阅读说明：本技术 一种伸缩式卫生筷子 (Telescopic sanitary chopsticks ) 是由 王瑾宸 王世钰 蔡嘉轩 于 2021-06-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种伸缩式卫生筷子,包括：筷筒、第一伸缩筷机构、第二伸缩筷机构和限位组件。本装置在筷筒内设置了两个可上下伸缩的筷体,使用时通过按压不同的按钮可让两个筷体交替伸出,从而可以应用在不同的使用场景中,例如其中一个筷体可专门用于夹菜,另一个筷体可专门用于入口,这样当需要夹菜时,可使其中一个筷体伸出,当需要入口时,再使另外一个筷体伸出,而且这两个筷体各自设置在不同的容纳腔内,由此可有效避免用餐夹菜时、因为口水而带来的交叉感染和卫生问题。本装置结构简单,使用时只需按压不同的按钮即可,没有多余的动作,操作十分方便,发明强。(The invention discloses a telescopic sanitary chopstick, which comprises: the chopsticks comprise a chopstick cylinder, a first telescopic chopstick mechanism, a second telescopic chopstick mechanism and a limiting component. The device is provided with two chopstick bodies which can stretch up and down in the chopstick tube, and the two chopstick bodies can alternately extend out by pressing different buttons during use, so that the device can be applied to different use scenes, for example, one chopstick body can be specially used for clamping vegetables, the other chopstick body can be specially used for entering, when the vegetables are required to be clamped, one chopstick body can extend out, when the vegetables are required to enter, the other chopstick body extends out, and the two chopstick bodies are respectively arranged in different accommodating cavities, so that the cross infection and the sanitation problem caused by water in the process of clamping the vegetables during dining can be effectively avoided. The device has simple structure, can be used by only pressing different buttons without redundant actions, is very convenient to operate and is strong in inventing.)

1. A pair of telescopic sanitary chopsticks, comprising: the chopstick container, the first telescopic chopstick mechanism, the second telescopic chopstick mechanism and the limiting component are arranged on the chopstick container;

the chopstick tube is hollow and defines a cavity, a partition board is arranged in the cavity and divides the cavity into a first accommodating cavity and a second accommodating cavity, and the first accommodating cavity and the second accommodating cavity extend along the vertical direction and penetrate through the chopstick tube;

the first accommodating cavity is internally provided with the first telescopic chopstick mechanism, and the first telescopic chopstick mechanism comprises a first chopstick body, a first button and a first spring; the first chopstick body penetrates through the first accommodating cavity and can move along the first accommodating cavity; the first chopstick body is sleeved with the first spring, one end of the first spring is connected with the first chopstick body, and the other end of the first spring is connected with the chopstick cylinder; the first button is arranged at the top end of the first chopstick tube, and one part of the first button extends into the first accommodating cavity and is sleeved at the top end of the first chopstick body;

the second chopstick stretching mechanism is arranged in the second accommodating cavity and comprises a second chopstick body, a second button and a second spring; the second chopstick body penetrates through the second accommodating cavity and can move along the second accommodating cavity; the second chopstick body is sleeved with the second spring, one end of the second spring is connected with the second chopstick body, and the other end of the second spring is connected with the chopstick cylinder; the second button is arranged at the top end of the second chopstick tube, and one part of the second button extends into the second accommodating cavity and is sleeved at the top end of the second chopstick body;

the baffle plate is provided with the limiting assembly, and the limiting assembly is structured as follows: when the first button is pressed, the first button is matched with the limiting assembly, the lower end of the first chopstick body extends out of the first accommodating cavity downwards, the second button bounces, and the second chopstick body retracts into the second accommodating cavity upwards; or when the second button is pressed, the second button is matched with the limiting component, the lower end of the second chopstick body extends out of the second accommodating cavity downwards, the first button bounces, and the first chopstick body retracts upwards into the first accommodating cavity.

2. The telescopic sanitary chopsticks according to claim 1, wherein the bottom end of the first button is provided with a first hook, and the bottom end of the second button is provided with a second hook;

the limiting assembly comprises a clamping plate and a third spring, a transverse sliding groove is formed in the partition plate and is respectively communicated with the first accommodating cavity and the second accommodating cavity, the clamping plate is slidably mounted in the sliding groove, one end of the third spring is connected with the chopstick cylinder, the other end of the third spring is connected with the clamping plate, a first clamping groove and a second clamping groove are formed in the clamping plate, the first clamping groove is located in the first accommodating cavity, and the second clamping groove is located in the second accommodating cavity;

the first clamping groove comprises a first guide groove at the upper side and a first fixing groove at the lower side, the first guide groove is provided with an inclined first guide surface, the first guide surface is positioned below the first clamping hook, and the first clamping hook can abut against the first guide surface when moving downwards so as to force the clamping plate to move transversely to extrude the third spring and then hook the first fixing groove;

the second draw-in groove includes the second guide way of upside and the second fixed slot of downside, the second guide way has the second spigot surface of slope, the second spigot surface is located second trip below, during the second trip moves down can with the second spigot surface butt is in order to force cardboard lateral shifting extrudees the third spring, then catches on the second fixed slot again.

