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Claims  |
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I claim:
1. The method of utilizing a telephone instrument having transmitter and
receiver components, and further including a touch pad having individually
depressable alpha-numeric keys each representing a single number and a
plurality of letters of the alphabet, to obtain a desired piece of
information as a response to an inquiry generated at the situs of the
instrument, that comprises the steps of:
(a) spelling out one of more words by a single depression, for each letter
in a work, of only that key, and no others, that represents said letter;
(b) transmitting the alphabetically ordered inquiry, encoded as a numeric
string, from the transmitter component of the instrument to a computer
means;
(c) at the computer means, decoding the numeric string by selecting which
of the several alphabetic characters represented by each depressed key
will combine with similarly selected characters of the other depressed
keys to form the spelled work or words, including the following sequence:
(1) responsive to the depression of the first and second numeric keys used,
selecting only a letter or letters among those represented by the first
key, and only a letter or letters among those represented by the second
key, that can be validly combined as a first-and-second-letter pairing in
the formation of a word, while rejecting all other letter combinations
that cannot be so paired,
(2) responsive to the depression of the third key used, selecting only a
letter or letters that can be combined with the selected letter(s)
represented by the second key as a second-and-third-letter pairing in the
formation of a word or words, while rejecting all other letter
combinations that cannot be so paired, and
(3) continuing in like manner through the numeric string to determine
similarly acceptable consecutive letter pairings;
(d) matching the numeric string as decoded at the computer means with a
piece of information that has been previously stored therein and is to be
transmitted to the telephone instrument; and
(e) synthesizing said piece of information in voice form and transmitting
it to the receiver of the instrument.
2. The method of claim 1 including the steps of first transmitting the
inquiry to a first component of said computer means in which basic,
pre-packaged responses are stored and which produces the responses to some
of said inquiries; and secondly, if an inquiry cannot be responded to by
said first component of the computer means, transmitting the inquiry to a
second component of said computer means having the capability of supplying
responses that cannot be made by the first computer means component.
3. The method of claim 2 in which the first component of the computer means
is an access processor.
4. The method of claim 3 in which the second component of the computer
means is a data base computer.
5. The method of claim 1 including the additional step of transmitting
billing data from the computer means to a billing computer adapted to
charge the cost of answering an inquiry to the customer responsible for
paying for use of the telephone instrument from which an inquiry is
transmitted.
6. The method of claim 1 that includes providing the computer means in the
form of a series of access processors linked in a network, and a data base
computer common to all the processors of said network.
7. The method of claim 6 that includes Providing each of the access
processors with a store of pre-packaged responses in which each response
is matchable with an inquiry transmitted from the telephone instrument;
transmitting to the data base computer each inquiry not adapted for
response by the access processor; and providing the data base computer
with stored data adapted for creating a response to an inquiry transmitted
to the data base computer.
8. The method of utilizing a telephone instrument having transmitter
circuitry and a receiver, said instrument being of the touch-pad type
having keys at least some of which are alpha-numeric and bear
representations of a single number and an associated plurality of letters,
to obtain a desired piece of information as a response to an inquiry
generated at the situs of the instrument, that comprises the steps of:
(a) spelling out at least one word by momentarily depressing the keys
bearing the letters of said word, once and only once for each letter of
the word or words being spelled, in the order in which said letters appear
in the spelled word, to form a string of letters encoded in numeric form
in which each number in the string can represent any of the plurality of
letters found on the same key as that number, and in which the encoded
word represents an inquiry;
(b) transmitting said encoded string to a computer means;
(c) utilizing the computer means to compare the order in which the numbers
appear in said string to select those letters associated with the
respective numbers that will form the word spelled out by depression of
the alpha-numeric keys and enter it in the computer means as a complete
inquiry, including the following sequence:
(1) responsive to the depression of the first and second numeric keys used,
selecting only a letter or letters among those represented by the first
key, and only a letter or letters among those represented by the second
key, that can be validly combined as a first-and-second-letter Pairing in
the formation of a word, while rejecting all other letter combinations
that cannot be so paired,
(2) responsive to the depression of the third key used, selecting only a
letter or letters that can be combined with the selected letter(s)
represented by the second key as a second-and-third letter pairing in the
formation of a word or words, while rejecting all other letter
combinations that cannot be so paired, and
(3) continuing in like manner through the numeric string to determine
similarly acceptable consecutive letter pairings;
(d) matching up, within the computer means, a string of pulses that
together from a correct response to the inquiry;
(e) synthesizing the response string of pulses to voice form; and
(f) transmitting the synthesized voice form to the receiver of the
telephone to provide the user with an intelligible audio response to the
inquiry.
