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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. A method for location of a mobile personal transmitter within a
geographical area for the provision of requested services desired by a
person selectively transmitting a coded frequency from said mobile
personal transmitter, comprising:
(a) transmitting a selected radio frequency signal from said mobile
personal transmitter having the capability of transmitting selected ones
of a plurality of signals each having X and Y signal axes components, said
selected signal designating a desired service;
(b) receiving said selected radio signal by two or more of a plurality of
antenna/transmitters strategically positioned in said geographical area
and transmitting said received signal to a base station antenna located
within said geographical area; and
(c) computer processing and plotting of said X and Y signal axes components
of said selected signal by means of a computer having a cathode ray tube
and having software presenting on said cathode ray tube a computer
grid-work representing said geographical area, thus identifying the
location of the radio signal emitted by said mobile personal transmitter
relative to said computer grid-work of said geographical area.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
said computer processing includes processing said X axis and axis signal
components with automatic direction finding circuitry to provide an ADF
signal representing the location of said mobile personal transmitter
relative to said grid-work representing said geographical area.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein:
(a) said antenna/transmitters are positioned at predetermined locations
relative to said grid-work; and
(b) said computer processing includes averaging the X axis and Y axis
signal components from each antenna/transmitter to thus provide an
averaged signal that is processed and displayed by said cathode ray tube
of said computer on a computerized map of said geographical area.
4. The method of claim 1, including:
transmitting from said mobile personal transmitter one of a plurality of
radio signals coded to a particular service that is requested at the site
of said mobile personal transmitter.
5. The method of claim 1, including:
accomplishing said computer processing by means of said computer software
developed to present a map of said geographical area on said cathode ray
tube of said computer and by providing said computer with a set of
coordinates, causing the computer software to display the particular
quadrant within which the radio signal of the mobile personal transmitter
emanates to thus provide for location of the source in the geographical
area to thus enhance efficient location of the person for provision of the
requested assistance.
6. The method of claim 5, including:
amplifying the signal of said mobile personal transmitter by means of said
antenna/transmitters being narrowly tuned to the specific frequency of
said mobile personal transmitter, said antenna/transmitters amplifying the
X axis and Y axis signal components of the mobile personal transmitter
signal, and transmitting said amplified signal to said base station
antenna which is coupled with an ADF signal processor, thereby insuring
that said ADF signal processor will establish an average between only two
of said antenna/transmitters.
7. A personal security system for a limited geographical area such as a
large city, comprising:
(a) a plurality of mobile personal transmitters each having a plurality of
signal transmitting circuits of differing frequency, each of said signal
transmitting circuits capable of generating a low VHF band signal having X
and Y axes components;
(b) means in each mobile personal transmitter permitting manual selection
and activation of one of said plurality of signal transmitting circuits
for transmission of a signal of a desired frequency;
(c) a plurality of antenna/transmitters being strategically located within
said geographical area, said antenna/transmitters being narrowly tuned to
designated receiving frequencies of said mobile personal transmitters and
receiving, amplifying and transmitting X axis and Y axis signal components
of said mobile personal transmitters;
(d) base antenna means for receiving signals from said
antenna/transmitters; and
(e) computer means being interfaced with said base receiving means and
being operative to receive said X axis and Y axis signal components of
said antenna/transmitters and process said X axis and Y axis signal
components of said antenna/transmitters according to software instructions
and to plot said X axis and Y axis signal components on a computerized
grid-work of said geographical area thus identifying the location of
signal transmission from said mobile personal transmitters on said
computerized grid-work.
8. The personal security system as recited in claim 7, wherein:
(a) said plurality of said antenna/transmitters are located in
substantially evenly spaced relation in said geographical area to thus
form an antenna grid-work corresponding to said computerized grid-work of
said geographical area; and
(b) said antenna/transmitters each include automatic direction finding
circuitry for processing said X axis and Y axis signal components for
establishing a bearing from said antenna/transmitters to the location of
said mobile personal transmitters relative to said grid-work of said
geographical area.
