Patent Publication Number: US-10315329-B2

Title: Fences for table saws

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/517,469, field Oct. 17, 2014, which in turn claims the benefit of and priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/892,237, filed Oct. 17, 2013, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present specification relates to fences for table saws. More specifically, this specification relates to fences that are easy to use and ergonomical. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A table saw is a power tool used to cut a work piece to a desired size or shape. A table saw includes a work surface or table and a circular blade extending up through the table. A person uses a table saw by placing a work piece on the table and feeding it into contact with the spinning blade to cut the work piece to a desired size. The table saw is one of the most basic machines used in woodworking. 
     Often a person using a table saw moves a work piece into contact with the spinning blade by sliding the work piece along a guide called a fence. The fence mounts to the top of the table saw and provides a fixed reference surface relative to the blade against and along which the work piece can slide. The fence helps keep the work piece moving in a straight path without shifting or rotating. The fence can be positioned at various positions relative to the blade so that a work piece can be cut to different dimensions. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a table saw with a table saw with a fence. 
         FIG. 2  shows a fence. 
         FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of the fence of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  shows an exploded view of a fence head. 
         FIG. 5  shows a view of parts used in the fence head of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  shows an internal structure used in the fence head of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of the internal structure of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  shows a locking linkage. 
         FIG. 9  shows an exploded view of a locking mechanism. 
         FIG. 10  shows a locking mechanism in a locked, clamped or closed position. 
         FIG. 11  shows a locking mechanism is an unlocked, unclamped or open position. 
         FIG. 12  shows an embodiment of a fence with a rocker that pivots around a pin. 
         FIG. 13  shows an embodiment of a fence with a side actuator. 
         FIG. 14  shows an embodiment of a fence with a finger-pull actuator. 
         FIG. 15  shows an embodiment of a fence with a lever that can pivot both forward and backward to lock the fence in position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  shows a table saw  10  with a fence  12  installed. The table saw includes a table  14  and the top of the table defines a work surface. Table  14  includes an opening  16 , and a blade  18  extends up through the opening  16 . An insert  20  is placed in the opening to fit around the blade. The blade extends through a slot  22  in the insert. 
     Fence  12  is positioned on or over the top surface of table  14  and the fence extends from the front to the rear of the table. Table saw  10  includes a front rail  26  positioned along the front of the saw just below the top of table  14 , and fence  12  includes a head portion  24  that extends down to the front rail  26 . The fence head  24  may be locked to the front rail  26  to hold the fence securely in place or unlocked to allow the fence to slide along the front rail and table. The fence may be positioned on either side of the blade. 
       FIG. 2  shows fence  12  isolated and  FIG. 3  shows an exploded view of the fence. Fence  12  is composed of a fence head  24  which is attached to a hollow rectangular tube  28 . Face plates  30  cover the right and left sides of the tube and provide a flat, smooth surface along which a work piece can slide as the work piece moves past the blade. 
     At the end of the tube opposite the fence head there is a roller  32  with a rubber insert  34  that fits in a groove along the circumference of the roller  32  and which is secured to the end of the tube  28  by a pin  36  which passes through the center of the roller and is supported at one end in a cylindrical cavity in a roller block  40  and at the other end in a cylindrical cavity in an endcap  44 . Endcap  44  is attached to the end of the tube  28  by four screws  46 , one located generally at each corner of the endcap, the top two of which thread into holes near the top of the end of the tube and the bottom two pass through holes in roller block  40  and then thread into holes near the bottom of the end of the tube. Roller  32  sits within a large cylindrical shaped cavity in roller block  40  that is open at the bottom to allow the bottom of the roller to extend down below the bottom of tube  28  and roll along a rear rail  52  of the saw to support the distal end of the fence. A user may slide the fence toward or away from the blade on the table to place the fence in a desired position, and roller  32  facilitates the movement of the fence by rolling along the top of the rear rail and by supporting the distal end of the fence. The roller may be positioned to roll along the top of the table instead of along the top of the rear rail, in which case the roller may be larger or a second roller added so that the fence can roll over any slots in the table, such as a slot for a miter gauge. 
