Patent Publication Number: US-2023135246-A1

Title: Lightweight Polymeric Container Finish

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/698,310 filed Nov. 27, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/955,288 filed Apr. 17, 2019, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/763,778 filed on Mar. 27, 2018, which claims the benefit and priority of International Application No. PCT/US2017/025399 filed on Mar. 31, 2017, which claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/411,029 filed on Oct. 21, 2016. The entire disclosures of these patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a lightweight finish for polymeric storage containers. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art. 
     It is common in the packaging industry to use blow molded polymeric containers made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), or polyethylene (PE), as well as any other suitable materials, to store food and beverage type products, such as spirits, sauces, carbonated soda, juice, water, sports drinks, and the like. Most containers have a threaded finish at the opening of the container configured to cooperate with a threaded closure or cap in order to hermetically seal the contents inside the container. In the packaging industry, lightweight containers are preferred because they are relatively less costly to manufacture and transport. 
     While current polymeric containers are suitable for their intended use, they are subject to improvement. The present teachings advantageously provide for improved polymeric containers having a finish portion that is relatively lighter in weight as compared to current containers. The containers according to the present teachings also advantageously maintain proper fitment with a closure to ensure that the fill product remains sealed during distribution of the container until the container is ultimately opened by the consumer. Further, the containers according to the present teaching include features that allow the containers, and preforms thereof, to be supported in a blow mold during blow molding and be handled during the filling process without having a standard support flange. 
     SUMMARY 
     This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features. 
     The present teachings provide for a polymeric container including a base, a body, a finish, finish threads, and a tamper lip. The finish threads are at an outer surface of the finish, and are configured to cooperate with closure threads of a closure to secure the closure to the finish. The tamper lip extends from the outer surface of the finish, and is configured to replace the support flange during handling, and to cooperate with a tamper band of the closure. A recess is below the tamper lip. The recess retains the tamper band below the tamper lip when the closure is removed from cooperation with the finish. A gripper ring is between the finish threads and the tamper lip. The gripper ring is configured to cooperate with a gripper for grasping the finish. 
     Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of select embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of a container according to the present teachings; 
         FIG.  2    is a side view of a finish portion, and part of a neck portion, of the container of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of the finish of the container of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4 A  illustrates a top surface of the finish of the container of  FIG.  1   , the top surface including rounded edges in accordance with the present teachings; 
         FIG.  4 B  illustrates a top surface of the finish of the container of  FIG.  1   , the top surface including stepped edges in accordance with the present teachings; 
         FIG.  5    is a side view of a closure according to the present teachings for closing the container of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  6    is a cross-sectional view of the closure of  FIG.  5    taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG.  5   ; 
         FIG.  7    illustrates the closure of  FIG.  5    secured to a finish portion of the container of  FIG.  1    in order to close the container; 
         FIG.  8    is a side view of a preform according to the present teachings, from which the container of  FIG.  1    can be blow molded; 
         FIG.  9    is a side view of another finish according to the present teachings; 
         FIG.  10    is a cross-sectional view of the finish of  FIG.  9    with the closure of  FIGS.  5  and  6    coupled thereto; 
         FIG.  11    illustrates another container according to the present disclosure, the container not including an elongated neck portion; 
         FIG.  12    is a side view of another finish in accordance with the present teachings; 
         FIG.  13    is a perspective view of the finish of  FIG.  12    and a gripper for gripping and maneuvering a preform including the finish; and 
         FIG.  14    sets forth a method for maneuvering and supporting the perform including the finish of  FIG.  12    during blow molding. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     With initial reference to  FIG.  1   , a container according to the present teachings is generally illustrated at reference numeral  10 . The container  10  can be made of any suitable material, such as any suitable polymeric material including polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), or polyethylene (PE). The container  10  generally includes a body  12 , a base  14 , a shoulder  16 , a neck  18 , and a finish  20 . The neck  18  is optional, and thus in some applications the finish  20  may be adjacent to the shoulder  16 , as illustrated in  FIG.  11    for example. The body  12  is between the base  14  and the shoulder  16 . The base  14  can be any suitable container base configured to support the container  10  upright on a flat surface. The shoulder  16  extends from the body  12  to the neck  18 . The neck  18  extends from the shoulder  16  to the finish  20 , and thus the neck  18  is between the shoulder  16  and the finish  20 . The neck  18  can have any suitable diameter D N  (see  FIG.  2   ) measured generally where the neck  18  transitions to the finish  20 . One object of the invention is the diameter D N  can be the same as, or similar to, an outer diameter Dc of closure  60  (see  FIGS.  5  and  7   ), which provides a smooth aesthetic transition from the closure  60  to the neck  18  of the finish  20 . This is advantageous to provide a premium look to the customer. 