3. The telescopic sanitary chopsticks according to claim 2, wherein when the first hook is engaged with the first fixing groove, the second guide surface is located below the second hook; when the second clamping hook is matched with the second fixing groove, the first guide surface is positioned under the first clamping hook.

4. The telescopic sanitary chopsticks according to claim 1, wherein a first stopper ring is provided on an outer circumferential wall of the first chopstick body, a second stopper ring is provided on an inner circumferential wall of the first receiving chamber, and one end of the first spring is connected to the first stopper ring and the other end thereof is connected to the second stopper ring.

5. The telescopic sanitary chopsticks according to claim 1, wherein a third stopper ring is provided on an outer circumferential wall of the second chopstick body, a fourth stopper ring is provided on an inner circumferential wall of the second receiving chamber, and one end of the second spring is connected to the third stopper ring and the other end thereof is connected to the fourth stopper ring.

6. The telescopic sanitary chopsticks according to claim 1, wherein the first button is provided with a first mark and the second button is provided with a second mark.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of chopsticks, in particular to a pair of telescopic sanitary chopsticks.

Background

Chopsticks are widely used in Chinese culture circles, eating dishes are not shared in Chinese food culture, so that when people eat dishes, the problem that saliva is brought into the dishes inevitably occurs when the people eat the dishes by using the chopsticks, the hidden danger of cross infection and insanitation exists, the chopsticks need to be improved to have double functions of clamping the dishes and entering the mouth, and the functions are not interfered with each other, and the chopsticks are produced.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to solving at least one of the problems of the prior art. To this end, it is an object of the present invention to provide a pair of telescopic sanitary chopsticks.

The technical scheme of the invention is as follows: a pair of telescopic sanitary chopsticks, comprising: the chopstick container, the first telescopic chopstick mechanism, the second telescopic chopstick mechanism and the limiting component are arranged on the chopstick container;

the chopstick tube is hollow and defines a cavity, a partition board is arranged in the cavity and divides the cavity into a first accommodating cavity and a second accommodating cavity, and the first accommodating cavity and the second accommodating cavity extend along the vertical direction and penetrate through the chopstick tube;

the first accommodating cavity is internally provided with the first telescopic chopstick mechanism, and the first telescopic chopstick mechanism comprises a first chopstick body, a first button and a first spring; the first chopstick body penetrates through the first accommodating cavity and can move along the first accommodating cavity; the first chopstick body is sleeved with the first spring, one end of the first spring is connected with the first chopstick body, and the other end of the first spring is connected with the chopstick cylinder; the first button is arranged at the top end of the first chopstick tube, and one part of the first button extends into the first accommodating cavity and is sleeved at the top end of the first chopstick body;

the second chopstick stretching mechanism is arranged in the second accommodating cavity and comprises a second chopstick body, a second button and a second spring; the second chopstick body penetrates through the second accommodating cavity and can move along the second accommodating cavity; the second chopstick body is sleeved with the second spring, one end of the second spring is connected with the second chopstick body, and the other end of the second spring is connected with the chopstick cylinder; the second button is arranged at the top end of the second chopstick tube, and one part of the second button extends into the second accommodating cavity and is sleeved at the top end of the second chopstick body;

the baffle plate is provided with the limiting assembly, and the limiting assembly is structured as follows: when the first button is pressed, the first button is matched with the limiting assembly, the lower end of the first chopstick body extends out of the first accommodating cavity downwards, the second button bounces, and the second chopstick body retracts into the second accommodating cavity upwards; or when the second button is pressed, the second button is matched with the limiting component, the lower end of the second chopstick body extends out of the second accommodating cavity downwards, the first button bounces, and the first chopstick body retracts upwards into the first accommodating cavity.