     The end of the fence near the front of the saw may be called a head unit or fence head, as previously mentioned. In the depicted embodiment, fence head  24  is generally shaped like a “T” when looking down at it from above, with the longer middle section of the “T” running along tube  28  and the shorter cross or arms of the “T” running along the front rail  26  of the saw, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The cross or arms are lower than the middle section of the “T” in order for the arms to rest or ride on the front rail  26 , which is below the table top, and the longer middle section is positioned along or slightly above the top of the table. 
     Fence head  24  attaches to the bottom of tube  28  by two screws  54 . Those screws pass through lock washers  56  and then through holes in the bottom of the tube  28  and then thread into holes in the bottom of the fence head. 
     The components of the fence head  24  and how they fit together are shown in  FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 . As can be seen in the exploded view of  FIG. 4 , the fence head  24  has a front cover  60  and a top cover  62 . Front cover  60  covers each arm on either side of the middle section of the fence head  24  and also covers the front of the fence head. Two screws  64  pass horizontally through holes  66 , one hole through the front of each side arm, and thread into holes  68  in an internal structure  70  to secure the front cover  60  to the internal structure  70 . Of course, additional screws and/or clips can be used to secure the front cover to the internal structure. In the depicted embodiment, internal structure  70  is a frame or weldment composed of three pieces welded together, and it provides the basic shape of the fence head. The top cover  62 , which has a rectangular shape when viewed from the top, runs along the top of the fence head and has a cutout  72  shaped like a long, narrow oval of a greater radius at the end farthest from the front of the fence. Cutout  72  surrounds the top of a locking lever  74  that allows the user of the saw to clamp and unclamp the fence to the front rail. Top cover  62  has a lip  76  along the front edge that fits under the end of the front cover  60  and also a similar lip along the back edge that fits under the end of the tube  28  so that the pieces mate together without gaps between them. 
     On the right side of the front cover  60 , as seen in  FIG. 4 , there is a rectangular shaped cutout  90  along the rear edge with two holes  92  along the inside edge of the long side of the cutout. A generally rectangular shaped transparent plastic indicator lens  94  is placed under the cutout  90 . Lens  94  has a flat raised section running lengthwise that steps down and joins a lower section running lengthwise. The indicator lens  94  attaches to the fence head  24  by two screws  96  which pass through holes  92  on the top of the front cover, then through slightly oval holes  98  in the raised section of the indicator lens, and then thread into two holes  98  in the internal head structure  70 . The lens can be used with a ruler on the front rail to measure the position of the fence relative to the blade. A similar lens can be implemented on the other side of the fence head, if desired. 
     In the depicted embodiment, on the left side of the front cover, there is a slot  120  shaped like a rectangle with the short sides rounded, located on the top of the cover running diagonally such that it moves closer to the front of the front cover while moving inwards towards the middle of the front cover. A slider block  122 , that has a rectangular shape looking down from above and a stair-step shape when looking from the side, with the step running along a diagonal line as seen from above, is positioned such that the lower part of the step fits under the internal structure  70  and the upper part sits on top of the internal structure. Internal structure  70  has a diagonal running slot  124 , best seen in  FIG. 4 , for the slider block to fit through. A small ledge  126  extends out from the slider block below the upper step and slips under the internal structure  70 . A screw  128  passes through the diagonal slot  120  in the front cover, then through a similar sized and shaped diagonal slot  130  in the internal structure directly below the diagonal slot in the front cover, then through a hole  132  in the lower step of the slider block, and then threads into a nut  134  to secure the slider block to the fence head in such a way that the slider block  122  may be moved along the diagonal slots  120  and  130 . There is a threaded hole  136  running through the middle portion of the slider block along and just underneath the surface of the diagonal step into which a screw  138  enters from the outside edge of the fence head. The top of the internal structure  70  dips down under screw  138  to make room for the screw. 
