Abstract:
A self-loading mini dolly includes a dolly frame; a front dolly arm carried by the dolly frame; a wheeled front axle carried by the front dolly arm; a front dolly platform carried by the front dolly arm, the front dolly platform selectively deployable between lowered and raised positions; a rear dolly arm carried by the dolly frame in spaced-apart relationship to the front dolly arm; a wheeled rear axle carried by the rear dolly arm; and a rear dolly platform carried by the rear dolly arm, the rear dolly platform selectively deployable between lowered and raised positions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 61/623,511, filed Apr. 12, 2012, and entitled “Self-Loading Mini Dolly”, which provisional application is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present disclosure generally relates to self-loading tow dollies, and more particularly to a self-loading mini dolly that can be used in a variety of towing applications. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Tow truck operators commonly use self-loading tow dollies. When a tow truck is used to tow a vehicle, one end of the vehicle is lifted by the truck. The wheels on the other end of the vehicle typically remain on the pavement. Tow dollies may be used to lift the lower end of the towed vehicle such that the wheels of the tow dollies, instead of the wheels of the towed vehicle, contact the road. Accordingly, lifting all wheels of the towed vehicle from contact with the ground greatly diminishes the possibility of drive train damage and/or excessive wear to the towed vehicle during towing. This is especially true with all-wheel drive vehicles and electric motor driven vehicles. 
     Tow dollies for raising pairs of coaxial vehicle wheels typically employ a pair of frame-like bases for supporting pairs of dolly wheels. Such dolly bases are placed outside two vehicle wheels of one axle to be lifted or elevated; the two bases being cross connected by parallel spaced tubular axles are typically longitudinally adjustable to accommodate variations in vehicle wheel lateral spacing. Suitable mechanisms are provided for positioning the dolly wheels between a lowered position and a raised towing position which serves to elevate the towed vehicle prior to the actual towing operation. Suitable locking devices are provided for maintaining dolly wheels in desired elevated or lowered positions for storing or towing operations, respectively. Other known mechanisms without separate ratchet systems are employed for maintaining dolly wheels in elevated positions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,675 to Orr, fully incorporated herein by reference, shows and describes an exemplary tow dolly. 
     Tow dollies of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,675 typically have several sections which are disengageable from one another for easy storage and transport of the tow dolly. For example, there are often two frame-like wheel assemblies where the dolly&#39;s wheels are mounted on spindle assemblies which are attached to the frame-like wheel assemblies. Brackets on the frame-like wheel assemblies accommodate axles that engage the wheels of the vehicle to be towed. 
     Tow dollies must have sturdy components that articulate in a manner when a car is lifted off the ground in just a few moments. Spindle assemblies are typically made of steel as are the brackets where the steel rail ends of the axles are fitted to complete assembly. This “steel on steel” construction permits steel dolly components to be welded together and has proved to be sturdy in the field. Over a period spanning nearly forty years, the steel self-loading tow dolly became the industry standard. Using all steel components and welding steel components together on the dolly frame results, however, in a heavy tow dolly that an operator must carry from the tow truck to the towed vehicle. Even when disassembled, the pieces of current tow dollies are heavy and cause strain on tow truck operators which may lead to back injuries and other health problems. 
     When tow truck operators hand carry self-loading tow dollies from and to a tow truck, weight is a key factor in eliminating back and other injuries. All steel constructed tow dollies are sturdy, but weight continues to be an issue. Thus, the need remains for an improved self-loading tow dolly configuration that is not only sturdy, but has the added benefit of weight reduction. 
