Patent Publication Number: US-2007108703-A1

Title: Card and selection device games

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/732,896 entitled “Card and Spinner Games,” filed Nov. 1, 2005. The complete disclosure of that application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE  
      The present disclosure is directed to games where play may be facilitated by one or more cards and/or one or more selection devices.  
      Examples of card and/or selection device games are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,461,633; 1,520,316; 1,556,678; 2,008,829; 2,044,266; 2,077,124; 2,095,367; 2,102,535; 2,370,229; 2,546,441; 3,232,622; 3,235,260; 3,685,831; 3,762,714; 3,841,637; 4,014,547; 4,029,321; 4,040,191; 4,123,058; 4,302,012; 4,309,035; 4,466,515; 4,667,959; 5,318,299; 6,540,229; 6,609,715; 6,659,462; 6,902,163; D268,771; and D288,698; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2001/0052672 and 2005/0167918. The complete disclosures of those patents and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference for all purposes.  
     SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE  
      Some embodiments provide a method of playing a game. The game may include a plurality of cards and a selection device, the selection device configured to be activated by a user to select a supplemental action from a plurality of supplemental actions. The method may include viewing a first card having a first indicium in a discard pile; activating the selection device to select a supplemental action from the plurality of supplemental actions, the plurality of supplemental actions including a supplemental action that allows discarding at least one card having a second indicium; performing the supplemental action selected by the selection device; selecting a second card having a third indicium that corresponds with the first indicium of the first card; and discarding the second card in the discard pile.  
      Some embodiments provide a method of playing a game. The game may include a plurality of cards and a spinner assembly configured to select a supplemental action from a plurality of supplemental actions, the spinner assembly including a pointer and a base having a plurality of sections, at least some of the sections including indicia representative of at least one supplemental action. The method may include viewing a first card having a first indicium; spinning at least one of the pointer and the base relative to the other of the base and the pointer to select a supplemental action, the plurality of supplemental actions including a supplemental action that requires at least a first player to exchange at least one card, other than the first card, for another card of at least a second player; determining the at least one supplemental action based on the position of the pointer after the at least one of the pointer and the base stops spinning; performing the at least one supplemental action; selecting a second card having a second indicium that corresponds with the first indicium of the viewed first card; and discarding the second card.  
      Some embodiments provide a method of playing a game. The game may include a plurality of cards and a spinner assembly configured to select a supplemental action from a plurality of supplemental actions, the spinner assembly including a pointer, at least one holder configured to support a discard pile of one or more cards of the plurality, and a base having a plurality of sections, at least some of the sections includes at least one supplemental action. The method may include viewing a first card having a first indicium from the discard pile; spinning the base relative to the pointer to select a supplemental action, the plurality of supplemental actions including a supplemental action that requires at least a first player to show at least one card, other than the first card, to at least a second player; viewing at least one supplemental action on a section that the pointer is directed to after the base stops spinning; performing the at least one supplemental action; selecting a second card having a second indicium that corresponds with the first indicium of the viewed first card; and placing the second card on the discard pile adjacent the first card. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  shows some embodiments of a card and selection device game.  
       FIG. 2  shows playing cards for the card and selection device game of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  shows a top view of the card and selection device game of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 4  shows a flowchart showing some embodiments of a method of playing the card and selection device game of  FIG. 1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , some embodiments of a game  10  are shown, which may include a card support structure  12 , a plurality of playing cards  14 , and a selection device  16 . Card support structure  12  may include any suitable structure configured to hold and/or support one or more stacks or piles of cards. Additionally, the card support structure may include any suitable structure configured to allow the players to see at least a top or a first card of the stack. For example, the card support structure may include a support stand  18  and one or more holders  20 , as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
      The support stand may include any suitable structure configured to support one or more stacks of cards  14 . For example, the support stand may include a circular or cylindrical support, as shown in  FIG. 1 . Although a circular support is shown, the support stand may include any suitable shape and/or structure configured to support one or more stacks or piles of cards.  
