Patent Publication Number: US-2021177285-A1

Title: Apparatus, Methods and Computer Programs for Determining Pulse Wave Velocity

Description:
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD 
     Examples of the present disclosure relate to apparatus, methods and computer programs for determining pulse wave velocity. Some relate to apparatus, methods and computer programs for determining pulse wave velocity using ballistocardiograph signals. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Pulse wave velocity gives an indication of a subject&#39;s cardiovascular health. Therefore it is useful to provide apparatus, methods and computer programs for determining pulse wave velocity within a subject. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided an apparatus comprising means for: receiving a first ballistocardiograph signal indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction at a first time, the pulse wave having a pulse velocity; receiving a second ballistocardiograph signal indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction at a second time, wherein the second direction is, at least partially, perpendicular to the first direction; determining the pulse wave velocity based one the first ballistocardiograph signal and the second ballistocardiograph signal. 
     The first ballistocardiograph signal may correspond to the pulse wave travelling through an aorta of a subject and the second ballistocardiograph signal may correspond to the pulse wave travelling through an iliac artery of a subject. 
     The first direction may be a vertical direction and the second direction may be a horizontal direction. 
     The pulse wave may comprise an I wave. 
     The distance travelled by the pulse wave between the first time and the second time may be received as an input. 
     The first ballistocardiograph signal and the second ballistocardiograph signal may be received from sensors comprised within a chair. 
     The first ballistocardiograph signal and the second ballistocardiograph signal may be received from accelerometers comprised within the seat of a chair. 
     According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided a system comprising an apparatus as described above and a chair configured to enable a subject to sit with their legs, at least partially, perpendicular to their torso wherein the chair comprises one or more sensors and/or accelerometers configured to detect ballistocardiograph signals. 
     According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided an apparatus comprising: processing circuitry; and memory circuitry including computer program code, the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, cause the apparatus to: receive a first ballistocardiograph signal indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction at a first time, the pulse wave having a pulse velocity; receive a second ballistocardiograph signal indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction at a second time, wherein the second direction is, at least partially perpendicular to the first direction; determine the pulse wave velocity based on the first ballistocardiograph signal and the second ballistocardiograph. 
     According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided a method comprising: receiving a first ballistocardiograph signal indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction at a first time, the pulse wave having a pulse velocity; receiving a second ballistocardiograph signal indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction at a second time, wherein the second direction is, at least partially perpendicular to the first direction; determining the pulse wave velocity based on the first ballistocardiograph signal and the second ballistocardiograph. 
     The first ballistocardiograph signal may correspond to the pulse wave travelling through an aorta of a subject and the second ballistocardiograph signal may correspond to the pulse wave travelling through a femoral artery of a subject. 
     According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided a computer program comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry cause: receiving a first ballistocardiograph signal indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction at a first time, the pulse wave having a pulse velocity; receiving a second ballistocardiograph signal indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction at a second time, wherein the second direction is, at least partially perpendicular to the first direction; determining the pulse wave velocity based on the first ballistocardiograph signal and the second ballistocardiograph signal. 
     The first ballistocardiograph signal may correspond to the pulse wave travelling through an aorta of a subject and the second ballistocardiograph signal may correspond to the pulse wave travelling through a femoral artery of a subject. 
     According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided a physical entity embodying the computer program as described above. 
     According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided an apparatus comprising: a chair configured to enable a subject to sit with their legs, at least partially, perpendicular to their torso; sensing means configured to detect a first ballistocardiograph signal indicative of a pulse wave, having a pulse wave velocity, travelling in a first direction at a first time and a second ballistocardiograph signal indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction at a second time, wherein the second direction is, at least partially perpendicular to the first direction. 
     The sensing means may be comprised in a seat of the chair. 
     The sensing means may comprise one or more accelerometers. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
       Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an apparatus; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a system comprising an apparatus and one or more sensors; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a chair comprising one or more sensors; and 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a method. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Examples of the disclosure relate to apparatus, methods and computer programs for determining pulse wave velocity using ballistocardiograph signals. The apparatus  101  comprises means for receiving a first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and a second ballistocardiograph signal  215 . The first ballistocardiograph signal  211  is indicative of a pulse wave, having a pulse wave velocity, travelling in a first direction at a first time and the second ballistocardiograph signal  215  is indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction at a second time, wherein the second direction is, at least partially, perpendicular to the first direction. The means of the apparatus  101  are also configured for determining the pulse wave velocity based on the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and the second ballistocardiograph signal  215 . 
     The apparatus  101  therefore enables the pulse wave velocity within the aorta of a subject to be determined which can provide an indication of the cardiovascular health of a subject. 
