Patent Publication Number: US-2009223546-A1

Title: Multi-function cane

Description:
1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A. Field of the Invention 
     The embodiments of the present invention relate to a cane, and more particularly, the embodiments of the present invention relate to a multi-function cane. 
     B. Description of the Prior Art 
     Numerous innovations for canes have been provided in the prior art, which will be described below in chronological order to show advancement in the art, and which are incorporated herein by reference thereto. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they differ from the present invention. 
     (1) U.S. Pat. No. 8,346 to Hudson. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 8,346 issued to Hudson on Sep. 9, 1851 teaches a sword cane, including a shaft, a rod with a blade attached thereto and passing through the entire shaft and giving point beyond it, whether the rod be or be not connected with a spiral spring, to draw the blade back into the handle. 
     (2) U.S. Pat. No. 16,761 to Tilton et al. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 16,761 issued to Tilton et al. on Mar. 3, 1857 teaches the combination of levers, a spring, and a bridle arranged and operating substantially for effecting simultaneous release of a trigger and removal of a muzzle-cover. 
     (3) U.S. Pat. No. 1,624,591 to Fleming. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 1,624,591 issued to Fleming on Apr. 12, 1927 teaches a combination of a cane having a handle at right angles to the body thereof, and a blade pivoted at the joint of the handle and the body of the cane. The blade is adapted to be closed into the body of the cane and opened into alignment with the handle of the cane. 
     (4) U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,371 to Bolen. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,371 issued to Bolen on Dec. 13, 1977 in class 135 and subclass 66 teaches a walking cane for use by the blind, and having a portion of the shank thereof adapted with a solar cell. Current produced by the cell recharges a battery stored within the hollow interior portions of the cane. A lamp is selectively energized by operating a control switch. The lamp provides illumination warning others of the disabled condition of the user. A buzzer, or other alerting device, is selectively included in the electrical circuit, which enables the user to test the successful illumination of the lamp. 
     (5) U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,125 to Washizuka et al. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,125 issued to Washizuka et al. on Aug. 15, 1989 in class 364 and subclass 413.01 teaches an electronic cane having a grip and a stick. Inside of the grip there are sensors for sensing physical parameters of the surrounding environment and of the user of the cane. Predetermined maximum and minimum values of the parameters are programmed, and an alarm is activated if a parameter is outside of the range. Circuitry for performing these functions is in a retractable case. A panic button is also provided for. 
     (6) U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,856 to Chi-Sheng. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,856 issued to Chi-Sheng on Mar. 24, 1992 in class 135 and subclass 72 teaches an electronic talking stick for the blind, and more particularly, to a stick, which talks to instruct a blind man to walk and go upstairs and downstairs, and to warn a blind man of a dangerous depression in a road, and which calls for help when a blind man who uses the stick falls. It generally includes a supporting rod, a control box, a handle, a free steering caster, and a horizontal scanning device, in which the free steering caster helps the whole assembly to slide. Two detectors in the control box, and a range finder and a moving object detector in the handle are arranged for trouble detection to let detected signals be converted into voice, by way of the processing through a control circuit, to instruct the user through an earphone connected to the handle. 
     (7) Great Britain Application Publication Number GB2268057 to Joseph. 
     Great Britain Application Publication Number GB2268057 published to Joseph on Jan. 5, 1994 in class A4P and subclass PAA P226 teaches a walking stick having an integral personal alarm. Two types of alarm systems may be used in suitably adapted walking sticks, preferably situated between the handle and the stick. One type is a gas-cylinder-powered alarm operated by finger pressure through an alarm control aperture in the side of the upper part of the stick. Another type is a battery-powered alarm being similarly operated by the finger. The alarm may be situated inside a suitable housing in the top of the stick. 
     (8) U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,618 to Ellis. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,618 issued to Ellis on Oct. 26, 1999 in class 340 and subclass 990 teaches a portable safety mechanism housed in a cane, a walking stick, or a belt-carried housing. In each of these embodiments, the portable safety mechanism includes a processor, a transmitter, a receiver, an outside image sensor or scanner, and a warning device, such as an audible warning device or warning light. The scanner may, for example, sense the shape of a traffic signal or the color of a traffic signal. 
     (9) U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,786 to Davis. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,786 issued to Davis on Jun. 8, 2004 in class 135 and subclass 65 teaches a walking aid with supplementary features being communicatively coupled to an integrated timepiece. The combination of the timepiece&#39;s intelligent circuitry and memory storage increases the functionality of the supplementary features integrated therein. The timepiece also records the use of the supplementary features for later use by the user. 
     (10) U.S. Pat. No. 6,774,795 to Eshelman et al. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,774,795 issued to Eshelman et al. on Aug. 10, 2004 in class 340 and subclass 573.1 teaches an electronic assistant incorporating electronic functions in a personal object that the user finds indispensable. Examples of personal objects include a cane, a walking stick, a walker, a wheelchair, a personal transportation vehicle, a purse, a key holder, a watch, a pendant, a hearing aid, an eyeglass frame, or a crutch. Electronics may include a PDA, a cell phone, a navigation module, a biosensor module, and an emergency-alert module. The navigation module might include a GPS, an altimeter, an electronic compass, and/or a stored map. Biosensors may be directly incorporated into the personal device or communicate with a receiver therein if the biosensor is required to be attached directly to the user&#39;s body or surgically implanted. The emergency alert module may include an emergency button, and an emergency notification sequence stored in the electronic assistant capable of calling for assistance through the cell phone. 