     Often vehicles or motorcycles which need to be winched up the bed of a car carrier lack a suitable location for placement of the tow hook on the vehicle or motorcycle without potential damage to the vehicle. Moreover, newer vehicles with all-wheel drive, hybrid vehicles, and all-electric vehicles whose transmissions are locked, incur potential damage when winched up the bed of a car carrier. Additionally, the front end of low-clearance vehicles incur potential damage because of the load angle of the car carrier bed. It is an object of my invention to provide a self-loading mini dolly system that solves these problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The disclosure is generally directed to a self-loading mini dolly. An illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly includes a dolly frame; a front dolly arm carried by the dolly frame; a wheeled front axle carried by the front dolly arm; a front dolly platform carried by the front dolly arm, the front dolly platform selectively deployable between lowered and raised positions by a leverage bar; a rear dolly arm carried by the dolly frame in spaced-apart relationship to the front dolly arm; a wheeled rear axle carried by the rear dolly arm; and a rear dolly platform carried by the rear dolly arm, the rear dolly platform selectively deployable between lowered and raised positions by a leverage bar. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will now be made, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a rear perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a collapsed and fully extended configuration preparatory to placement around the vehicle tire (not illustrated) of a vehicle which is to be towed in exemplary application of the dolly; 
         FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a raised and fully extended configuration preparatory to towing of a vehicle; 
         FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a raised and fully retracted configuration for compact stowing; 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini exemplary application of the dolly; 
         FIG. 5  is an outside side perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a collapsed and fully extended configuration preparatory to placement around the vehicle tire (not illustrated); 
         FIG. 6  is an outside side perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a raised and fully extended configuration preparatory to towing; 
         FIG. 7  is an inside side perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a collapsed and fully extended configuration preparatory to placement around the vehicle tire (not illustrated); 
         FIG. 8  is an inside side perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a raised and fully extended configuration preparatory to towing of a vehicle; 
         FIG. 9  is an outside perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a raised and partially-extended configuration; 
         FIG. 10  is a rear perspective view of an alternative illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly deployed in a collapsed and fully extended configuration preparatory to placement around the vehicle tire (not illustrated) of a vehicle which is to be towed in exemplary application of the dolly; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of an exemplary vehicle tow bar which facilitates winching of a motorcycle or an automobile up a car carrier bed using one or a pair of self-loading mini dollies; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of an exemplary tow hook adaptor which facilitates winching of a motorcycle up a car carrier bed using a self-loading mini dolly; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an automobile as the automobile is winched onto a car carrier bed, more particularly illustrating the front wheels of the automobile resting on a pair of self-loading mini dollies; 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of the front of an automobile, with the front wheels of the vehicle resting on a pair of self-loading mini dollies and a vehicle tow bar attached to the self-loading mini dollies in winching of the automobile; 
         FIG. 15  is a bottom perspective view of a self-loading mini dolly with the vehicle tow bar and the tow hook adaptor attached to the self-loading mini dolly preparatory to winching of a motorcycle ( FIG. 16 ); and 
         FIG. 16  is a rear perspective view of the self-loading mini dolly with the vehicle tow bar and the tow hook adaptor attached to the self-loading mini dolly and a motorcycle secured to the self-loading mini dolly, the vehicle tow bar and the tow hook adaptor in towing of the motorcycle. 
         FIG. 17  is a front perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of safety chocks which attach to the rear of the mini dollies to prevent sudden unintended rollback during winching. 
         FIG. 18  is a rear perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of the safety chocks attached to the back of the self-loading mini dolly, deployed in a raised and fully retracted configuration; 
         FIG. 19  is an illustrative embodiment of a leverage bar which may be used to raise and lower the self-loading mini dolly. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is non-limiting and is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, the illustrative embodiments described herein are not exhaustive and embodiments or implementations other than those which are described herein and which fall within the scope of the appended claims are possible. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical field, background, brief summary or the following detailed description. Relative terms such as “front” and “rear” as used herein are intended for descriptive purposes only and are not necessarily intended to be construed in a limiting sense. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-10  of the drawings, an illustrative embodiment of the self-loading mini dolly is generally indicated by reference numeral  1 . The self-loading mini dolly  1  includes a generally elongated dolly frame  2 . A generally elongated front dolly arm  40  and a generally elongated rear dolly arm  42  may extend from the dolly frame  2  in spaced-apart relationship to each other. The front dolly arm  40  and the rear dolly arm  42  may each be generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the dolly frame  2  and may be generally parallel to each other. In some embodiments, a frame handle  5  may be provided on the dolly frame  2  for carrying and handling purposes. 
     A front dolly platform  8  may be provided on the front dolly arm  40  of the dolly frame  2 . The front dolly platform  8  may have a generally elongated, flat, rectangular, blade-shaped configuration. The longitudinal axis of the front dolly platform  8  may be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the front dolly arm  40 . Similarly, a rear dolly platform  24  is provided on the rear dolly arm  42  of the dolly frame  2 . The rear dolly platform  24  may have a generally elongated, flat, rectangular, blade-shaped configuration. The longitudinal axis of the rear dolly platform  24  may be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rear dolly arm  42 . 
     A front axle assembly  16  includes a front axle  12  provided on the front dolly arm  40 . In some embodiments, the front axle  12  may be attached to the front dolly arm  40  via a pair of spaced-apart front axle flanges  41  which extend from the front dolly arm  40 . A pair of front dolly wheels  13  is provided on the front axle  12 . Similarly, a rear axle assembly  30  includes a rear axle  26  provided on the rear dolly arm  42 . In some embodiments, the rear axle  26  may be attached to the rear dolly arm  42  via a pair of spaced-apart rear axle flanges  43  which extend from the rear dolly arm  42 . A pair of rear dolly wheels  27  is provided on the rear axle  26 . As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, a tow bar  14  may extend between the rear axle flanges  43  for purposes which will be hereinafter described. 