       FIG. 1  schematically illustrates an apparatus  101  according to examples of the disclosure. The apparatus  101  illustrated in  FIG. 1  may be a chip or a chip-set. In some examples the apparatus  101  may be provided within a system which is configured to measure the ballistocardiograph signals of a subject. In some examples the apparatus  101  could be located remotely to the system for measuring the ballistocardiograph signals of a subject but could be configured to receive the signals via any suitable communication link. 
     In the example of  FIG. 1  the apparatus  101  comprises a controller  103 . In the example of  FIG. 1  the implementation of the controller  103  may be as controller circuitry. In some examples the controller  103  may be implemented in hardware alone, have certain aspects in software including firmware alone or can be a combination of hardware and software (including firmware). 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1  the controller  103  may be implemented using instructions that enable hardware functionality, for example, by using executable instructions of a computer program  109  in a general-purpose or special-purpose processor  105  that may be stored on a computer readable storage medium (disk, memory etc.) to be executed by such a processor  105 . 
     The processor  105  is configured to read from and write to the memory  107 . The processor  105  may also comprise an output interface via which data and/or commands are output by the processor  105  and an input interface via which data and/or commands are input to the processor  105 . 
     The memory  107  is configured to store a computer program  109  comprising computer program instructions (computer program code  111 ) that controls the operation of the apparatus  101  when loaded into the processor  105 . The computer program instructions, of the computer program  109 , provide the logic and routines that enables the apparatus  101  to perform the methods illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The processor  105  by reading the memory  107  is able to load and execute the computer program  109 . 
     The apparatus  101  therefore comprises: at least one processor  105 ; and at least one memory  107  including computer program code  111 , the at least one memory  107  and the computer program code  111  configured to, with the at least one processor  105 , cause the apparatus  101  at least to perform: receiving a first ballistocardiograph signal  211  indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction at a first time, the pulse wave having a pulse velocity; receiving a second ballistocardiograph signal  215  indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction at a second time, wherein the second direction is, at least partially perpendicular to the first direction; determining the pulse wave velocity based on the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and the second ballistocardiograph signal  215 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1  the computer program  109  may arrive at the apparatus  101  via any suitable delivery mechanism  113 . The delivery mechanism  113  may be, for example, a machine readable medium, a computer-readable medium, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, a memory device, a record medium such as a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) or a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) or a solid state memory, an article of manufacture that comprises or tangibly embodies the computer program  109 . The delivery mechanism may be a signal configured to reliably transfer the computer program  109 . The apparatus  101  may propagate or transmit the computer program  109  as a computer data signal. In some examples the computer program  109  may be transmitted to the apparatus  101  using a wireless protocol such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Smart, 6LoWPan (IP v 6 over low power personal area networks) ZigBee, ANT+, near field communication (NFC), Radio frequency identification, wireless local area network (wireless LAN) or any other suitable protocol. 
     The computer program  109  comprises computer program instructions for causing an apparatus  101  to perform at least the following: receiving a first ballistocardiograph signal  211  indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction at a first time the pulse wave having a pulse velocity; receiving a second ballistocardiograph signal  215  indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction at a second time, wherein the second direction is, at least partially perpendicular to the first direction; determining the pulse wave velocity based on the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and the second ballistocardiograph signal  215 . 
     The computer program instructions may be comprised in a computer program  109 , a non-transitory computer readable medium, a computer program product, a machine readable medium. In some but not necessarily all examples, the computer program instructions may be distributed over more than one computer program  109 . 
     Although the memory  107  is illustrated as a single component/circuitry it may be implemented as one or more separate components/circuitry some or all of which may be integrated/removable and/or may provide permanent/semi-permanent/dynamic/cached storage. 
     Although the processor  105  is illustrated as a single component/circuitry it may be implemented as one or more separate components/circuitry some or all of which may be integrated/removable. The processor  105  may be a single core or multi-core processor. 
     References to “computer-readable storage medium”, “computer program product”, “tangibly embodied computer program” etc. or a “controller”, “computer”, “processor” etc. should be understood to encompass not only computers having different architectures such as single/multi-processor architectures and sequential (Von Neumann)/parallel architectures but also specialized circuits such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific circuits (ASIC), signal processing devices and other processing circuitry. References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should be understood to encompass software for a programmable processor or firmware such as, for example, the programmable content of a hardware device whether instructions for a processor, or configuration settings for a fixed-function device, gate array or programmable logic device etc. 
     As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:
     (a) hardware-only circuitry implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and   (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):   (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) with software/firmware and   (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions and   (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g. firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.   