     (11) Japanese Application Publication Number JP2004222859 to Hiroyuki. 
     Japanese Application Publication Number JP2004222859 published to Hiroyuki on Aug. 12, 2004 in class A45B3 and subclass 00 teaches a walking stick with a phonation function, including a main body of the walking stick having a phonetic functional circuit built-in, which is electrically connected to a main switch and a speaker connected to a battery when the switch is on to emit a voice to the surroundings. The phonetic functional circuit is electrically connected to a voice memory unit in which two or more standard messages are stored. Selection switches select a standard message stored in the voice memory unit by an operation from outside, and a controlling unit selectively reads out the standard message from the voice memory unit when the selection switch is on, and a voice reproduction unit to reproduce the voice based on a transmitted signal corresponding to standard message transmitted from the controlling unit so that the voice signal transmitted from the voice reproduction unit is emitted by the speaker. 
     (12) Great Britain Application Publication Number GB2404144 to Cuckson. 
     Great Britain Application Publication Number GB2404144 published to Cuckson on Jan. 26, 2006 in class A4P and subclass PAA P206 teaches a walking stick, including a shaft and a handle, which can be engaged together via a threaded connection, including illumination apparatus disposed in the shaft seen from each side of the shaft. The handle houses the rechargeable batteries, a circuit board, a buzzer, and a charger socket for recharging the batteries on a docking port. The illumination apparatus operation is partly controlled by a light level detection sensor including a light-dependent resistor located at a front section of the handle. The threshold of light needed on the sensor to activate or deactivate the illumination apparatus is graduated by a variable resistor. Preferably, the circuit used to power the illumination apparatus requires the additional activation of a switch actuated by a lever when the user grips the handle in order to prevent battery discharge when the user is not using the stick. The illumination apparatus, preferably, includes an axially-disposed helical pattern of LED diode lights. The buzzer is activated to warn the user of a low battery level. 
     (13) Japanese Application Publication Number JP2005052626 to Satoshi et al 
     Japanese Application Publication Number JP2005052626 published to Satoshi et al. on Mar. 3, 2005 in class A61H and subclass 3/06 teaches a walking stick for a visually disabled person, which is composed of a grip part formed by connecting an upper frame and a lower frame, fitting a cap above a speaker cover held between the upper and lower frames and at the upper part of the upper and lower frames, and installing two switch buttons and an AC adapter on a back face, and a shaft part attached with a resin cover blended with a luminous material on the tip. The structure flashes a warning lamp by issuing a warning sound and voice in emergency by incorporating a voice generating circuit, an LED flashing circuit, and an E.L flashing circuit with a battery as a power source inside the grip part, and always emits the light from a walking-stick-body-tip part by allowing a walking-stick body to emit the light by one switch when necessary. 
     (14) Great Britain Application Publication Number GB2415898 to Mival. 
     Great Britain Application Publication Number GB2415898 published to Mival on Jan. 11, 2006 in class A4P and subclass PAA P3230 teaches a walking stick including an elongate support member and a handle. The handle has a movement tracking device in the form of a pedometer, which can include an accelerometer to detect the amount of times the stick makes contact with the ground combined with a counter function for counting the number of times the stick is lifted and placed on the ground, hence producing an estimate for the number of steps. This count is programmed with the user&#39;s normal stride or with a user average in order to output an estimate of the distance covered. The handle can also house a heart-rate monitor having a sensor at least on one side of the handle. Both the tracking device or the heart-rate monitor output information to a display. The count calculation functions are provided by a rinted circuit board, and this is driven by a battery. 
     (15) United States Application Publication Number 2007/0000531 to Russo. 
     United States Application Publication Number 2007/0000531 published to Russo on Jan. 4, 2007 in class 135 and subclass 66 teaches a walking aid, including a vertical shaft, a housing member disposed at a bottom of the shaft, a plurality of vertical leg members extending downwardly relative to the housing member, an electrical component on the walking aid, and control circuitry for the electrical component disposed on the housing member. 
     It is apparent that numerous innovations for canes have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, however, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the embodiments of the present invention as heretofore described. 
     2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Thus, an object of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a multi-function cane, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art. 
     Briefly stated, another object of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a multi-function cane, including a cane body and functional devices. The functional devices are operatively connected to the cane body, and include, e.g, a battery interface, solar cells, a solar cell-activating switch, a power-level light, a lamp, a lamp-activating switch, an audible emergency alert, an alert-activating switch, GPS, a GPS-activating switch, a non-satellite radio, a non-satellite radio-activating switch, a TV, a TV-activating switch, a satellite radio, a satellite radio-activating switch, a panic alarm, a panic alarm-activating switch, biosensor readouts, a biosensor readout-activating switch, a traffic-signal shape and color sensor, a traffic-signal sensor-activating switch, a timepiece, a timepiece-activating switch, a PDA, a PDA-activating switch, a pedometer, a pedometer-activating switch, an accelerometer, an accelerometer-activating switch, a cell-phone, a cell-phone keypad, an audible message alert, a message alert-activating switch, an audible stairs/road depression alert, a stairs/road depression alert-activating switch, a system tester, and a system tester-activating switch. 
     The novel features considered characteristic of the embodiments of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. The embodiments of the present invention themselves, however, both as to their construction and to their method of operation together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiments when read and understood in connection with the accompanying drawing. 
    
