阅读说明：本技术 一种冰箱门铰锁装置及冰箱 (Refrigerator door hinge lock device and refrigerator ) 是由 尹城杰 万晓春 于 2019-10-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了一种冰箱门铰锁装置及冰箱,其包括：转动连接的铰链和门扣；铰链固定连接于冰箱主体上,用于承载门扣和冰箱门；门扣用于承载固定冰箱门,并将冰箱门转动连接于所述铰链上；铰链上设置有锁齿,门扣上设置有弹齿；当冰箱门逐渐关闭或开启过程中,弹齿与锁齿逐渐过盈接触,且当冰箱门处于关闭和开启状态时,弹齿与锁齿相互卡合限位。进而在冰箱门开启和关闭操作时缓冲和限位冰箱门,有效的避免了因用力过猛和停止不及时,造成冰箱门出现碰撞、回弹和晃动,保护了冰箱门上的物品安全性和冰箱门结构,提升了冰箱门的使用寿命；在冰箱门开启到最大角度是,有效的限位冰箱门,防止冰箱门自动转动,方便了用户拿取冰箱内物品。(The invention provides a refrigerator door hinge lock device and a refrigerator, comprising: a hinge and a door catch which are connected in a rotating way; the hinge is fixedly connected to the refrigerator main body and used for bearing the door buckle and the refrigerator door; the door buckle is used for bearing and fixing the refrigerator door and rotatably connecting the refrigerator door to the hinge; the hinge is provided with a lock tooth, and the door catch is provided with a spring tooth; when the refrigerator door is gradually closed or opened, the elastic teeth and the lock teeth are gradually in interference contact, and when the refrigerator door is in a closed state and an opened state, the elastic teeth and the lock teeth are mutually clamped and limited. The refrigerator door is further buffered and limited when the refrigerator door is opened and closed, so that the phenomenon that the refrigerator door is collided, rebounded and rocked due to over-strong force and untimely stop is effectively avoided, the safety of articles on the refrigerator door and the structure of the refrigerator door are protected, and the service life of the refrigerator door is prolonged; it is to open the biggest angle at the refrigerator door, and effectual spacing refrigerator door prevents that the refrigerator door from automatic rotation, has made things convenient for the user to take article in the refrigerator.)

1. A refrigerator door hinge device, comprising: a hinge and a door catch which are connected in a rotating way; the hinge is fixedly connected to the refrigerator main body and used for bearing the door buckle and the refrigerator door; the door buckle is used for bearing and fixing the refrigerator door and rotatably connecting the refrigerator door to the hinge; the hinge is provided with lock teeth, and the door catch is provided with elastic teeth; when the refrigerator door is gradually closed or opened, the elastic teeth are gradually in interference contact with the lock teeth, and when the refrigerator door is in a closed state or an opened state, the elastic teeth are mutually clamped and limited with the lock teeth.

2. A refrigerator door hinge assembly according to claim 1, wherein the locking teeth include first and second locking teeth disposed on opposite sides of the hinge, respectively; the elastic teeth comprise a first elastic tooth and a second elastic tooth which are respectively arranged at two opposite ends of the door catch; when the refrigerator door is closed, the first elastic tooth is gradually contacted with the first lock tooth, and when the refrigerator door is completely closed, the first elastic tooth and the first lock tooth are mutually clamped and limited; when the refrigerator opens the door, the second elastic tooth gradually contacts the second locking tooth, and when the refrigerator door is completely opened, the second elastic tooth and the second locking tooth are mutually clamped and limited.

3. The refrigerator door hinge lock apparatus of claim 2, wherein the latch tooth is provided as an elastic member and is elastically deformed when the latch tooth contacts the latch tooth.

4. The refrigerator door hinge lock device of claim 2, wherein the first spring tooth, the second spring tooth, the first lock tooth and the second lock tooth are provided with circular arc shaped edges.

5. A refrigerator door hinge apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the edges of the first and second spring teeth are provided with separable flexible buffer layers.

6. A refrigerator door hinge assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein separable flexible buffer layers are provided at edges on the first and second locking teeth.