     The front axle flanges  41  may pivotally engage the front dolly arm  40  and the front axle  12 . The rear axle flanges  43  may pivotally engage the rear dolly arm  42  and the rear axle  26 . Accordingly, as the front axle flanges  41  pivot relative to the front axle  12  and the front dolly arm  40  and the rear axle flanges  43  pivot relative to the rear axle  26  and the rear dolly arm  42 , the dolly frame  2 , with the front dolly platform  8  and the rear dolly platform  24 , can be selectively deployed between the lowered position illustrated in  FIG. 1  and the raised position illustrated in  FIG. 2  for purposes which will be hereinafter described. A front lever  17  is provided on the front axle  12  and engages one of the front axle flanges  41  to facilitate selective raising and lowering of the dolly frame  2  and front dolly platform  8  on the front axle  12  such as by use of a leverage bar  110  ( FIG. 19 ) having a leverage bar receptacle  112  on the end of an elongated leverage bar shaft  114 . A rear lever  31  is provided on the rear axle  26  and engages one of the rear axle flanges  43  to facilitate selective raising and lowering of the dolly frame and rear dolly platform  24  on the rear axle  26  by use of the leverage bar  110  ( FIG. 19 ). Accordingly, the leverage bar receptacle  112  receives the front lever  17  or the rear lever  31  as a user (not illustrated) grasps the leverage bar shaft  114  to selectively raise and lower the front axle assembly  16  or the rear axle assembly  30 , respectively. 
     A front cam lock  36  is provided on the front axle flange  41  and engages the front lever  17  to selectively lock the front dolly platform  8  in the raised position. A rear cam lock  38  is provided on the rear axle flange  41  and engages the rear lever  17  to selectively lock the rear dolly platform  24  in the raised position. Therefore, the front axle lever  17  can be selectively manipulated to raise the front dolly platform  8  from the collapsed configuration illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  5  and  7  to the raised configuration illustrated in  FIGS. 2 ,  6  and  8  by use of the leverage bar  110  ( FIG. 19 ) until the front cam lock  36  engages the front axle lever  17 , thereby locking the front dolly platform  8  in the raised configuration. The rear axle lever  31  can likewise be manipulated to raise the rear dolly platform  24  from the collapsed configuration to the raised configuration by use of the leverage bar  110  ( FIG. 19 ) until the rear cam lock  38  engages the rear axle lever  31 , thereby locking the rear dolly platform  24  in the raised configuration. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  4 ,  9  and  10 , in some embodiments, the dolly frame  2  may be selectively length-adjustable. Accordingly, the dolly frame  2  may include a generally elongated frame member receptacle  3  and a generally elongated frame member  20  which telescopically inserts into the frame member receptacle  3 . The front dolly platform  8  may extend from the front dolly arm  40  and the rear dolly platform  24  may extend from the frame member  20 . The frame member receptacle  3  may be selectively locked in non-sliding relationship to the frame member  20  to achieve a selected length of the dolly frame  2  by extending a lock pin  6  through a selected one of multiple receptacle openings  4  in the frame member receptacle  3  and through a selected registering frame member opening  11  ( FIG. 10 ) in the frame member  20 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , in other embodiments, the receptacle openings  4  may be provided in the frame member  20  and the frame member opening  11  may be provided in the frame member receptacle  3 . Alternative designs known by those skilled in the art may be used to render the dolly frame  2  length-adjustable. 
