阅读说明：本技术 座部锁 (Seat lock ) 是由 金相圭 金章守 卢盈受 白铉宗 刘金相 李相宪 李姿镔 崔荣旭 韩万曙 金瑞禧 于 2019-08-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种座部锁,该座部锁包括：固定支架,其固定到座椅的腿部；锁定单元,其设置在固定支架上；以及可移动支架,其以与座椅的座部一起旋转的方式固定到座部并且具有座部旋转轴和以暴露到外部的方式联接到座部旋转轴的端部周缘的锁定件,其中,锁定单元包括：驱动马达,其具有驱动轴；驱动凸轮,其装配到驱动马达的驱动轴；以及锁销,其围绕固定到固定支架的轴在给定角度范围内旋转以限制锁定件的旋转运动。根据本发明,座部锁可以利用锁定单元以允许更有效地管理座位。(The invention relates to a seat lock, comprising: a fixing bracket fixed to a leg portion of the seat; a locking unit provided on the fixing bracket; and a movable bracket fixed to the seat portion of the seat in a manner of rotating together with the seat portion and having a seat portion rotating shaft and a locking member coupled to an end peripheral edge of the seat portion rotating shaft in an externally exposed manner, wherein the locking unit includes: a drive motor having a drive shaft; a drive cam fitted to a drive shaft of the drive motor; and a lock pin that rotates within a given angular range about an axis fixed to the fixed bracket to restrict rotational movement of the lock member. According to the present invention, the seat lock may utilize a locking unit to allow more effective management of the seat.)

1. A seat lock, comprising:

a fixing bracket fixed to a leg of a seat;

a locking unit provided on the fixing bracket; and

a movable bracket fixed to a seat portion of the seat and having a seat portion rotation shaft and a lock coupled to an end periphery of the seat portion rotation shaft,

wherein the movable bracket rotates together with the seat part when the seat part of the seat rotates, and the locking unit includes a locking pin for selectively restricting a rotational movement of the locking piece.

2. The seat lock of claim 1, wherein the locking unit comprises:

a drive motor having a drive shaft;

a driving cam fitted to the driving shaft of the driving motor; and

the lock pin that rotates within a given angular range about an axis fixed to the fixed bracket to restrict the rotational movement of the lock piece.

3. The seat lock of claim 1, wherein the fixed bracket comprises:

a rotation shaft seating groove formed at the top of the fixing bracket;

a locking member moving space part formed below the rotating shaft seating groove; and

a locking unit accommodating part formed below the locking member moving space part.

4. The seat lock of claim 2, wherein the drive cam includes a major axis and a minor axis, and the drive cam pushes the locking pin upward when the major axis is in a vertical direction relative to a ground surface.

5. The seat lock of claim 2, wherein the locking unit comprises a sensor plate having at least one or more sensors adapted to sense operation of the drive cam.

6. The seat lock of claim 5 wherein the sensor plate is disposed between the drive motor and the drive cam.

7. A seat lock as defined in claim 5, wherein the sensor is located on the sensor plate along a drive radius of the drive cam.

8. A seat lock as defined in claim 7, wherein the sensor includes a first sensor and a second sensor, the first sensor being located at a position capable of sensing whether a long axis of the drive cam is in a horizontal direction with respect to a ground surface, and the second sensor being located at a position capable of sensing whether the long axis of the drive cam is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground surface.

9. A seat lock according to claim 6 wherein the distance between the sensor and the drive cam is in the range 1.5mm to 2.5 mm.

10. The seat lock of claim 5, wherein each sensor is a light sensor comprising a light emitting component and a light receiving component.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a seat lock, and more particularly, to a seat lock provided with a locking unit adapted to control rotation of a seat.

Background

Customers in theaters, concert halls, and the like sit in their reserved seats (seats) to enjoy content. By the way, after the content performance, the customer moves to another seat where no customer is seated, so as to occupy a seat that is better in terms of good viewing of the content.

