Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/687,181, filed Apr. 15, 2015, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/753,431, filed Jan. 29, 2013, which issued into U.S. Pat. No. 9,032,781, on May 19, 2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 61/592,321, filed on Jan. 30, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Application 61/643,400, filed on May 7, 2012, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The current disclosure relates to valves. Particularly, the current disclosure relates to gate valves. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Valve elements are used to regulate or control the flow of material by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. One type of valve is a gate valve, which can be used in a number of applications. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Disclosed is a gate valve including a body, a stem, and a sensing bore defined in the stem. 
         [0005]    Also disclosed is a method of sensing an aspect of a water control system, the method including gaining access to the water control system through an access sensing bore defined in the a stem of a gate valve; at least temporarily removing water for testing from the access sensing bore; and sensing an aspect of the removed water. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0006]    The features and components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. Corresponding features and components throughout the figures may be designated by matching reference characters for the sake of consistency and clarity. Although dimensions may be shown in some figures, such dimensions are exemplary only and are not intended to limit the disclosure. 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a subassembly of a body, a bonnet, and a vein in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure. 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of the subassembly of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a view of the detail denoted by Detail  3  in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of a subassembly of the body and the bonnet of  FIG. 1  and a plug in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure. 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a view of the detail denoted by Detail  5  in  FIG. 4 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the subassembly taken along the plane denoted by line  6  in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 7A  is a front and partial cross-sectional view of an encapsulated disc for use with the subassembly of  FIG. 1  in a gate valve. 
           [0014]      FIG. 7B  is a side view of the encapsulated disc of  FIG. 7A   
           [0015]      FIG. 7C  is a top view of the encapsulated disc of  FIG. 7A   
           [0016]      FIG. 8A  is a side view of a stem for use with the subassembly of  FIG. 1  in a gate valve. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8B  is a top view of the stem of  FIG. 8A . 
           [0018]      FIG. 9A  is a top view of a disc nut for use with the subassembly of  FIG. 1  in a gate valve. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9B  is a front view of the disc nut of  FIG. 9A . 
           [0020]      FIG. 9C  is a side view of the disc nut of  FIG. 9A . 
           [0021]      FIG. 10A  is a top view of a disc nut for use with the subassembly of  FIG. 1  in a gate valve. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10B  is a side view of the disc nut of  FIG. 10A . 
           [0023]      FIG. 10C  is a bottom view of the disc nut of  FIG. 10A . 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a top view of a top cover for use with the subassembly of  FIG. 1  in a gate valve. 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a side view of a guide cap for use with the subassembly of  FIG. 1  in a gate valve. 
           [0026]      FIG. 12A  a cross-sectional view of the guide cap taken in a plane indicated by line  12 A in  FIG. 12 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 12B  a cross-sectional view of the guide cap taken in a plane indicated by line  12 B in  FIG. 12 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 13A  is a perspective view of a gate valve in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure including the subassembly of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0029]      FIG. 13B  is a perspective view of a gate valve in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure including the subassembly of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0030]      FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the gate valve of  FIG. 13A . 
           [0031]      FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of the gate valve taken in a plane indicated by line  15  in  FIG. 14 . 
           [0032]      FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view of the gate valve of  FIG. 13B . 
           [0033]      FIG. 17  is a cross-sectional view of the gate valve taken in a plane indicated by line  17  in  FIG. 16 . 
           [0034]      FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional view of a gate valve in accord with one embodiment of the current disclosure. 
           [0035]      FIG. 19  is a detail view of the gate valve of  FIG. 18 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0036]    Disclosed are methods, systems, and apparatus associated with sensing characteristics of fluid flow in a gate valve. A subassembly  100  of a body  110 , a bonnet  120 , and a vein  130  is seen in  FIG. 1 . The subassembly  100  is incorporated into a gate valve  1000 , seen in  FIG. 13A . The bonnet  120  includes a notch relief  140  into which the vein  130  fits. The body  110  defines a fluid bore  145  which is substantially continuous from an inlet end  112  to an outlet end  114  of the body  110  to allow fluid flow therein. 