7. A refrigerator door hinge lock apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the edges of the first and second spring teeth and the first and second lock teeth are provided with separable flexible buffer layers.

8. The refrigerator door hinge lock device of claim 2, wherein the door latch includes a door latch body, and the first and second spring teeth are integrally formed to extend from opposite ends of the door latch body; the joint of the elastic tooth and the door buckle main body is provided with a buffering notch, and the buffering notch is used for accommodating the lock tooth and improving the connection strength of the elastic tooth and the door buckle main body.

9. A refrigerator door hinge lock apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the hinge further includes a first fixing plate, a second fixing plate and a hinge shaft fixedly connected thereto; the door holder also comprises a rotating shaft sleeve and a fixing column which vertically extend from the door holder main body; the first fixing plate is fixedly connected with the refrigerator main body, the second fixing plate is vertically extended and molded from one end of the first fixing plate, the hinge shaft is vertically arranged on the second fixing plate, and the locking teeth are arranged on two opposite side surfaces of the second fixing plate; the door catch is sleeved on the hinge shaft through the rotating shaft sleeve and rotates relative to the hinge shaft; the fixed column and the rotating shaft sleeve are used for fixing the refrigerator door.

10. A refrigerator characterized in that it comprises a refrigerator door hinge device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of refrigerators, in particular to a refrigerator door hinge locking device and a refrigerator.

Background

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a refrigerator door hinge locking device and a refrigerator aiming at the defects in the prior art; aims to solve the problem that the hinge lock device of the refrigerator door in the prior art can not play the roles of buffering and limiting when the refrigerator door is opened and closed.

The technical scheme adopted by the invention for solving the technical problem is as follows: a refrigerator door hinge lock device comprises a hinge and a door catch which are connected in a rotating way; the hinge is fixedly connected to the refrigerator main body and used for bearing the door buckle and the refrigerator door; the door buckle is used for bearing and fixing the refrigerator door and rotatably connecting the refrigerator door to the hinge; the hinge is provided with lock teeth, and the door catch is provided with elastic teeth; when the refrigerator door is gradually closed or opened, the elastic teeth are gradually in interference contact with the lock teeth, and when the refrigerator door is in a closed state or an opened state, the elastic teeth are mutually clamped and limited with the lock teeth.

Furthermore, the locking teeth comprise a first locking tooth and a second locking tooth which are respectively arranged on two opposite side surfaces of the hinge; the elastic teeth comprise a first elastic tooth and a second elastic tooth which are respectively arranged at two opposite ends of the door catch; when the refrigerator door is closed, the first elastic tooth is gradually contacted with the first lock tooth, and when the refrigerator door is completely closed, the first elastic tooth and the first lock tooth are mutually clamped and limited; when the refrigerator opens the door, the second elastic tooth gradually contacts the second locking tooth, and when the refrigerator door is completely opened, the second elastic tooth and the second locking tooth are mutually clamped and limited.

Furthermore, the elastic tooth is arranged as an elastic piece and elastically deforms after contacting the lock tooth.

Furthermore, the first elastic tooth, the second elastic tooth, the first locking tooth and the second locking tooth are provided with arc-shaped edges.

Further, the edge of first bullet tooth and second bullet tooth is provided with separable flexible buffer layer.

Furthermore, the edge on first latch tooth and the second latch tooth is provided with separable flexible buffer layer.

Furthermore, the edge of first bullet tooth, second bullet tooth, first lock tooth and second lock tooth is provided with separable flexible buffer layer.

Furthermore, the door catch comprises a door catch main body, and the first elastic tooth and the second elastic tooth integrally extend from two opposite ends of the door catch main body to be formed; the joint of the elastic tooth and the door buckle main body is provided with a buffering notch, and the buffering notch is used for accommodating the lock tooth and improving the connection strength of the elastic tooth and the door buckle main body.

Furthermore, the hinge also comprises a first fixed plate, a second fixed plate and a hinge shaft which are fixedly connected; the door holder also comprises a rotating shaft sleeve and a fixing column which vertically extend from the door holder main body; the first fixing plate is fixedly connected with the refrigerator main body, the second fixing plate is vertically extended and molded from one end of the first fixing plate, the hinge shaft is vertically arranged on the second fixing plate, and the locking teeth are arranged on two opposite side surfaces of the second fixing plate; the door catch is sleeved on the hinge shaft through the rotating shaft sleeve and rotates relative to the hinge shaft; the fixed column and the rotating shaft sleeve are used for fixing the refrigerator door.