     The screw  138  allows for adjustment of the fence head with respect to the front rail  26 , and thus allows for the adjustment of the fence tube  28  with respect to the table  14  and the blade  18 . As the screw is rotated slightly, the slider block is pulled to the left or moved to the right depending on which way the screw is rotated. The surface along the rear of the ledge  126  abuts an edge of the front rail on the saw, and since the screw is at a diagonal, the slider moves along a diagonal as screw  138  turns so that ledge  126  moves closer to or farther away from the front rail on the saw. That causes a slight turning or twisting of the fence in relation to the front rail, which thereby allows the fence to be adjusted so that plates  30  are parallel to the plane of the blade and so that tube  28  is parallel to the miter slots  142  in the table of the saw. When the fence is properly aligned by turning screw  138 , the position of slider block  122  can be locked in place by tightening screw  128 . 
     The bottom of slider block  122  contacts the top of front rail  26  to support the fence on the rail. In the depicted embodiment, front rail  26  includes a channel  27  extending along the top of the front rail, and the bottom of slider block  122  fits in the channel. Slider block  122  can be made of plastic to facilitate the fence sliding on the front rail. Slider block  122  also includes a front edge  123  that abuts an edge of channel  27  when the fence is clamped on the front rail. Edge  123  and the corresponding edge of channel  27  can be angled slightly to inhibit the fence from moving up when the fence is clamped to the rail. 
     A support  100  for the fence is located on the bottom of the right side of the fence head. Support  100  contacts the top of front rail  26 , and together with slider block  122 , helps support the fence on the rail. Support  100  is shaped to fit within channel  27  on the front rail, and like the slider block, can be made of plastic to facilitate the fence sliding on the rail. Support  100  includes a front edge  102  that abuts the same edge of channel  27  as front edge  123  on slider block  122 . Front edge  102  on support  100  can also be angled to correspond to the angle of the edge of channel  27  to inhibit the fence from moving up when the fence is clamped to the rail, similar to front edge  123  on slider block  122 . Support  100  is secured to internal head structure  70  by a screw  103  that passes through a hole in support  100  and then threads into hole  104  in internal structure  70 . 
     Internal structure or frame  70  is shown isolated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . As mentioned earlier, it consists of three sections welded together to form the structure of the fence head. There is a rectangular section  139  that has a bottom and two sides but is open on the top and this section runs along and within the front end of tube  28  with the top cover  62  covering the top. A connecting section  140  fits underneath one end of the rectangular section to join the rectangular section to a cross piece  141  that forms the lower arms that ride along the front rail  26 . A clamp or locking mechanism  150  fits within the rectangular section and down the front of the internal structure  70  within the sides of the connecting section  140 . 
       FIG. 8  shows the clamp or locking mechanism  150  isolated (although without locking lever  74 , discussed below) and  FIG. 9  shows an exploded view of the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism  150  consists of locking lever  74  with cylindrical stubs  154  extending out to each side of the locking lever from the middle. A pin  156  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) fits through the cylindrical stubs  154  and through holes  158  near the top and middle of the internal structure  70  to attach the locking lever to the internal structure in such a way that the locking lever can rotate or pivot around pin  156 . The locking lever is shaped so that it can move freely through the cutout  72  in the top cover  62  as the locking lever pivots. 
     Underneath the locking lever  74  there is a triangular shaped linkage  160  with two extensions  162  off each corner at the base with holes  164  through each extension. There are also two extensions  166  off the corner opposite the base that also have holes  168  through them. A pin  170  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) with a head on one end runs parallel to the base of the triangular linkage  160  passing through the holes  164  in extensions  162  and through holes  172  in the internal structure  70  where it is secured in place with an e-clip  174 . 
     In the depicted embodiment, a short pin  176  runs through one of the holes  168  in one of the extensions  166 , then through a hole  180  in each of two flat links  182  that are situated side by side and positioned between extensions  166  on the triangular linkage  160 , and then through the other hole  168  in the other triangular linkage extension  166 . Each link  182  is a flat metal piece curved gently along one long side until it turns roughly perpendicularly upward at one end. Holes  180  are located in each link  182  approximately at the corner between the gently curved portion and the portion that turns upward, as shown in  FIG. 9 . Pin  176  pivotally attaches the triangular linkage  160  to the flat links  182 , as shown. At the upward turning end of each flat link there is another hole  184 , and a pin  186  passes through both holes  184 . The ends of pin  186  extend out from the flat links and fit in a small oval slot  188  at the base of the front of the locking lever  74  so that the flat links pivot around pin  186  as the locking lever pivots. At the other end of each flat link  182  there is another hole  188  through which passes another pin  190 , and each end of pin  190  fits into a hole  192  on either side of a locking block  200 . 