9. The personal security system of claim 8, wherein:
said antenna/transmitters each include three axis signal components for
establishing the position of the mobile personal transmitters in terms of
X, Y and Z axes signal components on said grid-work and
transmitting signals identifying the position of said mobile personal
transmitters to said base antenna means.
10. The personal security system of claim 9, wherein:
said antenna/transmitters transmit signals representing battery voltage and
transmission strength, said signals being processed by said computer to
provide appropriate indications when service is required.
11. The personal security system of claim 10, wherein:
(a) a base station antenna is provided to receive signals transmitted by
said antenna/transmitters;
(b) automatic direction finding circuitry is coupled with said base station
antenna and thus receives and averages said X axis and Y axis signal
components to provide an ADF output; and
(c) said computer means receives said ADF output and processes it to yield
X axis and Y axis position signals for location of said mobile personal
transmitters relative to said computerized grid-work of said geographical
area.
12. The personal security system of claim 11, wherein:
said computer means includes software programmed to identify specific
structures on individual grids of said computer grid-work and capable of
displaying a single computer grid section and the position of the signals
transmitted by said mobile personal transmitters relative to said computer
grid-work to thus enable personnel to efficiently locate a mobile personal
transmitter and the person requesting assistance.
13. A transmitter/antenna for a personal security system having the
capability of identifying the location of a signal transmission in a
specific geographical area, comprising:
(a) an antenna housing having a lower housing section composed of metal and
having an upper housing section composed of a polymer;
(b) a battery pack being located in said lower housing section and
providing electrical power to said transmitter/antenna;
(c) a plurality of printed circuit boards being supported within said lower
housing section and defining a major portion of the electrical circuitry
of said transmitter/antenna; and
(d) a plurality of transmit and receive antennas being provided in said
upper housing section for radio direction finding and being positioned
within said upper housing section for transmitting and receiving radio
signals propagated through said polymer material of said upper housing
section.
14. The transmitter/antenna of claim 13, wherein:
said upper and lower housing sections are in threaded assembly;
15. The transmitter/antenna of claim 13, including:
(a) a circuit board holder being supported within said lower housing
section; and
(b) said printed circuit boards being supported by said circuit board
holder. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to security systems for rendering an alarm
to thus alert appropriate personnel to the needs of a person, place or
business in distress. More specifically, the present invention relates to
a personal security system having a selective multi-signal generating
capability which is capable of being transported efficiently within a
predetermined geographical area and which enables the user of the personal
security system to be efficiently and accurately located within the
geographical area and to be provided with appropriate service as
requested.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Electrical and electronic security systems have long been provided to
owners and subscribers to protect persons or property in specific
locations such as homes, buildings, etc. Various other security systems
have been developed and marketed for the purpose of protecting mobile
property such as automotive vehicles, boats, etc. and persons and other
property associated therewith.
To date, no security system has been developed and marketed which has the
capability to provide mobile persons and equipment with both locating and
protective capability in a specific geographical area such as a large
city, county, etc. Persons who travel within a specific geographical area,
whether walking or traveling in a vehicle, riding a bicycle, etc., may
encounter difficulty and require assistance. This difficulty can be in the
form of medical trauma, thus requiring the services of a physician,
ambulance, etc. Another form of difficulty that could be encountered is in
the area of public safety where the person may need the assistance of the
police or other law enforcement agencies. Especially where the person is
traveling in a vehicle such as an automobile, the vehicle may have
mechanical trouble and thus the person may require the assistance of a
suitable mobile repair facility for repair, towing, etc. From the
standpoint of business, it will be desirable in many instances to know the
whereabouts of personnel so that at a moment's notice the appropriate
person may be located and directed to a location where services should be
performed. lt is desirable, therefore, to provide persons subscribing to a
security system to have the capability of requesting the specific
character of assistance needed, such as medical, police, repair service,
business assistance, etc. by means of an appropriate radio signal. It is
also desirable to provide mobile persons with the capability of being
located within a specific geographical area such as by means of electronic
processing of the radio signal transmitted by the subscriber to thus
permit service personnel to come to their aid without delay.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a subscriber to the security
system of this invention will be provided with a battery powered
transmitter capable of transmitting either one or a plurality of radio
signals. Each radio signal being appropriately coded by its frequency to
indicate the specific type of service required by the subscriber. A
plurality of automatic direction-finding antennas ADF will be located in
appropriately organized and spaced relation within the geographical area
and will be capable of receiving and transmitting radio signals of the
subscriber's transmitter. The signals being transmitted are relayed by the
antennas to a base station having a computer system programmed for
direction finding and other signal processing. The antenna/transmitters
will be narrowly tuned to the transmitting frequency of the subscriber's
transmitter and will be capable of receiving and transmitting radio
signals having X and Y axes to the base station. The antenna/transmitters
may be in the form of stand alone equipment each having its own power
source provided by batteries of extensive service life. This feature
provides the antenna/transmitters with the capability of receiving and
transmitting even in the event of general power failure in the
geographical area.