      Holders  20  may include any suitable structure configured to hold and/or retain one or more stacks or piles of cards  14 . For example, the holders may include one or more perimeter walls  22  and one or more dividing walls  24 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . The perimeter walls may be arranged to form any suitable number of holders. For example, perimeter walls  22  in  FIG. 1  forms two holders, which may accommodate two stacks or piles of cards (such as a draw pile W and a discard pile D).  
      Perimeter walls  22  may have one or more side portions  26  and one or more corner portions  28 . The side and/or corner portions may conform to the stack(s) or pile(s) of cards. Additionally, the side and/or corner portions may be any suitable height(s). For example, side portions  26  may have a first height and corner portions  28  may have a second height. The second height may be sized to contain any suitable number of cards, such as a complete deck of cards. The first height may be any suitable height, such as a height less than the second height.  
      Although perimeter walls  22  are shown to have the first height that is relatively lower than the second height, the first height may be equal to or higher than the second height. For example, the first height may be sized to contain a complete deck, and the second height may be lower than the first height. Additionally, although perimeter walls  22  are shown to have side portions  26  and corner portions  28 , the perimeter walls may have only side portions, only corner portions, or any suitable combination.  
      Moreover, although perimeter walls  22  are shown to have four side portions  26  and four corner portions  28 , the perimeter walls may have any suitable number of side and/or corner portions. Furthermore, although perimeter walls  22  are shown to be sized to accommodate two stacks or piles of cards  14 , the perimeter walls may be sized to accommodate any suitable number of stacks or piles of cards.  
      Dividing walls  24  may divide one card pile from another within the perimeter walls. The dividing walls may be any suitable form, shape, and/or height. For example, the dividing walls may be in the form of the shaft of an arrow  30  used for selection device  16 , as further discussed below. Although the dividing walls are shown to be in the form of an arrow, the dividing walls may be any suitable form, shape, and/or height.  
      Playing cards  14  may be any suitable size and/or shape configured to allow players of the game to grasp the playing card and position that card within a card holder. Additionally, the playing cards may be any suitable number, such as  112  cards. Moreover, playing cards may have gripping features (not shown) to improve contact with a player&#39;s fingers. Those gripping features may include grooves, ridges, undulations, and/or rough portions, among others, or any suitable combination to promote handling.  
      At least some of the playing cards may include one or more card indicia  32 . Those indicia may include any suitable type of indicia configured to correspond to and/or match indicia on other playing cards and/or to signify particular supplemental actions that one or more players may and/or must take. The indicia may be in any suitable form, such as numeric, text, alphanumeric, symbolic, color, and/or any suitable combination, configured to correspond to indicia on other playing cards. For example, the card indicia may include numeric indicia  34 , symbolic indicia  36 , and color indicia  38 , as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
      Numeric indicia  34  may include any suitable numbers, such as 0-9, and may be on any suitable location(s) on playing cards  14 , such as on a center portion  40  and/or one or more corner portion(s)  42 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . Although numeric indicia  34  are shown to include single digit numbers, the numeric indicia may additionally, or alternatively, include multiple digit numbers. Additionally, although numeric indicia  34  are shown to be on center portion  40  and corner portions  42 , the numeric indicia may alternatively, or additionally, be located on any suitable portion(s) of playing cards  14 , such as on perimeter portion(s).  
      Symbolic indicia  36  may include any suitable symbol(s) on any suitable location(s) on playing cards  14 . For example, symbolic indicia  36  may include one or more selection device indicia  44  that may require activation of selection device  16 , as shown in  FIG. 2 . The symbolic indicia also may include one or more reverse indicia  46  that may require reversing direction of play, one or more skip indicia  48  that may require one or more players to skip one or more turns, one or more draw indicia  50  that may require one or more players to draw one or more cards, and/or one or more wild card indicia  52  that may be played as if it contained some or all of the numeric indicia and/or color indicia on the playing cards, as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
      The symbolic indicia may be located on the center portion and/or the corner portions of playing cards  14 . Although symbolic indicia  36  are shown to include particular symbols that require particular supplemental actions, the symbolic indicia may include any suitable symbol(s) that may require any suitable supplemental action(s). Additionally, although symbolic indicia  36  are shown to be on the center and corner portions of playing cards  14 , the symbolic indicia may alternatively, or additionally, be on any suitable portion(s) of the playing cards, such as on perimeter portion(s), etc.  