The technical scheme adopted by the invention for solving the technical problem is as follows: a refrigerator comprises the refrigerator door hinge lock device.

Compared with the prior art, the invention provides a refrigerator door hinge locking device and a refrigerator, comprising: a hinge and a door catch which are connected in a rotating way; the hinge is fixedly connected to the refrigerator main body and used for bearing the door buckle and the refrigerator door; the door buckle is used for bearing and fixing the refrigerator door and rotatably connecting the refrigerator door to the hinge; the hinge is provided with lock teeth, and the door catch is provided with elastic teeth; when the refrigerator door is gradually closed or opened, the elastic teeth are gradually in interference contact with the lock teeth, and when the refrigerator door is in a closed state or an opened state, the elastic teeth are mutually clamped and limited with the lock teeth. When the refrigerator door is opened and closed, the refrigerator door is effectively buffered and limited, so that the refrigerator door is effectively prevented from being collided, rebounded and shaken due to over-strong force and untimely stop, the safety of articles on the refrigerator door and the structure of the refrigerator door are protected, and the service life of the refrigerator door is prolonged; furthermore, the refrigerator door is opened to the maximum angle, the refrigerator door is effectively limited, the refrigerator door is prevented from automatically rotating, and a user can conveniently take articles in the refrigerator.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a hinge lock device of a refrigerator door according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another perspective view of a hinge assembly for a refrigerator door according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of another perspective view of a hinge assembly for a refrigerator door according to the present invention;

FIG. 4a is a schematic perspective view of a hinge and a door latch of a refrigerator door hinge device according to the present invention when a door of the refrigerator is closed;

FIG. 4b is a schematic view of the hinge assembly of a refrigerator door of the present invention showing the relationship between the hinge and the door latch and the three-dimensional relationship when the door is opened to about 111 °;

FIG. 4c is a schematic view of the hinge assembly of a refrigerator door of the present invention showing the relationship between the hinge and the door latch and the three-dimensional relationship when the door is opened to about 126 degrees;

FIG. 4d is a schematic perspective view of the hinge and the door catch of the refrigerator door hinge lock device according to the present invention when the door is at the maximum opening angle;

description of reference numerals:

10. a refrigerator door hinge lock device; 11. a hinge; 12. a door catch; 13. a separable flexible buffer layer; 14. a buffer notch; 111. locking teeth; 112. a first locking tooth; 113. a second locking tooth; 114. a first fixing plate; 115. a second fixing plate; 116. a hinge axis; 117. a fixing hole; 121. elastic teeth; 122. a first spring tooth; 123. a second spring tooth; 124. a door catch main body; 125. a rotating shaft sleeve; 126. and (5) fixing the column.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and clearer, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

Based on the prior art, when a user places a refrigerator at home, the refrigerator is difficult to place in an absolute horizontal state due to uneven ground and the like; on the other hand, in the production process of the refrigerator, due to the limitations of assembly gaps, process precision and the like, the refrigerator door, the base and the like are difficult to be processed to be completely horizontal, and after a user opens the refrigerator door, the refrigerator door can automatically rotate due to the fact that the weight of objects (such as large bottles of beverages and the like) is arranged on the refrigerator door and the weight of the objects arranged on the refrigerator door, so that the normal use of the refrigerator is influenced as the user needs to hold the door with hands to prevent the door from being clamped or opening the door for multiple times in the process of taking and placing food materials; meanwhile, in the process of opening and closing the door of the refrigerator, the phenomena of collision, rebound and shaking of the refrigerator door are caused because no buffer exists, so that the structure of the refrigerator door is damaged, and articles fall off from a door shelf; the refrigerator door hinge device can effectively buffer and limit the refrigerator door when the refrigerator door is opened and closed, so that the refrigerator door is effectively prevented from being collided, rebounded and shaken due to over-strong force and untimely stop, the safety of articles on the refrigerator door and the structure of the refrigerator door are protected, and the service life of the refrigerator door is prolonged; furthermore, the refrigerator door is opened to the maximum angle, the refrigerator door is effectively limited, the refrigerator door is prevented from automatically rotating, and a user can conveniently take articles in the refrigerator.

