the second dock section  14  is adjacent to the second end  22  of the first dock section  12 . Dock lifting mechanism  60  is then activated to lower second dock section  14 . Referring to  FIG. 12 , second dock section  14  is lowered until the second section  14  can be attached to the first section  12  using attachment point  30 . At this point the first end  32  of the second dock section  14  is level with the second end  22  of the first dock section  12 . Referring to  FIG. 13 , the two dock sections  12  and  14  are then attached together and installation is complete. This process may them be repeated to install further dock sections to make dock assembly  10  longer. For any additional dock sections cart  50  would be removed from the second dock section  14  and attached to an additional dock section, which would be installed in the same manner as discussed for second dock section  14 . 
       Removal 
       [0092]    Referring to  FIG. 13 , an installed dock has at least two dock sections. As shown, dock assembly  10  has a first dock section  12  and a section dock section  14 . It will be understood that dock assembly  10  may have more than two dock sections, and that the removal process as described would apply to dock assemblies  10  with more than two dock sections, in order to remove dock assembly  10  from the water, cart  50  is placed on dock assembly  10  such that it is adjacent to the first end  32  of the second dock section  14  and the second end  22  of the first dock section  12 , and further such that such that the cart transport member  54  rests on the first dock section  12  and the dock contact member  58  rests on the second dock section  14 . Referring to  FIG. 12 , dock lifting mechanism  60  of cart  50  is attached to the second dock section  14  using attachment device  66 . Referring to  FIG. 11 , the attachment between first dock section  12  and second dock section  14  is then released at attachment point  30 . Referring to  FIG. 10 , dock lifting mechanism  60  is then activated to lift the first end  32  of second dock section  14  by applying a lifting force to the first end  32 . This results in the cart  50  pivoting about the cart transport member  54  and the first end  32  of the second dock section  14  moves vertically relative to the first dock section  12 , as shown in  FIG. 15  and  FIG. 16 . Second dock section  14  may then be moved towards the first end  16  of first dock section  12  using cart  50 . Referring to  FIG. 9 , as second section  14  is moved, at some point the wheels  44  will no longer reach the bed  28  of the body of water. At this point second dock section  14  moves slidingly along first dock section  12  until bottom transport member  48  engages the top surface  72  of the first dock section  12  at the second end  22  of first dock section  12 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . Preferably, guide and support device  43  is attached in order to guide second dock section  14  and protect both first and second dock sections  12  and  14 . Once withdrawn sufficiently, the second dock section  14  is supported by the bottom transport member  48  and the cart transport member  54 , and bottom transport member  48  becomes a balance point. The respective positions of first section  12 , second section  14 , and cart  50  are further shown in  FIG. 18 . Referring to  FIG. 7 , the support leg  42  can then be pivoted from the support position extending downward from the dock section  14  to the stored position adjacent to the dock section  14  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The length of support leg  42  may be reduced using hand crank  46  as shown in  FIG. 7 , however it is preferable to leave the length of support legs  42 , as this will simplify re-installation in the next season. When in the stored position, wheels  44  preferably engage the sides of the first dock section  12  as shown in  FIG. 17 , and guide the movement of second dock section  14  along first dock section  12 . Referring to  FIG. 5 , cart  50  is then used to move the second section  14  along the top surface  72  of the first dock section  12 . Referring to  FIG. 4 , when the second dock section  14  has moved sufficiently far along first dock section  12  that the user no longer desires to use the cart, dock lifting mechanism  60  is activated to lower second dock section  14  to the surface  72  of first dock section  12 . Referring to  FIG. 3 , dock lifting mechanism  60  is then removed from the second dock section by releasing attachment device  66 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , the cart  50  can then be removed from the first dock section  12 . Referring to  FIG. 1 , the second dock section  14  can then be moved of of first dock section  12 . At this point, wheels  44  may be used to transport second dock section  14 , as bottom transport members  48  are smaller and primarily for use in transporting dock section  14  across the decking of first dock section  12 . In order to remove first dock section  12  from the water it is released from the shoreline  18  using attachment point  20  at first end  16 . Support, legs  24  may be adjusted in length or pivoted to a stored position as with second dock section  14 . First dock section  12  can then be removed from the water using wheels  26 . Support legs  24  may or may not be folded to the transportation position. As can be seen, first dock section  12  has been manufactured to be the same as section dock section  14  for ease of manufacturing and to allow dock sections to be exchanged if necessary. However, it will be understood that certain features and elements, such as  34 , may not be necessary for first dock section  12 . 
         [0093]    In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements. 
         [0094]    The scope of the following claims should not be limited by the preferred embodiments set forth in the examples above and in the drawings, but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent with the description as a whole.