Abstract:
A swing-out tool chest provides a multi-drawer tool storage chest for organization of tools. The multi-drawer tool storage chest is pivotally mounted in the rear corner of the pickup bed or near the rear doors of a utility van. When not in use, the swing-out tool chest nestles against the side of the vehicle between the tailgate (or rear doors of a utility van) and the wheel well. To gain access to the tools, the operator opens the tailgate and swings the swing-out tool chest toward the rear of the bed. The tools are easily accessible and, in the case of a pickup, the tail gate provides a convenient work area. The present invention further includes a method of converting a commercially available locking tool storage chest to a swing-out tool chest mounted in a pickup bed, van, utility truck, or other vehicle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Background  
         [0002]     This invention relates to vehicle-mounted tool chests and, more specifically but not by way of limitation, to a swing-out tool chest mounted in a pickup, van, utility truck, or other vehicle. For convenience, the invention is illustrated in conjunction with a pickup. It will be understood by one skilled in the art, however, that the swing-out tool chest invention is suitable for mounting at the rear of a van, at the rear of a sport utility vehicle (SUV), or on the frame of a utility truck. The swing-out tool chest of the present invention combines the organizational benefits normally associated with a machinist&#39;s tool chest (sometimes also referred to herein, in the alternative, as a machinist&#39;s tool box) with the mobility of a pickup or other utility vehicle. This invention also discloses a method for converting a commercially available locking tool chest to a swing-out tool chest.  
         [0003]     2. Discussion  
         [0004]     Tool chests have evolved along functional lines. Records show a machinist&#39;s tool chest belonged to Charles Potter, who worked at the Taunton Locomotive Works in Taunton, Mass. Potter started there as an apprentice in 1863, at the age of eighteen, and stayed as a machinist and later a foreman until the plant closed in 1902. Like other master craftsmen at large metalworking factories, Potter probably contracted with the management to produce subassemblies of a given quality at a specific price. The company provided machinery and materials and paid the wages of the men who worked for Potter, but Potter took responsibility for profit or loss on the contract. The drawers and compartments of a machinist&#39;s tool chest organized the machinist&#39;s precision tools and protected them from damage. A lock kept the tools from being “borrowed.” The tool chest also symbolized the autonomy once enjoyed by skilled workers. Management may have controlled the physical workplace, but factory workers still retained some sense of independence through their skill and ownership of tools.  
         [0005]     Today, machinist&#39;s tool chests are available with wheels and without wheels. Some tool chests include drop-front panels of double-wall construction for added rigidity and tool security. Integral side panel/slide construction evenly distributes and transfers drawer loads to the chest bottom panel. Thick, wool felt drawer liners are available to help keep tools clean and protect against corrosion. Typically, chests come with cylinder lock and milled key changes to help protect contents. Tool chest lid hinges are sometimes equipped with rust-resistant, stainless-steel pins which are staked to prevent punch-out and lid removal. Slide limit stops prevent drawers from extending beyond the tool chest frame. Tool chests come in various finishes.  
         [0006]     In today&#39;s industrial environments, maintenance personnel have the same need for organized tools as the machinists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A modern mobile tool box is, essentially, a machinist&#39;s tool chest mounted on industrial-grade casters. Like the machinists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, twenty-first century maintenance personnel often provide both their tools and the mobile tool chest in which their tools are stored.  
         [0007]     Both specialized suppliers and retail chains offer tool chests on rollers. Rolling tool chests may have 10 or more drawers and feature a smooth carriage slide system with ball bearing rollers. Drawer capacities of up to 400 pounds per drawer are available, and some industrial casters are rated at 850 pounds per wheel or more. Most rolling tool chests feature a locking system.  
         [0008]     While the benefits of a machinist&#39;s tool chest have been incorporated into the modern maintenance tool cabinet and its organization, those benefits have not been readily available to personnel who work in the field. Heavy equipment used for earth moving, dredging, and the like requires on-site maintenance and repairs. In some cases, full-time maintenance personnel travel from site to site to perform maintenance and repairs as needed. In many cases, however, the operators themselves perform maintenance and repairs to the equipment. Custom-built maintenance vehicles, which are expensive, may be appropriate for full-time maintenance personnel, but field operators also use specialized, high-quality tools.  