During installation the antenna/transmitters will be positioned so that the
spacing between antenna/transmitters will not exceed a predetermined
distance, such as one mile for example. This will provide an antenna
network having a signal coverage area that ensures 100% overlap of the
antenna/transmitters.
An automatic direction finder (ADF) and a computer system will be
incorporated in the base station for the purpose of electronically
processing the radio signals that are received from the various
antenna/transmitters. When a subscriber's personal transmitter is
activated, the antenna/transmitters will receive the signal and transmit X
and Y axes codes to a base station antenna. The base station antenna will
send this information to the automatic direction finder. The ADF will
process the signals for average and will transmit the subscriber's
averaged X and Y axes signals to a computer provided with software
representing a map of the geographical area provided with a grid work.
When the averaged X and Y axes signals are received the computer will
identify the specific quadrant or section of the geographical area within
which the subscriber's transmitter is located. In this manner, service
personnel will be very quickly provided with information identifying the
customer's location within a small section of the geographical area,
thereby enabling service personnel to locate the transmitter and provide
the appropriate service without delay.
KEY COMPONENT IN NETWORK SYSTEM
The antenna system for the personal security system of this invention
includes a plurality of strategically located antennas each having
automatic direction finding capability (ADF) and each having the
capability of both receiving and transmitting radio signals and each being
referred to as a "Smart Antenna". The Smart Antenna is the key apparatus
to an antenna network which is employed to cover a geographical area
having many square miles in a typical city. For example, a large city
having 800 square miles will be completely covered by the antenna system.
Each antenna device employs a unique combination of specifically designed
printed circuit boards that enable the Smart Antenna to provide 24 hour
operation, recognize the signals of the transmitters, report maintenance
information, (battery voltage, signal strength , Antenna identification,
and transmitter identification.
As an example, for a large city, 800 or so Smart Antennas can comprise an
antenna/transmitter network that is capable, through a software and
database search, to identify a transmitter from its signal, identify the
location of the transmitter itself with respect to the antenna network and
report to a control console the specific location of the transmitter with
respect to the geographical area of the city that is monitored by the
antenna/transmitter network.
It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide a novel
security system enabling a mobile customer or subscriber to selectively
transmit one of a plurality of coded radio signals for the purpose of
requesting any one of several specific types of services at any location
within a specific geographical area.
It is another feature of the present invention to provide a novel security
system having the capability of receiving, transmitting and processing
radio signals having X and Y axes to thus provide for efficient location
of the source of the transmitted radio signals within a relatively small
section of the geographical area.
It is an even further feature of the present invention to provide a novel
personal security system including signals processing equipment in the
form of a computer presenting a map of a specific geographical area which
may be subdivided by a grid work and enabling the location of transmitting
signal within a specific section of the grid work by means of computerized
processing of radio signals.
An even further feature of this invention contemplates the provision of a
novel personal security system which enables a customer or subscriber to
transmit an appropriate radio signal at a specific time within a
designated geographical area to thus enable the customer to be efficiently
and quickly located and provided with appropriate requested service at the
customer's location within the geographical area so that personal safety
can be effectively maintained.