         [0037]    As seen in cross-sectional view in  FIG. 2 , an interior  210  of the body  110  is substantially continuous and includes the fluid bore  145  and a valve cavity  214  that is defined within the body  110 . The valve cavity  214  includes a valve seat  215 . An interior  220  of the bonnet  120  is defined within a cavity  225  of the bonnet  120 . The cavity  225  of the bonnet  120  is in fluid communication with the valve seat  215  which is then in fluid communication with the fluid bore  145 . In use, fluid flows from the inlet  112  to the outlet  114 . The gate valve  1000  incorporating the subassembly  100  includes an encapsulated disc  710  (see  FIGS. 7A-7C ) as a selective gate to prevent fluid flow. A gasket seat  222  provides space for inclusion of a gasket (not shown) to seal the connection between the bonnet  120  and the body  110 . The bonnet  120  includes a flange  255  that matches up with the body  110  over the gasket seat  222 , where a flange  655  (seen in  FIG. 6 ) matches that of the flange  255 . The flange  255  allows for bolts to secure the bonnet  120  to the body  110 . The flange  255  ends at an outermost extent  257 . The flange  655  is readily discerned in  FIG. 2  because the cross-sectional view is taken through webbing  235 . Webbing  236  is seen on the body  110  one opposite side of the valve cavity  214  from webbing  235 . 
         [0038]    Also seen in  FIG. 2 , the notch  140  of the bonnet  120  aligns with a sensing bore  230  in the webbing  235  of the body  110 . The sensing bore  230  extends from a flange end  240  of the body  110  down to the fluid bore  145 . A lay length  250  as measured from the inlet end  112  to the outlet end  114  of the body  110  can also be seen. 
         [0039]    As seen in  FIG. 3 , the sensing bore  230  includes an insert portion  310  and a threaded portion  320 . Likewise, the vein  130  includes a shank portion  330  and a threaded portion  340 . As can be seen, the vein  130  defines a bore  350  extending from a shank end  360  of the vein  130  to a thread end  370  of the vein  130  such that the bore  350  is continuous along the entire length of the vein  130 . The vein  130  is shown with its threaded portion  340  engaging the threaded portion  320  of the sensing bore  230 . This interaction secures the vein  130  in place and seals an interior surface  380  of the vein  130  from an exterior surface  390 . Although the vein  130  and the sensing bore  230  are cylindrical in the current embodiment, these shapes should not be considered limiting on the scope of the disclosure. 
         [0040]    As seen, the vein  130  extends nearly the entire length of the sensing bore  230 . Although some unengaged threads are shown along the threaded portion  320 , the vein  130  is designed to extend as far as possible into the sensing bore  230 . The vein  130  is made of brass, stainless steel, copper, plastic, or any other type of material subject to low corrosion in an aqueous environment. Typically, the body  110  and the bonnet  120  are made of cast iron, although other similar materials may be used in various embodiments. Because cast iron can be highly corrosive when exposed to water, the extension of the vein  130  into the sensing bore  230  prevents corrosion, pitting, and tuberculation from degrading the ability of fluid to flow through the sensing bore  230 . Typically, the body  110  will have a protective coating, but, in some circumstances, such a protective coating may not be applied easily to the interior of the sensing bore  230 . However, in some embodiments, no vein  130  will be needed to prevent corrosion because a protective coating may be applied inside the sensing bore  230 . In some embodiments, the vein  130  or another vein may be used but may not need to be extended along the entire length of the sensing bore  230 . 