         [0009]     Pickup trucks are known for their use as work vehicles. The bed of a pickup truck is generally used to haul tools or items one would not be able to haul in a car. Tool boxes mounted in the bed of the truck provide a secure area to store commonly used items. These tool boxes are generally mounted immediately behind the cab and span the width of the pickup bed. Contents of a behind-the-cab tool box are often difficult to remove because of the location, and the behind-the-cab tool box takes up room in the pickup bed.  
         [0010]     The behind-the-cab tool box is especially problematic for heavy equipment operators and service personnel who normally adjust or repair heavy equipment on site. Rainy conditions can make climbing into the pickup bed to gain access to tools stored in the behind-the-cab tool box unsafe and difficult for operators and service personnel. Further, the tools stored are frequently disorganized so the operator or service person must sort through a pile of tools to find the desired tool. Like the machinists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and like the industrial maintenance man of the twenty-first century, today&#39;s heavy equipment operators frequently are responsible for providing and securing the tools needed to maintain the heavy equipment they operate.  
         [0011]     Equipment operators and maintenance personnel need a tool chest which provides multiple drawers for organization of tools. The multi-drawer tool chest should be easily accessible, but it should also provide security for tools which are often expensive. When not in use, the tool chest should be capable of storage in a convenient location so as not to interfere with use of the pickup bed for transporting small equipment.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The swing-out tool chest of the present invention provides a multi-drawer tool chest for organization of tools. The multi-drawer tool chest is pivotally mounted in the rear corner of the pickup bed or near the rear doors of a utility van. When not in use, the swing-out tool chest nestles against the side of the vehicle between the tailgate (or rear doors of a utility van) and the wheel well. To gain access to the tools, the operator opens the tailgate and pulls the swing-out tool chest toward the rear of the bed. The tools are easily accessible and, in the case of a pickup, the tail gate provides a convenient work area. The present invention further includes a method of converting a commercially available locking tool chest to a swing-out tool chest mounted in a pickup bed, van, utility truck, or other vehicle.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  is a view of a swing-out tool chest according to the present invention.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  is another view of the swing-out tool chest shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 3  is a view of a portion of the swing-out tool chest shown in  FIGS. 1-2 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 4  is another view of the swing-out tool chest shown in  FIGS. 1-3 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 5  is another view of the swing-out tool chest shown in  FIGS. 1-4 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 6  is an exploded view showing how the swing-out tool chest is mounted to the vehicle.  
         [0019]      FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of a portion of the mounting hardware shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 8  is a view of another portion of the mounting hardware shown in  FIG. 6 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 9  is a view of a latch pin attached to the moveable end of the swing-out tool chest shown in  FIGS. 1-8 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 10  is a view of another swing-out tool chest according to the present invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 11  is a view of a portion of the bottom of the swing-out tool chest shown in  FIG. 10 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 12  is a view of another portion of the swing-out tool chest shown in  FIGS. 10-11 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 13  shows an optional dual offset-column roller assembly welded to the bottom of the swing-out tool chest according to the present invention.  
         [0026]      FIG. 14  shows an optional screw-on dual offset-column roller assembly attached to the bottom of the swing-out tool chest according to the present invention.  
         [0027]      FIG. 15  shows separate screw-on roller assemblies attached to the bottom of the swing-out tool chest according to the present invention.  
         [0028]      FIG. 16  shows an optional screw-on single column roller assembly attached to the bottom of the swing-out tool chest according to the present invention.  
         [0029]      FIG. 17  shows an optional track attached to the bottom of the swing-out tool chest according to the present invention.  
         [0030]      FIG. 18  shows an optional folding front attached to the swing-out tool chest according to the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0031]     In the following description of the present invention, like numerals and characters designate like elements throughout the figures of the drawings.  
