Patent Publication Number: US-5427255-A

Title: Display system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a display system, and more particularly concerns a display system that can be readily assembled to conventional gondola shelving or a conventional building wall by unskilled labor in different arrangements without the use of sophisticated tools, but which is structurally rigid and aesthetically pleasing. However, the invention is not contemplated to be limited to only use with conventional gondola shelving and building walls. 
     Modern merchandizing requires that a display system be visually attractive to consumers, and also structurally sound so that a large number and variety of goods can be safely supported on the display system. Many display systems have been designed for this purpose, however known systems are often expensive to purchase and install since they include many specialized parts and require at least some semi-skilled labor for installation. Further, known systems do not mate satisfactorily with existing fixtures such as conventional gondola shelving, and thus additional capital expenditure and waste is incurred since the existing fixtures must be thrown away. Still further, many of these systems cannot be easily assembled into different arrangements, cannot be easily rearranged, and do not permit quick assembly and installation with unskilled labor. 
     Thus, a display system solving the aforementioned problems is needed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, the present invention includes a display system adapted for installation on a conventional shelving support having a base and a back. The display system includes a plurality of elongated upright dividers having tops, bottoms and sides with apertures being located in the sides. The display system further includes a plurality of locators engaging the bottoms of the upright dividers, the locators being adapted to engage the shelving support base, and further includes a top bracket for engaging the upright divider tops, the top bracket being adapted to releasably engage the shelving support back. A plurality of shelf-supporting members are selectively located in the apertures of the upright dividers. A plurality of shelves are provided, each shelf including opposing sides adapted to releasably and frictionally engage the shelf-supporting members, whereby assembly of the shelves to the shelf-supporting members located in the dividers, which dividers are located on the shelving support by the locators and the top bracket, permits quick assembly of the display system. In one form, the shelf-supporting members are pins with ends adapted to protrude from the upright dividers, and the shelves include notches for engaging the pin ends. The joinder of the various parts interact synergistically to provide a very strong and stable system which is structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing, and yet widely adaptable to different needs. 
     In another aspect, the present invention includes a display system adapted for installation on a wall, such as on a wall in a conventional building which includes 2×4 wooden studs. The display system includes an elongated top bracket and an elongated bottom bracket adapted for attachment to the wall in a predetermined spaced apart condition, the top bracket and the bottom bracket each extending the width of the flexible display system and including a plurality of longitudinally spaced anchor means along their length. The flexible display system further includes divider panels having a height sufficient to engage the top bracket and the bottom bracket when the brackets are secured in the predetermined spaced apart condition, the top and the bottom of each divider having means for engaging selected of the anchor means, the brackets being constructed to support the weight of the divider panels when the divider panels are engaged with the brackets. A plurality of shelves are adapted to be secured between the dividers to form the display system, and engaging means are provided on the divider panels for securely engaging the shelves so that the flexible display system becomes rigid upon installation of the shelves between the dividers. 
     The preferred embodiments of the present invention include several advantages over known systems. The display systems can be readily assembled by unskilled labor without the use of sophisticated tools onto conventional gondola shelving or building walls. Yet, the display system has a modern appearance with clean lines, and can be assembled in a variety of different functional arrangements. Still further, the assembled display system is structurally sound, yet permits quick rearrangement as desired. Notably, the display system can be assembled and/or rearranged relatively quickly and without tools. 
