Patent Publication Number: US-10329813-B2

Title: Adjustable door assembly for a shower enclosure area

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of pending U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/044,870, filed Feb. 16, 2016, from which priority is claimed to U.S. Provisional Patent Appl. Ser. No. 62/116,767, filed on Feb. 16, 2015, the entire contents of these applications which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to indoor glass enclosures, and more specifically to adjustable enclosures for indoor shower areas. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Indoor shower facilities typically include a shower with a door assembly, at least partially enclosing the shower to reduce overspray from the shower. Typical shower enclosure areas may include corner units installed in a corner of a bathroom, walk-in shower enclosures, partitions attached to the wall of bathtubs, or other similar structural arrangements. These different shower enclosure door assemblies have one or more panels attached in a hinging manner to the frame of the enclosure. In many circumstances, the door frame of the shower are is customized, misaligned, or fabricated in some other non-standard manner. As a result, a standard door assembly or closure device will not fit correctly or may be difficult to operate due to the misalignment, unless time consuming and costly alteration are made to the standard components of the door assembly. 
     Prior shower closure systems incorporate a hinge post rotatably connected to a hinge stile. In many systems, it is desirable for the bottom of the hinge stile to be raised with respect to the hinge post to allow for clearance for base members, dams, or other members or frames. An extension at the bottom of the hinge post serves this purpose. In some closure systems, the door is to swing in a certain direction, for example away from the shower closure area. In some applications, the outward swinging door is to be mounted on the left side of the closure area, and in other applications the outward swinging door is to be mounted on the right side of the closure area. To maintain this outward-swinging orientation of the door, the hinge post and hinge stile must be inverted, or placed upside down, to move these members from being mounted on one side of the shower closure doorway to mounting on the other side. 
     In these systems, in order to provide for a hinge post extension at the bottom of the hinge post, the hinge post must be manufactured to an excess length that provides for both a top extension about the top of the hinge stile, and a bottom extension below the bottom of the hinge stile. At the job site, once the proper orientation of the hinge post is determined, the top extension is cut away so that the respective tops of the hinge post and the hinge stile are flush, while the bottom hinge post extension remains. 
     It is an object of the present door assembly to enable interchangeable right or left placement of standard hinge post and hinge stile members without the need for cutting or customizing at the job site. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The door assembly disclosed herein generally comprises a door connected to door wall jamb by a door hinge assembly, a sill assembly, and a panel connected to panel wall jamb and supported by a setting assembly. The shower area opening is enclosed by placing the door beside the panel and connecting the respective panels to the respective wall jambs. The door wall jamb and the panel wall jamb comprise legs that mate with the adjacent member. For example, the legs of the door wall jamb mate with corresponding extensions on the hinge post in an overlapping manner. Likewise, the legs of the panel wall jamb mate with the panel by receiving the panel slidably positioned between the legs. Thus, the length of the legs allows the respective jambs to accommodate misaligned or nonstandard door frames, providing greater adjustability to the standard panels to accommodate these door frame fabrication errors. 
     For example, where a frame is fabricated too wide, the standard panel sizes of the door and panel are not enough to span the irregular width of the opening, which could leave unsightly gaps in the door assembly. Extended legs can be used on the panel wall jamb to cover these unwanted gaps, so that custom fabrication of the door and panel members is not needed. In the same manner, when the frame is out of plumb or misaligned, the jambs can be placed in a non-parallel orientation with respect to their adjoining members. This enables installation of the square door assembly to misaligned frames without the need for customization to the other components of the door assembly. 
     The hinge stile comprises four fastener holes to enable interchangeable placement of the hinge post from the left side to the right side of the shower closure area. The fastener holes enable interchangeable placement of standard hinge posts and hinge stiles without the need to further customize these members during installation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows the bottom portion of the opening of a typical indoor shower closure area. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the shower enclosure device and door assembly. 
         FIG. 3  shows the cross sectional details of alternate sizes of a typical panel wall jamb. 
         FIG. 4  shows the shower curb and base member with a wall jamb placed against the doorframe during assembly. 
         FIG. 5  shows the panel placement in relation to the setting assembly, sill assembly, and the wall jambs. 