         [0032]     Referring generally to  FIGS. 1-2 , a swing-out tool chest  50  is mounted in a rear corner  52  of a pickup bed  54  between the wheel well  56  and the rear corner  52 . The swing-out tool chest  50  has a front end portion  58  and a rear portion  60 . The rear portion  60  is secured to the pickup bed  54  by a top mounting assembly  62  and a bottom mounting assembly  64 . The top mounting assembly  62  is attached to the rail portion  66  of the sidewall  68  of the pickup bed  54 . The bottom mounting assembly  64 , which supports the weight of the rear portion  60  of the swing-out tool chest  50 , is attached to the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  at the rear corner  52 . The uneven pickup bed floor  70  typically includes alternate relatively higher portions referred to herein as ridges  72  and relatively lower portions referred to herein as channels  74 . A front end portion support assembly  76  permits the front end portion  58  of the swing-out tool chest  50  of the present invention to roll smoothly across the uneven pickup bed floor  70 .  
         [0033]     Still referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the swing-out tool chest  50  moves along arrow  78  between a stowed position ( FIG. 1 ) and a use position ( FIG. 2 ). A latch assembly  80  adjacent the front end portion support assembly  76  mates with a stowed position receiver  82  ( FIG. 1 ) or a use position receiver  84 . A projecting arm section  86  extends from the front end portion  60  of the swing-out tool chest  50  above the wheel well  56  (See  FIG. 1 ) of the pickup bed  54 . The horizontal dimension  88  of the projecting arm section  86  varies in accordance with the make and model of the particular pickup. The horizontal dimension  88  is also adjustable to permit mounting of two matching swing-out tool chests  50  at the rear of the same pickup bed  54 . It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the swing-out tool chest  50  shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is designed to be mounted in the right rear corner  52  of a pickup bed  54 . A mirror-image swing-out tool chest  50 A (not shown) of the swing-out tool chest  50  could be mounted in the left rear corner  52 A (not shown) of the same pickup bed  54 . When the two mirror-image swing-out tool chests  50 ,  50 A are deployed in the use position (See  FIG. 2 ), the projecting arms  86 ,  86 A would meet adjacent the tailgate  90 .  
         [0034]     Still referring to  FIGS. 1-2 , the swing-out tool chest  50  includes a large rectangular section  92 , the projecting arm section  86 , and a gusset-like section  94  extending between the projecting arm section  86  and the large rectangular section  92 . Collectively, the rectangular section  92 , the projecting arm section  86 , and the gusset-like section  94  are referred to as a tool storage chest. The rectangular section  92  has a hinged front cover  96  secured in place by lock  98 . The projecting arm section  86  has hinged front cover  100  secured in place by a lock  102 . The gusset-like section  94  has a front  104  which supports the latch assembly  80  and a handle  106 . Because locks  98 ,  102  are of a type generally know in the art, details of the engaging tab are not provided.  
         [0035]     Although the swing-out tool chest  50  has been illustrated as one having a projecting arm section  86  extending over the wheel well  56  of the pickup bed  54 , it will be understood by one skilled in the art that a commercially available locking tool storage chest, of appropriate size, can be modified according to applicant&#39;s invention and mounted in the rear corner  52 ,  52 A of a pickup bed  54 . Required additions include the upper mounting assembly  62 , the bottom mounting assembly  64 , the front end portion support assembly  76 , the latch assembly  80 , and the mating latch receivers  82 ,  84 . The handle  106  could optionally be added to the commercially available locking tool storage chest. Thus the method of the present invention permits modification of commercially available locking tool storage chests to create a swing-out tool chest.  