9. The method of claim 8 in which initial transmission of the encoded
inquiry to the computer means is screened thereby for qualification of the
inquiry as one capable of a response utilizing pre-constituted,
ready-to-use data.
10. The method of claim 9 including the step of having the computer means,
if the inquiry does not so qualify, draw upon a data base in which a
correct response is formulated according to the content of the inquiry.
11. The method of claim 10 in which the step of voice-synthesizing the
response is carried out with respect to each and every inquiry transmitted
to the computer means.
12. The method of utilizing a telephone instrument, of a type that will
enter a transmitting mode by depressing alphanumeric keys each of which
represents one single-digit number and a plurality of letters of the
alphabet, said instrument having transmitting circuitry and an audio
receiver in which the transmitting component substitutes for a computer
terminal in the sense of transmitting an encoded inquiry and the receiver
substitutes for a display screen and printer in the sense of providing a
response to the inquiry, that includes the steps of:
(a) spelling out one or more words by a single depression, for each letter
in a word, of only that key, and no others, that represents said letter;
(b) transmitting the alphabetically ordered inquiry encoded as a numeric
string to an access processor;
(c) at the access processor, decoding the numeric string by selecting which
of the several alphabetic characters represented by each depressed key
will combine with similarly selected characters of the other depressed
keys to form the spelled word or words, including the following sequence:
(1) responsive to the depression of the first and second numeric keys used,
selecting only a letter or letters among those represented by the first
key, and only a letter or letters among those represented by the second
key, that can be validly combined as a first-and-second-letter pairing in
the formation of a word, while rejecting all other letter combinations
that cannot be so paired,
(2) responsive to the depression of the third key used, selecting only a
letter or letters that can be combined with the selected letter(s)
represented by the second key as a second-and-third letter pairing in the
formation of a word or words, while rejecting all other letter
combinations that cannot be so paired, and
(3) continuing in like manner through the numeric string to determine
similarly acceptable consecutive letter pairings;
(d) determining if the numeric string, as decoded at the access processor
is subject to match-up with any one response selectable from a memory bank
of preformulated reponses stored at the access processor;
(e) if a response can be provided by the access processor,
voice-synthesizing the response and transmitting the same to the inquirer
via the audio receiver;
(f) if a response cannot be formulated by the access processor,
transmitting the inquiry to a data base computer for formulation of a
response;
(g) in the event that the response is formulated by the data base computer,
transmitting the response of the data base computer to the access
processor; and
(h) at the access processor, voice-synthesizing the response of the data
base computer for transmission to the caller via the audio receiver. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field Of The Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer systems, and in a more
particular sense relates to those systems in which a computer is
connectable through a telephone network to remote locations from which
queries can be directed to the computer, and to which the computer
transmits a suitable response.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Typically, at present a computer-stored data base is accessed through a
telephonic communications network, through the medium of remotely located
computer terminals having in association therewith display screens and/or
teleprinters. Commonly, one keyboards, through the terminal, a coded,
alpha-numeric query, in order to transmit questions and requests for
information from the remotely located data base. From the data base, a
response is transmitted via a data base distributor to the computer
terminal in alpha-numeric format. These responses are typically displayed
upon a screen at the site of the terminal and/or are automatically printed
at that location.
The normal procedure is to have the computer terminal connected to a
telephone line which can be linked to an access processor of some network
system. The data base distributor is also connected to the same network or
to a network which can be interconnected with the network in which the
telephone line has been accessed.
Information or a query can be sent from the computer terminal through the
telephone line link to the network through some access processor. The
query is addressed so that it will be guided through an egress port of the
network to the data base distributor and the data base computer.