     The container  10  can be configured to store any suitable product therein, such as spirits (liquor), alcohol, carbonated soda, juice, water, sports drinks, and any suitable type of food stuffs, such as sauces. The container  10  can have any suitable shape and size. For example, the body  12 , base  14 , and shoulder  16 , can have a generally oblong shape as illustrated. The neck  18  can be generally circular or oblong as well. The finish  20  is generally circular. The container  10  may have any other suitable shape in addition to that which is illustrated. For example, the body  12 , the base  14 , the shoulder  16 , and the neck  18  can each be round, or generally round. 
     The finish  20  defines an opening  22  of the container  10 . The opening  22  provides access to an internal volume  24  of the container  10 . The internal volume  24  can have any suitable capacity, such as 500 ml or less than 500 ml, or greater than 500 ml such as 1 liter or 1.5 liters. The container  10  may be filled with any suitable product through the opening  22 , and any product stored within the container  10  may be dispensed through the opening  22 . The opening  22  provides access to the internal volume  24 . A longitudinal access A of the container  10  extends through a radial center of the opening  22 , and through a center of each of the neck  18 , the shoulder  16 , the body  12 , and the base  14 . 
     A top surface  30  of the finish  20  extends around the opening  22 , and defines the opening  22  at a top end of the container  10 . The top surface  30  may be smooth, or include any suitable surface features configured to reduce the weight of the finish  20 , as further explained herein and illustrated in  FIGS.  4 A and  4 B . The finish  20  includes finish threads  32  at an outer surface  34  of the finish  20 . In the example illustrated, the threads  32  extend outward from the outer surface  34 , but in some configurations the threads  32  may be recessed within the outer surface  34 . The outer surface  34  is opposite to an inner surface  36  ( FIG.  3   ) of the finish  20 . The threads  32  are configured to cooperate with closure threads of any suitable closure, such as the threads  70  of the closure  60  of  FIGS.  5  and  6    described herein. 
     With reference to  FIG.  2   , the finish threads  32  can have any suitable height H T , such as less than 0.04 inches. The finish threads  32  can have any suitable width W T  measured from the outer surface  34 . For example, the threads  32  can have a width W T  of less than 0.025 inches. The finish  20  has a finish height H F , which extends from the top surface  30  to generally where the finish  20  and neck  18  meet. The finish height H F  can be any suitable height, such as between 0.54 inches to 0.80 inches. 
     The finish  20  further includes a tamper lip  40 . Another object of the invention is the tamper lip  40  is the only feature generally located between the threads  32  and the neck  18 . The tamper lip  40  is generally circular and extends outward from the outer surface  34  of the finish  20 . The tamper lip  40  is configured to engage a tamper tab of any suitable closure for the container  10 , such as the tamper tab  72  of the tamper band  64  of the closure  60  illustrated in  FIG.  6   . The tamper lip  40  can have any suitable height HL measured generally parallel to the longitudinal axis A. For example, the tamper lip  40  can have a height HL of less than 0.06 inches. The tamper lip  40  can have any suitable width measured from the outer surface  34 . For example, the tamper lip  40  can have a width WL of less than 0.025 inches. 
     The tamper lip  40  can have a generally rounded upper surface  42 , and a generally planar lower surface  44 . The rounded upper surface  42  extends from the outer surface  34  outward and down to the lower surface  44 . The lower surface  44  extends inward from the rounded upper surface  42  back to the outer surface  34 . The tamper lip  40  is advantageously configured such that during blow molding the tamper lip  40  can be engaged to support a preform, such as preform  110  of  FIG.  8   , for the container  10  in a mold or a blow mold striker plate, on the infeed rails of a blow molding machine, and on a star wheel assembly, thereby eliminating the need for a separate support flange (not shown), which advantageously reduces the weight and height of the finish  20  and container  10 . By reducing the height of the finish  20 , many suitable adjustments can be made to the blow molding equipment, such as reducing the height of spindles that transfer the preform  110  through a blow mold oven, and adjusting blow mold heating lamp positions within the blow mold oven. 
     Between the tamper lip  40  and the threads  32  is a gripper groove  50 . The gripper groove  50  provides an area of the finish  20  that is particularly suitable for engagement by any suitable infeed and outfeed gripping or coupling device for moving the container  10 /preform  110  as the container  10  is being formed. The gripping or coupling device can also engage the container  10  below the tamper lip  40 . The gripping or coupling device can also engage the container  10  at the gripper groove  50  and below the tamper lip  40  simultaneously. 
     Below the tamper lip  40  is a tamper band recess  52 . The tamper band recess  52  can be formed by injection molding as part of the container preform  110 , or formed as a blow molded feature in the container  10 . 
     With reference to  FIG.  3   , the finish  20  can have any suitable diameter for accepting industry standard closures, such as 18 mm, 22 mm, 26 mm, 28 mm, 33 mm, 38 mm, or 43 mm. Specifically, for example, the outer surface  34  of the finish  20  can have any suitable maximum outer diameter Do, such as less than 25 mm or greater than 30 mm. The inner surface  36  of the finish  20  can have any suitable maximum inner diameter D I , such as less than 22 mm. The finish  20  can have any suitable thickness or width T F  between the outer surface  34  and the inner surface  36 . For example, the thickness T F  of the finish  20  as measured between the outer surface  34  and the inner surface  36  can be less than 0.045 inches. 
     The finish  20  advantageously allows the finish weight to be less than the finish weight of current containers. For example, the finish  20  may have the following finish weights for the following finish heights and standard finish sizes as recognized by the International Society of Beverage Technologists (ISBT). 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Standard ISBT 
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Finish Size 
                 Finish Height* 
                 Finish Weight 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 &lt;26 
                 mm 
                 &lt;6 
                 mm 
                 &lt;2 
                 g 
               