         [0036]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , the large rectangular section  92  has a top  110 , a bottom  112 , an aft end  114 , a forward end  116 , and a back  118  (See  FIG. 4 ). The front  96  is attached to the top  110  by a piano hinge  120 . The large rectangular section  92  encloses slide-out drawers  124 ,  126 ,  128 ,  130 ,  132 , and an open compartment  134 . The slide-out drawers  124 ,  126 ,  128 ,  130 , and  132  are supported by drawer slides  136  (only one shown). The projecting arm section  86  has a top  140 , which is a continuation of the top  110  of the large rectangular section  92 , a forward end  142  (See  FIG. 4 ), a bottom  144 , and a back  146  (not shown). The projecting arm section  86  has, as its aft end, the forward end  116  of the rectangular section  92 . The projecting arm section  86  encloses an upper slide-out drawer  148  and a lower slide-out drawer  150 . The upper and lower slide-out drawers  148 ,  150  are suspended on drawer slides  136  (not shown).  
         [0037]     Referring now to  FIG. 3  in conjunction with  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the hinged front cover  96  of the large rectangular section  92  is deployable between a closed and locked position ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ), wherein access to the slide-out drawers is prevented by the lock  98 , and an open position ( FIG. 3 ) wherein the user has easy access to slide-out drawers  124 ,  126 ,  128 ,  130 ,  132  and the open compartment  134 . Similarly, the hinged front cover  100  of the projecting arm section  86  is deployable between a closed and locked position ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ), wherein access to the slide-out drawers  148 ,  150  is prevented by the lock  102 , and an open position ( FIG. 3 ) wherein the user has easy access to the slide-out drawers  148 ,  150 . It will be understood by one skilled in the art that the drawers in the swing-out tool chest  50  can be shallow or deep and that, if desired, an additional drawer could be installed in the open compartment  134 .  
         [0038]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the front end portion  58  of the swing-out tool chest  50 , with an upper portion cut away, includes a bevel member  152  connecting the bottom  112  of the large rectangular section  92  (See  FIGS. 1-2 ) to the back  118  of the large rectangular section  92 . The bevel member  152  reduces the volume of the open compartment  134  (See  FIG. 3 ) and accommodates a curved configuration present on some pickup models at the junction between the pickup bed floor  70  and the pickup bed side wall  68  (See  FIGS. 1-2 ). This configuration is commonly found on pickup trucks equipped with dual fuel tanks. Still referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the front end portion support assembly  76  extends from just inside the hinged front cover  96  (See  FIGS. 1-2 ) of the large rectangular section  92  (when the hinged front cover  96  is in the closed and locked position as shown in  FIG. 3 ) to the back edge  154  of the bottom  112 .  
         [0039]     Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the front end portion support assembly  76 , attached to the bottom  112 , is formed by adjacent parallel columns  160 ,  162  of transverse rollers  164 . The transverse rollers  164  in the column  160  are offset with respect to the transverse rollers  164  in the column  162 . As a result, the front end portion  58  of the swing-out tool chest  50  is supported at all times by several of the transverse rollers  164  as the front end portion  58  of the swing-out tool chest  50  moves across the ridges  72  of the uneven floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  (See  FIGS. 1-3 ). Furthermore, the front end portion support assembly  76  is positioned on the bottom  112  so that the parallel columns  160 ,  162  are not parallel to the end  118  of the large rectangular section  92 . Instead, the front  166  of the front end portion support assembly  76  is moved away from the end  118  to form a slight angle  168 . While the angle  168  need not be precise, an angle of about 5 to 15 degrees has provided smooth movement of the swing-out tool chest  50  from the stowed position ( FIG. 1 ) to the use position ( FIG. 2 ).  
         [0040]     The importance of the multiple offset roller structure of the front end portion support assembly  76  cannot be overstated. The tools contained within the slide-out drawers are, collectively, quite heavy, and the raised ridges  72  in the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  are an obstacle to smooth movement of the loaded swing-out tool chest  50  between the stowed position illustrated in  FIG. 1  and the use position shown in  FIG. 2 . While other materials are also suitable for the transverse rollers  164 , self-lubricating Nylatron® rollers made from nylon have been found to work best. If the diameter of the transverse rollers  164  is too large, the weight of the front end portion  58  is supported by only a few transverse rollers  164 . The transverse rollers  164  shown in  FIGS. 1-5  are about 0.75 inch in diameter. The front end portion support assembly  76  can be welded to the bottom  112  or it can be attached by nuts and bolts (See  FIGS. 11, 14 ,  15 , and  16 ). It will be understood by one skilled in the art that additional columns of transverse rollers  164  could be attached to the bottom  112  at any convenient location, if desired, to support especially heavy tools stores within the swing-out tool chest  50 .  