         [0041]    As seen in  FIGS. 1-3 , the sensing bore  230  is generally cylindrical although the notch  140  is not. The notch  140  includes a portion that is semi-cylindrical, but the remainder of the notch  140  extends to the outermost extent  257 . This configuration of the notch  140  allows for easier assembly of the bonnet  120  onto the body  110  if the vein  130  is already in place. For example, in some embodiments, the vein  130  may be prefabricated with the body  110  or may be preassembled with the body  110  as provided. For another example, in some embodiments, the subassembly  100  may need to be serviced or the bonnet  120  may need to be replaced due to cracking or other failure. Gate valves are designed in sizes ranging from a few inches to several feet in diameter. Particularly in embodiments with larger diameters, the bonnet  120  may be extremely heavy. Some gate valves are as large as 48-inches in diameter, and 24-inch diameter gate valves each include a bonnet weighing approximately 5,000 pounds. As such, attempting to align the vein  130  with a bore in the bonnet  120  may be very difficult. The notch  140  allows a user assembling the subassembly  100  to place the bonnet  120  onto the body  110  and then slide the bonnet  120  into place with the notch  140  aligned to the vein  130  and the sensing bore  230 . However, in some embodiments—particularly in embodiments in which the bonnet  120  is relatively light—the bonnet  120  may include a bore instead of the notch  140  with an open side, as in the current embodiment. 
         [0042]    One advantage to the placement of the sensing bore  230  and the vein  130  is that the placement does not require an increase in the lay length  250  of the body  110 . Thus, the body  110  can be used with piping systems that are already designed for standard lay lengths such as lay length  250 . From time to time, such gate valves will need servicing, either to remove blockages in the line, to repair cracked piping, to repair a non-functioning gate valve, or for other purposes. As such, damage to the vein  130  poses a significant risk. Another advantage to the placement of the vein  130  is that it is close to other components of the subassembly  100 . As such, the vein  130  may be less-susceptible to movements in the earth whether such movements are seismic or due to assembly, disassembly, and burying of the subassembly  100  in the ground. 
         [0043]    Another reason why it is advantageous to place the vein  130  on the subassembly  100  is that the subassembly  100  is part of the gate valve  1000 . Pipes in a piping system are typically installed as quickly as possible. Gate valves such as gate valve  1000 , on the other hand, are typically handled with care because improper installation of gate valves can lead to leaking piping systems and nonfunctioning gate valves. As such, there is a higher likelihood that sensors such as the pressure sensor—which may be relatively delicate and relatively expensive—are also handled with care if the vein  130  and the pressure sensor are attached to the gate valve  1000  as opposed to another component of the piping system. 
         [0044]    As seen in the embodiments of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a subassembly  100 ′ may be substantially the same as subassembly  100 . However, in some embodiments, the subassembly  100 ′ may be provided with a plug  510  instead of the vein  130  as in subassembly  100 . Such an embodiment as subassembly  100 ′ may make the use of veins  130  optional. In such embodiments, one who assembles the piping system may optionally place the vein  130  or another device into the sensing bore  230  in place of the plug  510 . The plug  510  is threaded to engage the threaded portion  320  of the sensing bore  230 . As seen, the plug  510  includes a hex head  520  and operates similarly to a set screw in the current embodiment. However, in other embodiments, various configurations of plugs may be used. In some embodiments, a quick-connect adapter may be connected to the sensing bore  230  to allow quick assembly of sensing apparatus. In some embodiments, the vein  130  or a similar probe may be molded in place inside the body  110  casting. In such embodiments, threaded portions  320 , 340  may be unnecessary as compression from the cooling of the cast iron most likely will retain the vein  130  in place. 
         [0045]      FIG. 6  shows the subassembly  100  on a plane cut through the axis of the vein  130  orthogonal to the cutting plane in the view of  FIG. 2 . As can be seen, the flange  655  of the body  110  corresponds with the flange  255  of the bonnet  120 . The thickness of the webbing  235  can be seen in the view. In various embodiments, the webbing  235  has various thicknesses. As shown, the subassembly  100  includes 6-inch fluid bore  145 . The vein  130  is about one-half inch in external diameter. The webbing  235  (and also  236 ) is about one inch in thickness. As such, the sensing bore  230  is located centrally to retain the structural integrity of the webbing  235 . In embodiments of larger size, the webbing  235  may be thicker even if the sensing bore  230  and the vein  130  are not. Thus, in larger size embodiments, placement of the sensing bore  230  is less important. In smaller size embodiments, a smaller vein  130  and sensing bore  230  may be used to accommodate thinner webbing  235 . 