Further, referring to fig. 1 and 2 in combination, the refrigerator door hinge apparatus 10 includes: the door lock comprises a hinge 11 and a door catch 12, wherein the door catch 12 is rotatably connected with the hinge 11; that is, the door latch 12 and the hinge 11 can rotate with each other; the hinge 11 is fixedly connected to the refrigerator main body and used for bearing the door buckle 12 and the refrigerator door; that is, the hinge 11 is used to fix the refrigerator door and the door holder 12 to the refrigerator main body; the door holder 12 is used for bearing and fixing a refrigerator door and rotatably connecting the refrigerator door to the hinge 11; it can be understood that the refrigerator door can rotate relative to the refrigerator main body through the door buckle 12 and the hinge 11; the hinge 11 is provided with a locking tooth 111, and the door catch 12 is provided with a spring tooth 121; when the refrigerator door is gradually closed or opened, the spring teeth 121 and the lock teeth 111 are gradually in interference contact, and when the refrigerator door is in a closed or opened state, the spring teeth 121 and the lock teeth 111 are mutually clamped and limited.

It can be understood that in the opening process of the refrigerator door, the elastic teeth 121 gradually contact the lock teeth 111, and when the elastic teeth 121 contact the lock teeth 111, the elastic teeth 121 start to elastically deform, so that the opening process of the refrigerator door is buffered, collision, rebound and shaking of the refrigerator door caused by over-strong force and untimely stop are avoided, the safety of articles on the refrigerator door and the structure of the refrigerator door are protected, and the service life of the refrigerator door is prolonged; and, when the refrigerator door is opened to the maximum angle, the spring tooth 121 with lock tooth 111 block is spacing, and then effectual spacing refrigerator door prevents that the refrigerator door from automatic rotating, has made things convenient for the user to take article in the refrigerator. Similarly, in the process of closing the refrigerator door, the elastic teeth 121 gradually contact the lock teeth 111, and the elastic teeth 121 contact the lock teeth 111, the elastic teeth 121 begin to elastically deform, so that the refrigerator door opening process plays a role in buffering, when the refrigerator door is completely closed, the elastic teeth 121 are clamped and limited by the lock teeth 111, so that the refrigerator door is prevented from colliding, rebounding and shaking due to the fact that the refrigerator door is too violent and is stopped untimely, the article safety and the refrigerator door structure on the refrigerator door are protected, and the service life of the refrigerator door is prolonged.

In some preferred embodiments, the locking teeth 111 comprise a first locking tooth 112 and a second locking tooth 113 respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the hinge 11; the elastic teeth 121 comprise a first elastic tooth 122 and a second elastic tooth 123 which are respectively arranged at two opposite ends of the door catch 12; when the refrigerator door is closed, the first elastic tooth 122 gradually contacts the first locking tooth 112, and when the refrigerator door is completely closed, the first elastic tooth 122 and the first locking tooth 112 are mutually clamped and limited; when the refrigerator is opened, the second elastic tooth 123 gradually contacts the second locking tooth 113, and when the refrigerator door is completely opened, the second elastic tooth 123 and the second locking tooth 113 are mutually clamped and limited. It can be understood that the lock teeth 111 and the hinge 11 are provided with two sets of buffering and limiting mechanisms, one set of the buffering and limiting mechanisms buffers and limits the refrigerator door in the opening process of the refrigerator door, and the other set of the buffering and limiting mechanisms buffers and limits the refrigerator door in the closing process of the refrigerator door, so that the refrigerator door hinge locking device 10 can effectively buffer and limit the refrigerator door in the opening and closing processes of the refrigerator door, further effectively avoid collision, rebounding and shaking of the refrigerator door caused by over-violent force and untimely stopping, protect the safety of articles on the refrigerator door and the structure of the refrigerator door, and prolong the service life of the refrigerator door; furthermore, the refrigerator door is opened to the maximum angle, the refrigerator door is effectively limited, the refrigerator door is prevented from automatically rotating, and a user can conveniently take articles in the refrigerator.