Such illegal occupation of non-reserved seats should be prohibited and customers who rightfully pay for their seats and therefore sit on their reserved seats suffer losses, especially if different prices are given according to the seats. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly check and manage illegal seat occupancy.

However, checking and managing such illegal occupancy of the non-reserved seats requires much labor and cost, and further, it is difficult to check whether the customers are seated on their reserved seats every time by the labor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, that is, it is proposed to solve the above technical problems and to provide additional technical components, which cannot be easily invented by those skilled in the art.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seat lock provided with a locking unit adapted to control rotation of a seat.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a seat lock provided with a locking unit adapted to restrict movement of a locking member fixed to a seat.

Technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.

Technical scheme

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a seat lock including: a fixing bracket fixed to a leg portion of the seat; a locking unit provided on the fixing bracket; and a movable bracket fixed to the seat portion of the seat and having a seat portion rotation shaft and a locking member coupled to an end periphery of the seat portion rotation shaft, wherein the movable bracket rotates together with the seat portion when the seat portion of the seat rotates, and the locking unit includes a locking pin for selectively restricting a rotational movement of the locking member.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that the locking unit includes: a drive motor having a drive shaft; a drive cam fitted to a drive shaft of the drive motor; and a lock pin that rotates within a given angular range about an axis fixed to the fixed bracket to restrict rotational movement of the lock member.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that the fixing bracket includes: a rotation shaft seating groove formed on the top of the fixing bracket; a locking piece moving space part formed below the rotating shaft placing groove; and a locking unit accommodating part formed below the locking member moving space part.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that the driving cam includes a long axis and a short axis, and the driving cam pushes the lock pin upward when the long axis is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground.

According to the present invention, it is desirable that the locking unit includes a sensor board having at least one or more sensors adapted to sense the operation of the drive cam.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that the sensor board is disposed between the drive motor and the drive cam.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that the sensor is located on the sensor board along a driving radius of the driving cam.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that the sensor includes: a first sensor located at a position capable of sensing whether a long axis of the drive cam is in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground; and a second sensor located at a position capable of sensing whether the long axis of the drive cam is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that the distance between the sensor and the driving cam is in the range of 1.5mm to 2.5 mm.

According to the present invention, it is preferable that each sensor is a light sensor having a light emitting part and a light receiving part.

Advantageous effects

According to the present invention, the seat lock can utilize the locking unit to allow more effective management of the seat.

In addition, the seat lock according to the present invention may control the rotation of the seat to allow a customer to sit only on his or her reserved seat while viewing content.

Advantageous effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects, and other advantageous effects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a seat to which a seat lock according to the present invention is attached.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a movable bracket of the seat lock according to the present invention.

Fig. 3A and 3B are a front view and a perspective view illustrating a fixing bracket of a seat lock according to the present invention.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a fixing bracket on which a locking unit is provided in the seat lock according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a fixing bracket on which a locking unit is provided in the seat lock according to the present invention.

Fig. 6A and 6B are a perspective view and a front view illustrating a seat lock according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line a-a' of fig. 6B.

Fig. 8 is a front view showing the operation of the seat lock in the first mode according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a front view showing the operation of the seat lock in the second mode according to the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a front view showing the operation of the seat lock in the third mode according to the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a front view showing the operation of the seat lock in the fourth mode according to the present invention.

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a fixing bracket and a main body in the seat lock according to the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a coupled state of a fixing bracket and a main body in the seat lock according to the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, the present invention is disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding parts in the embodiments of the present invention are denoted by corresponding reference numerals, and repeated explanation of the corresponding parts will be avoided. If it is determined that detailed description of known art related to the present invention makes the scope of the present invention unclear, the description will be avoided for the brevity of description. For ease of illustration, the system and method will be described together, if desired.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a seat (chair)10 to which a seat lock 500 according to the present invention is attached.

