Technical field The present disclosure generally pertains to a shoe-mounting arrangement, and more particularly to a shoe-mounting arrangement for an electronic assault alarm as well as to an electronic assault alarm.

Background art

Runners, pedestrians and hikers may on many conceivable occasions desire to attach objects to a shoe. Such objects include e.g. assault alarms, position detection devices, race timing devices or various measurement devices.

US4245218A discloses a foot alarm that is detachably secured to a pad that is held to a shoe by the shoestrings being threaded through the pad. US20060132314A1 discloses a remote controlled emergency alarm device to be mounted in or on a footwear. Prior art shoe-mounting arrangements suffer from various drawbacks. Typically, prior art devices are inconvenient and time consuming to attach to a shoe. Also, prior art devices may be insufficiently secured to the shoe such that the devices may fall off, and/or they are not stably fastened causing discomfort during running or walking.

Summary of the invention In view of the above, it is an aim of the present disclosure to provide an improved shoe mounting arrangement. In particular, one object is to provide an arrangement that is easy and quick to mount and dismount, yet is stably fastened to the shoe.

The disclosure provides a shoe-mounting arrangement for an electronic assault alarm comprising a main body for housing electronic components, the main body comprising a body underside, a body front end and a body rear end. The arrangement further comprises a front shoelace retaining means configured to resist a movement of a shoelace towards the rear, and a rear shoelace retaining means configured to resist a movement of the shoelace towards the front. The front and rear shoelace retaining means cooperate with the shoelace to stably keep the arrangement in place. As the front shoelace retaining means resists a movement of the shoelace towards the rear and the rear shoelace retaining means resists a movement of the shoelace towards the front, the shoelace may clamp the arrangement without play. In addition, the arrangement may be quickly fitted, even without untying the shoelace, and may be designed to be used with all kinds of shoelaces.

The front and rear shoelace retaining means may be formed in one piece with the body underside or with the main body.

The front and rear shoelace retaining means may be arranged at a distance d from one another along a longitudinal axis extending between the body front end and the body rear end.

The front shoelace retaining means may comprise a front abutment member that extends at an angle with respect to the body underside and the rear shoelace retaining means may comprise a rear abutment member that extends at an angle with respect to the body underside, and the front and rear abutment members may be arranged at a distance d from one another along a longitudinal axis extending between the body front end and the body rear end.

The distance d mentioned in the two previous paragraphs may be selected to exceed the typical distance between adjacent eyelets or lugs for the shoelace. The distance d may be selected such that a shoelace retained by the front and rear shoelace retaining means may stably hold the shoe-mounting arrangement. For example, the distance d may be at least 5 mm, such as 10, 15 or 20 mm. Typically, the distance d should not exceed 30 mm.

The front shoelace retaining means may comprise a front guide member that extends along the body underside and the rear shoelace retaining means may comprise a rear guide member that extends along the body underside. When mounted, the shoelace may be caught between the guide members and the body underside. In detail, a first turn of the shoelace may be arranged between the front guide member and the body underside and a second turn of the shoelace may be arranged between the rear guide member and the body underside.

The front guide member may be configured to hinder the shoelace from exiting the front shoelace retaining means towards the front. The rear guide member may be configured to hinder the shoelace from exiting the front shoelace retaining means towards the rear. In this way, the arrangement may remain mounted to a shoe also when the shoelaces are not tight.

The front shoelace retaining means may extend to the body front end, which may facilitate mounting. On the other hand, for comfort reasons the front shoelace retaining means should not extend beyond the body front end. Thus, the distal end of the front shoelace retaining means may be substantially aligned with the body front end, in the longitudinal direction of the main body. Similarly, the distal end of the rear shoelace retaining means may be substantially aligned with the body rear end, in the longitudinal direction of the main body.

The main body may comprise body sides extending between the body front end and the body rear end, wherein the width of the front and rear shoelace retaining means along a width axis extending between the body sides is less than 50 percent of the width of the main body along the width axis. Such relatively narrow shoelace retaining means may be advantageous as regards comfort and easy mounting.