     Locking block  200  extends up along the outside of the flat linkages  182 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , and then down so that the bottom portion of the locking block is positioned in front of the front rail  26 . A set screw  202  threads into a hole  204  at the bottom of the locking block and can be rotated to move the bottom portion of the locking block closer to or farther from the front rail. A locking plate  206 , shaped like a short, flat plate bent approximately ninety degrees on both sides, has holes  208  through each side. Locking plate  206  fits over the lower portion of the locking block  200  and holes  208  align with a hole  210  in the locking block. A spring  212  lies along the left side of the locking block and is shaped like a loop with each end continuing out from the loop in a straight line parallel to each other until end  214  bends approximately ninety degrees to fit into a small hole  215  in the side of the locking block  200 , and the other end, which is to the front of the locking block, bending a little less than ninety degree back toward end  214 , continuing straight for about half the length of the straight segment exiting the loop, and then curling to form a hook  216  which fits into a small slot  218  (labeled in  FIG. 4 ) along the left bottom edge of the internal structure  70  near the front of the rectangular section of the weldment. A pin  220  with a head on one end passes through a hole  222  at the bottom of the internal structure  70 , then through a loop at the bottom of spring  212 , then through one of the holes  208  in the locking plate  206 , then through hole  210  in the locking block  200 , then through the other hole  208  in the locking plate, and finally through another hole  222  in the internal structure  70 . Pin  220  is secured in place by an e-clip  224 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 10 . 
     Clamp or locking mechanism  150  enables the fence to be securely clamped or locked to the front rail when the locking lever is in a horizontal position as shown in  FIG. 10 . In this locked configuration, holes  164  in the triangular linkage are generally along the same horizontal line as holes  192  in the locking block  200 , while hole  168  in the triangular linkage is at or slightly below that line so that the top of the locking block is pushed outward and the bottom of the locking block, which pivots around pin  220 , is pushed up against the front rail to clamp the fence to the front rail. To unlock the fence, the end of the locking lever  74  farthest from the front of the fence is pushed downward, as shown by arrow  300  in  FIG. 11 , thus raising pin  186 , which pulls pin  176  upward and out of alignment with holes  164  in the triangular linkage and holes  192  in the locking block  200 . That, in turn, draws the top of the locking block inward, and thus the bottom of the locking block is pushed outward away from the front rail to unclamp the fence head from the front rail. In  FIG. 11 , for clarity, the pivot points that are rigidly held in place by the internal structure  70  are shown with dots at  240 ,  242 , and  244 , and arrows near those locations indicate movement or pivots. 
     In use, fence  12  is placed on a saw, over the tabletop, with tube  28  extending from the front of the saw to the rear. The fence is supported at the front by slider block  122  and support  100  resting on front rail  26 , and at the back by roller  32  and rubber insert  34  resting on rear rail  52 . When the fence is placed on the saw, clamp or locking mechanism  150  is open, as shown in  FIG. 11 , with the bottom of locking block  200  extending out, away from the front of the saw so that fence head  24  can fit over the front rail. Also, with locking mechanism  150  open, slider block  122  and support  100  can be positioned or placed in channel  27  in the front rail. 
     A user then grasps the fence by hand adjacent locking lever  74 , and slides the fence to the right or left until it is located at a desired position relative to blade  18 . Grasping the fence over the locking lever is between the ends of the fence and near the center of gravity of the fence because the head portion has more mass than the fence tube, and as a result, grasping the fence over the locking lever reduces the tendency of the fence to twist or rotate when a user slides the fence into position. In other fences, a user grasps a handle extending out from the proximate end of the fence (i.e., the end nearest the front of the saw), and when the user applies a force to the handle to slide the fence into position, the distal end of the fence (i.e., the end furthest from the front of the saw) lags behind resulting is a jittering or rough motion rather than a smooth translational motion. 