As shown in fig. 1, a seat lock 500 according to the present invention is positioned on the seat portion 14 and the leg portion 16 of the seat 10 to control the rotation of the seat portion 14.

First, the seat 10 includes a seat portion 14 and a backrest 12. Specifically, the seat 14 is a portion with which the buttocks area of the customer is in contact, and the backrest 12 is extended in a vertical direction from the seat 14 in coupling to support the back and head areas of the customer.

Further, the seat 10 includes a leg portion 16, and the leg portion 16 is used to support the seat 10.

One seat lock 500 is provided on one side surface of the seat 14, or two seat locks 500 are provided on both side surfaces of the seat 14 to control the rotation of the seat 14.

The seat lock 500 mainly includes a movable bracket 100, a locking unit 300, and a fixed bracket 200.

Now, the configuration of the seat lock 500 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to fig. 2 to 7.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the movable bracket 100 of the seat lock 500 according to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2, the movable bracket 100 is fixed to a side surface of the seat 14 in such a manner as to have a space formed toward the inside of the seat 14.

The movable bracket 100 includes a seat rotating shaft 20 passing through the center thereof and a locking member 40 connected to an end periphery (end periphery) of the seat rotating shaft 20 in an externally exposed manner.

In this case, the seat rotation axis 20 is perforated (pierce) from one side of the seat 14 to the other.

On the other hand, the movable bracket 100 may rotate together with the rotation of the seat 14.

Fig. 3A and 3B are a front view and a perspective view illustrating the fixing bracket 200 of the seat lock 500 according to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the fixing bracket 200 is fixed to the leg part 16 of the seat 10, and includes a rotation shaft seating groove 210, a locking member moving space part 230, and a locking unit accommodating part 240.

According to the present invention, the fixing bracket 200 has a polygonal block shape including a front portion, a rear portion, a top portion and a bottom portion.

The fixing bracket 200 has a rotation shaft seating groove 210 formed on the top thereof.

The rotation shaft seating groove 210 is adapted to seat the seat portion rotation shaft 20, and is perforated through both surfaces of the fixing bracket 200.

The fixing bracket 200 includes a top insertion hole 220, and the top insertion hole 220 communicates with a space above the rotation shaft seating groove 210 in such a manner as to be opened at the top thereof.

The top insertion hole 220 is a hole perforated through both surfaces of the fixing bracket 200 in such a manner as to extend from the rotation shaft seating groove 210 to the top of the fixing bracket 200. Specifically, the top insertion hole 220 is perforated from the rotation shaft seating groove 210 to the top of the fixing bracket 200 to allow the seating portion rotation shaft 20 provided on the seating portion 14 to be inserted upward, and is also perforated through both surfaces of the fixing bracket 200.

The fixing bracket 200 has at least two bolt coupling holes (holes) 212 perforated therein.

The fixed bracket 200 is coupled to the movable bracket 100 through the bolt coupling hole 212.

Inside the fixing bracket 200, a locking member moving space part 230 is formed to receive the locking member 40 therein when the fixing bracket 200 is coupled to the movable bracket 100.

The locking member moving space part 230 serves to provide a space in which the movement of the locking member 40 is not restricted (not inhibited) when the fixing bracket 200 is coupled to the movable bracket 100. For example, the locking member moving space part 230 has a tapered (cone) shape, and the depth of the locking member moving space part 230 is greater than the heights of the seating part rotating shaft 20 and the locking member 40 fitted to the seating part rotating shaft 20.

Further, the lock member moving space part 230 has a pair of buffer members (not shown) accommodated therein. The buffer member is made of a rubber material and is fitted to a pair of buffer member coupling grooves 232 formed on the locking piece moving space part 230.

Next, the locking unit receiving part 240 is formed inside the fixing bracket 200.

A locking unit receiving part 240 is formed below the locking member moving space part 230 to provide a space to receive a locking unit 300, which will be discussed later.