      Color indicia  38  may include any suitable color(s) on any suitable location(s) on playing cards  14 . For example, color indicia  38  may include one or more blue indicia  54 , one or more red indicia  56 , one or more green indicia  58 , one or more yellow indicia  60 , and/or any suitable color(s), as shown in  FIG. 2 . The color indicia may be on one or more perimeter portions  61  of playing cards  14 , as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
      Although color indicia  38  are shown to include particular color indicia, the color indicia may include any suitable color indicia. Additionally, although color indicia  38  are shown to be on perimeter portions of playing cards  14 , the color indicia may alternatively, or additionally, be on any suitable portions of playing cards  14 , such as on the center and/or corner portion(s) of the playing cards. Moreover, although card indicia  32  is shown to include numeric indicia  34 , symbolic indicia  36 , and color indicia  38 , the card indicia may alternatively, or additionally, include any suitable type(s) of indicia, such as text and/or alphanumeric indicia. Furthermore, although cards  14  are shown, the game may alternatively, or additionally, include any suitable playing pieces, such as tokens, coins, documents, etc., which may include one or more of the card indicia discussed above.  
      Selection device  16  may include any suitable structure configured to be activated by a user to select one or more supplemental actions from a plurality of supplemental actions that one or more players may be required to perform. For example, selection device  16  may include a spinner structure  62  having a pointer  64  and a spinner  66 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 .  
      The pointer may include any suitable structure configured to point at one or more sections of the spinner. For example, pointer  64  may include an elongate member  68  movably mounted and/or attached to support stand  18 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . In some embodiments, the pointer may be at least partially contained within the dividing walls, such as within arrow  30  of the dividing walls. Although pointer  64  is shown to be movably connected within the dividing walls, the pointer may be located in any suitable location. Additionally, although pointer  64  is shown to include a specific structure, the pointer may include any suitable structure configured to point to one or more sections of the spinner.  
      Spinner  66  may include any suitable structure configured to provide a plurality of supplemental actions that one or more players may be required to follow. For example, the spinner may include an annular wheel  70  including a plurality of sections  72 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 . The annular wheel may be referred to as a roulette-type spin wheel. Annular wheel  70  may be movably mounted, such as pivotally and/or rotatably mounted, to the support stand.  
      Although spinner  66  is shown to include a specific annular structure, the spinner may include any suitable structure configured to provide a plurality of supplemental actions that one or more players may be required to follow. Additionally, although spinner  66  is shown to be movably connected to support stand  18 , pointer  64  may alternatively, or additionally, be movably connected to the support stand. In other words, either or both the pointer and the spinner may be spun relative to the other to select one or more supplemental actions.  
      At least some of sections  72  may include one or more spinner indicia  74 . Those indicia may include any suitable type(s) of indicia configured to be representative of at least one supplemental action. The spinner indicia may be in any suitable form, such as numeric, text, alphanumeric, symbolic, color, and/or any suitable combination. For example, spinner indicia  74  may include symbolic indicia  76 , as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
      The symbolic indicia may be representative of one or more supplemental actions that one or more players may be required to follow. The supplemental actions may relate to at least some of the playing cards and have positive, negative, neutral, and/or unknown consequences for the player(s). For example, symbolic indicia  76  may include one or more discard indicia  78  that may require one or more players to discard one or more cards (including cards with particular number, symbolic, and/or color indicium or indicia), one or more draw indicia  80  that may require one or more players to draw one or more cards (including cards with particular number, symbolic, and/or color indicium or indicia), one or more trade hands indicia  82  that may require one or more players to trade (or exchange) one or more cards (including cards with particular number, symbolic, and/or color indicium or indicia), one or more show hand indicia  84  that may require one more players to show at least a portion of their hand to one or more of the other players, and/or one or more almost indicia  85  that may require one or more players to say particular word(s) and the player who says those words first may discard one or more cards.  