Information is sent to the computer terminal of the individual making the
inquiry via the same route, but in the response case, the information
flows in the opposite direction. That is, it flows from the data base
computer and data base distributor to the computer terminal making the
inquiry.
As presently constituted, the computer terminal provides two functions
necessary for information exchanges between data base distributors and
users. These are an alpha-numeric keyboard for input and a video screen or
teleprinter for output.
It is clear that the present arrangement has the disadvantage in that it is
operative only if the subscriber or user of the central data base has, as
regular equipment at his location, a complete computer terminal interfaced
with the telephone network, for input to the data base; and a display
screen and/or automatic printer, for receiving the intelligence
transmitted in response to a query addressed to the computer in which the
data base is stored.
In these circumstances, there is obviously a minimal market penetration, in
that certainly the overwhelming majority of individual consumers,
especially residential consumers and those operating small businesses, do
not have computer terminals and the associated receiving equipment,
interfaced with a computer through the medium of a telephone network.
While the computers presently exist in which information is stored that
the ordinary consumer desires to have, along with telephone networks that
extend into the consumer's home or small business, the computer terminal,
and the screen and/or printer, are not customarily found in the ordinary
residence or small business establishment.
It has been heretofore been proposed, in this regard, to utilize a
telephone instrument having a touch pad as a form of computer terminal, to
provide access to a computerized data base. Heretofore it has been
proposed that the touch pad be modified substantially and/or operated in a
manner that requires double-punching of the keys or other relatively
complex input modes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to obviate the disadvantages that have been
noted in connection with the prior art. To this end, summarized briefly,
the invention utilizes a completely conventional touch pad of a telephone
instrument, requiring no masking of the pad, and requiring no requirement
for double-punching of keys, or other complex modes of inputting
information into the telephone network to provide access to the
computerized data base. Rather, the invention involves no more than a
simple impression of a word or words upon the touch pad, by selecting the
keys which have alphabetic indicia that permit spelling out of the legend
that is to be transmitted to the data base.
Keyboarding of a word or words into the telephone network in the manner
described above results, so far as the computer is concerned, in its
receiving a numeric string of impulses. The computer, in this connection,
will be programmed to translate the numeric string so received into an
alphabetic sequence that represents the only word or words capable of
being analogized to the specific numeric sequence received by the
computer.
The computer having encoded the numeric string into a sensible or
intelligent alphabetic mode, is now adapted, through its program, to
respond to that specific, alphabetic mode by transmitting an oral response
audible through the receiver of the caller's telephone.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
While the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in
the concluding portions herein, a preferred embodiment is set forth in the
following detailed description which may be best understood when read in
connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing schematically the relationship of the
telephone instrument when interfaced with associated computer components;
and
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation illustrating a national map and the
manner in which a system according to the present invention can be
extended on a nationwide basis.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 10 designates a completely
conventional key pad of an ordinary telephone instrument of the
TOUCH-TONE.RTM. type. The telephone instrument of which key pad 10 is a
component also includes transmitter 12 and receiver 14.
Designated as 16 is an access processor, which itself is a computer station
connected between the telephone instrument and a main frame computer
located at a suitable geographic location which as shown in FIG. 2 can be
anywhere in the nation.
Telephone instrument components 10, 12, 14 are part of a telephone
instrument generally designated 18 in FIG. 2. Telephone instruments 18 are
connected to access processors suitably located across the nation as part
of a national network. All telephone instruments in a particular region
feed into a regional access processor, which in turn is connected to a
main frame computer 20 provided with suitable data bases 22.
Essentially, this comprises the complete system. As indicated above, each
and every component of the system is, per se, conventional and it is of
particular importance that no modification of the telephone instrument, in
any way, is required.
The usefulness of the system is found in the fact that it incorporates in a
completely conventional telephone instrument the capability of
substitution of the instrument for a computer terminal having
alpha-numeric capability. Considering that only a comparatively few
residential or small business subscribers have, at present, terminals of
this type, the present invention enables a greatly expanded number of
potential users to have access to data base distributors. In this system,
the telephone instrument becomes the computer terminal, in that the key
pad of the instrument assumes the encoding and transmitting function of a
computer terminal keyboard. A response from the computer becomes an
audible message addressed to the calling telephone and received by the
user through the receiver of the telephone instrument. The telephone
instrument receiver in this way assumes the function now discharged by a
display screen and/or automatic printer located at the site of the
computer terminal from which the inquiry came.