     These and other features, advantages and objects of the present invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification, claims and appended drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top front perspective view of a display system embodying the present invention, the display system being shown as installed on conventional gondola shelving; 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of a shelf and an upright divider, the divider being broken away to expose the pins for attaching the shelf to the divider; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative base attached to the conventional gondola shelving back; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the upright divider shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary top view of the divider shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top view of the top bracket shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of the top bracket shown in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a front view of the bottom locator shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 9 is a side view of the bottom locator shown in FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is a plan view of the shelf shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 11 is a side view of the shelf shown in FIG. 10; 
     FIG. 12 is a side view of one style shelf-supporting pin; 
     FIG. 13 is a side view of a second style shelf-supporting pin; 
     FIGS. 14-16 are perspective views of various arrangements of the display system; 
     FIG. 17 is a side view of a modified divider panel embodying the present invention; 
     FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of another modification of the display system, the modification including a releasably engageable anchor bracket; 
     FIG. 19 is a side view of the anchor bracket illustrated in FIG. 18; 
     FIG. 20 is a bottom view of the anchor bracket illustrated in FIG. 18; 
     FIGS. 21-23 are orthogonal views of a modified locator bracket; 
     FIG. 24 is a perspective view of another modified display system embodying the present invention, the display system being shown as installed on a conventional building wall including 2×4 wooden studs; 
     FIG. 25 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of the display system illustrated in FIG. 24; 
     FIG. 26 is a fragmentary side view of the display system illustrated in FIG. 24; 
     FIG. 27 is a fragmentary exploded perspective modified display system embodying the present invention, the display system including a vacuum-formed shelf; and 
     FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the vacuum-formed shelf illustrated in FIG. 27. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A display system 20 (FIGS. 1 and 2) embodying the present invention includes a plurality of panel-shaped upright dividers 22 with shelf-supporting pins 24 and 25 positioned therein, and further includes shelves 26 that engage shelf-supporting pins 24 and 25 to form a rigid assembly. Display system 20 is adapted for installation on conventional gondola shelving 28, which shelving 28 includes a base 36 and an upright back 38 attached to base 36. Specifically, upright dividers 22 are secured in an upright and structurally square position on conventional gondola shelving 28 by top bracket 30, top bracket 30 being secured to the top rear corners of the upright dividers 22 and being releasably engaged to back 38 of the conventional gondola shelving 28. Locators 34 engage the bottom of upright dividers 22 to insure that the position of the upright dividers 22 do not become skewed, locators 34 engaging base 36 of the conventional gondola shelving 28 so that locators 34 properly locate the divider bottoms. 
     Back 38 of conventional gondola shelving 28 (FIG. 2) includes a plurality of peg boards 40 (only one of which is shown) connected by vertically oriented tubular supports or anchor rails 42 located at four foot centers. The tubular support 42 includes a flat front surface 44 with vertically oriented slots 46 therein. Base 36 (FIG. 1) of conventional gondola shelving 28 supports back 38 and extends forward of back 38, base 36 being adapted to support display system 20 and merchandizing items placed thereon in a raised position in front of back 38 above a store floor. Base 36 includes an upper surface 50 that has a series of front and rear holes 52 and 54, respectively. 
     Upright dividers 22 (FIG. 4) are planar elongated structural members. The top of the upright dividers 22 can be a number of different shapes, but as illustrated top 58 of dividers 22 includes an upper rear corner 60 that forms a horizontal surface 62, and a forwardly extending portion 64 that is angled for aesthetics. A hole 66 extends vertically into the top of divider 22 through horizontal surface 62 of upper rear corner 60. Additional pin-receiving shelf-locating holes or apertures 68 extend through upright divider 22 from side to side, with pairs of holes 68 being located horizontally with respect to each other. 
     Top bracket 30 (FIGS. 6 and 7) includes an L-shaped center portion 70 having a first leg 72 with spaced divider-locating holes 73 therein, and a second leg 74 that stabilizes first leg 72. Holes 73 are adapted to receive fasteners or divider-stabilizing pins 76 (FIG. 1), so that fasteners 76 engage holes 66 to secure upright dividers 22 to top bracket 30. Fasteners 76 can be screws if desired. A pair of teeth 78 extend perpendicularly rearwardly from each end of second leg 74 of center portion 70. The upper tooth 84 includes both a downwardly facing notch 86 adapted to engage an adjacent slot 46, and also includes an upwardly facing notch 88 adapted to lock into the slot. The outer corners 90 and 91 of upper tooth 84 are rounded to facilitate installation. Lower tooth 80 includes a downwardly facing notch 82 adapted to engage a first selected slot 46. A web 92 connects teeth 80 and 84 to each other for stability. 