Now, the locking unit 300 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 4 and 5.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the fixing bracket 200 on which the locking unit 300 is disposed in the seat lock 500 according to the present invention, and fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the fixing bracket 200 on which the locking unit 300 is disposed in the seat lock 500 according to the present invention.

The drive motor 320 has a drive shaft 322 and is driven by means of a controller (not shown), which will be discussed later.

The drive motor 320 rotates the drive shaft 322 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

The driving cam 340 has a coupling hole 340H formed at the center thereof in such a manner as to be fitted onto the driving shaft 322 of the driving motor 320, and the sectional shape of the coupling hole 340H is the same as that of the driving shaft 322.

When the driving shaft 322 is rotated by means of the driving motor 320, the driving cam 340 is rotated in the same direction as the driving shaft 322 of the driving motor 320.

On the other hand, the driving cam 340 has a major axis a on the curved portion and a minor axis b on the horizontal portion.

As the drive cam 340 rotates, in this case, when the long axis a is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground, the drive cam 340 pushes the lock pin (latch)360 upward, as will be discussed later.

Next, the locking pin 360 is fixed to one surface of the fixing bracket 200 in a manner allowing movement of the locking member 40 to be selectively restricted according to rotation of the driving cam 340.

Specifically, the lock pin 360 rotates within a given angle about an axis fixed to the fixing bracket 200. In this case, the given angle is an acute angle.

The lock pin 360 is located above the driving cam 340 so that it can be rotated by means of the rotation of the driving cam 340.

Further, the length of the lock pin 360 in the horizontal direction with respect to the ground is greater than the length of the long axis of the driving cam 340. Specifically, the length of the locking pin 360 is determined to allow the locking pin 360 to contact the locking member 40 when the locking pin 360 has a maximum angle around the shaft fixed to the fixing bracket 200.

According to the present invention, the locking unit 300 of the seat lock 500 further includes a sensor plate 380.

The sensor board 380 is disposed between the drive motor 320 and the drive cam 340 and includes at least one or more sensors 386 for sensing operation of the drive cam 340.

In this case, the sensor 386 is located on the sensor plate 380 along the driving radius (driving radius) of the driving cam 340. For example, the sensor 386 is located at a position capable of sensing whether the long axis of the driving cam 340 is in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground, and at a position capable of sensing whether the long axis of the driving cam 340 is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground.

Further, the sensor 386 is a light sensor, and the light sensor has a characteristic (i.e., photosensitivity) that responds to light.

More specifically, the light sensor is attached to the sensor board 380 to emit light toward the bottom surface (undercut) of the driving cam 340, and thus sense the light reflected on the driving cam 340.

To this end, each of the light sensors 386 includes a light emitting part and a light receiving part.

Fig. 6A and 6B are a perspective view and a front view illustrating a seat lock 500 according to the present invention, and fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line a-a' of fig. 6B.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the locking member 40 of the movable bracket 100 is located between a pair of buffer members, so that the fixed bracket 200 can be protected from internal damage when the locking member 40 is moved.

The locking unit 300 is positioned to restrict the movement of the locking member 40. The lock pin 360 is disposed below the locking member 40, and the driving cam 340 is placed below the lock pin 360.

As shown in fig. 7, the fixing bracket 200 includes at least one or more steps formed thereon to receive the locking unit 300.

For example, the locking unit receiving part 240 has at least one or more steps adapted to rigidly receive the locking unit 300 therein.

On the other hand, the first sensor 382 of the sensor 386 is disposed between the driving motor 320 and the driving cam 340 to face one surface of the driving cam 340, and a distance d between the first sensor 382 and the driving cam 340 is in a range of 1.5mm to 2.5 mm.

Specifically, if the distance d between the first sensor 382 and the driving cam 340 is greater than 1.5mm, the quality of the sensing result of the first sensor 382 may be ensured, and, in contrast, if the distance d between the first sensor 382 and the driving cam 340 is less than 2.5mm, high spatial efficiency may be ensured.

