Patent Publication Number: US-2015082505-A1

Title: Padded Glove Device for Children and Methods of Making and Using Same

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/863,012 filed Aug. 7, 2013, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This document relates generally to protective gear for infants and young children, and more specifically to padded, anti-scratching hand covering or gloves that allow for better development of dexterity and motor skills with children&#39;s hands. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Human children, from birth to roughly twelve months of age, have a known tendency to scratch or rub themselves or other objects with their hands and fingernails, which may cause skin irritation or injury. Their relatively fast-growing and sharp fingernails further compound the problem, as it is difficult and painstaking to ensure that the children&#39;s fingernails are kept trim and rounded. 
     Protective mittens are commonly used in the childcare industry to alleviate the problem associated with scratching. Even though mittens may not be allowed in some childcare facilities such as for safety concerns, parents may provide their children with such mitten-type protective gear. The mittens may be made of cotton or similar materials. There mittens, by covering children&#39;s hands are designed to help prevent harmful scratching and rubbing of their own face or other body parts. 
     Most children&#39;s mittens or mitten like hand coverings used by parents or childcare professionals are designed to enclose all of the fingers together, except perhaps the thumb, in a single pouch. While such a design may facilitate easy on/off of the mitten on a small infant or child hands, the mitten-like design limits the flexibility for finger motions because the children&#39;s fingers are not left free to interact directly with objects or other people, but are instead restricted within the interior of the mitten. Thus, grabbing and touching are obstructed by the shape and materials used in the mitten&#39;s pouch. Since the early life period for an infant or a young child is a key time in the development of fine finger motion abilities, use of such mittens may delay children&#39;s fine motor development, reduce tactile and sensory input to the children&#39;s nervous system, thereby impeding the development of sensory-motion coordination and integration. The present inventors have recognized that there remains a considerable need for devices and methods for providing a scratch-resistant hand coverings or gloves for infants or young children that can aid the development of dexterity and finger motor skills. 
     OVERVIEW 
     The present document addressed the deficiencies of conventional scratch-resistant mittens. Various embodiments described herein can help reduce or prevent bodily harm caused by infants or young children scratching themselves with their own fingernails or hands. Additionally, the protective gear, such as gloves, can aid the motor skills, coordination and dexterity development of young children by not encumbering or obstructing their hands from grabbing, feeling and otherwise using their hands for sensory and tactile input. Infants or young children can develop dexterity and motor skills more readily through a padded design than through a mitten as described in the art. For example, a glove for a child can comprise an elastic and flexible glove body and up to five separate hollow cylindrical glove fingers. The glove body can be sized, shaped, or otherwise configured for covering at least a portion of one or both of a dorsal or a palmer side of a hand of the child. The glove fingers, attached to the glove body, can include a padded portion on or along an exterior of at least a portion of the glove finger. Each glove finger can be individually sized, shaped, or otherwise configured to accommodate a respective finger of the child. The padded portion is adapted to closely contact with the skin of the child or other object when the glove fingers are engaged in acts such as gripping. 
     A variety of sizes and shapes of the gloves are disclosed to allow for multiple flexible gloves to be used throughout early infancy of the child, and to switch to larger gloves as the child grows. In some embodiments, various types of stretch material can be used to fabricate the glove, such that one size of the glove can fit hands of children of different ages. 
     A method of making a scratch-resistant glove for an infant or a young child can comprise receiving first flexible material for fabrication of a dorsal panel and a palmer panel of the anti-scratching glove. The first material can be cut to form the palmer panel in accordance with a contour, a size, or a shape resembling a palmer side of a hand of a child. The first material can be cut to form the dorsal panel in the accordance a contour, a size, or a pattern resembling dorsal side of the hand of the child. The method includes stitching around a perimeter of the upper and lower panels to form a pouch to accommodate the hand and to form cylindrical hollow glove fingers each to accommodate a respective finger of the child. The method includes fabricating a closure device and affixing the closure device to the glove body. The method further includes fabricating a padded portion using a second soft, non-abrasive material with desirable elasticity, and stitching the padded portion on or along an exterior of at least a portion of the glove finger. 
     A method of using a padded scratch-resistant glove by an infant or a young child can comprise obtaining an anti-scratching glove sized, shaped, or otherwise configured for use in a hand of a child. The padded portion can be adapted to be in close contact with the skin of the child or other object when the glove fingers are engaged in acts such as gripping. To put on the glove, the method includes engaging the anti-scratching glove on the hand of the child, and fastening the gloves such as using a closure device attached to the glove when the glove clings to the hand and fingers of the child. To take off the glove, the method includes unfastening the glove using the closure device which is adapted to loosen the glove from the hand of the child via the fastener, and disengaging the glove from the hand of the child. 
     This Overview not intended to be an exclusive or exhaustive treatment of the present subject matter. Further details about the present subject matter are found in the detailed description and appended claims. Other aspects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description and viewing the drawings that form a part thereof, each of which are not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various embodiments are illustrated by way of example in the figures of the accompanying drawings. Such embodiments are demonstrative and not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive embodiments of the present subject matter. 
         FIGS. 1A-C  illustrate an example of a padded scratch-resistant glove and portions of an environment in which the glove can be used. 
         FIGS. 2A-C  illustrate examples of padded portions as part of the padded scratch-resistant gloves. 
         FIGS. 3A-C  illustrate examples of closure devices as a part of the padded scratch-resistance gloves. 
         FIGS. 4A-C  illustrate examples of an opening element on at least a portion of the glove. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a method for making a scratch-resistant glove for an infant or a young child. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates an example of a method for using a padded scratch-resistant glove by an infant or a young child 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Disclosed herein are padded, anti-scratching hand coverings or gloves that allow for better development of dexterity and motor skill with children&#39;s hands. Various embodiments of the described glove device are described herein, but they are not intended to be limiting as to the breadth or of the nature of the claims in this provisional patent application. Rather, the embodiments are intended to be only a few emblematic exemplars of possible embodiments of the glove device. The gloves discussed herein can be adapted to other applications, such as protective gloves used by parents or childcare professionals in order to avoid self-inflicted injuries to infants or young children. 
       FIGS. 1A-C  illustrate an example of a padded scratch-resistant glove  100  and portions of an environment in which the glove  100  can be used. The glove system  100  can include glove body  110  and up to five separate glove fingers  120 . The glove fingers can include a padded portion  130  on or along an exterior of at least a portion of the glove finger. Optionally, the glove  100  can include a closure device  140 .  FIGS. 1A ,  1 B and  1 C illustrate respectively the dorsal view, side view, and palmer view of the example of the glove  100 . Although only the glove for the left hand is shown in  FIGS. 1A-C , a right-hand glove can be constructed or configured in a similar manner as the left-hand glove. The right-hand glove and the left-hand glove can be mirror image of each other due to the mirror-image nature of human hands. 
     The glove body  110  can be sized, shaped, or otherwise configured for covering at least a portion of one or both of a dorsal side or a palmer side of a hand of the child through the respective dorsal portion of the glove body  111  or the palmer potion of the glove body  112 . For example, the length of the glove, measured from the tip of the middle finger to the base of the hand connecting to the wrist, can be in a range of approximately 3-6 inches. The width of the glove, measured across the palmer or dorsal side of the glove from the left to the right side, can be in a range of approximately 2-5 inches. The glove body  110  can be made out of one or a blend of two or more materials with the desired elasticity and flexibility, such that the glove  110  can be used to fit children&#39;s hands of various sizes and/or shapes including different length of the fingers. Examples of such materials can include cotton, spandex, lycra or other flexible fabrics. In the example, the glove body  110  can be made out of cotton blend comprising 20% lycra and 80% cotton. In another example, the glove body  110  can be made out of cotton blend comprising approximately 15% lycra and 85% cotton. Cotton blend with such a lycra percentage can achieve desirable stretchability and tightness on the child&#39;s hands, and the cotton percentage can offer desirable ventilation to the hand inside the glove. 
     In some examples, the glove body  110  can be made out of material with structural patterns to enhance stretchability or elasticity. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 1B , the glove body can be made of lightweight mesh stretch cotton/lycra blend or plain lightweight stretch cotton. The materials for making the palmer side  112  and the dorsal side  111  can have similar or different elasticity, stretchability, or other mechanical properties. For example, because the palmer side  112  of the glove body  110  tends to be more frequently used and stretched during the motions of gripping, rubbing, or scratching, the palmer side can be fabricated with material of higher elasticity or include a structural design (such as a mesh shown in  FIG. 1B ) with higher elasticity than the dorsal side  111  of the glove body  110 . 
     As the fabrics used for making the glove body  110 , such as lycra or spandex, tend to be thinner and less durable than alternative fabrics, on an interior of the glove body  110  and the interior of the glove fingers there can include a thicker layer of material or alternatively a layer of a second substance or fabric affixed to the glove body  110 . The second layer material can be in direct contact with the hand of the child, and can be made out of soft, durable, and ventilated material such as cotton. 
     The glove fingers  120  can include at least a partially elongated shape attached to the glove body  110 . In an example, the glove fingers  120  can include up to five hollow cylindrical finger holders each of which can be individually sized, shaped, or otherwise configured to accommodate a respective finger of the child. The glove fingers  120  can be made out of stretchable material similar to that used for making the glove body  110 . In some examples, at least a portion of the glove fingers  120 , such as the palmer side of the glove fingers  120 , can be made of more elastic material, or include a structural design with higher elasticity, than the glove body  110 . 
     One or more of the glove fingers  120  can each include a respective padded portion  130  on or along an exterior of at least a portion of the glove finger  120 . The padded portion  130  can be adapted to be in close contact with skin of the child or other object when the glove fingers  120  are engaged in act such as gripping, touching, or rubbing. The padded portion  130  can be disposed on a palmer side of the one or more glove finger  120  or be configured to enclose fingertips of the one or more glove fingers  120 . Examples of the padded portion  130  are described below, such as with reference to  FIGS. 2A-C . 
     The optional closure device  140  can be affixed to the glove body  120 , and configured to engage with at least a portion of a wrist of the child when the glove body  120  and the glove fingers  130  are engaged with the hand of the child. In an example, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-C , the closure device  140  can be sized and shaped to wrap around the wrist area of the child. Alternatively or additionally, the closure device  140  can be sized and shaped to wrap around at least a portion of the palm. Examples of the closure device  140  are described below, such as with reference to  FIGS. 3A-C . 
     In some examples, the glove body  110  and the glove fingers  120  can include one or more joint patches disposed such as on the interior of the glove body  110  or one or more of the glove fingers  120 . The joint patches are adapted to cover one or more of finger joints, hand joints, or wrist joints of the child. The joint patches can be sized and shaped to provide flexible motion of the joints when the glove  100  is put on the hand of the child. The joint patches can be made out of one or more flexible and contouring fabrics including lycra or spandex. In some examples, a supportive insert can be provided underneath the joint patches and affixed to an interior of the glove body. The supportive insert can be made out of one or more material of higher durability than the fabrics used for making the joint patches. 
       FIGS. 2A-C  illustrate examples of padded portions  231 ,  232  and  233  as a part of the padded scratch-resistant gloves such as the glove  100 . The padded portions  231 ,  232  and  233  can be various embodiments of the padded portion  130 . In addition to providing the enhanced resistance and facilitating motions such as gripping, the padded portions can provide additional safety of the child&#39;s fingers and hand against sharp or jagged surface or objects. 
     The padded portions  231 ,  232 , and  233  can be made out of soft, non-abrasive material with desirable elasticity, including a single or a blend of two or more natural or synthetic materials. For example, the padded portion can be made of stretchy cotton or cotton blend fabric, including cotton-spandex blend, cotton-polyester blend, or cotton-lycra blend. In an example of padded portion which is made of cotton-lycra blend, the lycra percentage can be approximately 4-5% to provide desired elasticity and durability. The padded portion can include multiple layers of fabric, making the padded portion appear thicker than the glove finger or the glove body. 
     The padded portions  231 ,  232 , and  233  can be disposed on a palmer side or other portions along the glove fingers  120 , or on the palmer side of the glove body  110 . When the padded portion is disposed on the palmer of the glove fingers  120 , the padded portion can be sized or shaped to cover one or more of the distal phalanx, middle phalanx, or proximal phalanx of the fingers of the child. In the example illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the padded portion  231  of each of the five glove fingers can be disposed on the palmer side of the glove fingers  120 , and can extend from the tip of the glove finger to the palmer digital, the connective area between the fingers and the palm. Such padded portion  231  covers the entire palmer side of the fingers including the distal, middle, and proximal phalanxes. The padded portion  231  for each glove finger can include a plurality of pads distributed on the outer surface of the padded portion  231  for enhanced resistance when the padded portion  231  is engaged in motions such as gripping. 
       FIG. 2B  illustrates an example of the padded portion  232  that is disposed on a portion of the glove fingers. The padded portion  232  encapsulates both the dorsal and the palmer side of the fingers, and extends from the tip of the finger to the distal inter-phalange of the glove finger. Similar to the padded portion  231 , the padded portion  232  for each glove finger can include a plurality of pads distributed on the outer surface of the padded portion  232 . Because the padded portion  232  only covers the distal phalanx of the finger, it may offer a different level of resistance when the padded portion  232  is engaged in motions such as gripping. 
       FIG. 2C  illustrates an example of the padded portion  233  that is disposed on a portion of the glove fingers. The padded portion  233  can be sized to cover the area around the finger nails such as to prevent the nails from scratching children&#39;s faces or other body parts. The padded portion  233  can be substantially thicker than the glove body or the glove fingers, such as to form a ball-shaped capsule around the finger tips. 
     As an alternative or in addition to the padded portions on or along the glove fingers  120 , a secondary padded portion can be affixed to at least a portion of exterior of the glove body  110 , such as the palmer side of the glove body  110 . The secondary padded portion on the glove body  110  can further enhance the resistance when the glove is engaged in motions like gripping. 
       FIGS. 3A-C  illustrate examples of closure devices  341 ,  342  and  343  as part of the padded scratch-resistant gloves such as the glove  100 . The closure devices  341 ,  342 , and  343  can be various embodiments of the closure device  140 . The closure device can wrap around at least a portion of the wrist of the child when the glove body and the glove fingers are engaged with the hand of the child. Materials used for making the closure device can include a thicker stretch cotton-lycra blend. The lycra percentage can be selected to provide desired elasticity and durability. In an example, the closure device can be made of cotton blend comprising approximately 10% lycra and 90% cotton. In another example, the closure device can be made out of cotton blend comprising approximately 5% lycra and 95% cotton. 
     The closure device can include a fastener adapted to adjustably fasten the glove, and securely engage the glove to the hand of the child. The fastener can also adjustably loosen the glove and to disengage the glove from the hand of the child. The fastener can be affixed to a region of the glove body  110  at or near a wrist of the child. In an example, the fastener can be disposed on the dorsal side of the glove body  110 . 
     Various examples of the fastener attached to the closure device have been contemplated. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 3A , the closure device can include one or more buttons on the exterior of the glove body that can be used to couple the two separable pieces of the glove body  110  together when the glove is put on the child&#39;s hand. The one or more buttons can be disposed on the dorsal side of the glove body and can be extended from the wrist area distally towards the glove fingers. The buttons can be uncoupled before removing the glove from the hand. In some examples, other types of fasteners, including one or more zippers, snaps, or hooks, can be used to replace or in addition to the buttons. 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates an example of the closure device  342  that extends from the dorsal side of the glove body and wraps around the portion of the wrist. In some examples, such as those illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-C , the glove body can be sized to cover the entire dorsal and palmer side of the hand, and the closure device  342  can be restricted to the wrist area. The closure device  342  can include a fastener  343  on the palmer side of the wrist. Examples of the fasteners can include Velcro, snaps, buttons, hooks, band or strap with pins and perforated holes, or other types of closures. The length and size of the fastener can be made adjustable to fit the wrists of various sizes. 
       FIG. 3C  illustrates an example of the closure device  344  around the wrist area. The closure device  344  can include an elastic band covered with cotton or other fabric that provides comfort to the skin. The elastic band can be made of rubber or plastic, and can be sized to provide desired tightness to secure the glove over the child&#39;s hand. 
       FIGS. 4A-C  illustrate examples of an opening element on at least a portion of the glove. The opening element can facilitate placement of the glove on and removal of the glove from the hand of the child. The opening element can be configured to close when the closure device engages with the portion of the wrist, and to open when the closure device disengages from the portion of the wrist. In some examples, the opening element can remain open where the glove is put on and secured to the hand. 
     The opening element can be disposed on any portion of the glove body. For example, the opening element can be disposed on the dorsal side of the glove body, such as around the center (as illustrated by  411  or  412  in  FIGS. 4A-B ) or towards the small finger (as illustrated by  430  in  FIGS. 4C ) of the glove body. The opening element  410 ,  420 , or  430  can have a round or oval shape, and can be sized such that it extends distally from the wrist area towards the glove fingers or specified length such as approximately ¼ to ¾ of the length of the glove body. The opening element  420  can be disconnected from the closure device  442 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4B . Alternatively, the opening element  410  or  430  can be formed when the closure device  441  or  443  wraps around the wrist area, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4B-C . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a method  500  for making a scratch-resistant glove for an infant or a young child. The method  500  can be used in fabricating or constructing one of the anti-scratching gloves as illustrated n  FIGS. 1A-C ,  2 A-C,  3 A-C, or  4 A-C. 
     At  501 , a first flexible material can be provided for fabrication of a dorsal panel and palmer panel of the anti-scratching glove. Examples of the first material can include one or a blend of two or more material with desired elasticity and flexibility, including cotton, spandex, lycra or other flexible fabrics. For example, the first material can include cotton blend comprising approximately 15-20% lycra and 80-85% cotton. In some examples, the first material can include lightweight mesh stretch cotton0lycra blend or plain lightweight stretch cotton. 
     At  502 , the first material can be cut to form the palmer panel in accordance with a contour, a size, or a shape resembling palmer side of a hand of the child. At  503 , the first material can be cut to form the dorsal panel in accordance with a contour, a size, or a pattern resembling dorsal side of the hand of the child. The palmer panel includes a palmer side of a glove body and a palmer side of up to five glove fingers, and the dorsal panel including a dorsal side of the glove body and a dorsal side of the up to five glove fingers. In some examples, an additional lining of material or fabric is received, and cut into the shape of the dorsal and palmer panels including the fingers. The additional lining, used as the interior layer of the glove directly contacting the hand, can include, soft, durable, and ventilated material such as cotton. The additional lining can be thicker and more durable than the first material used for the exterior glove. 
     At  504 , the palmer panel and the dorsal panel made out of the first material can be stitched or otherwise affixed together. When the additional lining for interior of the glove is received, the respective palmer panel and dorsal panel can also be stitched together. The stitched palmer panel and the dorsal panel can thus form a pouch to accommodate the hand of the child. The stitched palmer side and the dorsal side of the gloves can form cylindrical hollow glove fingers each to accommodate the respective finger of the child. 
     At  505 , a closure device can be fabricated using materials or fabric such as cotton blend comprising approximately 5-10% lycra and 90-95% cotton. The closure device can be stitched or otherwise affixed to the glove body, such as at a location at or near the wrist area. In some examples, the closure device can be sized and shaped to wrap around at least a portion of the palm as an alternative or in additional to wrapping the wrist area of the child. 
     One or more fastener can then be stitched or otherwise affixed to the closure device. Examples of the fasteners can include Velcro, snaps, buttons, band or strap with pins and perforated holes, or other types of closures. The fastener can be adapted to adjustably fasten the glove to the hand of the child, and to adjustably loosen the glove and disengage the glove from the hand of the child. 
     At  506 , a padded portion can be fabricated and stitched on or along an exterior of at least a portion of the glove finger, including one or more of distal phalanx, middle phalanx, or proximal phalanx. The padded portion can be made using a second, soft, non-abrasive material with desirable elasticity, such as cotton-lycra blend with lycra percentage of approximately 4-5%. The padded portion can comprise multiple layers of fabric, and thus appears thicker than the glove finger or the glove body. The padded portion can be stitched only to the palmer side of the portions of glove fingers. Alternatively or additionally, the padded portion can stitched to at least a portion of an exterior of the glove body, such as the palmer side of a glove body. 
     In some examples, the method  500  can also include receiving a third highly flexible and contouring materials different than the first material used for making the glove body or the glove fingers. The third material can be used to fabricate one or more joint patches that are sized and shaped to cover one or more of joints including finger joints, hand joints, or wrist joints of the child, and sized and shaped to provide flexible motion of the joints. The fabricated joint patches can stitched to the glove at locations with respect to the joints. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an example of a method  600  for using a padded scratch-resistant glove by an infant or a young child. The method  600  can be used to operate the anti-scratching gloves as illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-C ,  2 A-C,  3 A-C, or  4 A-C, such as putting the glove on the hand, or taking the glove off the hand of a child. 
     At  601 , a padded anti-scratching glove is obtained. The glove can be sized, shaped, or otherwise configured for use to cover a hand of a child. The glove can include a padded portion stitched or otherwise affixed to an exterior of at least a portion of the glove finger. The padded portion can closely contact the skin of the child or other object when the glove fingers are engaged in act including the gripping. 
     At  602 , a decision is made as to how the glove is to be interacted with the hand. If it is decided to put on the glove to hand, the glove can be operated to engage with the hand at  611 . Each finger of the hand of the child can be fit into a respective cylindrical hollow glove finger attached to a man body of the glove. Then, at  612 , when the glove clings to hand and fingers of the child, at  612 , the glove can be fastened using a closure device attached to the glove. The closure device can include a fastener that is adapted to adjustably fasten the glove to the hand. Examples of the fasteners can include Velcro, snaps, buttons, hooks, band or strap with pins and perforated holes, or other types of closures. 
     If at  602  it is decided to take off the glove from the hand, then at  621 , the glove can be unfastened using the closure device, such as by uncoupling the hooks, unbuttoning the button or snaps, or releasing the Velcro. The glove can thus be loosened and disengaged from the hand of the child. 
     the glove device described in this application is any of the myriad designs and structures disclosed herein, as well as the methods of making and use, but all such designs, structures and methods have several key points in common. For instance, the gloves will each have five separate cylindrical fingers or finger coverings, one for each of the child&#39;s fingers. The right-hand and left-hand gloves can be mirror images of each other due to the nature of human hands. 
     The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention can be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples can include elements in addition to those shown or described. However, the present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. Moreover, the present inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or permutation of those elements shown or described (or one or more aspects thereof), either with respect to a particular examples (or one or more aspects thereof), or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein. 
     In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and any documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in this document controls. 
     In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more”. In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated. In this document, the terms “including” and “in which” are used at the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, composition, formulation, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects. 
     The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments can be used, such as by one or ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The Abstract is provided to comply with 37 C.F.R. §1.72(b), to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description as examples or embodiments, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment, and it is contemplated that such embodiments can be combined with each other in various combinations or permutations. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.