     Top bracket 30 is installed by inserting upwardly facing notch 88 of upper tooth 84 into a selected slot 46 (FIG. 1). Top bracket 30 is then rotated downwardly until lower tooth 80 (FIG. 7) is positioned in an adjacent (lower) slot 46. Top bracket 30 is then dropped vertically downwardly so that both downwardly facing notches 82 and 86 (i.e. teeth 80 and 84) engage slots 46. With divider-stabilizing pins 76 (FIG. 1) inserted through hole 73 into divider hole 66, top bracket 30 cannot be rotated to a release position. Thus, once assembled, top bracket 30 cannot be removed from shelving back 38 since second leg 74 frictionally abuts divider 22 on the rear side. Thus, the upper ends of upright dividers 22 are securely interconnected and retained to top bracket 30, and also dividers 22 are securely attached to top bracket 30. 
     Locator 34 (FIGS. 5, 8 and 9) includes an elongated upwardly facing U-shaped section 94 for receiving the lower end or bottom 95 of an upright divider 22. A pair of protrusions 96 extend downwardly from U-shaped section 94 and are adapted to engage selected holes 52 and 54 in base 36 (FIG. 1). Notably, U-shaped section 94 can be any length desired. As shown in FIG. 1, U-shaped section 94 extends to the depth of upright dividers 22, however, is it contemplated that locator 44 might only be a couple of inches long, such that a front and rear locator would then be required. Protrusions 96 on locator 34 (FIG. 8) are offset with respect to the symmetrical center line 97 of locator 34. This allows locators 34 to be used even if the locator is to be used at the end of a base 36 or where two bases 36 and 36&#39; are abuttingly positioned adjacent each other to form a joint 98. 
     It is desirable to maintain the four foot span of display system 20 from end-to-end of the display system 20 so that there are no spacing problems of the display system 20 relative to the conventional gondola shelving 28. For this purpose, a special upright divider 23 (FIG. 8) can be used as an end panel. Special upright divider 23 is half the thickness of a &#34;standard&#34; upright divider 22. For example, if upright divider 22 is 3/4 of an inch thick, then special upright divider 23 would be 3/8 of an inch thick. This allows display system 20 to terminate with an outer end-to-end dimension located exactly at the four foot marks on center lines 97 such as at joint 98. In turn, this allows the display system 20 to be positioned abuttingly adjacent a second display system 20 while still exactly maintaining the four foot centerline spans. Notably, two of dividers 23 (and 23&#39;) can be positioned adjacently in U-shaped section 94 of locator 34. Further, additional thicknesses of dividers can be provided, such as an extra thin 3/16 inch thick divider. Extra thin dividers can be used where it is important to maintain a clean thin line when displaying goods on the display system. This also allows for a savings in material cost. 
     Shelves 28 (FIGS. 10 and 11) are generally rectangular and include a planar midsection 100 supported by ribs 101, 102, 103, 104 and 105. Opposing side flanges 106 and 108 extend perpendicularly downwardly and include front and rear notches or recesses 110 adapted to engage pins 24 and/or 25. Rear flange 112 extends at a slight angle from perpendicular to planar midsection 100, and front flange 114 extends at an even greater angle from perpendicular to planar midsection 100. Front and rear flanges 112 and 114 are angled for aesthetics and also to facilitate molding of shelves 28. Also, front and rear flanges 112 and 114 stabilize side flanges 106 and 108. Holes 116 are located in planar midsection 100 such as for securing auxiliary dividers or &#34;fences&#34; (not shown) or other items to shelves 28. 
     Self-supporting pin or fastener 24 (FIGS. 2 and 12) includes a body or shaft 120 with opposing protruding ends 122 and 124. A ring-shaped depression 126 is defined between end 122 and body 120, and a similar ring-shaped depression 128 is defined between end 124 and body 120. The length D1 of body 120 is the same as the thickness of standard upright divider 22 so that depressions 126 and 128 are positioned adjacent and protruding from upright divider sides 22&#39; and 22&#34; when pin body 120 is positioned in hole 68. With pins 24 located in upright divider holes 68 (FIG. 2), a shelf 28 can be positioned so that notches 110 in shelf side flanges 106 (and 108) engage ring-shaped depressions 120 (and 128). With a sharp downward blow, shelves 28 are frictionally press-fit onto pin 24 to securely retain shelf 28 thereon. Notably, side flanges 106 and 108 are about 11/4&#34; deep so that they have sufficient distance to stably engage upright divider side 22&#39; (and 22&#34;). A ridge 130 on the inside of side flanges 106 and 108 around notches 110 provides increased strength to side flanges 106 and 108 in the area of notches 110. 