     This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an example system  201  comprising an apparatus  101  and one or more sensors  203 . A communication link  221  is provided between the apparatus  101  and the one or more sensors  203 . The system  201  is configured to enable a first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and a second ballistocardiograph signal  215  to be obtained and used to determine the pulse wave velocity of a subject. 
     The apparatus  101  could be an apparatus  101  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The apparatus  101  could comprise a controller  103 , processor  105  and memory  107  as described. 
     The apparatus  101  could be configured to establish a communication link  221  with the one or more sensors  203  so as to enable information obtained by the one or more sensors  203  to be provided to the apparatus  101 . The communication link  221  could also enable control signals, and/or any other suitable information, to be transmitted from the apparatus  101  to the one or more sensors  203 . 
     In some examples the communication link  221  could comprise a wireless communication link which uses a wireless protocol such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Smart, 6LoWPan (IP v 6 over low power personal area networks) ZigBee, ANT+, near field communication (NFC), Radio frequency identification, wireless local area network (wireless LAN) or any other suitable protocol. In some examples the communication link  221  could comprise a wired connection or any other suitable type of connection. 
     The one or more sensors  203  may comprise any means which enables ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  to be detected from a subject. The one or more sensors  203  are configured to detect the ballistic force of the pulse of the subject. The one or more sensors  203  may be configured to detect the ballistic force of the pulse as it travels through the aorta and iliac artery of a subject. The one or more sensors  203  could comprise accelerometers, force sensors, or any other suitable means or combination of such means. 
     The one or more sensors  203  are configured within the system  201  so as to enable a first ballistocardiograph signal  211  to be detected at a first time and a second ballistocardiograph signal  215  to be detected at a second time. The second time may be after the first time. 
     The one or more sensors  203  are configured within the system  201  so as to enable ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  travelling in different directions to be detected. In examples of the disclosure the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  is indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction and the second ballistocardiograph signal  215  is indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a second direction. The first and second direction could be perpendicular, or at least partially perpendicular to each other. The first ballistocardiograph signal  211  could be caused by the pulse travelling through a first artery while the second ballistocardiograph signal could be caused by the pulse travelling through a second artery. The subject could be positioned so that the first and second artery extend in different directions. For example, the first artery could be the aorta while the second artery could be the iliac artery and the subject could be arranged in a seated position so that the iliac artery extends in a different direction to the aorta. 
     In some examples the same sensor  203  could be configured to detect the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  representing the pulse wave travelling in different directions. This may enable the system  201  to be operable with a single sensor  203 . For instance an accelerometer may be configured to detect forces in different directions. 
     In other examples the system  201  could comprise a plurality of sensors  203  where different sensors  203  are configured to detect the different ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215 . For example, a first force sensor  203  could be positioned to detect the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and a second force sensor  203  could be positioned to detect the second ballistocardiograph signal  215 . 
     In some but not necessarily all examples, the one or more sensors  203  may be configured to communicate data from the one or more sensors  203  with or without local storage of the data in a memory at one or more sensors  203  and with or without local processing of the data by circuitry or processors at the one or more sensors  203 . 
     The data may, for example, be measurement data from the one or more sensors  203  or data produced by the processing of measurement data from one or more sensors  203 , such as, for example, an indication of the times at which the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  were detected. 
     The data may be stored in processed or unprocessed format remotely at one or more devices. In some examples the data may be stored on a remote server. 
     The data may be processed remotely by one or more apparatus  101  which may be provided in one or more devices. The data may be partially processed locally and partially processed remotely by the one or more apparatus  101  in one or more devices. 
     The data may be communicated to the apparatus  101  in the one or more remote devices wirelessly via short range radio communications such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, for example, or over long range cellular radio links. The one or more sensors  203  may be coupled to a communications interface such as, for example, a radio transceiver for communication of data. 
     The system  201  may be part of a larger, distributed network such as the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things may comprise a plurality of devices that may be configured to communicate via the internet. The devices may or may not be local to each other. 
     The processing of the data, whether local or remote, may be for the purpose of health monitoring, data aggregation, patient monitoring, vital signs monitoring or other purposes. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a chair  301  comprising one or more sensors  203  which may be used in some examples of the disclosure to enable the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  to be detected. In the example of  FIG. 3  a subject  311  is sitting in the chair  301 . 
     The chair  301  is configured to enable a subject  311  to sit with their legs  312 , at least partially perpendicular to their torso  314 . The seated position may enable a first artery to be positioned to extend in a different direction to a second artery. In the examples shown in  FIG. 3  the subject&#39;s aorta  313  extends from the subject&#39;s heart  315  in a vertical direction while the subject&#39;s iliac artery  317  in the top of the legs  312  extends in a horizontal direction. 