In some embodiments, the spring tooth 121 is configured as an elastic member and is elastically deformed when the spring tooth 121 contacts the lock tooth 111; further effectively avoiding the spring teeth 121 from being broken due to the deformation of extrusion force in the process of closing or opening the door of the refrigerator door.

In some embodiments, the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first locking tooth 112 and the second locking tooth 113 are provided with circular arc-shaped edges; it can be understood that the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first lock tooth 112 and the second lock tooth 113 are provided with arc-shaped edges, so that the buffering and the clamping between the elastic tooth 121 and the lock tooth 111 are effectively facilitated, the abrasion among the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first lock tooth 112 and the second lock tooth 113 is effectively reduced, and the service life of the refrigerator door hinge lock device 10 is prolonged.

In some embodiments, the separable flexible buffer layer 13 is disposed at the edge of the first elastic tooth 122 and the second elastic tooth 123. It can be understood that the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first lock tooth 112 and the second lock tooth 113 are effectively protected by providing the separable flexible buffer layer 13 at the edge of the first elastic tooth 122 and the second elastic tooth 123; after the first elastic tooth 122 and the second elastic tooth 123 are worn, the separable flexible buffer layer 13 can be replaced, so that the refrigerator door hinge lock device 10 can normally play roles of buffering and limiting in the process of opening and closing the refrigerator door, and the service life of the refrigerator door hinge lock device 10 is prolonged.

In some embodiments, a separable flexible buffer layer 13 is disposed at the edge of the first locking tooth 112 and the second locking tooth 113. It can be understood that the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first locking tooth 112 and the second locking tooth 113 are effectively protected by providing the separable flexible buffer layer 13 at the edge of the first locking tooth 112 and the second locking tooth 113; after the first locking teeth 112 and the second locking teeth 113 are worn, the separable flexible buffer layer 13 can be replaced, so that the refrigerator door hinge locking device 10 can normally play roles of buffering and limiting in the process of opening and closing the refrigerator door, and the service life of the refrigerator door hinge locking device 10 is prolonged.

Referring to fig. 3, in some embodiments, the separable flexible buffer layer 13 is disposed at the edge of the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first locking tooth 112, and the second locking tooth 113. It can be understood that the separable flexible buffer layer 13 is arranged at the edges of the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first locking tooth 112 and the second locking tooth 113, so as to effectively protect the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first locking tooth 112 and the second locking tooth 113; and after the first elastic tooth 122, the second elastic tooth 123, the first locking tooth 112 and the second locking tooth 113 are worn, the separable flexible buffer layer 13 can be replaced, so that the refrigerator door hinge lock device 10 can normally play roles of buffering and limiting in the process of opening and closing the refrigerator door, and the service life of the refrigerator door hinge lock device 10 is prolonged.

In some embodiments, the door latch 12 includes a door latch body 124, and the first spring tooth 122 and the second spring tooth 123 are integrally formed on two opposite ends of the door latch body 124; the joint of the elastic tooth 121 and the door buckle main body 124 is provided with a buffer notch 14, and the buffer notch 14 is used for accommodating the lock tooth 111 and improving the connection strength of the elastic tooth 121 and the door buckle main body 124. It can be understood that, by providing the buffering notch 14, after the elastic tooth 121 contacts the lock tooth 111, the elastic tooth 111 is subject to the extrusion force and then elastically deforms with respect to the latch body 124, and by providing the buffering notch 14 at the contact position of the elastic tooth 121 and the latch body 124, the elastic deformation capability of the elastic tooth 121 is significantly increased, so that the structural strength of the elastic tooth 121 is effectively enhanced, the connection strength of the elastic tooth 121 and the latch body 124 is enhanced, and the service life of the elastic tooth 121 is prolonged.