     With locking mechanism  150  open, the proximate end of locking lever  74  (i.e., the end nearest the front of the saw) extends up above the top surface of tube  28 , as shown generally in  FIG. 11 . When the fence is positioned as desired, the user locks or clamps the fence in place by simply pushing the locking lever down with the heel or palm of their hand. The user&#39;s hand is already over the locking lever because that is the natural position to grasp and move the fence, so depressing the locking lever with the heel or palm of the hand is a natural and simple movement and does not require the hand to be repositioned. Once the proximate end of locking lever  74  is depressed a small amount, the linkage connecting the locking lever to locking block  200  goes over-center (i.e., holes  168  move below the line defined by holes  164  in triangular shaped linkage  160  and holes  192  in the locking block) and clamps or locks the fence in place. Once closed, the linkage is stable and will not open until the locking lever pivots. In some embodiments, a spring could be used to bias the locking mechanism closed. 
     To unclamp or unlock the fence, a user simply presses or pushes down with a finger on the distal end of locking lever  74  (i.e., the end furthest from the front of the saw). Pushing down on the distal end of locking lever  74  moves the bottom of locking block  200  away from the front rail, as explained, to open the clamp. The locking mechanism is also stable in this open position because holes  168  move over-center. Accordingly, locking mechanism  150  may be thought of as being bi-stable, i.e., stable in both an open and closed position and configured so that the locking mechanism goes to either an open or closed position. 
     Spring  212  is configured to bias the locking mechanism open, so when the distal end of locking lever  74  pivots down enough to move holes  168  over-center, i.e., above the line between holes  164  and  192  (as seen in  FIGS. 10 and 11 ), spring  212  helps open the clamp and holds the locking mechanism open. When a user pushes down on the distal end of locking lever  74 , the user&#39;s hand is already over the fence so the user can simply grasp the fence and slide it to a desired position. The user can then simply bump the proximal end of the locking lever down with the heel of the user&#39;s hand to clamp the fence in place. 
     A locking mechanism as described herein can also be configured so that it automatically locks or clamps the fence to the saw when a user is not touching the locking lever. This may be thought of as an auto-lock feature because the fence automatically locks in place when a user releases or moves their hand away from the fence. Additionally, a locking mechanism can be configured to open when a user pivots a locking lever a first distance, and to close automatically when the user releases the locking lever, but the locking mechanism will stay open if the user pivots the locking lever a second distance greater than the first distance. With this configuration, a user can selectively open the locking mechanism and know that the fence will lock in place when the user removes their hand from the fence, or the user can open the locking mechanism and have it remain open when the user removes their hand from the fence. This latter situation would be useful if, for example, the user wanted to remove the fence from the saw. 
     The fences described herein are ergonomic and easy to use. A user can position the fence on the saw and then lock the fence in position without having to reposition their hand on the fence and without having to grasp a separate handle. In the depicted embodiment, this is due at least in part to the fact that the locking lever is positioned substantially or wholly between the ends of the elongate portion of the fence, and/or substantially above the saw table, and/or within the perimeter of the table (where the perimeter includes any rail or rails attached to the table), and/or at a location where it is natural to grasp the fence. 
     Providing a fence with a locking lever as described herein also promotes usability of the fence because the locking lever does not extend substantially above the top of tube  28  when the locking mechanism is closed or clamped, as seen generally in  FIGS. 1 and 10 . This allows a user to slide their hand along the top of the fence when guiding a work piece past the blade. Some woodworkers use their right hand to help hold a work piece in position against the fence as they push the work piece into contact with the blade, and they do this by placing part of their hand over the top of the fence while simultaneously holding the work piece against the fence. They then slide their right hand along the top of the fence to maintain the position of the work piece relative to the fence as they make the cut. Leaving the top of the fence unencumbered allows the hand to slide along the top of the fence. Additionally, having at least a portion of the locking lever extend up above the top of the fence or tube  28  when the locking mechanism is open or unlocked provides a visual and tactile indication to a user that the fence is not locked in position, and therefore the fence can move relative to the table. Similarly, in the embodiment described above, a portion of the locking lever is recessed or pressed down below the top of the fence tube, and that provides an additional visual and tactile indication that the fence is not locked in position. 