     In exemplary application, a pair of self-loading mini-dollies  1  can be used to raise whichever pair of vehicle wheels that remains on the pavement after the other pair of vehicle wheels is raised by the wheel lift of the towing vehicle  80 . The front dolly platform  8  and the rear dolly platform  24  of each self-loading mini dolly  1  are initially placed beneath the front and rear portions, respectively, of the tire. The length of the dolly frame  2  may be adjusted to facilitate proper placement of the front dolly platform  8  and the rear dolly platform  24  beneath the tire. After the front dolly platform  8  and the rear dolly platform  24  have been properly placed and the length of the dolly frame  2  adjusted as necessary, the front axle lever  17  is manipulated by use of the leverage bar  110  ( FIG. 19 ) to raise the front dolly platform  8  from the collapsed configuration illustrated in  FIGS. 1 ,  5  and  7  to the raised configuration illustrated in  FIGS. 2 ,  6  and  8  until the front cam lock  36  engages the front lever  17 , illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The rear axle lever  31  is likewise manipulated by use of the leverage bar  110  ( FIG. 19 ) to raise the rear dolly platform  24  from the collapsed configuration to the raised configuration until the rear cam lock  38  engages the rear lever  31 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , thereby locking mini-dolly  1  in the raised configuration. Accordingly, the front dolly platform  8  and the rear dolly platform  24  raise and maintain the wheel of the vehicle in a raised position relative to the pavement (not illustrated) as the front dolly wheels  13  and the rear dolly wheels  27  support the raised dolly frame  2  and vehicle wheel above the pavement. With the cam locks  36  and  38  engaged to keep each mini-dolly  1  from inadvertently collapsing, the towing vehicle  80  is then operated to tow the towed vehicle  84  as the self-loading mini dollies  1  continue to maintain the vehicle wheels in a raised position and the front dolly wheels  13  and the rear dolly wheels  27  travel on the pavement during towing. Therefore, the self-loading mini-dollies  1  allow vehicles, the wheels of which are unable to rotate because of damage, or transmissions that are engaged, or wheels that are locked by electric drive motors, to be towed, preventing the likelihood of excessive wear and/or damage to the drive train or wheels of the vehicle as may otherwise be the case if the vehicle wheels traveled on the pavement during the towing operation. 
     After the vehicle has arrived at the desired destination, the self-loading mini-dollies  1  can be collapsed ( FIG. 1 ) by operation of the leverage bar  110  ( FIG. 19 ) on the respective front lever  17  and rear lever  31 . The front dolly platform  8  and the rear dolly platform  24  are then lowered from beneath the vehicle tire as the mini-dolly is collapsed, after which the vehicle is lowered from the towing vehicle. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the dolly frame  2  can be selectively shortened, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , for compact stowing when not in use. 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 11-16  of the drawings, the self-loading mini dolly  1  can be used in a variety of towing applications such as in the winching of a vehicle  84  ( FIGS. 13 and 14 ) or a motorcycle  88  ( FIG. 16 ) up the flat bed  81  of a towing vehicle  80  ( FIG. 13 ) for towing of the vehicle  84  or motorcycle  88 , for example and without limitation. Alternatively, a single mini dolly  1  may be used for lifting the disabled wheel or tire of a single vehicle or trailer for transport of the vehicle or trailer. As illustrated in  FIGS. 11-14 , in vehicle towing applications, a pair of self-loading mini dollies  1  can be used in conjunction with a vehicle tow bar  50  which facilitates secure attachment of the mini tow dollies  1  to the towing vehicle  80 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the vehicle tow bar  50  may include a generally elongated tow bar frame  51 . A tow bar plate  52  may extend from a middle portion of the tow bar frame  51 . The tow bar plate  52  has a tow hook adaptor opening  54 . A pair of plate reinforcing members  55  may extend from the respective ends of the tow bar frame  51  to the opposite sides of the tow bar plate  52  to reinforce the tow bar plate  52  on the tow bar frame  51 . A pair of dolly attachment hooks  56 ,  58  may be provided at the opposite ends of the tow bar frame  51  to facilitate attachment of the vehicle tow bar  50  to the respective mini tow dollies  1  as will be hereinafter described. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 14 , in an exemplary towing application, a pair of mini tow dollies  1  is initially operated to raise the respective front wheels  85  of the towed vehicle  84  typically in the same manner as was heretofore described. The vehicle tow bar  50  may be attached to the mini tow dollies  1  by engagement of the tow bar hooks  56 ,  58  to the cross bar  15  ( FIG. 2 ) on each tow dolly  1 . A tow hook  53  may be attached to the tow hook opening  54  in the tow bar plate  52  of the vehicle tow bar  50 . A winch cable may be attached to towing chain  66  which may be attached to the tow hook  53 . The winch cable attached to towing chain  66  is engaged by the vehicle winch  82  ( FIG. 13 ) on the flat bed  81  of the towing vehicle  80 . Accordingly, by operation of the vehicle winch  82 , the vehicle  84  is winched from the pavement up onto the flat bed  81  of the carrier vehicle  80  as the mini dollies  1  transport the front wheels  85  of the vehicle  80 . Additionally, two pair of mini dollies  1  may transport both front wheels  85  and rear wheels  86  of vehicle  80 . The carrier vehicle  80  may then haul the vehicle  84  to a suitable destination for repair, for example. 