As an example, suppose it is desired to input the word P-A-T-E-N-T using a
key pad of the telephone as part of a data base inquiry. Using a computer
terminal the word PATENT would be typed on the keyboard. Using a key pad
telephone, the pad keys have letters superimposed upon numbers according
to the following scheme:
______________________________________
ALPHABETIC NUMERIC
______________________________________
A B C 2
D E F 3
G H I 4
J K L 5
M N O 6
P R S 7
T U V 8
W X Y 9
______________________________________
In this scheme, the letters Q and Z are assigned to the numeric digit 1.
The numerics 0 and 1 do not now have an alphabet assigned to them. In
addition to the numerics 0-9, there are two keys labelled * and # which do
not have any alphabetic assignment. They are hereby assigned as "space"
and "end transmit" respectively.
So, to express the word P-A-T-E-N-T, the numeric keys 7-2-8-3-6-8-# are
depressed. It is postulated that computer intelligence can decode this
numeric string back to the original alphabetic string.
In the first place, a trivial solution to the decoding, is to have the
computer, for a limited set of data, convert all expected alphabetic
strings to numeric strings and store them in a file. Then, receipt of a
numeric string causes lookup in the numeric string file and the conversion
to the alphabetic string is thus achieved.
In the case of a duplication such that two (or more) identical numeric
strings resulted from different alphabetic strings, the computer is
programmed to ask the user which alphabetic string was intended.
The concept of programming a computer to speak to the user is currently
implemented by use of a chip which translates from data stored in the
computer memory to intelligible speech.
Another approach to decoding the numeric string back to its original
alphabetic string is to employ algorithms which might be used in breaking
military codes. It is to be noted that military code breaking was one of
the earliest tasks assigned to computers. Computers are able to break
codes which military users desire to keep encrypted. It follows that
computers have a much easier task breaking codes that users desire to have
broken.
Taking the example of P-A-T-E-N-T, encoded as 7-2-8-3-6-8-#, the computer
has the task of examining the numeric string to determine its original
alphabetic string. This is easily accomplished by taking advantage of the
redundancy inherent in the English language, particularly with respect to
the usage of vowels vs. consonants.
The possible alphabetic combinations resulting from the numeric string are
derived as follows:
______________________________________
Numeric 7-2-8-3-6-8-#
______________________________________
Alpha- P A T D M T
betic R B U E N U
equivalents S C V F O V
______________________________________
The computer, in accordance with the invention, is programmed to create the
table of alphabetic equivalents, as above, and then to scan the table from
left to right discarding all the impossible combinations. For example, the
string beginning with the numeric 7 equated to P-R-S results for the first
two letters in P-A, P-B, P-C; R-A, R-B, R-C; and S-A, S-B, S-C. Of these
nine combinations, clearly only P-A, R-A, and S-A are admissable strings.
The others are impossible and so forth, across the possible alphabetic
string combinations corresponding to the numeric pair 7-2.
As the computer proceeds across the numeric string, two letters at a time
pairing numerics first-second, second-third, third-fourth, fourth-fifth,
etc. discarding all impossible strings, only a very few strings remain
which are possibly valid with respect to the English language.
For example, for the word "PATENT", other possible strings are RATENT or
SATENT. Impossible strings are RBTENT or SBTENT, etc. After discarding all
impossible strings, the computer evaluates the remaining possible strings
to deduce what the questioner had in mind.
After deducing what the questioner had in mind, i.e., selecting from among
the possible strings, the computer checks its memory versus those strings
which are relevant to the phone number at hand. If after reviewing
possible strings which resulted in redundant possible strings, e.g.,
PATENT vs SATENT or RATENT and finding more than one in the data set of
allowable inputs to the specific phone number, the computer will then be
instructed to verbally ask the questioner which word is meant. That is to
say for example, the computer speaks to the inquirer and says "Do you mean
`PATENT` or `SATENT`? If you mean `PATENT` push the number 1. If you mean
`SATENT` push the number 2."