     In the example of  FIG. 3  the chair  301  comprises a seat portion  303  and a back rest  305 . The seat portion  303  is configured to provide a horizontal or substantially horizontal surface for the subject  311  to sit on. The seat portion  303  may be a rigid portion so that the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  do not cause deformation of the seat portion  303 . This may enable the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  to be detected. 
     The back rest  305  comprises a portion that is, at least partially, perpendicular to the seat portion  303 . The back rest  305  is configured to support the back of the subject  311  when the subject  311  is seated on the seat portion  303 . The back rest  305  may enable the subject  311  to sit in an upright position for the duration of time that the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  are to be measured. 
     The sensors  203  provide sensing means for detecting the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215 . The sensors  203  are configured to detect a first ballistocardiograph signal  211  indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction  321  at a first time and a second ballistocardiograph signal  215  indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction  323  at a second time, wherein the second direction  323  is, at least partially perpendicular to the first direction  321 . 
     In the example chair  301  shown in  FIG. 3  the sensors  203  are provided in the seat portion  303  of the chair  301 . The same sensors  203  may be configured to detect both the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and the second ballistocardiograph signal  215 . 
     The sensor  203  may be provided close to the surface of the seat portion to enable the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  to be detected. In the example of  FIG. 3  a single sensor  203  is provided which is configured to detect ballistocardiograph signals in the first direction and also the second direction. The sensor  203  could comprise one or more accelerometers or any other suitable means. 
     In the example of  FIG. 3  the seat portion  303  of the chair  301  is mounted on a spring  331  which is coupled to a rigid base portion  333 . The spring  331  extends perpendicularly, or substantially perpendicularly, to the seat portion  303 . The spring may provide means for enabling movement of the seat portion  303  so that the sensor  203  can detect the movement. In some examples the spring  331  may also act to damp external vibrations and so may reduce noise in the signals provided by the one or more sensors  203 . Other means for enabling movement of the seat portion  303  could be used in other examples of the disclosure. 
     In the example system  201  of  FIG. 3  the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  corresponds to the pulse wave travelling through the aorta  313  of the subject  311  and the second ballistocardiograph signal  215  corresponds to the pulse wave travelling through an iliac artery  317  of the subject  311 . The forces that are detected by the sensors  203  may comprise recoil forces related to the pulse waves. In this example the first direction  321  is a vertical direction as indicated by the vertical arrow in  FIG. 3  and the second direction  323  is a horizontal direction as indicated by the horizontal arrow in  FIG. 3 . In other examples the directions could be substantially vertical and substantially horizontal. In other examples the directions do not need to be aligned with the vertical and horizontal. 
     In examples of the disclosure, the change in the direction of the pulse wave can be detected by the one or more sensors  203 . This gives an indication of the time at which the same pulse wave is at two different points within the arterial system of the subject  311 . In examples of the disclosure the distance between these two points can be determined by making an external measurement of the subject  311 . For instance a tape measure can be used to measure the length of the subject&#39;s aorta  313  or any other suitable distance. In such cases the apparatus  101  would receive an input indicative of the distance travelled by the pulse wave. The pulse wave velocity can be determined from the time it takes the pulse to travel between the two different points of the arterial system. 
     The same type of wave could be detected at the different points within the arterial system. In examples of the disclosure the pulse wave that is detected by the sensors  203  could comprise an I wave. The I wave may be the largest component of the pulse wave within the arteries. Other components of the pulse wave could be detected in other examples of the disclosure. 
     In the example of  FIG. 3  the sensors  203  are provided in the seat of the chair  301 . The sensors  203  could comprise an accelerometer or any other suitable means which may be configured to detect the ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  in at least two different directions. In other examples the sensors  203  could be provided in different positions so as to enable the different ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  to be detected. For instance a first force sensor could be provided in the seat portion  303  of the chair  301  to detect the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and a second force sensor could be provide in the back rest  305  of the chair  301  so as to detect the second ballistocardiograph signal  215 . Other configurations of the sensors  203  could be used in other examples of the disclosure. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a method that could be implemented using the apparatus  101 , systems  201  and chairs  301  described above. 
     The method comprises, at block  401 , receiving a first ballistocardiograph signal  211  indicative of a pulse wave travelling in a first direction  321  at a first time, the pulse wave having a pulse wave velocity. In examples of the disclosure the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  could be a pulse wave travelling through the aorta  313  of a subject  311 . The pulse wave could be travelling in a vertical or substantially vertical direction. 