In some embodiments, the hinge 11 further comprises a first fixing plate 114, a second fixing plate 115 and a hinge shaft 116 fixedly connected thereto; the door holder 12 further comprises a rotating shaft sleeve 125 and a fixing column 126 which vertically extend from the door holder main body 124; the first fixing plate 114 is fixedly connected with the refrigerator main body, the second fixing plate 115 is vertically extended and molded from one end of the first fixing plate 114, the hinge shaft 116 is vertically arranged on the second fixing plate 115, and the locking teeth 111 are arranged on two opposite side surfaces of the second fixing plate 115; the door latch 12 is sleeved on the hinge shaft 116 through the rotating shaft sleeve 125 and rotates relative to the hinge shaft 116; the fixing column 126 and the rotating shaft sleeve 125 are used for fixing the refrigerator door. Further, a fixing hole 117 is formed at one end of the first fixing plate 114; further, the fixing holes 117 are provided in two, three, or more than three.

In a specific embodiment, the refrigerator performs a door opening operation, that is, the refrigerator is initially in a refrigerator door closed state, an included angle between the refrigerator door and the refrigerator main body is 0 ° (as shown in fig. 4 a), that is, an included angle α between the door latch 12 and the hinge 11 is 0 °, the second latch 123 is engaged with the second latch 113 for limiting, then, as the refrigerator door is gradually opened, the second latch 123 is gradually elastically deformed and gradually separated from the contact of the second latch 113, and at the same time, the included angle α is gradually increased until the included angle α increases to a preset angle value around 111 ° (as shown in fig. 4 b), the first latch 122 is brought into contact with the latch 111, at this time, the hinge device 10 starts to buffer the door opening operation, and as the refrigerator door is continuously opened, the first latch 122 starts to elastically deform under the effect of the first latch 112 until the refrigerator door α increases to a preset angle value around 126 ° (as shown in fig. 4 c), and the first latch 122 starts to be elastically deformed until the first latch 122 is automatically restored to the original shape of the refrigerator door, and the first latch 122 is automatically restored to the shape when the first latch 112 is restored to the shape, and the refrigerator door opening angle is restored to the preset angle, and the shape is set according to the preset angle d, wherein the buffer latch is set to the shape of the buffer latch 112.

The invention also provides a refrigerator, wherein the refrigerator comprises the refrigerator door hinge locking device 10 in the embodiment of the invention. It can be understood that the refrigerator provided by the present invention adopts the refrigerator door hinge device 10 described in the above embodiments of the present invention; when the refrigerator door is opened and closed, the refrigerator door is effectively buffered and limited, so that the refrigerator door is effectively prevented from being collided, rebounded and shaken due to over-strong force and untimely stop, the safety of articles on the refrigerator door and the structure of the refrigerator door are protected, and the service life of the refrigerator door is prolonged; furthermore, the refrigerator door is opened to the maximum angle, the refrigerator door is effectively limited, the refrigerator door is prevented from automatically rotating, and a user can conveniently take articles in the refrigerator.

Compared with the prior art, the invention provides a refrigerator door hinge locking device and a refrigerator, comprising: a hinge and a door catch which are connected in a rotating way; the hinge is fixedly connected to the refrigerator main body and used for bearing the door buckle and the refrigerator door; the door buckle is used for bearing and fixing the refrigerator door and rotatably connecting the refrigerator door to the hinge; the hinge is provided with lock teeth, and the door catch is provided with elastic teeth; when the refrigerator door is gradually closed or opened, the elastic teeth are gradually in interference contact with the lock teeth, and when the refrigerator door is in a closed state or an opened state, the elastic teeth are mutually clamped and limited with the lock teeth. When the refrigerator door is opened and closed, the refrigerator door is effectively buffered and limited, so that the refrigerator door is effectively prevented from being collided, rebounded and shaken due to over-strong force and untimely stop, the safety of articles on the refrigerator door and the structure of the refrigerator door are protected, and the service life of the refrigerator door is prolonged; furthermore, the refrigerator door is opened to the maximum angle, the refrigerator door is effectively limited, the refrigerator door is prevented from automatically rotating, and a user can conveniently take articles in the refrigerator.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the foregoing description, and that modifications and variations may be effected by those skilled in the art in light of the above teachings, all within the scope and range of equivalents of the appended claims.