Preferably, a first clamping hook is arranged at the bottom end of the first button, and a second clamping hook is arranged at the bottom end of the second button;

the limiting assembly comprises a clamping plate and a third spring, a transverse sliding groove is formed in the partition plate and is respectively communicated with the first accommodating cavity and the second accommodating cavity, the clamping plate is slidably mounted in the sliding groove, one end of the third spring is connected with the chopstick cylinder, the other end of the third spring is connected with the clamping plate, a first clamping groove and a second clamping groove are formed in the clamping plate, the first clamping groove is located in the first accommodating cavity, and the second clamping groove is located in the second accommodating cavity;

the first clamping groove comprises a first guide groove at the upper side and a first fixing groove at the lower side, the first guide groove is provided with an inclined first guide surface, the first guide surface is positioned below the first clamping hook, and the first clamping hook can abut against the first guide surface when moving downwards so as to force the clamping plate to move transversely to extrude the third spring and then hook the first fixing groove;

the second draw-in groove includes the second guide way of upside and the second fixed slot of downside, the second guide way has the second spigot surface of slope, the second spigot surface is located second trip below, during the second trip moves down can with the second spigot surface butt is in order to force cardboard lateral shifting extrudees the third spring, then catches on the second fixed slot again.

Preferably, when the first hook is matched with the first fixing groove, the second guide surface is located below the second hook; when the second clamping hook is matched with the second fixing groove, the first guide surface is positioned under the first clamping hook.

Preferably, the outer peripheral wall of the first chopstick body is provided with a first blocking ring, the inner peripheral wall of the first accommodating cavity is provided with a second blocking ring, one end of the first spring is connected with the first blocking ring, and the other end of the first spring is connected with the second blocking ring.

Preferably, the periphery wall of the second chopstick body is provided with a third blocking ring, the inner periphery wall of the second accommodating cavity is provided with a fourth blocking ring, one end of the second spring is connected with the third blocking ring, and the other end of the second spring is connected with the fourth blocking ring.

Preferably, the first button is provided with a first mark, and the second button is provided with a second mark.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial effects:

the device is provided with two chopstick bodies which can stretch up and down in the chopstick tube, and the two chopstick bodies can alternately extend out by pressing different buttons during use, so that the device can be applied to different use scenes, for example, one chopstick body can be specially used for clamping vegetables, the other chopstick body can be specially used for entering, when the vegetables are required to be clamped, one chopstick body can extend out, when the vegetables are required to enter, the other chopstick body extends out, and the two chopstick bodies are respectively arranged in different accommodating cavities, so that the cross infection and the sanitation problem caused by water in the process of clamping the vegetables during dining can be effectively avoided.

The device has simple structure, can be used by only pressing different buttons without redundant actions, is very convenient to operate and is strong in inventing.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the circled portion of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a card portion of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the card portion of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the card portion of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a second usage state reference diagram of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a third use state reference diagram of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a third usage state reference diagram of the present invention.

Reference numerals:

1. a chopstick cylinder; 2. a partition plate; 3. a first accommodating chamber; 4. a second accommodating chamber; 5. a first chopstick body; 6. a first button; 7. a first spring; 8. a second chopstick body; 9. a second button; 10. a second spring; 11. a first hook; 12. a second hook; 13. clamping a plate; 14. a third spring; 15. a first card slot; 16. a first guide groove; 17. a first fixing groove; 18. a second card slot; 19. a second guide groove; 20. a second fixing groove; 21. a first retainer ring; 22. a second retainer ring; 23. a third retainer ring; 24. and a fourth retaining ring.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "vertical", "circumferential", "radial", "axial", and the like, indicate orientations and positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, are only for convenience in describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

In the description of the present invention, "the first feature" and "the second feature" may include one or more of the features. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

In the present invention, unless otherwise specifically stated or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "fixed," and the like are to be construed broadly and may, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be connected directly or indirectly through intervening media, or they may be interconnected between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

Example 1

Referring to the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 to 6, there will be described telescopic sanitary chopsticks according to an embodiment of the present invention comprising: the chopsticks comprise a chopstick cylinder 1, a first telescopic chopstick mechanism, a second telescopic chopstick mechanism and a limiting component.

As shown in fig. 1, the chopstick tube 1 is a strip-shaped structure extending along the up-down direction, the inside of the chopstick tube 1 is hollow and defines a cavity, a partition board 2 is arranged in the cavity, the cavity is divided into a first accommodating cavity 3 and a second accommodating cavity 4 by the partition board 2, the first accommodating cavity 3 is positioned on the left side, the second accommodating cavity 4 is positioned on the right side, and the first accommodating cavity 3 and the second accommodating cavity 4 both extend along the up-down direction and penetrate through the chopstick tube 1.