     Providing a fence with a locking lever at least partially above the table decreases the perimeter of the saw and therefore increases the clearance, maneuverability, storability and usability of the saw. With the locking lever positioned at least partially above the table, the need to watch out for a handle sticking out from the front of the saw when moving or storing the saw is eliminated, thereby making it is easier to move the saw through doorways and other tight places, and making it is easier to store the saw or place the saw in the back of a truck. The fence handle simply does not stick out from the saw, and therefore, the saw is easier to move around. Additionally, a user can stand closer to the front edge of the table saw because there is no fence handle to block the user from doing so, and standing closer to the front edge of the table saw makes it easier to control the movement of the work piece past the blade. 
     With a fence as described herein, the perpendicularity of the fence relative to the front of the table saw, and the parallelism between the face plates on the fence and the blade, are easy to adjust, as explained. Moving slider block  122  to the right or left adjusts the perpendicularity of the fence and aligns face plates  30  with the blade. After slider block  122  is moved, it may be necessary to adjust the position of locking block  200  to insure the locking block provides an appropriate or desired clamping pressure on the front rail. This is accomplished by turning screw  202 , as explained. Front cover  60  includes a hole  302 , shown in  FIG. 4 , to provide access to screw  202 . 
       FIG. 12  shows an embodiment of a fence with a rocker  300  that pivots around a pin  302 . In this embodiment, a user can depress the proximate end  304  of the rocker to release or unclamp the fence and cause the distal end  306  to pop up. A user could press distal end  306  to lock or clamp the fence in position. In  FIG. 12 , rocker  300  is shown in the locked or clamped position. 
       FIG. 13  shows an embodiment of a fence with a side actuator  310  on the right side of the fence tube. In this embodiment, a user squeezes side actuator  310  to release or unlock the fence, and continues to squeeze the actuator while sliding the fence into position. When the user releases the actuator, the fence auto-locks in position. This embodiment includes a removable face plate  312  that can be attached to the opposite side of the fence so that the fence can be used on the left side of the blade. A second side actuator is located on the left side of the fence tube opposite actuator  310  for this situation, and the second side actuator functions the same as actuator  310 . 
       FIG. 14  shows an embodiment of a fence with a finger-pull actuator  320 . In this embodiment, the fence is unclamped and free to move when a user pulls actuator  320  up, and the fence auto-locks in position when actuator  320  is released. Actuator  320  can be configured so that it is substantially flush with or below the top of the fence when the actuator is released, or at least not significantly above the top of the fence. 
       FIG. 15  shows an embodiment of a fence with a lever  330  that can pivot both forward and backward to lock the fence in position. The fence is unlocked when lever  330  extends roughly straight up, and is locked when lever  330  pivots to the front or back. Lever  330  is shown pivoted to the back in  FIG. 15 . This type of lever is particularly useful for fences that are reversible, or in other words, fences with a non-removable face plate and a fence head at each end and so that the fence is flipped around (i.e., turned 180 degrees) when used on the left side of the blade. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The fences described herein are applicable to woodworking power tool equipment, and particularly to table saws. 
     It is believed that the disclosure set forth above encompasses multiple distinct inventions with independent utility. While each of these inventions has been disclosed in its preferred form, the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense as numerous variations are possible. The subject matter of the inventions includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. No single feature, function, element or property of the disclosed embodiments is essential to all of the disclosed inventions. Similarly, the recitation of “a” or “a first” element, or the equivalent thereof, should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements. 
     It is believed that the following claims particularly point out certain combinations and sub-combinations that are directed to disclosed inventions. Inventions embodied in other combinations and sub-combinations of features, functions, elements and/or properties may be claimed through amendment of the present claims or presentation of new claims in this or a related application. Such amended or new claims, whether they are directed to a different invention or directed to the same invention, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope to the original claims, are also regarded as included within the subject matter of the inventions of the present disclosure.