Other and further objects, advantages and features of the present invention
will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon consideration of the
written specification, the attached claims and the annexed drawings. The
form of the invention, which will now be described in detail, illustrates
the general principles of the invention but it is to be understood that
this detailed description is not to be taken as limiting the scope of the
present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
So that the manner in which the above recited features, advantages and
objects of the present invention are attained and can be understood in
detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized
above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof which are
illustrated in the appended drawings.
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only
typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be
considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other
equally effective embodiments.
In the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a personal security system
constructed in accordance with the present invention and showing a base
antenna, a Smart Antenna network and a personal transmitter together with
the respective transmitter signals thereof.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a Smart Antenna constructed in accordance
with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an electrical block diagram illustrating the processing of the
polling signal from the base antenna by a Smart Antenna receiving the
signal.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram electrical schematic illustrating the radio
direction finder and its signal processing for identifying and storing the
bearing from the personal transmitter to a respective Smart Antenna.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram electrical schematic illustrating the processing
of a transmitter frequency being received by the receiver card circuitry
and selective buffer storage of appropriate signals.
FIG. 6 is another block diagram electrical schematic illustrating
electrical processing of the polling clock pulse from the base antenna and
storage of selected data in the buffer circuitry.
FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of automatic antenna detected and
computer processed data enabling identification of the location of a
customer's remote transmitter in elevation above the ground.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, a personal security
system constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated
generally at 10. It incorporates a base antenna 12 which is preferably
situated centrally of the geographical area covered by the personal
security system. A plurality of signal receiving and processing antennas
which, as indicated above, are referred to herein as "Smart Antennas", two
of which are shown at 14 and 16. The Smart Antennas are positioned in
substantially evenly spaced relation throughout the geographical area so
as to form an antenna/transmitter grid work. The antenna grid work, as
will be explained hereinbelow, is capable of being displayed on the
cathode ray tube (CRT) of a computer system, identified herein as a
"buffer", which functions cooperatively with the base antenna and Smart
Antennas to identify and process position locating signals of any one of a
number of personal assistance transmitters, one of which is shown at 16 in
FIG. 1.
The base antenna 12 generates a polling signal A which is received by all
of the respective Smart Antennas of the Smart Antenna network. The Smart
Antennas of the network also have a signal transmitting capability,
transmitting coded signals B that are received by the base antenna. The
Smart Antennas are also known as ADF antennas as they have an automatic
direction finding capability for identifying the bearing therefrom to the
location of the personal transmitter T-1 shown at 18. The polling signal
is transmitted from the base antenna to the Smart Antenna network. This
polling signal sets the network and reporting information timing. The
personal transmitter 18 transmits an identification (ID) code that is
received by at least two of the Smart Antennas 14-16. This identification
code is processed by the buffer to insure positive identification of the
transmitter of an individual customer subscribing to the service. Improper
signals that do not correspond to the ID code are rejected, passed and
cleared from the signal processing system. Each of the mobile customer's
transmitters are provided with the capability of transmitting signals of a
plurality of frequencies, each frequency being designated for a particular
service that is desired. These radio signals each have X and Y axes which
are identified by two or more Smart Antennas and through a software and
database search by the computer system of the base station, identify the
transmitter, locate the transmitter and report its location on the
geographical area to a control console. The control console will display
the location of the signal generation (transmitter location) on the CRT
display of the geographical area to thus enable service personnel to be
directed to the scene as rapidly as possible.
With reference now to FIG. 2, the housing and internal components of the
Smart Antenna shown generally at 16 are illustrated in detail. As shown in
FIG. 2 the housing structure, illustrated generally at 20, incorporates a
bottom housing 22 and a top housing 24. The bottom housing 22 is
preferably formed of rolled metal such as steel with a welded bottom 26
and a threaded top 28. Although the bottom housing size may vary, in one
suitable form it may have a size of 22 inches in height by 8 inches in
diameter with mounting brackets 27 and 29 welded or otherwise fixed to
each side. The top housing 24 of the Smart Antenna is preferably composed
of acrylic pipe that has been counter-threaded to mount to the top of the
bottom housing. The acrylic upper housing will contain the antennas 40
that are used for transmission and radio direction finding. The acrylic
housing will protect the antennas from weather conditions and allow the
antennas to operate without obstruction.
With reference to FIG. 2, each Smart Antenna will incorporate a battery
pack 30 in the lower portion thereof incorporating rechargeable batteries.
The battery pack is provided with six 2-volt, 24-amp hour batteries that
will supply 18 months of battery life to the Smart Antenna. Although
rechargeable batteries are preferred in the battery pack, on-rechargeable
batteries may be employed as well.
Above the battery pack is provided a support partition 32 which provides
support for a printed circuit board holder 34 which provides support for a
plurality of printed circuit boards such as shown at 36 having a major
portion of the circuitry of the Smart Antenna provided thereon. Above the
printed circuit board card holder is provided an antenna support partition
38 having a plurality of transmit and receive antennas 40 secured thereto.
The antennas are positioned so that transmitted and received signals will
be propagated through the acrylic upper housing 24 without any
interference from the metal lower housing structure 22.
Referring now to FIG. 3 the base antenna 12 is shown to generate a polling
signal A, which signal is received by one of the Smart Antennas 14-16.
After being received by the receiving antenna 42 of the Smart Antenna, the
signal is conducted to receiver circuitry 39 for processing and is then
conducted to a polling frequency circuit 41 to insure that the signal is
of the correct frequency. For example, the correct frequency may be
159.015 megahertz as indicated or any other suitable frequency. The
polling frequency will be transmitted to a comparator circuit 44 where
signals of inappropriate frequency will be conducted to pass and clear
circuits 45 and 47 respectively. If the frequency is proper, the frequency
will be conducted to a series of circuits including a clock buffer 49,
which is a circuit for turning the transmitter off, a clock RDF buffer 56,
followed by a clock buffer 51 and circuits 52 and 53 enabling the Smart
Antenna to stand by for the next polling signal and to hold the data that
has been transmitted thereto. After insuring that the signal is of the
correct frequency, the Smart Antenna will turn off the transmitter and
start an internal clock running. This clock sets up all of the timing for
the radio direction finders and receiving systems and is reset each time a
polling signal is received.
The clock and RDF circuits 50 and 54 are illustrated in FIG. 4 and include
the RDF circuit 54 shown in FIG. 3 having its clock control 55. The RDF
circuit 54 incorporates X and Y axes antennas identified by letters A, B,
C and D. The signals received by these four antenna are processed by the
radio direction finding circuit 54 with a signal output thereof being
transmitted to a sample RDF circuit 56. The output of this circuit is then
processed to yield a signal representing a bearing from the personal
transmitter to the Smart Antenna. The bearing signal is stored in a buffer
58 then sorted into the correct channel, CH-1 through CH-7.
With reference now to FIG. 5, the antenna 43 of the receiver card is shown
to receive a radio signal which is processed by the receiver for
determination that the frequency is correct. For example, a frequency of
150.775 megahertz may be recognized as the proper transmitter frequency by
a frequency comparator circuit 59. The discriminator circuit 44 conducts
improper frequencies to pass and clear circuits 60 and 61 and conducts
signals at the proper frequency to a transmitter identification circuit 62
where it is processed by a data base to identify the particular
transmitter from which the signal is being received. If the frequency is
determined to be correct, the circuit 63 receives the transmitter's
identification code and alarm code and stores it in the buffer 63 CPR).
From the buffer 63 the signal is conducted to the correct channel, i.e.,
CH-1 to CH-7.
The schematic circuit illustration of FIG. 6 illustrates the buffer 63
receiving a polling signal and clock pulse 64 from the base antenna 12.
The Smart Antenna receives transmitter information (transmitter ID code,
transmitter alarm code, bearing to the transmitter) and adds current
information (antenna ID code, battery voltage, signal strength) and stores
it in the buffer 63. On the next polling clock pulse, the buffer will
clear by transmitting the information to the base antenna as shown as 65.