    
     
       3. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
       The sole FIGURE of the drawing is a combination diagrammatic side elevational view and block diagram of the multi-function walking cane of the embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     4. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS UTILIZED IN THE DRAWING 
     A. General. 
     
         
           10  multi-function walking cane of embodiments of present invention 
       
    
     B. Overall Configuration. 
     
         
           12  cane body 
           14  functional devices 
       
    
     C. Specific Configurations. 
     
         
           16  battery interface of functional devices  14  for holding batteries  18  for powering functional devices  14   
           18  batteries for powering functional devices  14   
           20  solar cells of functional devices  14  for recharging batteries  18   
           22  solar cell-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           24  power-level light of functional devices  14  for being in electrical communication with, and for indicating power level of, batteries  18   
           26  lamp of functional devices  14  for providing illumination for user 
           28  lamp-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           30  audible emergency alert of functional devices  14  for providing emergency alert for use by user 
           32  alert-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           34  GPS of functional devices  14  for locating user 
           36  GPS-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           38  non-satellite radio of functional devices  14  for providing non-satellite radio listening for user 
           40  non-satellite-radio-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           42  TV of functional devices  14  for providing TV viewing for user 
           44  TV-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           46  satellite radio of functional devices  14  for providing satellite radio listening for user 
           48  satellite-radio-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           50  panic alarm of functional devices  14  for providing alarm when user panics 
           52  panic-alarm-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           54  biosensor readouts of functional devices  14  for monitoring health of user 
           56  biosensor-readout-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           58  traffic-signal shape and color sensor of functional devices  14  for alerting blind user of upcoming traffic signal 
           60  traffic-signal-sensor-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           62  timepiece of functional devices  14  for providing time-of-day for user 
           64  timepiece-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           66  PDA of functional devices  14  for providing PDA use for user 
           68  PDA-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           70  pedometer of functional devices  14  for providing distance traveled by user 
           72  pedometer-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           74  accelerometer of functional devices  14  for providing acceleration of user 
           76  accelerometer-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           78  cell-phone of functional devices  14  for providing cell-phone use for user 
           80  cell-phone keypad of functional devices  14   
           82  audible message alert of functional devices  14  for providing audible message alerts for user 
           84  message-alert-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           86  audible stairs/road depression alert of functional devices  14  for alerting blind user of upcoming stairs or road depression 
           88  stairs/road-depression-alert-activating switch of functional devices  14   
           90  system tester of functional devices  14  for testing functional devices  14  by user 
           92  system tester-activating switch of functional devices  14   
       