      Additionally, or alternatively, symbolic indicia  76  may include one or more war indicia  86 . The war indicia may require one or more players to select a card with a value indicium (such as a number indicium) of highest value from one or more cards having value indicia associated with that player, and showing the selected card to the other players. After showing selected cards, one or more players may discard their selected cards in response to the comparison, such as when the value indicia of those cards have a value higher than the value indicia of other selected cards. Although symbolic indicia  76  is shown to include particular indicia, the symbolic indicia may include any suitable indicia representative of one or more supplemental actions that one or more players may be required to perform. Additionally, although spinner indicia  74  is shown to include symbolic indicia  76 , the spinner indicia may include any suitable type(s) of indicia, such as numeric, color, text, and/or alphanumeric indicia.  
      In some embodiments, annular wheel  70  may include a plurality of pointer posts  88  configured to contact and/or pivot the pointer as the spinner is spinned. The contact of the pointer with the posts may produce one or more spinner noises to enhance the game experience. In some embodiments, pointer posts  88  may be arranged to separate sections  72  from one another to facilitate determining which particular section pointer  64  is pointing to.  
      Although spinner structure  62  is shown to be integrated and/or combined with card support structure  12 , the spinner structure may be separate from the card support structure. Additionally, although selection device  16  is shown to include a spinner structure  62 , the selection device may alternatively, or additionally, include any suitable structure configured to select one or more supplemental action(s) that one or more players may be required to follow. For example, selection device  16  may alternatively, or additionally, include one or more dice, one or more cards, etc.  
      Illustrative examples of a method  100  of playing game  10  will be further described with reference to  FIG. 4 . A player may begin his or her turn at  102 . That player may view a card, such as a top card on a discard pile at  104 . If the top card requires activating the selection device (such as provided by a card including selection device indicium) at  106 , then the player may activate the selection device (such as by spinning at least one of the pointer and the base relative to the other of the base and the pointer) at  108 . The player may view the supplemental action(s) (such as represented by symbolic indicia) selected by the selection device at  110 . The player may then perform the supplemental action(s) selected by the selection device at  112  and his or her turn may end at  114 .  
      If the top card does not include selection device indicium at  106 , then the player may view the cards in hand (or hand cards) at  116 . The player may then determine if any of the hand cards include an indicium that at least substantially matches and/or corresponds to an indicium of the top card at  118 . If the player has more than one matching card at  120 , then the player may select which of those matching cards to discard at  122  and may then discard that card at  124 , such as placing the selected card above and/or adjacent the top card on the discard pile. If the player has only one matching card at  120 , then the player may place that card in the discard pile above and/or adjacent the top card at  124 .  
      If the player determines that none of the hand cards matches the top card at  118 , then the player may pick a card (such as a top card) from a draw pile at  126 . The player may then view that drawn card at  128 . If that drawn card includes at least one indicium that at least substantially matches and/or corresponds to at least one indicium of the top card at  130 , then the player may place that card in the discard pile above and/or adjacent the top card at  124 . If the drawn card does not include at least one indicium that at least substantially matches and/or corresponds to at least one indicium of the top card at  130 , then the player&#39;s turn may then end at  114 .  
      If the discarded card includes an indicium representative of one or more supplemental actions at  132 , then the player may perform the supplemental action(s) at  134  and his or her turn may end at  114 . If the discarded card does not include indicium representative of one or more supplemental actions at  132 , then the player&#39;s turn may end at  114 .  
      The plurality of supplemental actions may include any suitable supplemental actions, such as the following: 
          Discarding at least one card that has one or more particular indicium, such as particular number and/or color indicium;     Exchanging at least one card (such as one or more card associated with the player) for another card with at least one other player;     Showing at least one card (such as one or more card associated with the player)to at least one other player;     Drawing at least one card from the draw and/or discard pile, such as drawing successively until a card with a particular indicium is drawn or drawing a particular number of cards;     Selecting a card with a value indicium of particular value (such as the highest value) from one or more cards having value indicium, showing the selected card to at least one other player, and discarding one of the compared cards in response to the comparison, such as the selected card if the value indicium of that card has a particular value (such as a value higher) than the value indicium of other selected cards;     Reversing direction of play;     Skipping or forfeiting one or more turns; and/or     Calling for a particular indicium or indicia for one or more successive players to match with their cards. 