As shown in fig. 1, a first telescopic chopstick mechanism is arranged in the first accommodating cavity 3, and comprises a first chopstick body 5, a first button 6 and a first spring 7; the first chopstick body 5 penetrates through the first accommodating cavity 3 and can move along the first accommodating cavity 3; the first chopstick body 5 is sleeved with a first spring 7, one end of the first spring 7 is connected with the first chopstick body 5, and the other end of the first spring 7 is connected with the chopstick cylinder 1; the first button 6 is arranged at the top end of the first chopstick tube 1, and a part of the first button 6 extends into the first accommodating cavity 3 and is sleeved at the top end of the first chopstick body 5.

Specifically, the upper side part of the first button 6 is located outside the first accommodating cavity 3, the lower side part is located inside the first accommodating cavity 3, when the first button 6 is pressed downwards, the first button 6 can drive the first chopstick body 5 to move downwards, at this time, the first chopstick body 5 can extrude the first spring 7, and the lower end of the first chopstick body 5 can extend out of the first accommodating cavity 3.

As shown in fig. 1, a second telescopic chopstick mechanism is arranged in the second accommodating cavity 4, and the second telescopic chopstick mechanism comprises a second chopstick body 8, a second button 9 and a second spring 10; the second chopstick body 8 penetrates through the second accommodating cavity 4 and can move along the second accommodating cavity 4; a second spring 10 is sleeved on the second chopstick body 8, one end of the second spring 10 is connected with the second chopstick body 8, and the other end of the second spring is connected with the chopstick cylinder 1; the second button 9 is arranged at the top end of the second chopstick tube 1, and a part of the second button 9 extends into the second accommodating cavity 4 and is sleeved at the top end of the second chopstick body 8.

Specifically, the upper part of the second button 9 is located outside the second accommodating chamber 4, the lower part of the second button 9 is located inside the second accommodating chamber 4, when the second button 9 is pressed downwards, the second button 9 can drive the second chopstick body 8 to move downwards, at this time, the second chopstick body 8 can extrude the second spring 10, and the lower end of the second chopstick body 8 can extend out of the second accommodating chamber 4.

As shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, a spacing assembly is provided in the partition plate 2, and is configured to: when the first button 6 is pressed, the first button 6 is matched with the limiting component, the lower end of the first chopstick body 5 extends downwards out of the first accommodating cavity 3, the second button 9 is bounced, and the second chopstick body 8 retracts upwards into the second accommodating cavity 4; or when the second button 9 is pressed, the second button 9 is matched with the limiting component, the lower end of the second chopstick body 8 extends downwards out of the second accommodating cavity 4, the first button 6 is bounced, and the first chopstick body 5 retracts upwards into the first accommodating cavity 3.

That is, the stop assembly actually functions like a seesaw: when the first button 6 is pressed, the first chopstick body 5 extends out, and the second button 9 and the second chopstick body 8 are bounced; when the second button 9 is pressed, the second chopstick body 8 is extended, and the first button 6 and the first chopstick body 5 are bounced. Therefore, different chopstick bodies can extend out of the chopstick tube 1 by pressing different buttons, so that the chopstick can adapt to different use scenes and avoid cross infection.

The device is characterized in that two chopstick bodies capable of stretching up and down are arranged in a chopstick tube 1, and the two chopstick bodies can alternately extend out by pressing different buttons during use, so that the device can be applied to different use scenes, for example, one chopstick body can be specially used for clamping vegetables, the other chopstick body can be specially used for entering, when the vegetables are required to be clamped, one chopstick body can extend out, when the vegetables are required to enter, the other chopstick body extends out, and the two chopstick bodies are respectively arranged in different accommodating cavities, so that the cross infection and the sanitation problem caused by water in the process of clamping the vegetables during dining can be effectively avoided.

The device has simple structure, can be used by only pressing different buttons without redundant actions, is very convenient to operate and is strong in inventing.

Other structures of the apparatus will be described in detail below.

As shown in fig. 2, 4, 5 and 6, the bottom end of the first button 6 is provided with a first hook 11, and the bottom end of the second button 9 is provided with a second hook 12; the limiting assembly comprises a clamping plate 13 and a third spring 14, a transverse sliding groove is formed in the partition plate 2 and is respectively communicated with the first accommodating cavity 3 and the second accommodating cavity 4, the clamping plate 13 is slidably mounted in the sliding groove, one end of the third spring 14 is connected with the chopstick cylinder 1, the other end of the third spring is connected with the clamping plate 13, a first clamping groove 15 and a second clamping groove 18 are formed in the clamping plate 13, the first clamping groove 15 is located in the first accommodating cavity 3, and the second clamping groove 18 is located in the second accommodating cavity 4; the first clamping groove 15 comprises a first guide groove 16 on the upper side and a first fixing groove 17 on the lower side, the first guide groove 16 is provided with an inclined first guide surface, the first guide surface is positioned below the first clamping hook 11, and when the first clamping hook 11 moves downwards, the first guide surface can be abutted to force the clamping plate 13 to move transversely to extrude the third spring 14, and then the first fixing groove 17 is hooked; the second card slot 18 comprises a second guide groove 19 on the upper side and a second fixing groove 20 on the lower side, the second guide groove 19 has an inclined second guide surface, the second guide surface is located below the second hook 12, and when moving downwards, the second hook 12 can abut against the second guide surface to force the card board 13 to move transversely to extrude the third spring 14 and then hook the second fixing groove 20. The structure is ingenious, simple and convenient to realize.