         FIG. 6  shows the placement of the strike post in relation to the installed panel. 
         FIG. 7  shows the placement of the drip rail member in relation to the door. 
         FIG. 8  shows the adjustable hinge stile and hinge post. 
         FIG. 9  shows the conversion of the hinge stile and hinge post from the first mating configuration to the second mating configuration. 
         FIG. 10  shows an isometric view of one embodiment of a hinge pin. 
         FIG. 11  is a cross section of the hinge post and the hinge stile, showing placement of the sleeve between the receiving slot and the receiving member. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the drawings, the door assembly will now be described with regard to the best mode and the preferred embodiments. In general, the device is an improved adjustable door assembly for a shower enclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein are meant for illustration and not limitation of the invention. An ordinary practitioner will appreciate that it is possible to create many variations of the following embodiments without undue experimentation. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , many shower areas  1  have walls on three sides, with a fourth side being wholly or partially open. These open sides have a frame  5  and shower curb  6  that define the shower opening. Referring to  FIG. 2 , a typical door assembly generally comprises a door  10  connected to a door wall jamb  11  by a door hinge assembly  12 , a sill assembly  13 , and a panel  14  connected to panel wall jamb  15  and supported by a setting assembly  16 . The shower area opening is enclosed by placing the door  10  beside the panel  14  within the opening. Various embodiments of the door  10  comprise one or more hands members  17  attached to the door by mechanical handle connectors  18 . Other features of the door  10  include strike plates  19  as needed, or a drip rail member  20  connected to the bottom of the door  10  and fitting above the sill assembly  13  when the door  10  is in the closed position. 
     The door hinges assembly  12  comprises hinge members permitting the door to swing in relation the door wall jamb  11 . For example, in one embodiment the door hinge assembly  12  comprises a hinge stile  21  joined to the door  10  and a hinge post  22  joined to the door wall jamb  11 , which is joined to the frame  5  by mechanical anchor members  23 . The hinge stile  21  and hinge post  22  are connected in a rotatable manner, such as by a hinged connection, thereby permitting the door  10  to swing in relation to the door wall jamb  11 . The hinge stile  21  is secured to the hinge post  22  by one or more hinge pins  26 . One embodiment of the hinge members further comprises glazing vinyl  24  that fits to the hinge stile  21 , which is secured to the door  10  by one or more assembly features  25 . 
     The sill assembly  13  comprises a base member  28  supporting a dam sill  29 , and the sill assembly  13  is joined to the shower curb  6 . The panel  14  is seated on the sill assembly  13  and placed in communication with the panel wall jamb  15 , which is joined to the frame  5  by mechanical anchor members  23 . The panel  14  is further supported by the setting assembly  16 , which comprises setting blocks  30  and seals  31 . The panel  14  is seated on the setting blocks  30 , and the seals  31  are place along the interface of the panel  14  and setting blocks  30  in a manner that stabilizes the panel  14  against lateral movement and prevents water leakage along this interface. The panel  14  is further fitted with a strike post  32  having a strike seal  33  that enables a substantially water-tight closure when the door  10  closes and contacts the strike seal  33 . In one embodiment, the strike post  32  and the door  10  are fitted with a magnet closure member  34  that provides a magnetic closure force to hold the door  10  shut when in contact with the strike seal  33 . After assembly, the hinge post  22  and the panel wall jamb  15  are fitted with a jamb cap  35  to seal these respective members against intrusion of debris or water. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the door wall jamb  11  and the panel wall jamb  15  comprise legs  36  that mate with the adjacent member. For example, the legs  36  of the door wall jamb  11  made with corresponding extensions on the hinge post  22  in an overlapping manner. Likewise, the legs  36  of the panel wall jamb  15  mate with the panel  15  by receiving the panel  14  slidably positioned between the legs  36 . Thus, the length of the legs  36  allows the respective jambs  11 ,  15  to accommodate mis-sized, misaligned, or out of plumb door frames, providing greater adjustability to the standard panels to accommodate these door frame fabrication errors. This increased adjustability enables a large time savings in installing the shower door enclosures. 