 
 Additionally, the supplemental action may affect the player who activated the selection device and/or one or more other players. Although method  100  includes particular illustrative supplemental actions, the method may additionally, or alternatively, include any suitable supplemental actions. 
       

      During the course of the game, if a player has only one card left, then the player may say one or more specified words (which may be agreed to before the game). If the player fails to yell those specified words and another player catches that player&#39;s failure, then the player may be required to pick one or more cards from the draw pile and/or discard pile. For example, the player may be required to pick two cards from the draw pile  
      Players may take turns going through the method and the goal is to play until any suitable stopping point. For example, the method may be played until one player is able to discard all his or her cards. That player may be the winner. Alternatively, or additionally, the method may be played for a specified time period and/or specified point value to play to. Any suitable scoring may be used to determine the winner, such as basing the scoring, at least in part, on at least some of the indicia of the hand cards of each player. For example, cards may have point values and the player with the lowest or highest score at the end of the time period may win. Alternatively, or additionally, the player that reaches a particular score may win. Although particular stopping points have been discussed, the method includes any and all suitable stopping points.  
      Additionally, the method may include any suitable preparation steps before beginning the round and/or the game. For example, at least some of the playing cards may be shuffled and a certain number of cards, such as seven cards, may be dealt to each player. Additionally, the cards may be placed in a draw pile and/or a top card of that pile placed in the discard pile. Moreover, an order of play may be determined before the round and/or game. The order of play may be based on any suitable order, such as by descending or ascending age of the players.  
      Although the method above includes specific sequence and combination of steps, the steps discussed above may be performed in different sequences and in different combinations, not all steps being required for all embodiments of the game. Additionally, although the method includes specific steps, the method may include any suitable steps in addition, or alternative, to the steps discussed above. For example, the player that has one or more cards with selection device indicia may be required to spin and follow the selected supplemental action before he or she may discard the spin card.  
      The game also may include a set of instructions or rules and/or an inventory of contents. An example of instructions, rules, and inventory that might be used for the game is provided below. Although a specific example is provided, the game may include a set of any suitable instructions, rules and/or inventory, including any suitable combination of the instructions, rules, and inventory already discussed above.  
      Contents  
      1 Spin Wheel  
      112 cards as follows: 
          19 Blue cards—0 to 9 (includes 5 Spin Cards # 1 - 5 ) 19 Green cards—0 to 9 (includes 5 Spin Cards # 1 - 5 ) 19 Red cards—0 to 9 (includes 5 Spin Cards # 1 - 5 ) 19 Yellow cards—0 to 9 (includes 5 Spin Cards # 1 - 5 )     8 Draw Two cards—2 each in blue, green, red and yellow 8 Reverse cards—2 each in blue, green, red and yellow 8 Skip cards—2 each in blue, green, red and yellow 4 Wild cards     4 Wild Draw Four Cards     4 Wheel Reference Cards        

      Object of the Game  
      Be the first player to score 500 points. Points are scored by getting rid of all the cards in your hand before your opponent(s). You score points for cards left in your opponents&#39; hands.  
      Set Up  
      Place the Wheel Reference cards nearby; these will help you identify the icons on the wheel whenever it is spun.  
      Functions of the Action Cards  
      Draw Two Card—When this card is played, the next person to play must draw 2 cards and miss their turn. This card can only be played on matching colors and other Draw Two cards. If turned up at the beginning of play, the same rule applies.  
      Reverse Card—Reverses direction of play. Play changes direction to the right, and vice versa. The card may only be played on a matching color or on another Reverse card. If this card is turned up at the beginning of play, the dealer goes first, and then play moves to the right instead of the left.  
      Skip Card—The next player in turn after this card has been played loses their turn and is “skipped.” The card may only be played on a matching color or on another Skip card. If a Skip card is turned up at the beginning of play, the player to the left of the dealer is “skipped,” hence the player to the left of that player commences play.  
      Wild Card—The person playing this card calls for any color to continue the play, including the one currently being played, if so desired. A Wild card can be played at any time—even if the player has another playable card in their hand. If a Wild card is turned up at the beginning of play, the person to the left of the dealer determines the color, which continues play.  