The front and rear shoelace retaining means may be elongate members. The front and rear shoelace retaining means may be wing-shaped. The root of the respective wing may be secured essentially centrally on the body underside, as seen in the longitudinal direction of the main body, and the wings may extend in opposite directions. The root of the respective wing may be bent such that the major portion of the wings are arranged at a distance from the body underside. The major portion of the wings may be essentially parallel with the body underside. The respective wing tips may be essentially aligned with the body front and rear ends. A suitable width of the respective wing is 5 to 15 mm. The front and/or rear shoelace retaining means may be resilient. The front and/or rear shoelace retaining means may be biased towards the body underside such that the front and/or rear shoelace retaining means is openable, i.e. resiliently separable from the body underside.

The front shoelace retaining means may be open towards the body front end and/or the rear shoelace retaining means may be open towards the body rear end. In other words, the front and rear shoelace retaining means be distanced from the body underside.

The body underside and the front shoelace retaining means may form a front shoelace receiving section and the body underside and the rear shoelace retaining means may form a rear shoelace receiving section.

The front and rear shoelace retaining means may be rigidly attached to the main body. The front and rear shoelace retaining means may be integral with the body underside or with the main body.

The front and rear shoelace retaining means may protrude from the body underside. The front and rear shoelace retaining means may protrude from respective positions essentially centrally (as seen in the longitudinal direction of the main body) on the body underside, separated by the above-discussed distance d.

The electronic components of the main body may comprise an alarm activation device and communication means to trigger the electronic assault alarm, which is located remote from the main body. The electronic assault alarm may for example be constituted by a smart phone app.

The disclosure also provides an electronic assault alarm comprising the above shoe mounting arrangement, wherein the electronic components of the main body comprise an electric battery, a sound emitting device powered by the electric battery and a trigger device to activate the sound emitting device.

Thus, the disclosure provides an electronic assault alarm for shoe-mounting comprising a main body that houses electronic components comprising an electric battery, a sound emitting device powered by the electric battery and a trigger device to activate the sound emitting device, the main body comprising a body underside, a body front end and a body rear end, a front shoelace retaining means configured to resist a movement of a shoelace towards the rear, and a rear shoelace retaining means configured to resist a movement of the shoelace towards the front.

Additional possible features and assigned advantages corresponds to the ones of the shoe-mounting arrangement described above. For example, the front and rear shoelace retaining means may be formed in one piece with the body underside or with the main body of the electronic assault alarm.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will be described further below by way of example and with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view from below of a first embodiment of a shoe mounting arrangement for an electronic assault alarm,

Figure 2 shows the arrangement of figure 1 in a side view, Figure 3 shows the arrangement of figure 1 from below, Figure 4 is a side view of a second embodiment of a shoe-mounting arrangement for an electronic assault alarm,

Figure 5 shows the arrangement of figure 4 from below and Figure 6 is a view from below of a third embodiment of a shoe-mounting arrangement for an electronic assault alarm. Detailed description of embodiments

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures. Like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout the description and figures.

Figures 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of a shoe-mounting arrangement 1 for an electronic assault alarm. The arrangement 1 comprises a main body 10 with a body underside 11, a body front end 12, a body rear end 13, two opposing body sides 14 and a body top side 15. When mounted on a shoe, the body underside 11 faces the upper of the shoe, more precisely the part of the shoe where the shoelace or shoestring is thread back and forth in several turns between eyelets or lugs. Typically, the body sides 14 will be aligned essentially in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the shoe and the body front end 12 will face the toe end of the shoe. The main body 10 will thus be positioned over the bridge of the wearer’s foot, in the area of the transverse arch.

In the first embodiment, the main body 10 houses electronic components of an electronic assault alarm. Electronic assault alarms are known per se, reference is made to e.g. US4245218A for details. The function of the electronic assault alarm as such is not a focus of the present disclosure. Briefly, the main body 10 comprises an electric battery, a sound emitting device such as a speaker and a trigger device such as a push button to activate the speaker.

The arrangement 1 further comprises front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30 for attaching the shoe-mounting arrangement 1 to the shoe. The front shoelace retaining means 20 is configured to resist a movement of the shoelace 2 towards the rear, i.e. the body rear end 13, and the rear shoelace retaining means 30 is configured to resist a movement of the shoelace 2 towards the front, i.e. the body front end 12. Two turns of the shoelace 2 are indicated in figure 2. In this disclosure, the shoelace is generally identified with the reference numeral 2, while the first turn is denoted 2' and the second turn is denoted 2".

Referring to figures 1 to 3, it is to be apprehended that the front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30 are adapted to cooperate with a shoelace to stably fasten the arrangement 1 on the shoe. This is made possible since the front shoelace retaining means 20 is configured to resist a movement of the shoelace 2 towards the rear and the rear shoelace retaining means 30 is configured to resist a movement of the shoelace 2 towards the front. Once mounted, the shoelace 2 will impart a first force onto the front shoelace retaining means 20 and a second force onto the rear shoelace retaining means 30. The first and second forces act in opposite directions to clamp the front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30. In other words, the front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30 are clamped by the shoelace. More precisely, as is indicated in figure 2, a first turn 2' (to the right in figure 2) of the shoelace 2 will impart a rearwards force to the front shoelace retaining means 20 and second turn 2" (to the left in figure 2) of the shoelace 2 will impart a forwards force to the rear shoelace retaining means 30. The first and second turns of the shoelace 2 may be adjacent, or there may be additional turns positioned in-between the front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30.

The front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30 may be arranged at a distance d from one another. The distance d is indicated in figure 1. The distance d may be selected such that the shoelace may stably hold the shoe-mounting arrangement 1. The arrangement 1 of figures 1 to 3 is adapted for a typical running shoe, and the distance d is 10 mm. In other embodiments the distance d may be longer or shorter, but typically the distance d needs to be at least at least 5 mm in order for the shoelaces to effectively clamp the front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30. Typically, the distance d shall exceed the distance between adjacent turns 2', 2" of a shoelace, which corresponds to the distance between adjacent eyelets or lugs.

The main body 10 of the embodiments of the present disclosure is elongate in shape as viewed from above and extends along a longitudinal axis z (see coordinate system of figures 2 or 3). The main body 10 further extends along a transverse/width axis x and a height axis y. In other embodiments, the main body may have another shape than elongate, such as circular or square, but it may still be said to extend along a longitudinal axis z. In the present embodiments, the main body 10 has the shape of a tapered cuboid. The body underside 11 and the body top side 15 are thus trapezoids.

The body front end 12 is here narrower than the bode rear end 13. In the present embodiments, the comers of the main body 10 are rounded. When mounted, the shoelace 2, or more precisely the turns 2', 2" thereof, extend essentially along the transverse axis x.

As is apprehended, the relative and actual dimensions of the main body 10 may be varied. The extension of the main body 10 along the longitudinal axis z may be 1 to 2 times, such as 1.5 times, the extension of the main body 10 along the transverse axis x.

In the present embodiments, the length (extension along axis z) of the main body 10 is approximately 1.6 times the width (extension along axis x). The extension of the main body 10 along the height axis y may be 0.1 to 0.3 times the extension of the main body 10 along the longitudinal axis z. In the present embodiment, the height (extension along axis y) is approximately 0.2 times the length of the main body 10.

In the present embodiment, the length of the main body is approximately 50 mm, the width approximately 30 mm and the height is approximately 10 mm.

Turning in particular to figure 2, the front shoelace retaining means 20 comprises a front abutment member 21. As is illustrated, the shoelace 2 may abut against the front abutment member 21 such that the front abutment member 21 resists a movement of the shoelace 2 towards the rear, i.e. towards the body rear end 13.

The front abutment member 21 of the present embodiment extends from the body underside 11 in a direction away from the main body 10, thus towards the shoe when the arrangement 1 is mounted. As is shown in figure 2, the front abutment member 21 may form an acute angle with the body underside 11, wherein the acute angle opens towards the body front end 12.

The arrangement 1 of the first embodiment further comprises a rear abutment member 31. In the first embodiment, the rear abutment member 31 is separate from the front abutment member. The shoelace 2 may abut against the rear abutment member 31 such that the rear abutment member 31 resists a movement of the shoelace 2 towards the front.

The rear abutment member 31 of the present embodiment extends from the body underside 11 in a direction away from the main body 10. The rear abutment member 31 may form an acute angle with the body underside 11, wherein the acute angle opens towards the body rear end 13.

The front and rear abutment members 21, 31 are arranged at the distance d from one another. In the first embodiment, the illustrated acute angles are approximately 30 degrees.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the separate front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30 are identical but directed in opposite direction. In other words, the rear shoelace retaining means 30 is mirror symmetric to the front shoelace retaining means 20 with respect to a plane through the center of the arrangement 1 along the longitudinal axis z, the plane being orthogonal to the longitudinal axis. Therefore, in the following, only the front shoelace retaining means 20 is described below.

Turning again to figure 2, the front shoelace retaining means 20 of the first embodiment comprises a front guide member 22 that extends along the body underside 11. The front guide member 22 extends from the front abutment member 21. Thus, the front guide member 22 is separated a distance from the body underside 11. The front guide member 22 has a proximal end formed by the front abutment member 21 and a free distal end 23.

As is understood from figure 2, the front guide member 22 resist a movement of the shoelace 2 in a direction perpendicular away from the body underside 11. In other words, when mounted, the shoelace 2 is caught in the height direction (axis y) of the arrangement 1 between the front guide member 22 and the body underside 11.

The front guide member 22 of the first embodiment is configured to hinder the shoelace 2 from exiting the front shoelace retaining means 20 towards the front, i.e. towards the body front end 12. This may be obtained by the front guide member 22 being inclined such that the distance between the front guide member 22 and the body underside 11 decreases towards the body front end 12. In addition or alternatively, the front guide member 22 may be provided with a rounded projection or bulge 24 that protrudes from the front guide member 22 toward the body underside 11. The bulge 24 is positioned at or near the free distal end 23. Thus, the inclined front guide member 22 and/or the bulge 24 act to pinch the shoelace 20 at the front end of the front shoelace retaining means 20.

As is clear from figures 1 to 3, the front shoelace retaining means 20 may extend to the body front end 12. More precisely, the free distal end 23 may be aligned with the body front end 12. This may be advantageous during mounting, and may securely hold the shoelace, also should the arrangement be pushed forwards or rearwards. If the front shoelace retaining means 20 extend beyond the body front end 12, mounting may be difficult and the arrangement less comfortable. In accordance with the first embodiment, the width of the front shoelace retaining means 20 along the transverse axis x is approximately 30 percent of the width of the main body 10. The length of the front shoelace retaining means 20 along the longitudinal axis y equals half the length of the main body 10 minus half the distance d. In the first embodiment the front shoelace retaining means 20 is elongate with a length (along axis z) that is approximately 2 times the width (along axis x). The front shoelace retaining means 20 is flat and thin, the thickness is approximately one tenth of the width.

As is apprehended, the actual dimensions of the front shoelace retaining means 20 may be varied. For example, the length (extension along axis z) of the front shoelace retaining means 20 may be 15 to 30 mm. The width (extension along axis x) may be 5 to 15 mm. The thickness (extension along axis y) of the front shoelace retaining means 20 may be 0.5 to 2 mm.

In the first embodiment, the length of the front shoelace retaining means 20 is approximately 20 mm, the width approximately 10 mm and the thickness is approximately 1 mm.

In the first embodiment, the front shoelace retaining means 20 is resilient. The front shoelace retaining means 20 may be made of a resilient material such as a resilient plastic or a resilient metal.

As is shown in figure 2, the free distal end 23 of the front shoelace retaining means 20 is positioned at a distance from the body underside 11, and so is the optional bulge 24. Thus, the front shoelace retaining means 20 (and thus the front shoelace receiving section 40 as described below) is open towards the body front end 12. In an alternative, the front shoelace retaining means 20 is resiliently closed such that the free distal end 23, or the optional bulge 24, is pressed towards the body underside 11. Thus, the front shoelace retaining means 20 may be biased towards the body underside 11. In such an alternative design, the front shoelace retaining means 20 is not open but resiliently openable towards the body front end 12. The bulge 24 may facilitate the insertion of a shoelace 2 between the front shoelace retaining means 20 and the body underside 11. In particular if the bulge 24 is narrower (along axis x) than the shoelace retaining means 20 and/or is positioned at a distance from the distal end of the shoelace retaining means 20, as is illustrated in figure 3. Such a configuration of the bulge 24 may ensure that there is always an opening or a gap between the free distal end 23 and the body underside 11.

The front shoelace retaining means 20 may e.g. be screwed, welded or glued to the main body 10, more precisely to the body underside 11. In the first embodiment, the front shoelace retaining means 20 is formed in one piece, thus integral, with the body underside 11.

When the shoe-mounting arrangement 1 is mounted on a shoe, the shoelace 2 is received between the front shoelace retaining means 20 and the body underside 11. In other words, the body underside 11 and the front shoelace retaining means 20 form a front shoelace receiving section 40, as indicated in figure 2. The front shoelace receiving section 40 is the space or volume jointly defined by the body underside 11 and the front shoelace retaining means 20. More precisely, the front shoelace receiving section 40 is defined by the body underside 11, the front abutment member 21 and the front guide member 22.

The height (along axis y) of the front shoelace receiving section 40 corresponds to the distance by which the front guide member 22 is separated from the body underside 11 by the front abutment member 21. A suitable height (along axis y) of the front shoelace receiving section 40 is approximately 1 to 3 mm. In the first embodiment, the front guide member 22 is inclined which means that the height of the front shoelace receiving section 40 varies along its length and declines towards the free distal end 23. As the height of the front shoelace receiving section 40 is zero where the front abutment member 21 connects to the body underside 11, the front shoelace receiving section 40 has a maximum height between the front abutment member 21 and the free distal end 23 (see figure 2).

In the first embodiment, shown in figures 1 to 3, the front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30 may be described as wings or tongues that extend from the body underside 11 towards the respective body front and rear ends 12, 13. The front abutment member 21 is thus formed by the proximal end, or root, of the front wing or tongue and the rear abutment member 31 is formed by the proximal end, or root, of the rear wing or tongue. The roots 21, 31 of the wings or tongues connect essentially centrally to the body underside 11, separated from each other by the distance d.

Although not shown herein, at least one strengthening rib may be provided where the front shoelace retaining means 20 connects to the body underside 11, i.e. at the root of the wing of the first embodiment.

Turning now to figures 4 and 5, a second embodiment of the shoe-mounting arrangement 1 for an electronic assault alarm comprising will be described. The second embodiment is similar to the first embodiment, and only the differentiating features will be discussed.

In the second embodiment, the front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30 are integrated. The front and rear guide members 22, 32 of the second embodiment are formed by one single rectangular plate-shaped element. The rectangular plate-shaped element has a length along the longitudinal axis z that is approximately 5 times its width. The front and rear abutment member 21, 31 are formed by the front and rear end faces of a rectangular plate-shaped bridge that connects the rectangular plate-shaped element to the body underside 11.

Figure 6 illustrates a third embodiment. The third embodiment is similar to the second embodiment in that the front and rear shoelace retaining means 20, 30 are integrated. The front and rear guide members 22, 32 are formed by one single circular plate-shaped element. The circular plate-shaped element has an outer diameter that essentially corresponds to the width (along axis x) of the main body 10. The front and rear abutment member 21, 31 are formed by the front and rear end faces of a circular plate shaped bridge that connects the circular plate-shaped element to the body underside 11.

In the second and third embodiments, the front and rear abutment members 21, 31 form right angles with the body underside 11. However, like in the first embodiment, the front and rear abutment members 21, 31 of the second and third embodiments may form acute angles with the body underside 11. The height (along axis y) of the front and rear shoelace receiving sections 40, 50 is constant in the second and third embodiments, but it may in alternative decline towards the rear and front ends of the shoelace receiving sections 40, 50. The front and rear guide members 22, 32 of the second and third embodiments may be provided with bulges 24.

When the shoe-mounting arrangement 1 is mounted to a shoe, the first and second shoelace retaining means 20, 30 are, one after the other, inserted below the shoelace 2 of the shoe. As a result, the shoelace 2 is secured in-between the shoelace retaining means 20, 30 and the body underside 11. Importantly, during this process the shoelace 2 does not need to be loosened or untied as there is sufficient flexibility provided by the shoelace 2 itself and/or the shoe. Certainly, the shoelace 2 needs not be pulled out of the eyelets or lugs.

More in detail, one of the shoelace retaining means 20, 30, for example the front shoelace retaining means 20, is first inserted below a first turn 2' of the shoelace 2. This may conveniently be done by the user aligning the free distal end 23 of the front shoelace retaining means 20 with the selected first turn 2' of the shoelace 2 and pushing the shoe-mounting arrangement 1 gently towards the shoe while moving the arrangement forwards towards the toe end of the shoe.

This step may be facilitated if the arrangement 1 is configured such that the free distal end 23 of the front shoelace retaining means 20 is aligned with the body front end 12. Further, it may be advantageous if the front shoelace retaining means 20 is configured such that there is always an opening or gap between its free distal end 23 and the body underside 11, e.g. by means of the bulge 24 as described above. Finally, it may be advantageous if the front shoelace retaining means 20 is flat and relatively thin.

The first turn 2' of the shoelace 2 is now positioned within the front shoelace receiving section 40, see figure 2. As the arrangement 1 is continuously moved forwards, the front abutment member 21 comes to abut against the first turn 2' of the shoelace 2 and then the first turn 2' of the shoelace 2 is pushed forwards. As a result, the distance between the first turn 2' of the shoelace 2 and a second turn 2" of the shoelace 2 will be increased. The first and second turns of the shoelace 2 may be, but need not be, adjacent one another.

Once the distance between the first and second turns 2', 2" of the shoelace 2 at least equals the distance between the front abutment member 21 and the free distal end 33 of the rear shoelace retaining means 30, the second turn 2" of the shoelace may be positioned within the rear shoelace receiving section 50.

This step may be facilitated if the free distal end 33 of the rear shoelace retaining means 30 is aligned with the body rear end 13. Further, it may be advantageous if the rear shoelace retaining means 30 is configured such that there is always an opening or gap between its free distal end 33 and the body underside 11, e.g. by means of the bulge 34. Finally, it may be advantageous if the rear shoelace retaining means 30 is flat and relatively thin. Typically, the user will visually see when the distance between the first and second turns 2', 2" sufficient and then position the second turn 2" of the shoelace within the rear shoelace receiving section 50 by simply letting go of the arrangement 1.

The first and second turns 2', 2" of the shoelace now clamp the front and rear abutment members 21, 31 such that the shoe-mounting arrangement 1 is stably fastened to the shoe. As mentioned, the shoelace retaining means 20, 30 may be resilient and may pinch the shoelace to yet further more stably fasten the shoe-mounting arrangement 1.

In addition, the above-mentioned acute angles between the front and rear abutment members 21, 31 and the body underside 11 may be advantageous.

Modifications and other variants of the described embodiments will come to mind to one skilled in the art having benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the specific example embodiments, including relative and absolute dimensions given as examples, described in this disclosure and that modifications and other variants are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure.

The present disclosure is concerned with releasably yet stably mounting an electronic assault alarm to a shoe. The focus of the disclosure is the mounting arrangement as such, which comprises the main body and the front and rear shoelace retaining means. It is to be apprehended that the mounting arrangement is also suitable for mounting other devices to a shoe, such as position detectors, race timers or measurement devices. Another plausible device is a trigger element, such as a push button an electronic communication circuit that may be wirelessly connected to e.g. a smart phone. The trigger element may then function to activate a program in the smart phone, such as an assault alarm app (application/program) within the smart phone. The shoe-mounting arrangement 1 described herein, and disclosed in figures 1-6, may alternatively be referred to as an electronic assault alarm 1 for shoe-mounting. Furthermore, although specific terms may be employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Therefore, a person skilled in the art would recognize numerous variations to the described embodiments that would still fall within the scope of the appended claims. As used herein, the terms “comprise/comprises” or “include/includes” do not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individual features may be included in different claims (or embodiments), these may possibly advantageously be combined, and the inclusion of different claims (or embodiments) does not imply that a certain combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. Finally, reference numerals in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.