     For example, where a frame  5  is fabricated too wide, the standard panel sizes of the door  10  and panel  14  are not enough to span the irregular width of the opening, which could leave unsightly gaps in the door assembly. Extended legs  36  are used on the panel wall jamb  15  to cover these unwanted gaps so that custom fabrication of the door  10  and panel  14  members is not needed. In the same manner, when the frame  5  is out of plumb or misaligned, the jambs  11 ,  15  can be placed in a non-parallel orientation with respect to their adjoining members. This enables installation of the square door assembly to misaligned frames  5  without the need for customization to the other components of the door assembly. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , in one embodiment of a method for installing the shower closure system, the width of the frame  5  is measured along the center of the shower curb  6 , and the sill assembly  13  base member  28  is trimmed in slightly smaller than the measurement obtained. The base member  28  is then positioned at the center of shower curb  6  and temporarily taped in place to prevent movement. The door wall jamb  11  and the panel wall jamb  15  are then placed on the ends of the base member  28  and against the shower walls. The jambs  11 ,  15  are then plumbed, and the installation hole locations on the shower walls are pencil marked. The jambs  11 ,  15  are removed, installation holes are drilled in the frame  5  for receiving the anchor members  23  (shown in  FIG. 2 ), and female anchor members  23  are inserted into the holes. The jambs  11 ,  15  are then repositioned as before and secured to the frame  5  by inserting male anchor members  23  through the jambs  11 ,  15  and into the corresponding female anchor members  23 . 
     The next step is to insert two setting blocks  30  into the base member  28  cavity as shown in  FIG. 5 . A bead of caulking is then dispensed along the full length of the jambs  11 ,  15  on both inside walls of the shower enclosure  1 . The panel  13 , which is typically a glass panel, is set on top of the setting blocks  30  and slid into the panel wall jamb  15 . The seals  31  are then sized and inserted to secure the panel  14  in place. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the width of the remaining door opening is measured from the edge of the door wall jamb  11  to the edge of the panel  14 . The dam sill  29  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) is sized to the measurement obtained, and it is then snapped into the base member  30  with the upright lip toward the outside of the shower enclosure  1 . The strike post  32  is then installed and firmly seated onto the exposed edge of the panel  14 . Referring to  FIG. 7 , the door  10 , which is typically a glass panel, is then connected to the hinge stile  21 , the hinge stile  21  is operably connected to the hinge post  22 , and the hinge post  22  is connected to the door wall jamb  11  by inserting the hinge post  22  into the door wall jamb  11 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , the strike plate  19  is centered and installed on the edge of glass of the door  10  that strikes the strike post  32 . A measurement is then taken from the bottom of strike post  32  (where it sits on base member  28 ) to the bottom of the strike plate  19 . The strike seal  33  is sized to be slightly longer than the measurement taken. The strike seal  33  is inserted into the strike post  32 . The magnetic closure member  34  is then attached to the strike post  32 . The strike seal  33  above the magnetic closure member  34  is then measured, sized, and attached to the strike post  32  in a similar manner. 
     The next step is to adjust the door  10  assembly along the sill curb  6  as needed to accommodate any custom features of the closure  1 , or any misalignment or other fabrication errors of the frame  5 . During these adjustments, the bottom of the door  10  should remain parallel to sill assembly  13  in order for the door  10  to operate properly. The hinge post  22  is secured to the door wall jamb  11  and aligned using adjustment screws  27  as needed or desired. The jamb caps  35  can then be installed at both jambs  11 ,  15 . The handle members  17  are then attached to the door  10  via the handle connectors  18  as shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     The drip rail member  20  is attached to the bottom edge of the door  10  as shown in  FIG. 7 . The drip rail member  20  should be sized to spun along the entire length of the bottom of the door  10  without interfering with the strike post  32  and strike seal  33 . In one embodiment, a bead of clear mildew resistant silicone is placed along the full length a cavity in the drip rail member  20 , which enables a secure installation of the drip rail member  20  when it is positioned on the glass of the door  10 . 