      Wild Draw Four Card—This card allows you to call the next color played and requires the next player to draw 4 cards from the DRAW pile and forfeit their turn. If turned up at the beginning of play, return this card to the deck and pick another card. Note: This card may only be played when the player holding it does not have a card in their hand that matches the color on the DISCARD pile. If the player holds matching numbers or action cards, however, this card may be played.  
      Spin Cards ( 20 )—Five cards of each color (numbers  1  through  5 ) have a swirling pattern around the NUMBER (like a thumbprint) indicating they are Spin cards. A player may play a Spin card as they would a regular number card, however, whenever a Spin card is played, the next player must spin the wheel. Spinning the wheel takes the place of that player&#39;s turn. (See SPIN WHEEL).  
      The Spin Wheel  
      If the player preceding you plays a Spin card, you must spin the wheel and follow the action of the icon indicated by the arrow, as follows:  
      Almost—The player that spun the wheel discards all but 2 cards.  
      Discard Number—The player that spun the wheel chooses a number in their hand and can discard all cards of that same number. You can choose to keep some cards of that number if you do not wish to discard all of them.  
      Discard Color—The player that spun the wheel chooses a color in their hand and can discard all cards of that same color. You can choose to keep some cards of that color if you do not wish to discard all of them.  
      Draw Red—Draw until you pickup a red card (or Wild card). You must keep all of the cards you have drawn.  
      Draw Blue—Draw until you pick up a blue card (or Wild card). You must keep all of the cards you have drawn.  
      Trade Hands—All players trade hands, passing to the left. If any player receives a hand with only one card, that player must yell particular word(s) or the 2-card penalty applies.  
      Show Hand—Show your hand to all other players, giving them an opportunity to see it, and then resume normal play.  
      War—Each player selects the highest number card of any color in their hand (if they have one) and reveals them at the same time. The player with the highest card gets to discard that card and all other players put their cards back in their hands. If there is a tie, the tied players face-off with their next highest card, and the winner discards all the War cards they played. Play then continues with the next person after the winner taking their turn (in the current direction of play).  
      Spin—All players rush to yell particular word(s). The first player to yell it gets to discard one card of their choice. Play then continues with the next person after the winner taking their turn (in the current direction of play).  
      If the Wheel causes you to discard multiple cards, you get to decide which of your cards is placed on the top of the DISCARD pile, affecting the next player&#39;s turn. Thus, you can change the color, number or symbol that is in play.  
      Going Out  
      When you play your second-to-last card, you must yell particular word(s). If you don&#39;t yell those words and another player catches you before the next player plays, you must draw two cards.  
      Once a player has no cards left, the round is over. Points are scored (see SCORING) and play starts over again.  
      If the last card played in a hand is a Draw Two or Wild Draw Four card, the next player must draw the 2 or 4 cards respectively. These cards are counted when the points are totaled. Likewise, if the last card played is a Spin card, the next player must spin the wheel and that action must be resolved, so that any cards drawn or discarded also affect the points totaled.  
      If no player is out of cards by the time the DRAW pile is depleted, the DISCARD pile is reshuffled and play continues.  
      Scoring  
      The first player to get rid of their cards receives points for cards left in all of players&#39; hands as follows:  
      All number cards (0-9). Face Value  
      Draw Two . . . 20 Points  
      Reverse . . . 20 Points  
      Skip . . . 20 Points  
      Wild . . . 50 Points  
      Wild Draw Four . . . 50 Points  
      Wining the Game  
      The WINNER is the first player to reach 500 points. However, an alternative scoring method is to keep a running total of the points each player is caught with at the end of each hand. When one player reaches 500 points, the player with the lowest points is the winner.  
      Alternative Ways to Play  
      At the beginning of a game, players may decide on a different point value to play to (i.e. 250) instead of 500, for longer or shorter games. Players may also choose to play without keeping score, so that the first player to get rid of all of their cards is the winner.  
      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 subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions and/or properties disclosed herein. Similarly, where any claim recites “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claim should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.  
      Inventions embodied in various combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed through presentation of new claims in a related application. Such 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.