     Shelf-supporting pin or fastener 25 (FIG. 13) is intended for use on an upright divider 23 located at an end of divider system 20, or on a divider 22 where two shelves 28 are not positioned at the same height on the opposite sides of the divider 22. Pin 25 includes a body 134 with a head 136 at one end and a protruding end 138. Two ring-shaped depressions 140 and 142 are defined between body 134 and end 138, the ring-shaped depressions being separated by a ridge 144 that is the diameter of body 134. Pin 25 can be extended through hole 68 in upright divider 22 with head 136 engaging one side of the upright divider, and the outer ring-shaped depression 142 extending out of the other side of the upright divider 22. In this configuration, body 134 and ridge 144 are located within hole 68. Shelf side flange notch 110 can be frictionally press-fit onto outer ring-shaped depression 142. Pin 25 can also be used on the half thickness upright divider 23. With pin 25 positioned in hole 68 in half thickness upright divider 23, ring-shaped depression 140 is positioned outside of hole 68 whereat inner ring-shaped depression 140 can be frictionally engaged by shelf side flange notch 110. Similarly, pins 24 and 25 can be further adapted to receive a panel of 3/16 inch thickness by the addition of additional ring-shaped depressions (not shown). 
     To assemble display system 20, top bracket 30 is initially positioned on conventional gondola shelving back 38 with top bracket teeth 78 engaged with support slots 46 at a selected height. Also, locators 34 are positioned as desired on conventional gondola shelving base 36 with locator protrusions 96 engaging selected base holes 52 and 54. Upright dividers 22 are then positioned in locators 34, and divider-stabilizing pins 76 are extended downwardly through top bracket holes 66 into divider top holes 66. Dividers 22 are thus temporarily semi-stably located on conventional gondola shelving 28. 
     Shelf-supporting pins 24 and 25 are then inserted into shelf-supporting holes 68 in dividers 22 as desired. Specifically, pins 24 are utilized at locations where there will be shelves at equal height on opposing sides of a divider 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Pins 25 are utilized at locations where there will be a shelf 26 on one side but not on the other side of a divider 22, or where a divider 23 will be used. With pins 24 and 25 inserted, shelves 26 are positioned between adjacent dividers 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), each shelf 26 having two of pins 24 (or 25) supporting each side flange 106 (or 108) at notches 110. Shelf notches 110 can be fully frictionally seated onto pins 24 (and 25) by a sharp downward blow on the shelf 26. This positions shelf pin flanges 106 (and 108) against divider sides 22&#39; (and 22&#34;) and thus stabilizes display system 20. 
     Several modified display systems and modified components embodying the present invention are contemplated. In these modifications, comparable components and features are identified by identical numbers, but with letters &#34;A&#34;, &#34;B&#34;, &#34;C&#34; and etc. added thereto. This is intended to reduce redundant discussion. 
     A modified gondola shelving base 37A (FIG. 3) can be installed onto support back 28 above display system 20. Base 37A is formed comparably to base 36 insofar that it includes a comparable upper surface 50A with holes 52A and 54A therein. However, base 37A includes hooks or teeth 150A adapted to engage selected slots 46. Thus, base 37A can be positioned at any height, such as on top of or above lower display system 20. It is contemplated that the lower display system can be designed so that lower dividers 22 include a top surface adapted to abuttingly engage base 36A to support the weight of an upper display system 20A, or alternatively the upper display system 20A (i.e. alternative base 37A) can be designed so that there is limited or no contact between base 36A and lower dividers 22. 