    
     5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A. General 
     Referring now to the sole FIGURE, which is a combination diagrammatic side elevational view and block diagram of the multi-function walking cane of the embodiments of the present invention, the multi-function walking cane of the embodiments of the present invention is shown generally at  10 . 
     B. Overall Configuration 
     The multi-function walking cane  10  comprises a cane body  12 . 
     The multi-function walking cane  10  further comprises functional devices  14 . The functional devices  14  are operatively connected to the cane body  12 . 
     C. Specific Configurations 
     The functional devices  14  comprise, e.g., a battery interface  16 . The battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14  is contained within the cane body  12 , and is for holding batteries  18  for powering the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., solar cells  20 . The solar cells  20  of the functional devices  14  are disposed on the cane body  12 , and are in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14  for recharging the batteries  18 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a solar cell-activating switch  22 . The solar cell-activating switch  22  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the solar cells  20  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a power-level light  24 . The power-level light  24  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for indicating power level of the batteries  18 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a lamp  26 . The lamp  26  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing illumination for the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a lamp-activating switch  28 . The lamp-activating switch  28  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the lamp  26  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., an audible emergency alert  30 . The audible emergency alert  30  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing an emergency alert for use by the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., an alert-activating switch  32 . The alert-activating switch  32  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the audible emergency alert  30  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., GPS  34 . The GPS  34  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for locating the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a GPS-activating switch  36 . The GPS-activating switch  36  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the GPS  34  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g, a non-satellite radio  38 . The non-satellite radio  38  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing non-satellite radio listening for the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a non-satellite-radio-activating switch  40 . The non-satellite-radio-activating switch  40  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the non-satellite radio  38  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a TV  42 . The TV  42  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing TV viewing for the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a TV-activating switch  44 . The TV-activating switch  44  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the TV  42  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a satellite radio  46 . The satellite radio  46  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing satellite radio listening for the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a satellite-radio-activating switch  48 . The satellite-radio-activating switch  48  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the satellite radio  46  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a panic alarm  50 . The panic alarm  50  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing an alarm when the user panics. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a panic-alarm-activating switch  52 . The panic-alarm-activating switch  52  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the panic alarm  50  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., biosensor readouts  54 . The biosensor readouts  54  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for monitoring health of the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a biosensor-readout-activating switch  56 . The biosensor-readout-activating switch  56  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the biosensor readouts  54  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a traffic-signal shape and color sensor  58 . The traffic-signal shape and color sensor  58  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for alerting a blind user of an upcoming traffic signal. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a traffic-signal-sensor-activating switch  60 . The traffic-signal-sensor-activating switch  60  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the traffic-signal shape and color sensor  58  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a timepiece  62 . The timepiece  62  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing time-of-day for the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a timepiece-activating switch  64 . The timepiece-activating switch  64  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the timepiece  62  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a PDA  66 . The PDA  66  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing PDA use for the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a PDA-activating switch  68 . The PDA-activating switch  68  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the PDA  66  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a pedometer  70 . The pedometer  70  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing distance traveled by the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a pedometer-activating switch  72 . The pedometer-activating switch  72  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the pedometer  70  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., an accelerometer  74 . The accelerometer  74  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing acceleration of the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., an accelerometer-activating switch  76 . The accelerometer-activating switch  76  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the accelerometer  74  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a cell-phone  78 . The cell-phone  78  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing cell-phone use for the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a cell-phone keypad  80 . The cell-phone keypad  80  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the cell-phone  78  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., an audible message alert  82 . The audible message alert  82  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for providing audible message alerts for the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a message-alert-activating switch  84 . The message-alert-activating switch  84  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the audible message alert  82  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., an audible stairs/road depression alert  86 . The audible stairs/road depression alert  86  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for alerting a blind user of upcoming stairs or a road depression. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a stairs/road-depression-alert-activating switch  88 . The stairs/road-depression-alert-activating switch  88  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the stairs/road depression alert  86  of the functional devices  14 . 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a system tester  90 . The system tester  90  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , is in electrical communication with the battery interface  16  of the functional devices  14 , and is for testing the functional devices  14  by the user. 
     The functional devices  14  further comprise, e.g., a system tester-activating switch  92 . The system tester-activating switch  92  of the functional devices  14  is disposed on the cane body  12 , and is in electrical communication with, to selectively operate, the system tester  90  of the functional devices  14 . 
     D. Conclusions 
     It will be understood that each of the elements described above or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above. 
     While the embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described as embodied in a multi-function cane, however, they are not limited to the details shown, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions, and changes in the forms and details of the embodiments of the present invention illustrated and their operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the embodiments of the present invention. 
     Without further analysis the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the embodiments of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt them for various applications without omitting features that from the standpoint of prior art fairly constitute characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of the embodiments of the present invention.