As an example, for a personal security system intended for a large city,
the computer software will have in its memory all of the major buildings
by name and location. This will be an added help in sending assistance to
known locations. Again, by making small modifications in the software
system, the homes of the various subscribers to the system can be entered
into the software and thus can be readily identified and displayed to
enable services to be delivered more efficiently to the customers.
The maintenance on the network (antennas, ADF system, computers, software,
etc.) will be controlled and monitored by "self-checking software". The
software will perform internal checks of the computer and map software at
specific time intervals, such as every three minutes for example. If
anything is determined to be improper, the computer will identify the
problem area and render a printout identifying the problem and a solution
to the problem.
The Smart Antennas will transmit the client's transmitter position in terms
of X and Y coordinates and will also transmit signals representing battery
voltage and will transmit signals representing transmission strength. This
information will be input to a maintenance software and any variations
will be noted. This information will provide maintenance personnel with a
computerized "first repair" list that will be updated periodically. Thus,
repair personnel will be provided with an up-to-date list at all times of
the particular services that need to be completed to keep the security
system in condition for efficient performance.
The personal security system thus provided has the capability of quickly
and adequately locating the personal transmitter of a customer with
respect to a particular geographical area serviced by the equipment. The
customer's location is then identified through computer processing of X
and Y coordinate signals generated by the customer's personal transmitter.
The customer's transmitter will have effective battery life to exceed the
time limit of a service contract, such as six months, one year, etc. At
the end of this service contract, the customer would renew the contract
and at the same time be provided with a different personal signal
transmitter device. The signal transmitter turned in would then be
serviced, typically by installing new batteries or recharging the
batteries, to insure that it has adequate service life before being
provided to a different customer. The particular needs of the customers
will be specifically identified by the particular character of the signals
that are transmitted. Thus, the customer's needs from the standpoint of
personal safety, medical attention, automotive repair, business
assistance, can be identified at the time of the transmission and thus
service personnel attending the customer's needs will be provided with
appropriate equipment.
With regard to FIG. 7, which is a diagrammatic illustration shown generally
at 10, the signal locating system of this invention will also have the
capability of locating the personal signal transmitter 16 in relation to
height above the ground. For example, if the customer is located in a tall
building, its location in elevation above the ground can be accurately
determined to thus enable service personnel to reach the scene of the
transmitter quickly. A mathematical computation such as shown
schematically generally of 70 in FIG. 7 will be employed to determine the
distance of signal travel P, represented by distance line 72, and thus the
height Z of the customer's location above ground level represented by
height line 74 and the horizontal location point 77 of the customer's
transmitter in relation to known coordinates (X), (Y) and (Z). For
example, coordinate (X) may represent the East-West coordinate (Y) may
represent the North-South Coordinate and (Z) may represent the antenna
height of a smart antenna. Angle O is the included angle of a line 79 from
the customer horizontal location point 77 to the transmitter location
point 81, which line is taken in relation to the known coordinate (X). The
customer's transmitter emits a radio signal which is received by automatic
direction finding antennas which identify the horizontal bearings from the
antenna to the transmitter and which may also identify vertical bearings
if transmitter elevation is desired. These bearing signals are processed
by the computer in correlation with known reference coordinates with which
the computer software is provided. Such computer processing achieves
plotting of the transmitter location on an electronic representation of
the local area, including plotting of the elevation of the transmitter in
relation to a horizontal reference if the elevation of the transmitter is
desired. The formulas:
X=P Sin .phi.COS .theta.
Y=P Sin .phi.Sin .theta., and
Z=P COS .phi.
will be employed so as to transform the spherical coordinates P 0 to
rectangular coordinates X, Y and Z, represented by coordinate lines 74, 76
and 78. Through the use of these formulas by way of computer processing of
the buffer the height of the signal transmission of the customer's remote
transmitter will be accurately determined.
This invention is therefore is one well adapted to attain all of the
objects and features inherent from a description of the apparatus itself.
It will be understood that certain combinations and subcombinations are of
utility and may be employed without reference to other features and
subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the
present invention.
As many possible embodiments may be made of this invention without
departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that
all matters hereinabove set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings
are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in any limiting sense.
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