     In one embodiment of the hinge assembly, shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the hinge stile  321  and the hinge post  322  are connected together by two hinge pins. The hinge stile  321  is an elongate member having a first side and a second side, the first side adapted for receiving a door  10  and the second side having a receiving slot  304  extending from a first end of the hinge stile  321  to a second end of the hinge stile  321 . The second side of the hinge stile  321  has a first fastener hole  302 , a second fastener hole  303 , a third fastener hole  305 , and a fourth fastener hole  306 . These fasteners holes are disposed within an open faced, partially circular or C-shaped receiving slot  304  connected to the hinge stile  321 . The hinge post  322  has a hollow hinge rod  325  connected to the hinge post  322  by a stem. In some embodiments, the hinge rod  325  takes a form having a C-shaped cross section. Referring to  FIG. 10 , the hinge pin comprises a cylindrical body  326  connected to an insert  327 , which is a peg-like member. The body  326  has a receiving hole  328  for receiving a mechanical fastener  329  (shown in  FIG. 8 ). The receiving slot  304  is sized to snugly receive the body  326  of the hinge pin. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , in one method of assembling the hinge, a hinge pin is inserted into the receiving slot  304  from the top with the insert  327  pointed downward, and another hinge pin is inserted into the receiving slot  304  from the bottom with the insert  327  pointed upward. The receiving hole  328  of the top hinge pin is aligned with the first fastener hole  302 , and a fastener  329  is inserted through both holes to retain the hinge pin in place within the receiving slot  304 . The receiving hole  328  in the bottom hinge pin is aligned with the fourth fastener hole  306 , and a fastener  329  is inserted through both holes to retain the bottom hinge pin in place within the receiving slot  304 . 
     The hinge rod  325  on the hinge post  322  runs partially along the length of the hinge post  322 . The length of the hinge rod  325  is sized such that it can be placed between the opposing points of the inserts  327  of the secured hinge pins described above. The hinge post  322  is placed such that the hinge rod  325  is inserted into the receiving slot  304 , and the hinge post  322  is raised until the insert  327  of the top hinge pin is inserted into the hollow portion of the hinge rod  325 , where the insert  327  is sized to snugly fit inside the hinge rod  325 . The fastener  329  of the lower hinge pin is released, and the receiving hole  328  is realigned with the third fastener hole  305 , and the fastener  329  is reinserted through both holes to retain the bottom hinge pin in place. In this position, the insert  327  is inserted into the hinge rod  325 , and the hinge rod  325  is seated against the body  326  of the lower hinge pin. The hinge stile  322  is then free to rotate with respect to the hinge post  322 , and the assembly can then be attached to a door wall jamb. 
     As an alternative assembly method, the hinge post  322  is connected to the door wall jamb prior to attachment of the hinge stile  321 . The connection method is similar to that described above, except that the hinge stile  321  is moved in relation to the fixed hinge post  322  to maneuver the hinge rod  325  in place with respect to the inserts  327  of the respective top and bottom hinge pins. 
     In some applications, it may be desirable to have one side of the door  10  facing in a certain direction. For example, it may be desirable to have one side of the door  10 , such as a decorative side, facing away from the wet shower area, where the reverse water proof side remains facing the shower area. In other instances, some components of the closure system may arrive at the job site in a partially pre-assembled configuration, and disassembly is undesired to increase installation speed and save project cost. In these types of applications, it may desirable for the door  10  to maintain clearance over a base member of the sill assembly  13 . Therefore, in another embodiment of the door assembly, the bottom of the hinge post  322  comprises an extension  311  with respect to the hinge stile  321 . In this embodiment, the extension  311  enables the installed hinge stile  321  to maintain clearance over the sill assembly  13 , base member, or other such bottom horizontal members as necessary or desired. The tops of the hinge stile  321  and the hinge post  322  should remain substantially flush with each other in these configurations. The placement of the fastener holes  302 ,  303 ,  305 , and  306  allow for versatility of installation by enabling placement of the hinge stile  321  and hinge post  322  in adjustable relation to each other. This enables the hinge post  322  to be placed on either the right side or the left side of a shower enclosure frame without requiring additional installation steps, such as cutting away excess lengths of the hinge post  322 . 