Although the first sensor 382 is described above, the same description will apply to the second sensor 384 of the sensors 386.

According to the present invention, the seat lock 500 includes a controller.

The controller has the shape of a control board designed separately from the sensor board 380.

The controller is used to control the components of the seat lock 500.

More specifically, the controller operates the locking unit 300 of the seat lock 500. For example, the controller operates the drive motor 320 to rotate the drive shaft 322 in at least one of a clockwise and counterclockwise direction.

Further, the controller acquires sensing information from the sensor 386 of the sensor board 380, and thereby checks whether the seat 14 is locked or not by the sensing information.

More specifically, the controller checks the locked state of the seat 14 according to the operation of the first and second sensors 382 and 384.

In this case, the first sensor 382 is disposed at a position capable of sensing whether the long axis of the driving cam 340 is in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground, and the second sensor 384 is disposed at a position capable of sensing whether the long axis of the driving cam 340 is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground.

The controller may check that the seat 14 is in the locked state if the first sensor 382 is operating and that the seat 14 is in the rotatable state if the second sensor 384 is operating.

So far, the configuration of the seat lock 500 according to the present invention has been explained.

Now, a process of controlling the rotation of the seat 14 by the seat lock 500 according to the present invention will be explained with reference to fig. 8 to 11, and more specifically, the operation of the locking unit 300 under the control of the controller will be described.

Before explaining a process of controlling the rotation of the seat 14 by the seat lock 500, it is assumed that the sensor plate 380 includes a first sensor 382 and a second sensor 384, the first sensor 382 is disposed at a position capable of sensing whether the long axis of the drive cam 340 is in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground, the second sensor 384 is disposed at a position capable of sensing whether the long axis of the drive cam 340 is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground, and the seat 14 is schematically illustrated while checking whether the operation (i.e., the rotation) of the seat 14 is performed by the control of the seat lock 500.

The seat lock 500 can operate in four modes according to the present invention, and the four modes (i.e., a first mode, a second mode, a third mode, and a fourth mode) will be described hereinafter.

Fig. 8 is a front view illustrating the operation of the seat lock 500 in the first mode according to the present invention.

The first mode is a standby mode of the seat lock 500. More specifically, the driving motor 320 of the locking unit 300 does not operate, and the long axis of the driving cam 340 is in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground.

At this time, the lock pin 360 is disposed parallel to the long axis of the driving cam 340.

Further, the first sensor 382 senses that the long axis of the driving cam 340 is in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground and operates accordingly, so that the controller senses the operation of the first sensor 382 to check that the seat 14 is in a rotatable state.

Specifically, the seat 14 may freely rotate in the first mode of the seat lock 500.

Fig. 9 is a front view illustrating the operation of the seat lock 500 in the second mode according to the present invention.

The second mode is the seat lock 500 mode of operation. More specifically, the controller operates the driving motor 320 of the locking unit 300 to rotate the driving shaft 322 in the clockwise direction.

At this time, the driving cam 340 fitted to the driving shaft 322 of the driving motor 320 is rotated together in the clockwise direction.

In this case, the long axis of the driving cam 340 pushes the lock pin 360 upward, and the lock pin 360 rotates within a given angle around the shaft fixed to the fixing bracket 200. In this case, the given angle is an acute angle.

Further, because the drive cam 340 rotates, the first and second sensors 382 and 384 cannot sense the drive cam 340 and the controller cannot sense the operation of the first and second sensors 382 and 384, such that the controller checks that the seat lock 500 is currently in the operating mode.

Fig. 10 is a front view illustrating the operation of the seat lock 500 in the third mode according to the present invention.

The third mode is a lock mode of the seat lock 500. More specifically, the controller stops the operation of the driving motor 320 of the locking unit 300, and since the operation of the driving motor 320 is stopped, the rotation of the driving shaft 322 of the driving motor 320 is ended. Thus, the long axis of the drive cam 340 is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground.