Another relevant piece of technology is a "valid word dictionary" of
upwards of 50,000 words which is a common device in word-processing
systems. The dictionary is used to catch spelling errors by assuming that
a correctly spelled word will be in the dictionary whereas an incorrectly
spelled word will not. This would be useful in sorting out a syntactically
valid alphabetic string such as R-A-T-E-N-T from actual valid words.
To summarize the above, the computer will have the ability to distinguish
from a given numeric string, the alphabetic string which the caller had in
mind. The computer achieves this by analysis of the redundancy in the
English language and by the analysis of the closed data set of subject
matter appropriate to the given telephone number which was called.
In addition to the computer's ability to distinguish the meaning of a
numeric string and to search its memory for those alphabetic strings
appropriate to the given telephone number, another capability is
achievable by the computer due to the nature of the telephone system. When
a telephone call is placed, the telephone central has the ability to
detect the caller's telephone number. This is why automatic dialing
(without operator assistance) is possible and "AMA" (Automatic Message
Accounting) can be achieved by the computer.
The telephone company has in its computer memory banks the geographical
location of every central office. For example, for telephone number
609/397-2619, the telephone company computer has a pair of horizontal and
vertical constants called H-V which are equivalent to the latitude and
longitude correct to about one minute of the central office at 609/397.
Therefore, when a call is placed, the computer knows the geographical
location of the source. So, for many kinds of information bank questions,
such as, "Where is the nearest dry cleaner?", the computer can answer
without any specific input by the caller because it knows the caller's
geographic location as a function of the telephone exchange from which the
call was placed. This analysis of geographic location and request for
information represents a wide range of currently implemented information
services such as dealer information supplied in response to
"Where-to-buy-it" questions.
In addition to the telephone company's knowledge of the geographic location
of the source of the telephone call, the situation of the telephone
company with respect to spinning off its operating companies provides an
opportunity for independent information service providers.
The telephone company currently provides information services called "936"
or "Dial-It" services, such as, weather (936-1212) and time (936-1818).
These services provide the same number nation-wide for a given service.
That is, 936-1212 is the number in New York, San Francisco or Philadelphia
for the weather. Therefore, having a nationally advertised telephone
number which is constant throughout the country, one can have national
advertising referenced to the data bases which are provided by the
service.
For example, analogous to the weather service and time service, the
invention permits establishment of a telephone service to provide current
stock quotations. It is assumed that this type of service would be
provided by organizations not associated with the telephone operating
companies. It is assumed that the operating companies will deliver a
service of a "936" nature, bill the caller, and remit to the information
provider a portion of the charge made to the caller. As an example,
"936-FILM" could be a service to provide callers with the name, address
and show time of the nearest movie theater which is playing a movie whose
title the caller would keyboard in the numeric fashion. Perhaps the most
important application of this technique would be to provide an interface
between information providers and those people who do not have a computer
terminal. Such providers may include, for example, a company supplying
stock quotations; or perhaps a company that will advise the nearest
location where a particular movie is playing.
As an interface between the callers without computer terminals and the
information providers, this computer system receives calls from the
"TOUCH-TONE".RTM. telephones and translates them into data which appears
to the information provider as if it had been received from a computer
terminal. The data is then sent along to the designated information
provider company. When the information provider company provides the
output data in digital format which is intended for transmission to a
computer terminal, the computer system receives such data and translates
it into a vocal response back to the caller. For example, if a caller on a
telephone were to ask the name of the nearest theater playing
"Casablanca", this data would be relayed to the information provider that
has previously put up the data bank. The answer, e.g., Rialto, is provided
digitally by the data base owner and is intended for transmission to a
computer terminal. Instead of going to a computer terminal, the characters
R-I-A-L-T-0 would be sent to the proper node of the interface computer
network system and there transformed into the vocal response "RIALTO"
which would then be relayed via telephone to the caller.
A problem arises in the use of a system of this nature to answer inquiries
generated by advertising, such as, "Where to buy an Arrow.RTM. Shirt". The
computer can respond, for example, "J. C. Penney, Quakerbridge Mall" in
response to the keyboarding of "Arrow.RTM. Shirt"
(2-7-7-6-9-*-7-4-4-7-8-#) without any difficulty but the problem is that
the advertiser wants to know which advertising medium generated the
inquiry (for purposes of advertising dollar allocation).