         [0046]    As seen in  FIGS. 7A-7C , encapsulated disc  710  can be added to subassembly  100  as part of a gate valve  1000  in accord with one embodiment of the disclosure. As seen the encapsulated disc  710  includes a contact surface  715  for contacting and sealing with the valve seat  215  (seen in  FIG. 2 ). The encapsulated disc  710  is coated in a water-impervious material that aids in sealing the gate valve  1000  when in the closed position. The encapsulated disc  710  includes an actuation bore  725 . The encapsulated disc  710  is actuated by a stem  810  which is seen in  FIGS. 8A and 8B . The stem  810  includes a threaded portion  815  that interacts with the actuation bore  725 . The stem  810  also includes a nut portion  820  that can be rotated by the users to actuate the encapsulated disc  710  and to open or to close the gate valve  1000  selectively.  FIGS. 9A-9C  show various views of a disc nut  910  that couples the stem  810  and the encapsulated disc  710 .  FIGS. 10A-10C  show various views of a wrench nut  1010  which includes indicators  1020   a,b  showing the direction of turning to place the gate valve  1000  in an open position.  FIG. 11  shows a top cover  1110 . The top cover  1110  includes an actuation bore  1120  and two connection bores  1130   a,b .  FIG. 12  shows a guide cap  1210 . The guide cap  1210  is attached to the side of the encapsulated disc  710  to help prevent friction binding of the encapsulated disc  710  against the body  110 . The guide cap  1210  is made of plastic in the current embodiment, although other similarly non-binding materials may be used in various embodiments.  FIG. 12A  shows a cross-sectional view of the guide cap taken in a plane indicated by line  12 A in  FIG. 12 , and  FIG. 12B  shows a cross-sectional view of the guide cap taken in a plane indicated by line  12 B in  FIG. 12 . 
         [0047]    Seen in  FIG. 13A , a gate valve  1000  may incorporate the subassembly  100  along with the encapsulated disc  710  (not shown), the stem  810  (not shown), the disc nut  910  (not shown), the wrench nut  1010 , the top cover  1110 , and guide caps  1210   a,b  (not shown). As seen in  FIG. 13B , a gate valve  1000 ′ may include subassembly  100 ′ as well.  FIGS. 14 and 15  show cutaway views of the gate valve  1000 .  FIGS. 16 and 17  show cutaway views of the gate valve  1000 ′. 
         [0048]    When in use, each gate valve  1000 , 1000 ′ operates as its main function to allow a user selectively to prevent or to allow water flow through the fluid bore  145 . Moving the encapsulated disc  710 , the gate valve  1000 , 1000 ′ can be sealed when the contact surface  715  is seated against the valve seat  215 . Actuation of the stem  810  moves the encapsulated disc  710  out of the flow path of fluid, thereby opening the flow. 
         [0049]    When the vein  130  is included, as in gate valve  1000 , the sensing bore  230  and the bore  350  of the vein  130  provide a fluid pathway in fluid communication with the interior  210  of the body  110 . Because fluid in a piping system is under pressure, fluid is forced through the fluid pathway, and pressure equalizes with the pressure inside the gate valve  1000 . As such, a pressure sensor may be placed on the shank end  360  of the vein  130  to sense pressure within the piping system. 
         [0050]    In other embodiments, other types of sensors may be connected to the vein  130  to sense other aspects of fluid in the system, including (particularly when the fluid is water) turbidity, chlorination, and acidity (pH), among others. In the current embodiment, the vein  130  allows sensors to be placed outside of the gate valve  1000 , thereby providing a non-intrusive means of measuring aspects of the fluid in the piping system. However, some sensors may be placed proximate the thread end  370  of the vein  130  or, in some embodiments, may protrude inside the fluid bore  145 . In particular, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensors may be especially adapted for the small spaces of the bore  350 . 