The working process of the limiting assembly is as follows: referring to fig. 4 and 6, when the third spring 14 is in a free state (i.e., the third spring 14 is neither extended nor compressed), the first guide surface is located directly below the first hook 11, and the second guide surface is located below the second hook 12.

When the first button 6 is pressed, the first button 6 moves downwards, because the first guide surface is positioned below the first hook 11, and the first guide surface inclines to the left in the direction from bottom to top, when the first hook 11 moves downwards along with the first button 6, the first hook 11 can be abutted against the first guide surface, and the clamping plate 13 is forced to compress the third spring 14 to move leftwards, when the first hook 11 moves continuously to the first fixing groove 17, the clamping plate 13 is not extruded leftwards, at the moment, the third spring 14 is reset to a free state, so that the clamping plate 13 is driven to move rightwards, the first hook 11 is hooked on the first fixing groove 17, the first button 6 is fixed, and the first chopstick body 5 extends out;

when the second button 9 is pressed, the second button 9 moves downwards, and because the second guide surface is positioned below the second hook 12 and inclines to the left in the direction from bottom to top, when the second hook 12 moves downwards along with the second button 9, the second hook abuts against the second guide surface and forces the snap plate 13 to compress the third spring 14 to move leftwards, and when the second hook 11 moves to the position where the first hook 11 does not hook the first fixing groove 17, the first chopstick body 5 and the first button 6 rebound and reset under the action of the first spring 7; when the second hook 12 moves to the second fixing groove 20, the clamping plate 13 is not pressed leftwards any more, and at this time, the third spring 14 is reset to a free state, and drives the clamping plate 13 to move rightwards, so that the second hook 12 hooks the second fixing groove 20, the second button 9 is fixed, and the second chopstick body 8 extends out.

When the first button 6 is pressed continuously, the second button 9 will bounce, and the specific process is as described above and will not be described again.

In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, a first blocking ring 21 is disposed on the outer peripheral wall of the first chopstick body 5, a second blocking ring 22 is disposed on the inner peripheral wall of the first accommodating cavity 3, one end of the first spring 7 is connected to the first blocking ring 21, and the other end is connected to the second blocking ring 22; the outer peripheral wall of the second chopstick body 8 is provided with a third retaining ring 23, the inner peripheral wall of the second accommodating cavity 4 is provided with a fourth retaining ring 24, one end of the second spring 10 is connected with the third retaining ring 23, and the other end of the second spring is connected with the fourth retaining ring 24. Thereby facilitating the provision of the first spring 7 and the second spring 10.

In this embodiment, the first button 6 is provided with a first mark, the second button 9 is provided with a second mark, and the first mark and the second mark can be characters, patterns or colors, so that people can clearly distinguish which one is a chopstick for picking up vegetables and which one is an entrance chopstick, thereby preventing confusion.

Example 2

As shown in fig. 7, two independent chopsticks can be combined for use, that is, the chopstick tube 1 of the two chopsticks is rotatably connected through a bolt, and the structure of each chopstick is the same as that of the embodiment 1, so that the chopsticks can be grasped as western-style tableware during use and can also be normally used.

Example 3

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, another embodiment of the present device is that the first chopstick body 5 is arranged at the upper end of the chopstick cylinder 1, the second chopstick body 9 is arranged at the lower end, the first chopstick body 5 can extend or contract from the upper end of the chopstick cylinder 1, and the second chopstick body 9 can extend or contract from the lower end of the chopstick cylinder 1.

It can be understood that there are many ways to achieve the extension and retraction, for example, two buttons may be disposed on the chopstick cylinder 1, one of the buttons is connected to the first chopstick body 5, the other button is connected to the second chopstick body 9, the corresponding chopstick body 5 can be extended by sliding the push-pull button or pressing the push-pull button, or some transmission components may be disposed in the chopstick cylinder 1, so that the first chopstick body 6 and the second chopstick body 9 can be alternately extended by one button, and the specific structure may refer to some structural forms in the prior art, and will not be described any further.

While embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.