         [0041]     Referring now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the top mounting assembly  62  and the bottom mounting assembly  64  are shown in exploded view. A top stub axle  170  welded to the top  110  of the large rectangular chest portion  92  receives a top bearing member  172 . A top sealed ball bearing  174  welded to a top mounting plate  176  fits down over the top bearing member  172 . The top mounting plate  176  has a lip  178 . Bores  180  (not shown) in the lip  180  permit attachment of the top mounting plate  176  to the rail portion  66  of the sidewall  68  of the pickup bed  54  (See  FIGS. 1 and 2 ) using screws  182 .  
         [0042]     Still referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the bottom mounting assembly  64  consists of a bottom mounting plate  188  having bores  190  (See  FIG. 8 ) therethrough for attachment of the bottom mounting plate  188  to the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  using attachment screws  192 . A bottom stub axle  194  attached to the bottom mounting plate  188  receives a Teflon thrust washer  196  and a bottom bearing member  198 . A bottom sealed ball bearing  200  welded to the bottom  112  of the large rectangular portion  92  fits down over the bottom bearing member  198 .  
         [0043]     Still referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the bottom stub axle  194  and the bottom mounting plate  188  can be machined from a single piece of metal. In the alternative, the bottom stub axle  194  can be welded to the bottom mounting plate  188  or attached by an inner fitting bolt. Similarly, although the top stub axle  170  is shown as being welded to the top  110 , the top stub axle  170  could also be tapped and attached to the top  110  by an inner fitting bolt.  
         [0044]     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-7 , the steps for converting a commercially available locking tool storage chest to a swing-out tool chest according to the present invention are apparent as follows: 
        Attaching a front-end support assembly to the bottom of the left end of the tool chest.     Attaching a sealed ball bearing  200  to the bottom of the right end of the tool chest.     Attaching a top stub axle to the top of the right end of the tool chest.     Attaching the bottom mounting plate  108  to the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54 .     Placing the Teflon thrust washer  196  over the bottom stub axle  194  attached to the bottom mounting plate  108 .     Placing the bottom bearing member  198  on the bottom stub axle  194  atop the Teflon thrust washer  196 .     Placing the sealed ball bearing  200  (which is attached to the bottom  112  of the large rectangular section  92 ) over the bottom bearing member  198 .     Placing the top bearing member  172  over the top stub axle  170 .     Placing the top mounting plate  176  and the sealed ball bearing  174  over the top bearing member  172 .     Attaching the top mounting plate  176  to the rail portion  66  of the pickup bed  54  using the top mounting plate attachment screws  182 .     Optionally, attaching a latch assembly  80  to the bottom left front of the tool chest, a use position latch receiver  84  in the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  adjacent the tailgate  90 , and a stowed position latch receiver  82  in the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  near the wheel well  56 .     Optionally, attaching a handle  106  to the front of the tool chest.        
 
         [0057]     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , an enlarged detail of the bottom mounting plate  108  shows a thicker portion  202 , a thinner portion  204 , and the bottom stub axle  194 . The thinner portion  204  of the bottom mounting plate  108  accommodates the raised ridges  72  in the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  (See  FIGS. 1-2 ).  
         [0058]     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , the latch assembly  80  is shown in enlarged detail. A sliding latch member  210  has an upper end  212 , a lower end  214 , and a handle  216 . The sliding latch member  210  is mounted on the front  104  of the gusset-like section  94  of the swing-out tool chest  50  by brackets  218  held in place by screws  220 . The sliding latch member  210  slides in the direction indicated by arrow  222  to permit the lower end  214  to engage the use position latch receiver  84  (See also  FIG. 2 ) or the stowed position latch receiver  82  (See  FIG. 1 ).  