     After the vehicle  84  has arrived at the desired destination, the vehicle winch  82  is operated to lower the vehicle  84  from the flat bed  81  of the towing vehicle  80  onto the pavement. The tow hook  53  ( FIG. 14 ) may be detached from the tow bar plate  52  of the vehicle tow bar  50 , after which the vehicle tow bar  50  is removed from the cross bar  15  of the mini dollies  1 . The mini dollies  1  can then be collapsed by operation of the respective front levers  17  and rear levers  31 , thereby returning vehicle  84  to the pavement. The mini dollies  1  are then removed from beneath the vehicle tires. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , in some applications, a mini dolly  1  can be used to tow a motorcycle  88 . Accordingly, the mini dolly  1  is initially deployed in the collapsed configuration. A tow hook adaptor  60  ( FIG. 12 ) may be attached to the cross bar  15  of the mini dolly  1  to facilitate attachment of the mini dolly  1  to the carrier vehicle  80  ( FIG. 13 ). As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the tow hook adaptor  60  may have a bracket opening  62  and a bracket clasp  64 . The tow hook adaptor  60  may be attached to the mini dolly  1  by engagement of the adaptor clasp  64  with the cross bar  15  ( FIG. 15 ). As illustrated in  FIG. 15 , a vehicle tow bar  50  may be inverted and inserted between cross bar  15  and cross bar  14  in the front of mini dolly  1  and the tow hook adaptor  60  extended through the tow hook opening  54  in tow bar plate  52 , attaching adaptor clasp  64  ( FIG. 15 ), to cross bar  15  ( FIG. 15 ), on the front of mini dolly  1 . 
     The front wheel  89  of the motorcycle  88  is placed on the mini dolly  1  and the rear wheel  90  typically remains on the pavement. The mini dolly  1  is then raised to lift the front wheel  89  off the pavement. A tow hook  53  is attached to the tow hook adaptor  60  by extending the tow hook  53  through the hook adaptor opening  62  and a towing chain  66  is attached to the tow hook  53 . The vehicle winch  82  ( FIG. 13 ) of the towing vehicle  80  is operated to pull the motorcycle  88  onto the flat bed  81  of the carrier vehicle  80  and the motorcycle  88  is transported to the desired destination. 
     After the motorcycle  88  has arrived at the desired destination, the vehicle winch  82  is operated to lower the motorcycle  88  from the flat bed  81  of the carrier vehicle  80  onto the pavement. The tow hook  53  may be detached from the tow hook adaptor  60 , after which the vehicle tow bar  50  and tow hook adaptor  60  may be removed from the mini dolly  1 . The mini dolly  1  can then be collapsed by operation of the front lever  17  and rear lever  31 . The front dolly platform  8  and the rear dolly platform  24  are then removed from beneath the front wheel  89  of the motorcycle  88 . 
     Referring next to  FIGS. 17 and 18  of the drawings, the mini dolly  1  may include a safety chock  100 . The safety chock  100  may be attached to the rear axle  26  of the mini dolly  1  to prevent mini dolly  1  from sudden unexpected rollback down the carrier bed  81  ( FIG. 13 ) of the towing vehicle  80  during towing of the towed vehicle  84 . As illustrated in  FIG. 17 , the safety chock  100  may include a pair of spaced-apart safety chock base members  102 . Each safety chock base member  102  may have a concave wheel-engaging surface  102   a . At least one elongated base member connecting rod  104  may connect the safety chock base members  102 . At least one dolly attachment member  106  may extend upwardly from the base member connecting rod  104 . Each dolly attachment member  106  may include an attachment member shaft  108  which extends from the dolly attachment member  106  and an attachment hook  109  which terminates the attachment member shaft  108 . Accordingly, as illustrated in  FIG. 18 , prior to towing the towed vehicle  84  ( FIG. 13 ), a pair of the safety chock base members  102  may be placed on the flat bed  81  behind the respective self-loading mini dollies  1 . The rear dolly wheels  27  of the mini dolly  1  engage the wheel-engaging surfaces  102   a  of the respective spaced-apart safety chock base members  102 . The attachment hooks  109  of the respective dolly attachment members  106  receive the rear axle  26  of the mini dolly  1 . Therefore, the safety chock  100  prevents each mini tow dolly  1  from inadvertently slipping downwardly on the flat bed  81  of the towing vehicle  80  during towing of the towed vehicle  84 . After towing of the vehicle  84 , the dolly attachment members  106  may be detached from the rear axle  26  prior to lowering the towed vehicle  84  from the flat bed  81 . 
     While I have described my invention in connection with what I presently consider to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the described embodiments, but, on the contrary, I intend it to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims.