Disclosure of Invention
The invention aims to provide an electric umbrella, which aims to solve the technical problem that the existing umbrella is inconvenient to use.
The electric umbrella comprises a driving assembly, a first traction assembly, a second traction assembly, an umbrella rod assembly, an umbrella rib assembly, an upper nest fixedly arranged at one end of the umbrella rod assembly and a lower nest movably sleeved on the umbrella rod assembly, wherein the umbrella rib assembly comprises a first umbrella rib and a second umbrella rib which are connected with each other in a rotating mode, an elastic piece connected between the first umbrella rib and the second umbrella rib, one end of the first umbrella rib is rotatably connected with the lower nest, one end of the second umbrella rib is rotatably connected with the upper nest, the umbrella rod assembly comprises a first pipe rod, a second pipe rod and a third pipe rod which are sleeved in sequence, the driving assembly drives the second pipe rod and the third pipe rod to do linear reciprocating motion along the axial direction of the umbrella rod assembly through the first traction assembly, and the umbrella rod assembly drives the second pipe rod assembly to move towards the upper nest through the second traction assembly.
The electric umbrella has the advantages that when the electric umbrella is opened, the driving assembly operates, the second pipe rod and the third pipe rod are pulled to extend outwards along the axial direction of the umbrella rod assembly through the first traction assembly, meanwhile, the second pipe rod and the third pipe rod are pulled to move towards the upper nest through the second traction assembly in the extending process, so that the first umbrella rib supports the second umbrella rib, the elastic piece is in a stretching state, at the moment, the second traction assembly overcomes the elastic force of the elastic piece to pull the lower nest, when the second pipe rod and the third pipe rod are completely extended, the umbrella rib assembly is also completely pulled up, namely the opening operation of the electric umbrella is completed, when the electric umbrella is closed, the driving assembly reversely operates, the second pipe rod and the third pipe rod are pulled to retract inwards along the axial direction of the umbrella rod assembly through the first traction assembly, when the second pipe rod and the third pipe rod retract, the lower nest loses the tensile force of the second traction assembly, the elastic piece pulls the first umbrella rib and the second umbrella rib to be folded, and the second umbrella rib are pushed to move towards the upper direction, namely the second pipe rod and the third pipe rod retract completely, and the opening operation of the electric umbrella is completed. The opening and closing operations of the electric umbrella are automatically carried out, manual participation is not needed, and the electric umbrella is labor-saving in operation and convenient to use.
In one embodiment, the driving assembly comprises a driver and a first wire wheel connected to the power output end of the driver, the first traction assembly comprises a second wire wheel rotatably mounted on the first pipe rod, a third wire wheel rotatably mounted on one end of the second pipe rod, a fourth wire wheel rotatably mounted on the other end of the second pipe rod, and a first pull wire sequentially wound on the first wire wheel, the second wire wheel, the third wire wheel and the fourth wire wheel, and two ends of the first pull wire are fixedly connected to two opposite ends of the third pipe rod respectively.
In one embodiment, the first pull wire comprises a first wire segment and a second wire segment, one end of the first wire segment is fixedly connected with the first wire wheel, the other end of the first wire segment is fixedly connected with one end of the third pipe rod, which is far away from the driving assembly, the second wire segment is sequentially wound on the second wire wheel, the third wire wheel and the fourth wire wheel, one end of the second wire segment is fixedly connected with the first wire wheel, and the other end of the second wire segment is fixedly connected with one end of the third pipe rod, which is close to the driving assembly.
In one embodiment, the driving assembly further comprises a transmission assembly, the axis of the driver is vertically arranged, the axis of the first wire wheel is horizontally arranged, one end of the transmission assembly is fixedly connected with the output end of the driver, and the other end of the transmission assembly is fixedly connected with the first wire wheel.
In one embodiment, the second traction assembly includes a fifth wire wheel rotatably mounted on the third pipe rod and a second stay wire wound around the fifth wire wheel, one end of the second stay wire is fixedly connected with the lower nest, and the other end of the second stay wire is fixedly connected with the second pipe rod.
In one embodiment, the electric umbrella further comprises a controller and a button assembly electrically connected with the controller, and the driving assembly is electrically connected with the controller.
In one embodiment, the button assembly includes a first button for controlling the forward operation of the drive assembly and a second button for controlling the reverse operation of the drive assembly.
In one embodiment, a handle is disposed at an end of the first pipe rod away from the upper nest, and a receiving cavity for receiving the controller, the button assembly and the driving assembly is formed in the handle.
In one embodiment, a limiting structure is disposed between the first pipe rod and the second pipe rod and between the second pipe rod and the third pipe rod.
In one embodiment, the electric umbrella further comprises a battery, and the battery is electrically connected with the driving assembly.
In one embodiment, the electric umbrella further comprises a power indicator, and the power indicator is electrically connected with the battery.
Drawings
In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an open state structure of an electric umbrella according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic view of the electric umbrella of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of the structure of the electric umbrella shown in FIG. 1 at B;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a semi-closed structure of an electric umbrella according to an embodiment of the present invention;
fig. 5 is a schematic view of a fully closed state structure of an electric umbrella according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Wherein, each reference sign in the figure:
10. The drive assembly, 11, the driver, 111, the battery, 12, the first reel, 13, the first bevel gear, 14, the second bevel gear, 20, the first traction assembly, 21, the second reel, 22, the third reel, 23, the fourth reel, 24, the first stay wire, 241, the first line segment, 242, the second line segment, 30, the second traction assembly, 31, the fifth reel, 32, the second stay wire, 40, the umbrella stem assembly, 41, the first stem, 411, the handle, 4111, the accommodating cavity, 42, the second stem, 43, the third stem, 50, the rib assembly, 51, the first rib, 52, the second rib, 53, the elastic member, 54, the third rib, 55, the fourth rib, 56, the first rib, 57, the second rib, 60, the lower nest, 70, the upper nest, 80, the controller, 90, the button assembly, 91, the first button, 92, the second button.
Detailed Description
Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to like or similar elements or elements having like or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are illustrative and intended to explain the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention.
In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "length," "width," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate describing the present invention and simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such feature. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more, unless explicitly defined otherwise.
In the present invention, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed, mechanically connected, electrically connected, directly connected, indirectly connected via an intervening medium, or in communication between two elements or in an interaction relationship between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to the specific circumstances.
Example 1
Referring to fig. 1 to 5, an electric umbrella comprises a driving assembly 10, a first traction assembly 20, a second traction assembly 30, an umbrella rod assembly 40, an umbrella rib assembly 50, an upper nest 70 fixedly arranged at one end of the umbrella rod assembly 40, and a lower nest 60 movably sleeved on the umbrella rod assembly 40, wherein the umbrella rib assembly 50 comprises a first umbrella rib 51, a second umbrella rib 52 and an elastic piece 53 connected between the first umbrella rib 51 and the second umbrella rib 52, one end of the first umbrella rib 51 is rotatably connected with the lower nest 60, one end of the second umbrella rib 52 is rotatably connected with the upper nest 70, the umbrella rod assembly 40 comprises a first pipe rod 41, a second pipe rod 42 and a third pipe rod 43 which are sequentially sleeved, the driving assembly 10 is arranged at the first pipe rod 41, the driving assembly 10 drives the second nest rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43 to do linear reciprocating motion along the axial direction of the umbrella rod assembly 40 through the first traction assembly 20, and the umbrella rod assembly 40 drives the lower nest 60 to move towards the upper nest 70 through the second traction assembly 30.
When the electric umbrella is opened, the driving assembly 10 operates, the first traction assembly 20 pulls the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43 to extend outwards along the axial direction of the umbrella rod assembly 40, meanwhile, the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43 are pulled by the first traction assembly 30 to move towards the upper nest 70 in the extending process, so that the first umbrella rib 51 supports the second umbrella rib 52, and the elastic piece 53 is simultaneously pulled into a stretched state, at the moment, the second traction assembly 30 overcomes the elastic force of the elastic piece 53 to pull the lower nest 60, when the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43 are fully extended, the umbrella rib assembly 50 is fully supported, namely, the opening operation of the electric umbrella is completed, when the electric umbrella is closed, the driving assembly 10 reversely operates, the first traction assembly 20 pulls the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43 to retract inwards along the axial direction of the umbrella rod assembly 40, when the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43 retract, the lower nest 60 loses the tensile force of the second traction assembly 30, and the elastic piece 53 pushes the second umbrella rib 53 and the second pipe rod 43 to move towards the upper nest 70, namely, when the second pipe rod 43 is fully retracted, and the second pipe rod 43 is completely retracted, namely, the second pipe rod 52 is completely retracted, and the second pipe rod 43 is completely retracted. The opening and closing operations of the electric umbrella are automatically carried out, manual participation is not needed, and the electric umbrella is labor-saving in operation and convenient to use.
The elastic member 53 may be a tension spring, and of course, the type of the elastic member 53 is various, such as a pneumatic rod, etc., which is not particularly limited herein.
Specifically, referring to fig. 1, the rib assembly 50 further includes a first rib 56, a second rib 57, and a third rib 54 and a fourth rib 55 rotatably connected to each other, wherein an end of the third rib 54 remote from the fourth rib 55 is rotatably connected to the second rib 52, one end of the first rib 56 is rotatably connected to the first rib 51 and the other end is rotatably connected to the third rib 54, and an end of the second rib 57 is rotatably connected to the second rib 52 and the other end is rotatably connected to the third rib 54.
In an embodiment, referring to fig. 1 to 5, the driving assembly 10 includes a driver 11 and a first wire wheel 12 connected to a power output end of the driver 11, the first traction assembly 20 includes a second wire wheel 21 rotatably mounted on a first pipe rod 41, a third wire wheel 22 rotatably mounted on one end of a second pipe rod 42, a fourth wire wheel 23 rotatably mounted on the other end of the second pipe rod 42, and a first pull wire 24 sequentially wound around the first wire wheel 12, the second wire wheel 21, the third wire wheel 22 and the fourth wire wheel 23, and two ends of the first pull wire 24 are fixedly connected to opposite ends of the third pipe rod 43, respectively. Wherein the driver 11 may be a motor.
To facilitate understanding of the above embodiment, the portion of the first wire 24 between the first reel 12 and the second reel 21 is defined as a first movable section, the portion between the second reel 21 and the third reel 22 is defined as a second movable section, the portion between the third reel 22 and the fourth reel 23 is defined as a third movable section, the portion between the fourth reel 23 and the third pipe lever 43 is defined as a fourth movable section, and the portion between the first reel 12 and the third pipe lever 43 is defined as a fifth movable section, so as to further explain the above embodiment.
As shown in fig. 1, 4 and 5, when the electric umbrella is opened, the driver 11 drives the first wire wheel 12 to rotate, at this time, the length of the first movable section is unchanged and is conveyed in a direction approaching the first wire wheel 12, the length of the second movable section is shortened and is conveyed in a direction approaching the second wire wheel 21, the length of the third movable section is unchanged and is conveyed in a direction approaching the third wire wheel 22, the length of the fourth movable section is shortened and is conveyed in a direction approaching the fourth wire wheel 23, the length of the fifth movable section is increased and is conveyed in a direction far away from the first wire wheel 12, so that, due to the shortening of the length of the second movable section, the second pipe rod 42 is pulled to extend outwards, the third movable section is pulled to extend along with the extension of the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43, in addition, during the extension of the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43, the lower nest 60 is pulled to move in a direction approaching the upper nest 70 through the second traction component 30, the first umbrella rib 51 is enabled to pull the second umbrella rib 51 to move the second movable section 52 towards the fourth wire wheel 23, the second movable section is pulled to extend the fourth movable section is pulled outwards, the fourth movable section is pulled outwards due to the extension of the length of the fourth movable section is pulled to extend the fourth movable section is pulled outwards, and is extended towards the fourth movable section is pulled outwards along the extension of the fourth movable section 43 is extended towards the fourth movable section is not, and is extended towards the fourth movable section is extended towards the fourth wire wheel 12, and is extended towards the fourth movable section is extended, and is not, and is extended, and moved towards the fourth movable, and is extended, and is pulled to move, and is 12, and is opened, and 31, and is moved, and 31, and a fourth movable, and 31, and fourth movable, and, and because the length of the fifth movable section is shortened, the third pipe rod 43 is pulled to retract inwards, when the third pipe rod 43 is retracted to the jacking position with the second pipe rod 42, the fifth movable section pulls the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43 to retract together until the second pipe rod 42 is retracted to the jacking position with the first pipe rod 41, namely, the umbrella rod assembly 40 is completely retracted, in addition, during the retraction of the third pipe rod 43, the second traction assembly 30 loses the pulling force acting on the lower nest 60, at the moment, the elastic piece 53 is contracted to pull the first umbrella rib 51 and the second umbrella rib 52 to be folded, so that the lower nest 60 is pushed to move away from the upper nest 70 until the umbrella rib assembly 50 is completely folded.
Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, 4 and 5, the driving assembly further includes a transmission assembly, the axis of the driver 11 is vertically disposed, the axis of the first reel 12 is horizontally disposed, one end of the transmission assembly is fixedly connected with the output end of the driver 11, and the other end of the transmission assembly is fixedly connected with the first reel 12. By providing a transmission assembly to change the direction of transmission of the driver 11 such that the axis of the first wire wheel 12 is perpendicular to both the output axis of the driver 11 and the axis of the umbrella lever assembly 40, the first wire wheel 12 releases or retracts the first wire 24 in the axial direction of the umbrella lever assembly 40 when the driver 11 drives the first wire wheel 12 to rotate.
The transmission assembly has various structures, such as the transmission assembly comprises a first bevel gear 13 and a second bevel gear 14 which are meshed with each other, the first bevel gear 13 is fixedly connected with the output end of the driver 11, the second bevel gear 14 is fixedly connected with the first wire wheel, the transmission assembly comprises a worm and a worm wheel which are meshed with each other, the worm is fixedly connected with the output end of the driver 11, and the worm wheel is fixedly connected with the first wire wheel, which is not particularly limited herein.
In an embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, 4 and 5, the second traction assembly 30 includes a fifth wire wheel 31 rotatably mounted on the third pipe rod 43 and a second wire 32 wound around the fifth wire wheel 31, one end of the second wire 32 is fixedly connected with the lower nest 60 and the other end is fixedly connected with the second pipe rod 42.
The operation of first traction assembly 20 and second traction assembly 30 will be further described in conjunction.
Please refer to fig. 1, as shown in fig. 4 and 5, when the electric umbrella is opened (in the state shown in fig. 5 at this time), the driver 11 drives the first reel 12 to rotate, at this time, the length of the first movable section is unchanged and is conveyed in a direction approaching the first reel 12, the length of the second movable section is shortened and is conveyed in a direction approaching the second reel 21, the length of the third movable section is unchanged and is conveyed in a direction approaching the third reel 22, the length of the fourth movable section is shortened and is conveyed in a direction approaching the fourth reel 23, the length of the fifth movable section is increased and is conveyed in a direction away from the first reel 12, so that the second pipe rod 42 is pulled to extend outwards due to the shortening of the length of the second movable section, the third pipe rod 43 is pulled to extend outwards due to the shortening of the length of the fourth movable section, and the fifth movable section is pulled to extend along with the extension of the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43; in addition, since the third tube rod 43 is extended outwards, the second pull wire 32 is driven to pull the lower nest 60 to move towards the direction approaching to the upper nest 70, so that the first rib 51 supports the second rib 52 and stretches and deforms the elastic member 53, the elastic force generated by stretching the elastic member 53 is sequentially transferred to the third tube rod 43 through the lower nest 60 and the second traction assembly 30, that is, when the fourth movable section pulls the third tube rod 43 outwards, the elastic force of the elastic member 53 needs to be overcome, and the second tube rod 42 is not acted by other external forces except the gravity and friction force of the second tube rod 42, therefore, when the first wire 12 rotates, the first pull wire 24 pulls the second tube rod 42 outwards, when the second tube rod 42 is completely extended (at this time in the state shown in fig. 4), the first pull wire 24 continues to pull the third tube rod 43 outwards, and during the extension of the third tube rod 43, the fifth wire wheel 31 moves along with the third pipe rod 43 in a direction away from the first wire wheel 12, so that the second pull wire 32 pulls the lower nest 60 to move in a direction approaching the upper nest 70, the first umbrella rib 51 supports the second umbrella rib 52, and the elastic piece 53 stretches and deforms to close the electric umbrella to store potential energy (at the moment, in the state shown in fig. 1); when the electric umbrella is closed (in the state shown in fig. 1), the driver 11 drives the first wire wheel 12 to rotate reversely, at this time, the length of the first movable section is unchanged and conveyed away from the first wire wheel 12, the length of the second movable section is increased and conveyed away from the second wire wheel 21, the length of the third movable section is unchanged and conveyed away from the third wire wheel 22, the length of the fourth movable section is increased and conveyed away from the fourth wire wheel 23, the length of the fifth movable section is shortened and conveyed toward the first wire wheel 12, so that the fourth movable section loses the extending tension acting on the third pipe rod 43, the second movable section loses the extending tension acting on the second pipe rod 42, and because the length of the fifth movable section is shortened, the third pipe rod 43 is pulled to retract inwards, and the fifth wire wheel 31 moves along with the third pipe rod 43 towards the direction approaching the first wire wheel 12, so that the second pull wire 32 also loses the pulling force acting on the lower nest 60, at this time, the elastic piece 53 returns to fold the first umbrella rib 51 and the second umbrella rib 52 to push the lower nest 60 towards the direction approaching the first wire wheel 12, when the third pipe rod 43 is retracted to the jacking position with the second pipe rod 42 (at this time in the state shown in fig. 4), the fifth movable section pulls the second pipe rod 42 and the third pipe rod 43 to retract together until the second pipe rod 42 is retracted to the jacking position with the first pipe rod 41, i.e., to achieve full retraction of the canopy assembly 40 and full collapsing of the rib assembly 50 (which is now in the condition shown in fig. 5).
As can be seen from the foregoing, the first pull wire 24 of the first traction assembly 20 and the second pull wire 32 of the second traction assembly 30 are kept in a tight state all the time no matter the electric umbrella is in an opening process or a closing process, and when the driver 11 is operated, the first traction assembly 20 and the second traction assembly 30 immediately respond in sequence, so that the whole operation response of the electric umbrella is timely, and the user experience is effectively improved.
In one embodiment, referring to fig. 1, 4 and 5, the electric umbrella further comprises a controller 80 and a button assembly 90 electrically connected to the controller 80, and the driving assembly 10 is electrically connected to the controller 80. The user sends an instruction to the controller 80 by operating the button assembly 90 to cause the controller 80 to control the driving assembly 10 to operate in the forward direction or in the reverse direction. It should be noted that, when the electric umbrella is in the closed state to the fully opened state, the driving assembly 10 is blocked, the controller 80 detects a large current to control the driving assembly 10 to be powered off, whereas when the electric umbrella is in the open state to the fully closed state, the driving assembly 10 is likewise blocked, and the controller 80 detects a large current to control the driving assembly 10 to be powered off. Of course, the controller 80 may control the power-off of the driving assembly 10 in various manners, such as controlling the power-off of the driving assembly 10 by detecting the number of turns of the driving assembly 10, and controlling the power-off of the driving assembly 10 by detecting the operation time of the driving assembly 10, which is not limited herein.
Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, 4 and 5, the button assembly 90 includes a first button 91 and a second button 92, the first button 91 is used to control the forward operation of the driving assembly 10, and the second button 92 is used to control the reverse operation of the driving assembly 10. When the user presses the first button 91, the controller 80 controls the driving assembly 10 to be operated in the forward direction to open (close) the electric umbrella, and when the user presses the second button 92, the controller 80 controls the driving assembly 10 to be operated in the reverse direction to close (open) the electric umbrella, so that the operation is simple and convenient.
The types of the first button 91 and the second button 92 are various, such as a mechanical button, a touch button, etc., and are not particularly limited herein.
Further, as shown in fig. 1, 4 and 5, a handle 411 is disposed at an end of the first tube 41 away from the upper nest 70, and a receiving cavity 4111 for receiving the controller 80, the button assembly 90 and the driving assembly 10 is formed in the handle 411. The controller 80, the button assembly 90 and the driving assembly 10 are all accommodated in the accommodating cavity 4111 of the handle 411, so that the parts can be prevented from being exposed, the appearance of the electric umbrella is regular, and the look and feel of the electric umbrella can be effectively improved.
In an embodiment, a limiting structure is disposed between the first tube bar 41 and the second tube bar 42 and between the second tube bar 42 and the third tube bar 43. By providing the limit structure, the second pipe rod 42 is prevented from being separated from the first pipe rod 41 after being fully extended and the third pipe rod 43 is prevented from being separated from the second pipe rod 42 after being fully extended, thereby improving the reliability of the electric umbrella.
The limiting structure is various, such as a first bayonet is disposed at one end of the first pipe rod 41 far away from the driving assembly 10, a first clamping point for matching the first bayonet is disposed at one end of the second pipe rod 42 near the driving assembly 10, a second bayonet is disposed at the other end of the second pipe rod 42, a second clamping point for matching the second bayonet is disposed at one end of the third pipe rod 43 near the driving assembly 10, a first clamping ring is disposed at one end of the first pipe rod 41 far away from the driving assembly 10, a second clamping ring for abutting the first clamping ring is disposed at one end of the second pipe rod 42 near the driving assembly 10, a third clamping ring is disposed at the other end of the second pipe rod 42, and a fourth clamping ring for abutting the third clamping ring is disposed at one end of the third pipe rod 43 near the driving assembly 10.
In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, 4 and 5, the electric umbrella further comprises a battery 111, and the battery 111 is electrically connected to the driving assembly 10. By providing the battery 111 to continuously supply power to the electric umbrella, the electric umbrella is convenient for a user to take the electric umbrella out of the belt for use.
Further, the electric umbrella further comprises a power indicator (not shown), and the power indicator is electrically connected with the battery 111. When the electric quantity of the battery 111 is low, the indicator reminds a user to charge or replace the battery 111 in time, and the using convenience of the electric umbrella is further improved.
Example two
Referring to fig. 1, 4 and 5, the first pull wire 24 includes a first wire segment 241 and a second wire segment 242, one end of the first wire segment 241 is fixedly connected with the first wire wheel 12, the other end is fixedly connected with one end of the third tube rod 43 far away from the driving assembly 10, the second wire segment 242 is sequentially wound around the second wire wheel 21, the third wire wheel 22 and the fourth wire wheel 23, one end of the second wire segment 242 is fixedly connected with the first wire wheel 12, and the other end of the second wire segment 242 is fixedly connected with one end of the third tube rod 43 close to the driving assembly 10. The operation of the first traction assembly 20 of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first traction assembly 20 of the first embodiment, and will not be described in detail herein.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention is not intended to be limiting, but rather is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and principles of the invention.