               
                 26 
                 mm 
                 &lt;7 
                 mm 
                 &lt;2.5 
                 g 
               
               
                 28 
                 mm 
                 &lt;10 
                 mm 
                 &lt;3 
                 g 
               
               
                 33 
                 mm 
                 &lt;12 
                 mm 
                 &lt;3.5 
                 g 
               
               
                 38 
                 mm 
                 &lt;13 
                 mm 
                 &lt;4.5 
                 g 
               
               
                 43 
                 mm 
                 &lt;14 
                 mm 
                 &lt;5.5 
                 g 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 *Measured from top surface 30 of finish 20 to lower surface 44 of tamper lip 40. 
               
            
           
         
       
     
     With reference to  FIG.  4 A , inner and outer edges of the top surface  30  can be removed at the outer and inner surfaces  34  and  36  to provide the top surface  30  with generally rounded edges  54 . Due to the rounded edges, the finish  20  has less material, and is thus advantageously lighter. As illustrated in  FIG.  4 B , the edges  54  need not be rounded, but can rather be stepped to provide stepped edges  56 , which advantageously also reduces the weight of the finish  20 . Other combinations of steps and rounded edges to make the finish  20  lighter will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     With reference to  FIGS.  5  and  6   , the closure  60  will now be described in further detail. The closure  60  generally includes a main body  62 , and a frangible tamper band  64 , which is connected to the main body  62  at perforated area/ring  66 . A tamper tab  72  extends from the frangible tamper band  64  inward into the closure  60 . The tamper tab  72  is sized and shaped to pass over the tamper lip  40  of the container finish  20  when the closure  60  is being secured to the finish  20 , such as through cooperation between threads  70  of the closure  60  and the threads  32  of the finish  20 . The tamper tab  72  slides over the rounded upper surface  42  of the tamper lip  40  as the closure  60  is being screwed onto the finish  20 . After the tamper tab  72  has passed over the rounded upper surface  42 , the tamper tab  72  will flex inward towards the longitudinal axis A and abut the lower surface  44  of the tamper lip  40 . There must be clearance between the bottom surface of the tamper band  64  and the neck  18  so that the neck  18  does not interfere with applying and tightening the closure  60 . When the closure  60  is unscrewed and removed from the finish  20 , the tamper tab  72  will remain under the tamper lip  40  and the main body  62  will separate from the frangible tamper band  64  at the perforated ring  66 . The tamper band  64  is prevented from dropping to far down the neck  18  or the shoulder  16  by the tamper band recess  52 , and the tamper band  64  is retained below the tamper lip  40  and above the neck  18  or shoulder  16 . With current containers, the tamper band is instead retained by a support flange, which the finish  20  advantageously does not include. Separation of the main body  62  from the frangible tamper band  64  advantageously provides a visual indication that the closure  60  has been removed from the finish  20 .  FIG.  7    illustrates the closure  60  secured to the finish  20  of the container  10 . The overall closure height Hc can be any suitable height, such as between 0.54 inches to 0.80 inches, or less than 0.54 inches on containers with a diameter less than 28 mm.  FIG.  11    illustrates the closure  60  (or a shorter version thereof) secured to the finish  20  of another container  10 ′ in accordance with the present disclosure, which does not include the elongated neck  18 . 
     The container  10  can be manufactured in any suitable manner. For example, the container  10  can be blow molded from any suitable preform, such as the preform  110  of  FIG.  8   . The preform  110  itself can be formed in any suitable manner, such as by injection molding. The preform  110  includes the finish  20 , which defines the opening  22  and includes the threads  32  and the tamper lip  40 . Extending from the finish  20  is a neck portion  112 , a body portion  116 , and a base portion  118 . After injection blow molding of the preform  110 , the neck portion  112  forms the neck  18 , the shoulder portion  114  forms the shoulder  16 , the body portion  116  forms the body  12 , and the base portion  118  forms the base  14 . 