     This is an advantage over prior systems, which required prefabrication of hinge posts to have an extension at both ends, the top end and the bottom end of the hinge post. When those prior systems were installed, the user determined whether to place the prefabricated hinge post on the right side or the left side of the shower enclosure frame to determine the correct orientation of the hinge post. The top extension of the prefabricated hinge post was then cut off of the hinge post at the job site so that the top of the hinge post was flush with the top of the hinge stile. The adjustability of the present system avoids the necessity of prefabricating hinge posts with extensions at both ends, thereby saving the cost of material and the time of additional installation steps at the job site. 
     For example, in an embodiment where the door  10  is configured to swing away from a shower enclosure area, the hinge post  322  of the present embodiment is configured for placement on either the right side or the left side of the shower entrance. The hinge stile  321  and hinge post  3222  are configured for a first mating configuration and a second mating configuration. In the first mating configuration, shown in  FIG. 9 , the hinge post  322  is configured for placement on the left side of the shower doorway frame when viewed from outside the shower area. The extension  311  extends below the bottom of the hinge stile  321 . The top hinge pin is aligned with the second fastener hole  303 , and the bottom hinge pin is aligned with the four fastener hole  306 . In this configuration, the bottom of the hinge post  322  extends below the bottom of the hinge stile  321 , thus forming the extension  311  at the bottom of the hinge post  322 , while the tops of the hinge stile  321  and hinge post  322  remain substantially flush with each other. 
     In an alternate way of describing the first mating configuration, the elongate hinge stile  321  has a first side and a second side, the first side adapted for receiving a door  10  and the second side having a C-shaped receiving slot  304  extending from a first end of the hinge stile  321  to a second end of the hinge stile  321 , the hinge stile  321  further comprising a first fastener hole  302  and a second fastener  303  proximate to the first end of the hinge stile  321 , and a third fastener hole  305  and a fourth fastener hole  306  proximate to the second end of the hinge stile  321 . The hinge post  322  has a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side, the first side having a hollow hinge rod  325  sized to fit snugly inside the C-shaped receiving slot  304  of the hinge stile  321 , and the second side having a pair of extension flanges  312  for mating with a door wall jamb  11 . The C-shaped receiving slot  304  of the hinge stile  321  is sized to snugly receive the hinge rod  325 , the body  326  of the top hinge pin, and the body  326  of the bottom hinge pin, and the hollow portion of the hinge rod  325  is sized to snugly receive the insert  327  of the top hinge pin and the bottom hinge pin, the C-shaped receiving slot  304 , hinge post  322 , top hinge pin, and bottom hinge pin being configured to retain the hinge stile  321  and hinge post  322  in mating relation. 
     The first mating configuration further comprises the hinge rod  322  inserted into the C-shaped receiving slot  304  of the hinge stile  321 , the top hinge pin aligned with the second fastener hole  303 , and the bottom hinge pin aligned with the fourth fastener hole  306  such that the first end of the hinge post  322  is substantially flush with the first end of the hinge stile  321 , and the second end of the hinge post  322  extends beyond the second end of the hinge stile  321  such that the second end of the hinge post  322  forms an extension  311  beyond the second end of the hinge stile  321 . The hinge rod  325  has a top end and a bottom end, wherein in the first mating configuration, the insert  327  of the top hinge pin is configured for insertion into the top end of the hinge rod  325 , and the insert  327  of the bottom hinge pin is configured for insertion into the bottom end of the hinge rod  325 . The top hinge pin is adapted to be secured to the hinge stile  321  by a mechanical fastener  329  inserted through the receiving hole  328  of the top hinge pin and into the first fastener hole  302  or the second fastener hole  303  in the hinge stile  321 . The bottom hinge pin is adapted to be secured to the hinge stile  321  by a mechanical fastener  329  inserted through the receiving hole  328  of the bottom hinge pin and into the third fastener hole  305  or the fourth fastener hole  306  in the hinge stile  321 . 