This is readily solved in practicing the invention by programming the
computer to initiate a dialogue such as:
Computer: "Thank you for requesting the name of your nearest Arrow Shirt
dealer. Please keyboard the name of the medium in which you saw the
advertisement."
Caller: "TIME MAGAZINE".(8-4-6-3-*-6-2-4-2-1-4-6-
3-#)
The computer is thereby enabled to decode the string for the name of the
medium and provide the data for the advertiser.
An advantage of this system is substitution low-cost digital data
transmission such as is available from several X.25 networks, for
expensive voice transmission. The usage of voice-to-digital computer
network nodes allows substitution of digital data transmission for inward
WATS for information dissemination.
This discussion has assumed that a telephone having a key pad is required
to communicate with the system. If such is not available, hand-held tone
generators are available at relatively low cost.
In the event that keying errors are made on the tone pads, the computer
system would be able to perceive the error quickly. Various techniques
currently employed in the telecommunications industry would be used to
decipher the caller's intent.
One procedure, known as "answer back analysis", can detect errors and
determine the caller's intent in over 99% of the errors. In case of a
dubious decision, the computer can always ask the caller his intent.
This disclosure deals with being able to have the telephone supply numeric
inputs that can be interpreted by a computer to be alpha-numeric without
any prior operator training. Also, no special training such as multiple
keying of the telephone pad is required for alpha-numeric.
It will be necessary to add a speech synthesizer to each of the
conventional access processors, in order to have computer generated voice
output back to the telephone that made the original query. Thus, the
access processor will consist of the following sections:
Disc file with "Banner" messages
Concentrator/Deconcentrator
Multiplexer/Demultiplexer
Protocol Conversion
Speech synthesizer to serve a number of ports
Capability of handling several thousand ports
Packet assembler/disassembler
Referring again to the drawing, in a typical situation the input message is
directed from the telephone instrument (and in particular the transmitting
components thereof) to an access processor 16. The access processor reads
the pulses transmitted and converts them to a digital protocol that is,
the analog waveform of the transmitted pulses is converted to a digital
form in which it becomes a stream of binary "bits", known in the computer
art as "digital protocol". The conversion is effected by circuitry well
known in the computer art and basic to present-day computer structure, in
which such conversions are routinely made in the analog waveforms received
from the keyboards of computer terminals. At the access processor there is
also provided local data storage identified in FIG. 1 as "response
storage" and designated in that figure of the drawing.. If the inquiry is
such that it can be answered by utilizing the data maintained at the local
access processor storage, the access processor conducts a dialogue, that
is, it responds to the inquiry, utilizing pre-packaged messages from the
local audio storage. This utilizes a voice synthesizer 28 which is
converted from the digital message protocol, and is transmitted from the
access processor to the receiver of the telephone instrument.
In the event that response to the inquiry cannot be made utilizing local
storage of data at the access processor, the access processor transmits
the message in digital form to the main frame computer, via the network
shown in FIG. 2. Here there is called into use the
concentrator/deconcentrator; or the multiplexer/demultiplexer; or the
packet assembler/disassembler.
With the digitally encoded message transmitted from the access processor to
the data base computer 20, there is transmitted the calling number, and
the called number. These go along with the numerically coded inquiry data.
Upon receipt of this message at the computer, the computer, by reference to
its data bank or base 22, transmits alphabetic data to the access
processor for conversion by voice synthesizer 28 to the synthetic voice
mode as a response to the input query. And, the computer may also transmit
coded data to control the dialogue with reference to local audio storage
at the access processor.
The computer, at the same time, as shown in FIG. 1, transmits data to the
telephone company's billing computer 24, which receives this data and
utilizes it for the purpose of generating a bill chargeable to the
subscriber who has made the inquiry.
While particular embodiments of this invention have been shown in the
drawings and described above, it will be apparent, that many changes may
be made in the form, arrangement and positioning of the various elements
of the combination. In consideration thereof it should be understood that
preferred embodiments of this invention disclosed herein are intended to
be illustrative only and not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
* * * * *
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