     The method also comprises, at block  403 , receiving a second ballistocardiograph signal  215  indicative of the pulse wave travelling in a second direction  323  at a second time, wherein the second direction  323  is, at least partially perpendicular to the first direction  321 . In examples of the disclosure the second ballistocardiograph signal  215  could be a pulse wave travelling through the iliac artery of the subject  311 . The pulse wave could be travelling in a horizontal or substantially horizontal direction. 
     The method also comprises, at block  405 , determining the pulse wave velocity based on the first ballistocardiograph signal  211  and the second ballistocardiograph signal  215 . The pulse wave velocity can be determined from the time it takes the pulse wave to travel between the aorta  313  and the iliac artery  317  or any other suitable points in the arterial system. 
     In some examples the method could also comprise blocks that are not shown in  FIG. 4 . For example in some examples the received ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  could be processed to remove noise and/or artefacts. For example the received ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  could be filtered to remove artefacts caused by the subject  311  breathing. 
     In some examples the received ballistocardiograph signals  211 ,  215  could also be processed to remove artefacts caused by motion of the user. In some examples the motion artifacts caused by the motion of the subject  311  could be limited by the subject keeping still for the duration of the ballistocardiograph measurements. 
     The technical effects of examples of the disclosure are therefore an effective and accurate system and process for determining the pulse wave velocity of a subject  311 . The system  201  and method are non-invasive and do not require any electrodes or direct electrical connections to the skin of the subject  311 . The measurements can be made while the subject  311  is seated in a chair  301  and so may be a convenient and non-intrusive method of making the measurements. 
     The term ‘comprise’ is used in this document with an inclusive not an exclusive meaning. That is any reference to X comprising Y indicates that X may comprise only one Y or may comprise more than one Y. If it is intended to use ‘comprise’ with an exclusive meaning then it will be made clear in the context by referring to ‘comprising only one . . . ’ or by using ‘consisting’. 
     In this description, reference has been made to various examples. The description of features or functions in relation to an example indicates that those features or functions are present in that example. The use of the term ‘example’ or ‘for example’ or ‘can’ or ‘may’ in the text denotes, whether explicitly stated or not, that such features or functions are present in at least the described example, whether described as an example or not, and that they can be, but are not necessarily, present in some of or all other examples. Thus ‘example’, ‘for example’, ‘can’ or ‘may’ refers to a particular instance in a class of examples. A property of the instance can be a property of only that instance or a property of the class or a property of a sub-class of the class that includes some but not all of the instances in the class. It is therefore implicitly disclosed that a feature described with reference to one example but not with reference to another example, can where possible be used in that other example as part of a working combination but does not necessarily have to be used in that other example. 
     Although embodiments have been described in the preceding paragraphs with reference to various examples, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. 
     Features described in the preceding description may be used in combinations other than the combinations explicitly described above. 
     Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, those functions may be performable by other features whether described or not. 
     Although features have been described with reference to certain embodiments, those features may also be present in other embodiments whether described or not. 
     The term ‘a’ or ‘the’ is used in this document with an inclusive not an exclusive meaning. That is any reference to X comprising a/the Y indicates that X may comprise only one Y or may comprise more than one Y unless the context clearly indicates the contrary. If it is intended to use ‘a’ or ‘the’ with an exclusive meaning then it will be made clear in the context. In some circumstances the use of ‘at least one’ or ‘one or more’ may be used to emphasis an inclusive meaning but the absence of these terms should not be taken to infer and exclusive meaning. 
     The presence of a feature (or combination of features) in a claim is a reference to that feature) or combination of features) itself and also to features that achieve substantially the same technical effect (equivalent features). The equivalent features include, for example, features that are variants and achieve substantially the same result in substantially the same way. The equivalent features include, for example, features that perform substantially the same function, in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result. 
     In this description, reference has been made to various examples using adjectives or adjectival phrases to describe characteristics of the examples. Such a description of a characteristic in relation to an example indicates that the characteristic is present in some examples exactly as described and is present in other examples substantially as described. 
     The use of the term ‘example’ or ‘for example’ or ‘can’ or ‘may’ in the text denotes, whether explicitly stated or not, that such features or functions are present in at least the described example, whether described as an example or not, and that they can be, but are not necessarily, present in some of or all other examples. Thus ‘example’, ‘for example’, ‘can’ or ‘may’ refers to a particular instance in a class of examples. A property of the instance can be a property of only that instance or a property of the class or a property of a sub-class of the class that includes some but not all of the instances in the class. It is therefore implicitly disclosed that a feature described with reference to one example but not with reference to another example, can where possible be used in that other example as part of a working combination but does not necessarily have to be used in that other example. 
     Whilst endeavoring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features believed to be of importance it should be understood that the Applicant may seek protection via the claims in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not emphasis has been placed thereon.