     Another modification is illustrated in FIG. 3. It is contemplated that one of the protrusions 96 (FIG. 9) on locator 34 can be snipped off thus allowing locator 34A to rotate 360° in plan view so that locator 34A can thus be positioned at any angle desired relative to base 37A (or base 36) and back 38. Thus a divider 22A retained thereon is located at a desired angle. In such case, special shelves (not shown) in the shape of a parallelogram with appropriately positioned shelf side flange notches 110 would be required, however the shelves would be otherwise generally as disclosed above. Also, it is contemplated that shelf-supporting holes 68 can be located in a non-horizontally paired, staggered arrangement in upright divider 22 so that shelf 26 is retained at an angle to horizontal. Alternatively, shelves 28 can be manufactured with notches arranged so that when installed on horizontally paired shelf-supporting holes 68, the shelf is retained at a desired angle. 
     Three arrangements of the display system are shown in FIGS. 14-16, and generally referred to by numbers 20B, 20C and 20D respectively. Comparable features and components to display system 20 are designated by use of the same number plus the letters &#34;B&#34;, &#34;C&#34; and &#34;D&#34;. In display system 20B (FIG. 14), dividers 22B are located by top bracket 30B and locators 34B, and are interconnected by inclined shelves 26B. The ends of display system 20B are formed by half-thickness dividers 23B with pins 25B extended therethrough. The intermediate dividers are full thickness dividers 22B, with pins 24B (not specifically shown in FIG. 14) extended therethrough. Shelves 26B are pressed downwardly to frictionally engage pins 24B and 25B. Notably, the pairs of shelf-supporting holes (68B) in dividers 22B and 23B are located non-horizontally so that pins 25B (and 24B) are located non-horizontally and thus shelves 26B are retained in an inclined or angled position. 
     Display system 20C (FIG. 15) includes a lower display system 20C&#39; and an upper display system 20C&#34;. Lower display system 20C&#39; includes dividers 22C&#39; and 23C&#39; interconnected by pins 24C&#39; and 25C&#39; and shelves 26C&#39;. Upper display system 20C&#34; includes dividers 22C&#34; and 23C&#34; interconnected by pins 24C&#34; (and 25C&#34;) and shelves 26C&#34;. Lower display system 20C&#39; is supported by shelving base 36C, and upper display system 20C&#34; is supported by shelving base 37C&#34;. 
     Display system 20D (FIG. 16) illustrates yet another embodiment wherein the shelves 26D are irregularly positioned across half of the width of the display system (generally referred to by number 20D&#39;), and are regularly positioned along the other half 20D&#34;. Also, an end display 20D&#39;&#34; is positioned at an end of the conventional gondola shelving 28D. 
     It is contemplated that the holes 25 and dividers 22 can be located in a number of different patterns and locations to facilitate placement of shelves on the dividers as desired. For example, dividers 22E (FIG. 17) are generally comparable to dividers 22, but dividers 22E include a front hole 68E&#39; and a series of rear holes 68E&#34;. The rear holes 68E&#34; are located an equal distance from front hole 68E&#39; in an arcuate pattern. This allows pins (24 and 25) to be selectively located in holes 68E&#34; in panels 22E so that shelves (26) can be held at a desired angular orientation when installed. For example, shelves can be held in any of the planes 151E extending between holes 68E&#39; and 68E&#34;. This angularity is desirable when displaying merchandise so that the merchandise is viewed at an optimal angle by a consumer standing adjacent the display system. 
     Another modification is illustrated in FIG. 18. In FIG. 18, pin 76 is replaced with an anchoring bracket 154F, and the upper rear corner 60F of dividers 22F are modified to receive anchoring bracket 154F. Anchoring bracket 154F (FIGS. 19 and 20) includes an upper section 156F and a lower section 158F that extends downwardly from upper section 156F. The upper section 156F has a C-shaped profile including an upper web 160F and a lower web 162F that form a throat for receiving top bracket flange 72F. A pair of protrusions 164F on upper web 160F extend into the throat, protrusions 164F being configured to securely but releasably engage holes 73F. This allows anchoring bracket 154F to be relocated horizontally along top bracket 30F to various positions as desired. 