         [0059]     Referring now to  FIGS. 10-12 , another front end portion support assembly  230  is shown. A two-section track  232  has a straight short section  234  and a hinged curved section  236 . The short section  234  is attached to the bottom  112  of the large rectangular section  92  (See  FIGS. 1-3 ) by attachment screws  238  (See  FIG. 12 ). Spacers  240  (not shown) hold the short section  234  away from the bottom  112  to permit clearance by a pair of transverse rollers  164  rotatably mounted in a frame  242  attached to the bottom  112  by an attachment screw  244 . When the swing-out tool chest  50  is deployed in the stowed position ( FIG. 10 ), the hinged curved section  236  of the two-section track  232  is held in place against the front cover  96  by a rotatable tab  246 .  
         [0060]     Referring again to  FIGS. 10-12 , to deploy the swing-out tool chest  50  in the use position (See  FIG. 2 ), the tab  246  is rotated to release the hinged curved section  236 . The hinged curved section  236  then moves along the direction of arrow  248  to create a smooth pathway across the raised ridges  72  in the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54 . As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , The transverse rollers  164  support the front end portion  58  of the swing-out tool chest  50  as the projecting arm section  86  is moved from its stowed position over the wheel well  56  to a use position adjacent the tailgate  90 .  
         [0061]     Referring now to  FIGS. 13-17 , alternate structures for the front end portion support assembly are illustrated.  
         [0062]     In  FIG. 13 , a front end portion support assembly  276 , attached to the bottom  112 , is formed by adjacent parallel columns  360 ,  362  of transverse rollers  164 . Whereas each parallel column  60 ,  62  of transverse rollers in  FIGS. 1-5  contained six transverse rollers  164 , each parallel column  360 ,  362  of transverse rollers  164  contains seven transverse rollers  164 .  
         [0063]     In  FIG. 14 , a front end portion support assembly  376 , attached to the bottom  112  by attachment screws  464 , is formed by connected parallel columns  460 ,  462  of transverse rollers  164 . Whereas each parallel column  60 ,  62  of transverse rollers in  FIGS. 1-5  contained six transverse rollers  164 , each parallel column  460 ,  462  of transverse rollers  164  contains seven transverse rollers  164 .  
         [0064]     In  FIG. 15 , a front end portion support assembly  476  consists of adjacent unconnected parallel columns  560 ,  562  of transverse rollers  164  attached to the bottom  112  by screws  564 .  
         [0065]     In  FIG. 16 , a front end portion support assembly  576  consists of a single column  660  of transverse rollers  164  attached to the bottom  112  by screws  664 . The single column  660  contains nine transverse rollers  164  to provide multiple rolling surfaces to contact the raised ridges  72  in the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  so the front end portion  58  of the swing-out tool chest  50  moves smoothly from the stowed position ( FIG. 1 ) to the use position ( FIG. 2 ).  
         [0066]     In  FIG. 17 , a front end portion support assembly  676  consists of a single column  760  of transverse rollers  164  attached to the bottom  112  by screws  764  (not shown). The single column  760  contains nine transverse rollers  164  to provide multiple rolling surfaces to contact the raised ridges  72  in the floor  70  of the pickup bed  54  so the front end portion  58  of the swing-out tool chest  50  moves smoothly from the stowed position ( FIG. 1 ) to the use position ( FIG. 2 ). A track member  770  mounted on the transverse rollers  164  further facilitates smooth operation of the swing-out tool chest  50 .  
         [0067]     Referring now to  FIG. 18 , another cover  296  of the large rectangular section  92  of the swing-out tool chest  50  consists of a top cover section  300  attached to the top  110  by a piano hinge  302  and a bottom cover section  304  attached to the top cover section  300  by another piano hinge  306 . The hinge  306  allows the bottom cover section  304  of the cover  296  to fold in accordion fashion across the top  110  of the large rectangular section  92  (See  FIGS. 1-3 ) of the swing-out tool chest  50 .  
         [0068]     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents.