Patent Publication Number: US-9834871-B2

Title: Method for knitting interchanged plating on a technical face of a fabric for flat bed knitting machines

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a plating method for flat bed knitting machines and particularly to a method for knitting interchanged plating on a technical face of a fabric for flat bed knitting machines. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A conventional flat bed knitting machine generally has a front needle bed and a rear needle bed. During knitting operation one of the needle beds can be used to do technical face knitting, or the front and rear needle beds also can be used at the same time interchangeably to do technical face knitting or interlocked double faces knitting. The technical face knitting also is called plain stitch. The knitting fabrics it produced have a technical face to be used as the front face of the fabrics. Plating also is called yarn adding or yarn stacking, and is a process by feeding two yarns of different colors at the same time during the knitting operation to produce a fabric with different colors on the technical face and a technical back. In order to increase fabric color changes or pattern variations a technique of feeding two different colors of yarns at the same time and doing plain stitch at the front needle bed and reverse stitch at the rear needle bed to form plating to generate the color changes or pattern variations of the fabric also is available at present. Namely, the present knitting technique can produce fabrics with plating on the technical back interwoven in the plating on the technical face in a predetermined segment, and the plating of the technical back appeared on the technical face can be used as the front face of the fabric. The fabric with the plating formed via reverse stitch has a back side structure and different colors of plating on the technical back to form Jacquard effect on the plating of the technical face like a Jacquard fabric. 
     It is generally known that the market requires the knitted fabrics to have different color changes and pattern variations. However, the fabric producers, in order to save production time and reduce knitting cost and increase production yield, often adopt the foresaid conventional technique to produce technical face plain stitch fabrics with plating on the technical back to meet market requirements. But the fabrics produced via the present technique cannot fully meet consumers&#39; requirements. The main reason is that the structural appearance of the plating on the technical back of the technical face plain stitch fabric that adopted the present technique is different from that of the plating on the technical face. People with a general aesthetic sense can easily see the unmatched structural appearances of the two and feel it like the technical face of the fabric has been smeared by objects of different colors. Hence the fabric thus made has lost its appeal to the consumers. It urgently needs improvement to resolve this problem in the industry. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the present invention is to solve the aforesaid problem of the conventional technique of forming unmatched structural appearance on the knitted fabric. The invention provides stitching operation through indentations and nose protrusions of sinkers to collaborate with different displacements of latch needles so that plating with change of different color of yarns can be accomplished through merely a same needle bed in plain stitch operation to get technical face fabrics with different color changes and pattern variations totally on the technical face. The fabrics thus made not only can better meet market requirements, also can save knitting time and reduce knitting operation cost and increase production yield. 
     To achieve the foregoing object the present invention provides a method for knitting interchanged plating on a technical face of technical face for flat bed knitting machines. Each flat bed knitting machine includes at least one needle bed which has a plurality of latch needles and a plurality of sinkers hinged on an upper end of the needle bed abutting respectively each latch needle. The invention also includes a carriage above the needle bed that is movable reciprocally and linearly. The method includes: 
     forming an indented indentation at a front end of each sinker that is movable interactively with each latch needle and a nose protrusion abutting the indentation; 
     controlling the carriage to move reciprocally and linearly above the needle bed so that the latch needle is moved in a staged stitching displacement which includes a pause stitching operation; the staged stitching displacement includes at least a first stitching section, a second stitching section and a delayed stitching section between the first and second stitching sections to generate the pause stitching operation; 
     feeding a first coloration yarn and a second coloration yarn above the first coloration yarn at the same time to the flat bed knitting machine; 
     moving the first coloration yarn and the second coloration yarn via a front edge of the nose protrusion to slide down for knitting while the latch needle is positioned at the second stitching section to form a standard plating in which the first coloration yarn below the second color yarn, and continuing the knitting operation through the standard plating to form a technical face of the fabric; and 
     controlling the carriage to make the latch needle to perform an interchanged stitching displacement when the technical face fabric knitted via the standard plating has reached a predetermined position, and ordering the sinker during the latch needle is located in the interchanged stitching displacement to pick up the first coloration yarn above the second coloration yarn through the junction of a rear edge of the nose protrusion and the indentation, then releasing the yarns to form an interchanged plating in which the second coloration yarn below the first coloration yarn. 
     In one aspect in the method of the invention a contacting point of two ends of the interchanged plating also is the second coloration yarn located below the first coloration yarn. 
     In another aspect the sinker has a throat holding portion indented from a lower side of the front edge of the nose protrusion. 
     In yet another aspect the carriage includes at least a sinker control plates and a needle control plates located below the sinker control plates. 
     In yet another aspect the carriage is moved reciprocally and linearly above the needle bed to drive a distal end of the sinker to move up and down, and the sinker control plates has a sinker track formed thereon that includes at least a yarn picking displacement to allow the junction of the rear edge of the nose protrusion and the indentation to pick up the first coloration yarn above the second coloration yarn then release, and a yarn pushing displacement to push the first and second coloration yarns to slide down at the same time through the front edge of the nose protrusion; the yarn picking displacement including a yarn picking up slope section and a yarn picking down slope section, and the yarn pushing displacement including a yarn pushing up slope section and a yarn pushing down slope section. 
     In yet another aspect the carriage moves reciprocally and linearly above the needle bed to drive the latch needle to move up and down, and the needle control plates has a needle track formed thereon that includes the staged stitching displacement and the interchanged stitching displacement that can be switched with each other. 
     Through the technique set forth above, compared with the conventional technique, the present invention can provide many advantages, notably: 1. By collaborating the indentation and the nose protrusion of the sinker with the stitching operation of different displacements of the latch needle plating of the yarns of different colorations can be changed via a same needle bed to knit a technical face of the fabric with different color changes and pattern variations totally on the technical face, hence can resolve the problem of unmatched structural appearance of the fabric knitted via the conventional technique; 2. The fabric knitted via the invention not only can meet market requirements, also can save knitting time and reduce knitting operation cost and increase production yield. 
     The foregoing, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a fragmentary side view of a flat bed knitting machine according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary schematic plane view of the tracks of the sinker and the latch needle to knit standard plating according to the invention. 
         FIGS. 3 through 10  are fragmentary schematic views of the moment positions of the sinker and the latch needle in continuous operation conditions according to  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 11  is a fragmentary schematic plane view of the tracks of the sinker and the latch needle to knit interchanged plating according to the invention. 
         FIGS. 12 through 19  are fragmentary schematic views of the moment positions of the sinker and the latch needle in continuous operation conditions according to  FIG. 11 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Please refer to  FIGS. 1 through 3  for a flat bed knitting machine in an embodiment of the invention. The flat bed knitting machine  10  includes two needle beds  50  and a carriage  20  movable reciprocally and linearly above the needle beds  50 . Each needle bed  50  has a plurality of latch needles  60  and a plurality of sinkers  70  hinged on an upper end of the needle bed  50  abutting respectively each latch needle  60  (location of the sinker  70  is known to those skilled in the art, hence is omitted in the drawings). The latch needle  60  has a hook  601  and a latch  602  at an upper end thereof. The carriage  20  includes at least one sinker control plates  30  and at least one needle control plates  40  located below the sinker control plates  30 . The sinker  70  has an axle hole  71  hinged on the needle bed  50 , and an indented indentation  72  at a front end thereof to form interactive movement with the latch needle  60  and a nose protrusion  73  (referring to  FIG. 3 ) abutting the indentation  72 , and also a throat holding portion  74  indented from a lower side of a front edge of the nose protrusion  73 . The sinker  70  has a sinker foot (which also is known to those skilled in the art, hence also is omitted in the drawings) at a distal end thereof driven by the sinker control plates  30  to move up and down. When the sinker foot is moved up and down the indentation  72 , the nose protrusion  73  and the throat holding portion  74  also are moved up and down at the same time through the hinged relationship with the axle hole  71 . 
     In the method for knitting interchanged plating on a technical face of a fabric for flat bed knitting machines of the invention the flat bed knitting machine  10  includes at least one needle bed  50  which has a plurality of latch needles  60  and a plurality of sinkers  70  hinged on the upper end of the needle bed  50  abutting respectively each latch needle  60 , and also a carriage  20  movable reciprocally and linearly above the needle bed  50 . The method includes the steps as follows: 
     forming an indented indentation  72  at a front end of each sinker  70  that is movable interactively with each latch needle  60  and a nose protrusion  73  abutting the indentation  72 ; 
     controlling the carriage  20  to move reciprocally and linearly above the needle bed  50  so that the latch needle  60  is moved in a staged stitching displacement  440  which includes a pause stitching operation; the staged stitching displacement  440  includes at least a first stitching section  441 , a second stitching section  442  and a delayed stitching section  443  interposed between the first and second stitching sections  441  and  442  to generate the pause stitching operation; 
     feeding a first coloration yarn  91  and a second coloration yarn  92  above (or “behind”, in terms of the technical face of the fabric knitted by the flat bed knitting machine  10 ) the first coloration yarn  91  at the same time to the flat bed knitting machine  10 ; 
     moving the first coloration yarn  91  and the second coloration yarn  92  via the front edge of the nose protrusion  73  of the sinker  70  to slide down for knitting while the latch needle  60  is positioned at the second stitching section  442  during a delayed stitching time generated when the latch needle  60  is located at the delayed stitching section  443 , thereby form a standard plating  80  with the first coloration yarn  91  below (or “in front of”, in terms of the technical face of the fabric knitted by the flat bed knitting machine  10 ) the second color yarn  92  (as shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 ), and continuing the knitting operation through the standard plating  80  to form a technical face of the fabric; and 
     controlling the carriage  20  to make the latch needle  60  to perform an interchanged stitching displacement  45  when the technical face of the fabric knitted via the standard plating  80  has reached a predetermined position, and ordering the sinker  70  during the latch needle  60  is located in the interchanged stitching displacement  45  to stitch and move the first coloration yarn  91  down ward such that the junction of a rear edge of the nose protrusion  73  and the indentation  72  can pick up the first coloration yarn  91  above (or behind) the second coloration yarn  92 , then release the yarn to perform knitting and form an interchanged plating  90  with the second coloration yarn  92  below the first coloration yarn  91  (as shown in  FIGS. 17 through 19 ). It is to be noted that when the carriage  20  is moving reciprocally and linearly above the needle bed  50  to drive the distal end of the sinker  70  to move up and down the distal end of the sinker  70  forms a sinker tack  31  (indicated by a phantom line, or called chain line) on the sinker control plates  30 , as shown in  FIG. 2 ; the sinker track  31  includes at least a yarn picking displacement  32  in which the junction of the rear edge of the nose protrusion  73  and the indentation  72  picks up the first coloration yarn  91  above the second coloration yarn  92 , then releases the yarn, and a yarn pushing displacement  33  to push the first and second coloration yarns  91  and  92  to slide down at the same time through the front edge of the nose protrusion  73 ; the yarn picking displacement  32  including a yarn picking up slope section  321  and a yarn picking down slope section  322 , and the yarn pushing displacement  33  including a yarn pushing up slope section  331  and a yarn pushing down slope section  332  (as shown in  FIG. 2 or 11 ). 
     The method of the invention is further elaborated as follows to make operation more understandable: please refer to  FIGS. 2 and 11  for the schematic views of the tracks of the sinker and latch needle to form the standard plating and the interchanged plating. In addition to the sinker  70  to form the sinker track  31  on the sinker control plates  30 , the latch needle  60  driven by the needle control plates  40  to move up and down also forms a needle main track  44  on the needle control plates  40  that includes the staged stitching displacement  440  and the interchanged stitching displacement  45  that can be switched with each other (indicated by the phantom line in the drawings). However, in  FIG. 2 , the staged stitching displacement  440  is abutted by the interchanged stitching displacement  45  (indicated by a hidden line) in the neighborhood; based on the interchanged stitching displacement  45 , when the latch needle  60  is not being controlled by the carriage  20  to switch to the interchanged stitching displacement  45  it delays stitching in the staged stitching displacement  440  in normal conditions to knit the standard plating  80  by placing the second coloration yarn  92  above (or “behind”, in terms of the technical face of the fabric knitted by the flat bed knitting machine  10 ) of the first coloration yarn  91 , and the latch needle  60  forms the staged stitching displacement  440  on the needle control plates  40  in the normal conditions. In  FIG. 11 , it also can be seen that the interchanged stitching displacement  45  is abutted by the staged stitching displacement  440  in the neighborhood (indicated by the hidden line); hence when the latch needle  60  is controlled by the carriage  20  to form the interchanged stitching displacement  45  it stitches directly the interchanged plating  90  by placing the second coloration yarn  92  below (or “in front of”, in terms of the technical face of the fabric knitted by the flat bed knitting machine  10 ) the first coloration yarn  91 , thereby form the interchanged plating on the technical face. 
     Please also referring to  FIGS. 2 through 10 , in order to facilitate discussion of forming the standard plating  80  by collaborating the latch needle  60  in the staged stitching displacement  440  and the movement of the sinker  70 , eight phantom lines with eight moment positions  1 - 8  are provided to show the interactive and continuous operation relationship between the latch needle  60  and the sinker  70  (referring to  FIG. 2 ). First, as shown in  FIG. 3 , at the moment position  1 , the distal end of the sinker  70  is not yet being moved to the yarn up slope section  321 , the indentation  72  also has no movement, the solid line in the drawing indicates that the first coloration yarn  91  and the second coloration yarn  92  thereabove (indicated by the hidden line) are fed at the same time, and the latch needle  60  does not enter the first stitching section  441  yet, hence no stitching operation is performed. In  FIG. 4 , at the moment position  2 , the distal end of the sinker  70  is at the moment of being driven to enter the yarn picking up slope section  321  and move upward, and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also start to move downward, the latch needle  60  has entered the first stitching section  441  to perform first stage stitching operation, but not yet in contact with the first and second coloration yarns  91  and  92 . In  FIG. 5 , at the moment position  3 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has been positioned at the yarn picking up slope section  321  and moved upward, the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also have been moved downward at the same time, and the latch needle  60  is located at the delayed stitching section  443  and pauses stitching operation without in contact with the first and second coloration yarns  91  and  92 . In  FIG. 6 , at the moment position  4 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has been moved upward to the summit of the yarn picking up slope section  321 , and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also are moved to the lowest spot, meanwhile the latch needle  60  is still located at the delayed stitching section  443  to pause stitching operation without in contact with the first and second coloration yarns  91  and  92 , while the distal end of the sinker  70  is ready to enter the yarn picking down slope section  322 , and the latch needle  60  is preparing to enter the second stitching section  442  to perform stitching operation of a next stage. In  FIG. 7 , at the moment position  5 , the distal end of the sinker  70  is moved downward to the lowest spot of the yarn picking down slope section  322 , the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also stop moving upward at the same time, meanwhile the latch needle  60  is located at the second stitching section  442  to perform again the stitching operation, hence the first coloration yarn  91  indicated via the solid line and the second coloration yarn  92  indicated via the hidden line located thereabove are picked by the hook  61  at the same time to move downward, and the latch  602  also is driven by the standard plating  80  formed in the previous operation to close the hook  601 . In  FIG. 8 , at the moment position  6 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has passed through the yarn up slope section  331  to enter the yarn down slope section  332  and move downward, and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also are moved downward first at the same time, then move upward, meanwhile the latch needle  60  is still located at the second stitching section  442  to continue the stitching operation, and the first coloration yarn  91  and the second coloration yarn  92  located thereabove that were pulled downward at the same time touch the indentation  72  first, then slide downward over the nose protrusion  73 , then are pushed upward again by the nose protrusion  73 , such operations aim to make the first coloration yarns  91  and the second coloration yarns  92  thereabove to form more secured relationship potential energy. In  FIG. 9 , at the moment position  7 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has been moved downward and is going to enter the lowest spot of the yarn pushing down slope  332 , and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also are moved upward at the same time and going to enter a displacement movement stop stage, meanwhile the latch needle  60  has left the second stitching section  442  and stopped the stitching operation, and the first coloration yarn  91  below (i.e., in the front, when viewed upward from the technical face shown in the drawing) and the second coloration yarn  92  located thereabove (behind) have been pulled downward to form a loop (to form another standard plating  80 ), and the continuous downward movement is stopped; in addition, the first coloration yarn  91  extended from the standard plating  80  and the second coloration yarn  92  located thereabove are sliding into the throat holding portion  74  of the sinker  70 . In  FIG. 10 , at the moment position  8 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has fully escaped the yarn pushing down slope section  332 , and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also stop displacement movement, and the latch needle  60  has fully stopped the stitching operation, the standard plating  80  formed by the first coloration yarn  91  below (in the front) and the second coloration yarn  92  located thereabove (behind) has become a complete loop, the latch needle  60  is waiting to start a next cycle of continuous operation such as stitching, loop cleaning and yarn picking to finish the technical face of the fabric. As previously discussed, during the latch needle  60  is located at the second stitching section  442  the nose protrusion  73  of the sinker  70  pushes the first and second coloration yarns  91  and  92  to slide down at the same time through its front edge to perform knitting operation and form the standard plating  80  with the first coloration yarn  91  below (in front of) the second coloration yarn  92 , and the standard plating  80  can be formed continuously to knit the technical face of the fabric. However, when the standard plating  80  has been knitted continuously to reach a predetermined position, the first coloration yarn  91  can be picked up by the junction of the rear edge of the nose protrusion  73  and the indentation  72  of the sinker  70  during the latch needle  60  is located in the interchanged stitching displacement  45  and moved above (behind) the second coloration yarn  92 , then release to perform knitting operation to generate operation of forming the interchanged plating  90  with the second coloration yarn  92  located below (in front of) the first coloration yarn  91 . Details are elaborated as follows: 
     Please referring to  FIGS. 11 through 19 , with  FIGS. 12 through 19  showing the fragmentary schematic views of continuous operating conditions of the sinker and latch needle in  FIG. 11  at various moment positions. Similarly, in order to facilitate discussion of forming the interchanged plating  90  by the latch needle  60  in the interchanged stitching displacement  45  in collaborating with the yarn picking operation of the sinker  70 , eight moment positions  1 - 8  represented by eight phantom lines are provided to show the interactive and continuous movement relationship between the latch needle  60  and the sinker  70  in  FIG. 11 . First, as shown in  FIG. 12 , at the moment position  1 , the distal end of the sinker  70  is not yet being driven to enter the yarn up slope section  321 , the indentation  72  also has no movement, the first coloration yarn  91  indicated via the solid line in the drawing and the second coloration yarn  92  thereabove (indicated by the hidden line) are fed at the same time, and the latch needle  60  does not enter the first stitching section  441  yet, hence no stitching operation is performed. In  FIG. 13 , at the moment position  2 , the distal end of the sinker  70  is at the moment of being driven to enter the yarn picking up slope section  321  to move upward, and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also start to move downward, the first coloration yarn  91  is moved above the indentation  72 , meanwhile the latch needle  60  starts entering the interchanged displacement  45  to perform stitching operation without in contact with the first coloration yarn  91  (indicated by the solid line) and the second coloration yarn  92  (indicated by the hidden line), while the latch needle  60  performs the stitching operation rapidly. In  FIG. 14 , at the moment position  3 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has been located at the yarn picking up slope section  321  and moves upward, and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also are moved downward at the same time, meanwhile the latch needle  60  is still located in the interchanged displacement  45  to perform the stitching operation rapidly, while the first coloration yarn  91  located above the indentation  72  is pulled downward rapidly to touch the nose protrusion  73  and picked up by the junction of the rear edge of the nose protrusion  73  and the indentation  72  and moved above (behind) the second stitching section  442 . In  FIG. 15 , at the moment position  4 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has been moved upward to the summit of the yarn picking up slope section  321 , and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also are moved downward to the lowest spot, meanwhile the latch needle  60  is still located in the interchanged stitching displacement  45  and also continuously performs the stitching operation rapidly, hence the first coloration yarn  91  has already been picked and moved above the second coloration yarn  92  is caught by the hook  601  to move downward rapidly, and the latch  602  also is driven by the previous standard plating  80  to close the hook  601 , and the second coloration yarn  92  is located below (in front of) the first coloration yarn  91  to form the interchanged plating  90 ; in addition, the first coloration yarn  91  extended from the interchanged plating  90  and the second coloration yarn  92  located therebelow (in front of) are released because the nose protrusion  73  has been moved downward to the lowest spot and starts to slide to the front edge of the nose protrusion  73 . In  FIG. 16 , at the moment position  5 , the distal end of the sinker  70  is moved downward to the lowest spot of the yarn picking down slope section  322 , the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also stop at the same time after having moved upward, meanwhile the latch needle  60  is still located in the interchanged stitching displacement  45  to continue the stitching operation, but the interchanged plating  90  of the second coloration yarn  92  located below (in front of) the first coloration yarn  91  is continuously being pulled downward by the stitching operation of the latch needle  60 , hence the first coloration yarn  91  extended from the interchanged plating  90  and the second coloration yarn  92  therebelow (in front of) have already slid to the front edge of the nose protrusion  73  and continuously slide downward. In  FIG. 17 , at the moment position  6 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has moved upward through the yarn pushing up slope section  331  to enter the yarn pushing down slope section  332  and move downward, and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also are moved downward at the same time, then move upward, meanwhile the latch needle  60  has left the interchanged stitching displacement  45  and stops the stitching operation, and the second coloration yarn  91  below (in the front) and the first coloration yarn  91  thereabove (behind) have already been pulled downward to form a ring (the interchanged plating  90 ), and the continuous pulling down operation is stopped; meanwhile, the first coloration yarn  91  extended from the interchanged plating  90  and the second coloration yarn  92  therebelow (in the front) have already slid into the throat holding portion  74  of the sinker  70 . In  FIG. 18 , at the moment position  7 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has been moved downward and is going to enter the lowest spot of the yarn pushing down slope section  332 , and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also are moved upward at the same time and are going to enter the lowest spot of the yarn pushing down slope section  332 , while the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  are moved upward at the same time and are going to enter the displacement movement stop stage, meanwhile the latch needle  60  has already left the interchanged stitching displacement  45  and stops stitching, and the second coloration yarn  92  below (in the front) and the first coloration yarn  91  thereabove (behind) have already been pulled downward to form a ring (the interchanged plating  90 ), and the continuous pulling down operation has already stopped. In addition, the first coloration yarn  91  extended from the interchanged plating  90  and the second coloration yarn  92  therebelow (in the front) have already slid into the throat holding portion  74  of the sinker  70 . In  FIG. 19 , at the moment position  8 , the distal end of the sinker  70  has fully escaped the yarn pushing down slope section  332 , and the indentation  72  and the nose protrusion  73  also stop displacement movement, and the latch needle  60  has fully stopped the stitching operation, meanwhile the latch needle  60  also has fully stopped the stitching operation, and the second coloration yarn  92  below (in the front) and the first coloration yarn  91  thereabove (behind) have formed a complete ring (the interchanged plating  90 ), and the latch needle  60  is waiting to start a next cycle of continuous operation such as stitching, loop cleaning and yarn picking to finish the technical face of the fabric. As previously discussed, during the latch needle  60  is located in the interchanged stitching displacement  45  the junction of the rear edge of the nose protrusion  73  and the indentation  72  picks up the first coloration yarn  91  and moves it above the second coloration yarn  92 , then release to perform knitting operation to form the interchanged plating  90  with the second coloration yarn  92  below the first coloration yarn  91 . Through such a technique plating by changing different colors of yarns can be accomplished in plain stitching through a same needle bed, and a technical face of the fabric with different color changes or pattern variations formed through the technical face also can be knitted. 
     While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, it is not the limitation of the invention, modifications of the disclosed embodiment of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.