At this time, the locking pin 360 is movable to a maximum angle around the axis fixed to the fixing bracket 200 by means of the long axis of the driving cam 340.

Specifically, the lock pin 360 is located at a position where the movement of the locking member 40 is restricted and thus contacts one surface of the locking member 40.

Further, since the long axis of the driving cam 340 is in a vertical direction with respect to the ground, the second sensor 384 senses the driving cam 340 and thus operates, and the controller senses the operation of the second sensor 384, so that the controller checks that the rotation of the seat lock 500 is restricted, that is, in a locked state.

In the case of the third mode of the seat lock 500 like this, the movement of the locking piece 40 on the seat 14 is restricted, and therefore, the seat 14 cannot be rotated, so that a customer cannot sit on the corresponding seat.

Fig. 11 is a front view showing the operation of the seat lock in the fourth mode according to the present invention.

The fourth mode is the unlock mode of the seat lock 500. More specifically, the controller operates the driving motor 320 of the locking unit 300 to rotate the driving shaft 322 in the counterclockwise direction.

At this time, the driving cam 340 fitted to the driving shaft 322 of the driving motor 320 rotates together in the counterclockwise direction.

In this case, the long axis of the driving cam 340 pushes the lock pin 360 downward, and thus, the lock pin 360 is disposed parallel to the long axis of the driving cam 340.

Further, since the long axis of the driving cam 340 is in a horizontal direction with respect to the ground, the first sensor 382 senses the driving cam 340 and thus operates, and the controller senses the operation of the first sensor 382, so that the controller checks that the seat lock 500 is in a rotatable state.

In the case of the fourth mode of the seat lock 500 like this, the movement of the locking piece 40 on the seat 14 is not restricted, and therefore, the customer can sit on the corresponding seat.

According to the present invention, the seat lock 500 may control the rotation of the seat 14 while repeatedly performing the first to fourth modes.

Next, a coupling relationship between the seat lock 500 and the main body 600 according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 12 and 13, and a repetitive description of the above-described respective components will be avoided.

Before describing the main body 600 coupled to the seat lock 500, the seat lock 500 is schematically illustrated with respect to the fixing bracket 200 to allow a well-understood coupled state with the main body 600.

Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the fixing bracket 200 and the main body 600 in the seat lock 500 according to the present invention, and fig. 13 is a perspective view illustrating a coupled state of the fixing bracket 200 and the main body 600 in the seat lock 500 according to the present invention.

As shown in fig. 12, the main body 600 includes a first body 620 and a second body 640, and the first body 620 is disposed on a portion of the fixing bracket 200 in such a manner as to extend outward from the fixing bracket 200.

The first body 620 includes a control board (not shown) therein and one or more holes 624 formed thereon to connect the control board thereto. In this case, the control board is connected to the sensor board and the driving motor 320 in the first body 620, and controls the locking unit 300 of the seat lock 500.

Further, the second body 640 is coupled to the first body 620 and is disposed on a portion of the seat lock 500 in such a manner as to be attached to a leg of the seat. For example, the second main body 640 is provided on a portion of the locking unit receiving part 240 of the fixing bracket 200 in such a manner as to extend outward from the seat lock 500.

The second body 640 includes a groove 642 adapted to prevent the movement of the locking unit 300 located at the lower portion of the seat lock 500 from being stopped. In this case, the groove 642 is fittingly coupled to the center of the driving cam 340 and is formed inside the second body 640 to prevent the rotation of the driving cam 340 from being stopped.

As shown in fig. 13, the fixing bracket 200 is coupled to the main body 600 so that it can be rigidly attached to the seat. In this case, the main body 600 serves to protect the seat lock 500 from external impact and to allow the seat lock 500 to be rigidly attached to the seat.

So far, the seat lock 500 according to the present invention has been explained.

According to the present invention, the seat lock 500 may restrict the rotation of the seat, so that the seats in theaters, concert halls, and the like may be more effectively managed.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be understood that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.