     Lower section 158F (FIGS. 19 and 20) includes a pair of parallel sidewalls 166F and 168F joined by a connecting wall 170F to form a C-shaped section. Connecting wall 170F is slightly shorter than walls 166F and 168F. The upper rear corner 60F of dividers 22F (FIG. 21) are modified by a saw cut or slot 172F that extends from horizontal upper surface 62F downwardly into divider 22F a distance at least equal to the length of connecting wall 170F. Slot 172F is spaced from the rear edge of divider 22F. Connecting wall 170F fits mateably into slot 172F with anchor bracket walls 166F and 168F engaging the sides 22F&#39; and 22F&#34; of divider panel 22. 
     A secondary locator bracket 176G (FIGS. 21-23) can be used to stabilize half thickness divider 23 such as at a shelving end or joint 98 (see FIG. 8). Secondary locator bracket 176G includes a U-shaped section 178G adapted to engage a rear edge of a divider 23G, and further includes a pair of offset protrusions 180G. Protrusions 180G are shaped to mateably engage slots (46) in the anchor rails (42) of the conventional gondola shelving. With protrusions 180G engaged in slots (46), U-shaped section 178G prevents dividers 23G from slipping horizontally over or into a joint (98). Thus, even if the bottom of divider 23G is kicked by an operator, it cannot flex or bend out of position and drop over and into a joint (98). Thus, secondary locator bracket 176G holds dividers 23G in a vertically flat plane so that dividers 23G do not buckle and collapse. 
     Another modification of the display system embodying the present invention is contemplated which allows the display system to be installed on any wall or similar structure. Display system 20It (FIGS. 24 and 25) includes a pair of identical L-shaped brackets 190H and 192H. Brackets 190H and 192H include a first vertically oriented leg 194H and 196H, respectively, with holes 198H and 200H therein, respectively. Holes 198H and 200H are optimally spaced about 16&#34; apart so that they can be aligned with 2×4 wooden studs 202H in a conventionally studded wall of a building. Brackets 190H and 192H can thus be secured by fasteners 204H to studs 202H. Brackets 190H and 192H further include a second laterally extending leg 72H with anchoring holes 73H located along their lengths. 
     The lower rear corner of dividers 22H (and 23H) are modified to include a downwardly extending protruding pin 206H (FIG. 25). Pin 206H is shaped to securely engage a selected hole 73H in bottom bracket 192H. The upper rear corner of 60H of divider 22H includes a hole 66H. An L-shaped pin 208H includes a first section 210H adapted to extend through a selected hole 73H in top bracket 190H, and further includes a second section 212H that acts as a handle to facilitate inserting or removing pin 208H. 
     Shelves 26H are installable onto and between dividers 22H as previously described in reference to display system 20. 
     One or more elongated stabilizing panels or cross pieces 214H (FIGS. 24 and 25) are secured to dividers 22H. Cross piece 214H, for example, can be used as a kick panel to improve aesthetics as well as to perform the function of stabilizing display system 20H. In tile embodiment disclosed, cross piece 214H is releasably secured to the front edge of dividers 22H by mating patches 218H and 220H of hook-and-loop material, such as Velcro®. It is contemplated that the hook-and-loop material can be extended the full length of cross piece 214H thus facilitating positioning dividers 22H in any spaced apart condition desired. 
     It is contemplated that a number of different shelves can be attached to dividers 22-22H. In FIGS. 27 and 28, there is a shown a vacuum-formed shelf 226I having multiple cascadingly positioned pockets 228I such as for holding and displaying greeting cards. The sides 230I of shelf 226I are notched with notches 232I. Notches 232I are shaped to securely engage pins 24I (and 25I), which pins can be selectively located in holes (68) of dividers 22I (and 23I). It is contemplated that additional specialty shelves can be readily constructed for specialized needs, such as for incorporating spring assisted forward feeding mechanisms such as for cigarettes and similar small packages. 
     Thus, the present invention provides display systems that include dividers interconnected by shelves and shelf-supporting pins. In one aspect, a display system is provided that is readily installable on conventional gondola shelving by a top bracket and bottom locators. In another aspect, the display system can be attached to a support such as to 2×4 wooden studs of a building wall. The display system can be readily assembled without use of skilled labor or special tools, and yet is adaptable to many different uses and arrangements. 
     In the foregoing description, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the concepts disclosed herein. Such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims, unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.