     With reference to  FIGS.  9  and  10   , an additional finish  20 ′ in accordance with the present teachings is illustrated. The finish  20 ′ is similar to the finish  20 , except for the following differences which make the finish  20 ′ advantageously lighter. Specifically, threads  32 ′ are shorter than the threads  32  in that each one of the threads  32 ′ make only one complete turn around the finish  20 ′. This is in contrast to the threads  32 , which each make 1.5 turns around the finish  20 . By making the threads  32 ′ shorter, the threads  32 ′ can be moved upward closer to the top surface  30 ′, and gripper groove  50 ′ can be made taller. Specifically, the gripper groove  50 ′ extends further along a direction parallel to the longitudinal access A, as compared to the gripper groove  50 . The gripper groove  50 ′ can be more easily engaged by a suitable gripping or coupling device for moving the finish  20 ′ during manufacturing. 
     With particular reference to  FIG.  10    the finish  20 ′ has a thickness FT that is thinner than the finish thickness FT of the finish  20 . The finish thickness FT of the finish  20 ′ is generally 0.015 inches thinner than the finish thickness FT of the finish  20 , which makes the finish  20 ′ about 0.648 grams lighter than the finish  20  (when the container  10  is made of PET). Making the finish  20 ′ thinner and lighter advantageously reduces the manufacturing and shipping cost of the container  10 . Because the finish  20 ′ has a finish thickness FT that is thinner than the finish thickness FT of the finish  20 , a crush bead  74  of the closure  60  will be arranged closer to the inside diameter of the finish  20 ′ as compared to the finish  20  when the closure  60  is secured to the respective finishes  20 / 20 ′. 
     The finish thickness FT of the finish  20  can be 3.94 mm, or about 3.94 mm. The gripper groove  50  can have a height of 0.71 mm, or about 0.71 mm. The finish thickness FT of the finish  20 ′ can have a thickness of 3.14 mm, or about 3.14 mm. The height of the gripper groove  50 ′ can be 2.3 mm, or about 2.3 mm. 
     The present teachings advantageously provide for reducing the weight of the finish  20 , as well as the height of the finish  20 , to provide the container  10  with a height to center of gravity ratio that is greater than 0.025, or less than 0.499. The finish  20  can have any suitable weight, such as greater than 2.3 grams, or less than 2.5 grams. The finish  20  according to the present teachings has a weight that is advantageously about 35% less than, to about 44% less than, the weight of an industry standard finish for accepting the same size of closure. 
       FIGS.  12  and  13    illustrate another finish in accordance with the present disclosure at reference numeral  20 ″. The finish  20 ″ can be the finish of any suitable preform for forming any suitable container. For example, the preform  110  may include the finish  20 ″ in place of the finish  20 , and the containers  10 ,  110  may include the finish  20 ″ in place of the finish  20  and the finish  20 ′ respectively. 
     The finish  20 ″ includes numerous features similar to, or the same as, the finish  20 . The similar features are designated in  FIGS.  12  and  13    using the same reference numerals, but with a double prime (″) designation. The description of these similar features set forth above in the description of the finish  20  also applies to the finish  20 ″. Specifically, the description set forth above of the threads  32 , the outer surface  34 , and the tamper lip  40  (including the rounded upper surface  42  and the lower surface  44 ) of the finish  20  also applies to the threads  32 ″, the outer surface  34 ″, and the tamper lip  40 ″ (including the rounded upper surface  42 ″ and the lower surface  44 ″) of the finish  20 ″. 
     Unlike the finish  20  and the finish  20 ′, in place of the gripper groove  50  the finish  20 ″ includes a gripper ring  80  between the threads  32 ″ and the tamper lip  40 ″. The gripper ring  80  extends entirely around the finish  20 ″. The gripper ring  80  protrudes outward from the outer surface  34 ″ such that an outermost portion of the gripper ring  80  is further from the longitudinal axis A (and a radial center of the finish  20 ″) than the outer surface  34 ″. Between the gripper ring  80  and the threads  32 ″ is an upper portion  34 A″ of the outer surface  34 ″, and between the gripper ring  80  and the tamper lip  40 ″ is a lower portion  34 B″ of the outer surface  34 ″. The upper portion  34 A″ and the lower portion  34 B″ of the outer surface  34 ″ are equidistant from the longitudinal axis A, and the gripper ring  80  is further from the longitudinal axis A than each one of the upper portion  34 A″ and the lower portion  34 B″ of the outer surface  34 ″. 
     The gripper ring  80  is sized and shaped to cooperate with any suitable positioning tool for moving and positioning any suitable preform including the finish  20 ″, such as the preform  110  for example. An example of such a suitable positioning tool is the gripper  210 . The gripper  210  includes a curved edge  212 , which is sized and shaped to cooperate with about one half of the lower portion  34 B″ of the outer surface  34 ″ and an undersurface of the gripper ring  80 . 
     During the blow molding process, the finish  20 ″ is engaged at the tamper lip  40 ″ and/or gripper ring  80  to move and support the preform that the finish  20 ″ is included with, such as the preform  110  for example.  FIG.  14    sets forth a method  510  for moving and/or supporting the finish  20 ″ at various exemplary stages of the blow molding process. For example, at block  512  the preform  110  is supported on a molding machine in-feed rail through cooperation between the tamper lip  40 ″ and the in-feed rail. At bock  514 , the preform  110  is moved to a molding machine star wheel, where the preform  110  is supported through cooperation between the tamper lip  40 ″ and the star wheel. At block  516 , the preform  110  is picked up by spindles, and at block  518  the preform  110  is transported through a heating oven. At block  520 , the gripper  210  grasps the preform  110  through cooperation between the curved edge  212  and gripper ring  80 , and the gripper  210  moves the preform  110  out of the oven and into a blow mold of any suitable container, such as the container  10  or the container  10 ′. Specifically, the curved edge  212  contacts the lower portion  34 B″ of the outer surface  34 ″ and an undersurface of the gripper ring  80 . 
     At block  522 , the preform is supported in the blow mold by the tamper lip  40 ″ during blow molding. At block  524 , the blown container  10  (or the container  10 ′ or any other suitable container) is again grasped by the gripper through cooperation between the curved edge  212  and the gripper ring  80 , and the gripper  210  moves the preform  110  out from within the blow mold. At block  526 , the container  10  is supported by an outfeed rail through cooperation between the tamper lip  40 ″ and the outfeed rail. At block  528 , the container  10  is supported on a conveyor through cooperation between the tamper lip  40 ″ and the conveyor, and the container  10  is transported to any suitable location, such as a filling or packing station. 
     The finish  20 ″ thus advantageously includes the threads  32 ″ and the tamper lip  40 ″ without a dedicated support flange. Therefore, the tamper lip  40 ″ serves a dual purpose. A first purpose of the tamper lip  40 ″ is to cooperate with the tamper tab  72  of the closure  60  such that when the closure is removed the tamper tab  72  is separated from the closure  60  and retained on the finish  20 ″ by the tamper lip  40 ″ to indicate that the container  10  has been opened. Another purpose of the tamper lip  40 ″ is to provide support for the preform  110  at specific points during manufacturing, such as at least at blocks  512 ,  514 ,  522 ,  526 , and  528 . The gripper ring  80  advantageously allows the finish  20 ″ to be gripped at specific points during manufacturing as well through cooperation between the curved edge  212  and both the lower portion  34 B″ of the outer surface  34 ″ and an undersurface of the gripper ring  80 , such as at least at blocks  520  and  524 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure provides numerous other advantages and unexpected results as well. 
     The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure. 
     Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. 
     When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
     Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments. 
     Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.