     For installation on the right side of the shower doorway frame, or in the second mating configuration, the hinge stile  321  and the hinge post  322  are inverted and place upside down on the right side of the shower doorway frame. The hinge stile  321  is also oriented upside down such that the fourth fastener hole  306  is the highest fastener hole, and the first fastener hole  302  is the lowest fastener hole. The top hinge pin is aligned with the third fastener hole  305 , and the bottom hinge pin is aligned with the first fastener hole  302 . In this configuration, the bottom of the hinge post  322  extends below the bottom of the hinge stile  321 , thus forming the extension  311  at the bottom of the hinge post  322 , while the tops of the hinge stile  321  and hinge post  322  remain substantially flush with each other. The fastener holes  302 ,  303 ,  305 , and  306  therefore enable standard hinge stile  321  and hinge post  322  member to be interchangeably placed on either the left side or right side of the shower closure doorway while maintaining a bottom extension  311  of the hinge post  322  and a flush top alignment of the members. This interchangeability is enabled without the need to cut away any excess portions of the hinge post  322 . 
     Stated another way, the second mating configuration comprises the hinge rod  325  inserted into the C-shaped receiving slot  304  of the hinge stile  321 , the top hinge pin aligned with the third fastener hole  305 , and the bottom hinge pin aligned with the first fastener hole  302  such that the second end of the hinge post  322  is substantially flush with the second end of the hinge stile  321 , and the first end of the hinge post  322  extends beyond the first end of the hinge stile  321  such that the first end of the hinge post  322  forms an extension  311  beyond the first end of the hinge stile  321 . In the second mating configuration, the insert  327  of the top hinge pin is configured for insertion into the bottom end of the hinge rod  325 , and the insert  327  of the bottom hinge pin is configured for insertion into the top end of the hinge rod  325 . The top hinge pin is adapted to be secured to the hinge stile  321  by a mechanical fastener  329  inserted through the receiving hole  328  of the top hinge pin and into the third fastener hole  305  or the fourth fastener hole  306  in the hinge stile  321 . The bottom hinge pin is adapted to be secured to the hinge stile  321  by a mechanical fastener  329  inserted through the receiving hole  328  of the bottom hinge pin and into the first fastener hole  302  or the second fastener hole  303  in the hinge stile  321 . 
     Again referring to  FIG. 9 , to move the hinge post  322  from the left side of the door to the right side of the door, the fastener  329  is removed from the second fastener hole  303  and the top hinge pin, which was in. The fastener  329  is also removed from the bottom hinge pin and the fourth fastener hole  306 . The hinge stile  321  and hinge post  322  member are turned upside down, so that the fourth fastener hole  306  is at the top of the hinge stile  321  and the first fastener hole  302  is at the bottom of the hinge stile  321 . The top hinge pin is placed in the receiving slot  304  so that the insert  327  enters the hinge rod  325 , and the receiving hole  328  of the top hinge pin is aligned with the third fastener hole  105 , which is now the second hole from the top of the hinge stile  321 . The fastener  329  is placed through the receiving hole  328  and into the third fastener hole  305  to retain the hinge pin in place. The bottom hinge pin is aligned with and connected to the first fastener hole  302  by the fastener  329 , as described above. The door assembly is now ready for attachment to the right side of the doorway frame with the extension  311  of the hinge post  322  extending below the hinge stile  321 . 
     In another embodiment, shown in  FIG. 11 , the hinge assembly further comprises a sleeve  320  having a C-shaped cross section. The outer side of the sleeve  320  is sized to snugly fit inside the receiving slot  304  of the hinge stile  321 , and the inner side of the sleeve  320  is sized to snugly receive the hinge rod  325 . The sleeve  320  is made of a resilient material, such as a hard rubber or a plastic. The sleeve  320  permits rotatability in the hinge assembly by reducing friction between the hinge rod  325  and the receiving slot  304 . The sleeve  320  is preferably disposed along the full length of the hinge rod  325 , although partial or intermittent placement along the hinge rod  325  also enables adequate performance of the hinge assembly. 
     The foregoing embodiments are merely representative of the door assembly disclosed herein, and not meant for limitation of the invention. For example, persons skilled in the art would appreciate that there are several embodiments and configurations of hinge posts, hinge stiles, and other components will not substantially alter the nature of the shower door assembly. Likewise, elements and features of the disclosed embodiments could be substitute or interchanged with elements and features of other embodiments, as will be appreciated by an ordinary practitioner. Consequently, it is understood that equivalents and substitutions for certain elements and components set forth above are part of the invention described herein, and the true scope of the invention is set forth in the claims below.