         [0051]    It is common for gate valves such as gate valve  1000  to be buried six feet or more below the surface of the earth. In some embodiments, sensors such as the pressure sensor may be read electronically and may include wires leading to the surface. In some embodiments, the wires may be connected to a remote communicator such as an RF device. In some embodiments, the RF device will correspond with a mesh network. In those embodiments, it may be possible for the mesh network to measure pressure along different points in the piping system, thereby making easier determination of where leaks, blockages, or other failures in the piping systems may occur. Gate valve  1000 ′ may be provided as a sensor-capable gate valve, such that the vein  130  is not included with the assembly but may be added by the user. 
         [0052]    Another embodiment of a gate valve  2000  is shown and described with reference to  FIG. 18 . The gate valve  2000  includes the bonnet  120 , the body  110 , a stem  2810 , and a top cover  2110 , among other parts and features. As can be seen, the actuation bore  725  extends entirely through the encapsulated disc  710 . When the gate valve  2000  is in an open position, the actuation bore  725  is in fluid communication with the interior of the body  110  and with fluid passing therethrough. As such, the actuation bore  725  can be used as testing port. 
         [0053]    With the gate valves  1000 , 1000 ′ of previously described embodiments, the sensing bore  230  is located in the webbing  235 . Although possible, such a configuration introduces a machining operation to the casting process of the bonnet  120 . Although it is also possible to cast the sensing bore  230 , such a casting may be difficult to achieve. Moreover, the sensing bore  230  may weaken the webbing of the bonnet  120  in some applications, which may not be desirable. Further, because the bonnet  120  is made of cast iron, some steps are typically taken to ensure that the sensing bore  230  does not corrode (as previously described). 
         [0054]    To address these concerns, the gate valve  2000  of the current embodiment includes a sensing bore  2230  machined into the stem  2810 . The sensing bore  2230  is in fluid communication with the actuation bore  725  such that fluid in the body  110  can be communicated up the stem  2810  by fluid pressure in the system for testing. 
         [0055]    Referring now to  FIG. 19 , a detail of the interaction of the stem  2810  with the top cover  2110  can be seen. As can be seen, the sensing bore  2230  includes an axial portion  2231  and a radial portion  2232 . The radial portion  2232  provides a portion of the testing port from inside the stem  2810  to outside. Adjacent the stem  2810  between the top cover  2110  and the bonnet  120  is a bushing  1910 . The bushing  1910  may be made of various materials including plastic, metal, and composite, among others. In the current embodiment, the bushing  1910  is annular, and many of the features as shown are annular as well. 
         [0056]    The bushing  1910  of the current embodiment includes three annular gasket seating grooves  1912 , 1914 , 1916  into which gaskets  1932 , 1934 , 1936  seat to seal the testing port from leakage. The stem  2810  includes three annular gasket seating grooves  1913 , 1915 , 1917  that provide a sealing interface with gaskets  1933 , 1935 , 1937 . In other embodiments, fewer or more gasket seating grooves may be included depending on sealing requirements. The number and configuration of gaskets and gasket seating grooves may change from one embodiment to another, as will be understood by one of skill in the art. 
         [0057]    The radial portion  2232  communicates with an external shaft annulus  1920 , which is an annulus groove defined in the bushing  1910 . The external shaft annulus  1920  ensures that a line of fluid communication may be made regardless of the orientation of the stem  2810  with respect to the bushing  1910 . The bushing  1910  includes two radial bores  1925 , 1927  that connect in fluid communication to the external shaft annulus  1920 . The radial bores  1925 , 1927  are in fluid communication with an external bushing annulus  1930  which is similar to the external shaft annulus  1920  and substantially connects the two radial bores  1925 , 1927  along the outside of the bushing  1910 . 
         [0058]    As seen, the external bushing annulus  1930  communicates with an adapter bore  1940  in the top cover  2110 . The adapter bore  1940  includes a neck portion  1942  and a threaded portion  1944  in the current embodiment, although the adapter bore  1940  need not include any specific connection configuration in all embodiments. 
         [0059]    In the current embodiment, a sensing mechanism (not shown) may be connected to the adapter bore  1940  and in fluid communication with the interior of the gate valve  2000 . As disclosed with respect to prior embodiments, the gate valve  2000  may include a plug (not shown) connected in the adapter bore  1940  if the testing port is not in use. For ease of reference, use of the testing port of the current embodiment includes the actuation bore  725 , the sensing bore  2230 , external shaft annulus  1920 , the two radial bores  1925 , 1927 , external bushing annulus  1930 , and the adapter bore  1940 . The gate valve  2000  may include the sensing mechanism connected in the adapter bore  1940 . The gate valve  2000  may include a vein such as vein  130  of prior embodiments to connect to a sensing mechanism. 
         [0060]    Locating the sensing bore  2230  in the stem  2810  addresses many of the concerns noted with respect to prior embodiments. Because the sensing bore  2230  is not defined in the bonnet  120 , it does not require a machining operation in addition to casting. Moreover, the bonnet  120  is not weakened by the inclusion of sensing bore  230 , which may be a concern in some embodiments. Further, because the stem  2810  is exposed to water throughout its life, it is typically made of a material that is substantially corrosion-resistant or subjected to a process to discourage corrosion. As such, no additional steps are required to protect the sensing bore  2230  from corrosion as would be required in prior embodiments. Further, the stem  2810  may be machined in some embodiments, and adding a machining step to include the sensing bore  2230  would not introduce excessive costs for additional machinery or capital into the process of manufacturing the stem  2810 . 
         [0061]    In operation, the gate valve  2000  is normally in an open position with the gate  710  raised (not shown in  FIGS. 18 and 19 ). When the gate  710  is lifted, the actuation bore  725  is in fluid communication with the interior of the gate valve  2000 , and, as such, is exposed to fluid pressure in the piping system. The fluid pressure in the piping system allows fluid flow into the axial portion  2231  of the sensing bore  2230  and then into the radial portion  2232 . Fluid exits the radial portion  2232  and travels into the external shaft annulus  1920 , into the two radial bores  1925 , 1927 , into the external bushing annulus  1930 , into the neck portion  1942  of the adapter bore  1940 , and then into the threaded portion  1944  of the adapter bore  1940 . The fluid in the threaded portion  1944  is then communicated into the sensing mechanism which may be capable of sensing various aspects of the fluid system, including pressure, turbidity, chlorination, and acidity (pH), among others. 
         [0062]    In some conditions, the gate valve  2000  may be changed to a closed position. When the gate valve  2000  is in the closed position, the actuation bore  725  is not in fluid communication with the interior of the gate valve  2000 . However, the gate valve  2000  should be in the closed position only when maintenance or faults are determined in the piping system, and, as such, use of the sensing mechanism may not be required when the gate valve  2000  is in the closed position. In other embodiments, the gate  710  may include a sensing bore (not shown) to communicate fluid from one side of the gate  710  into the actuation bore  725  and maintain the ability to test at least one part of the piping system when the gate valve  2000  is in the closed position. 
         [0063]    It should be emphasized that the embodiments described herein are merely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the described embodiment(s) without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. Further, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover any and all combinations and sub-combinations of all elements, features, and aspects discussed above. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure, and all possible claims to individual aspects or combinations of elements or steps are intended to be supported by the present disclosure. 
         [0064]    One should note that conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain embodiments include, while alternative embodiments do not include, certain features, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any way required for one or more particular embodiments or that one or more particular embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment. 
         [0065]    Various implementations described in the present disclosure may include additional systems, methods, features, and advantages, which may not necessarily be expressly disclosed herein but will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is intended that all such systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within the present disclosure and protected by the accompanying claims.

Technology Category: 2