Energy converter

Claim 1

THERMODIELECTRIC HEAT TRANSFER APPARATUS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE THERMODIELECTRIC CAPACITOR ELEMENT HAVING A SPECIFIC HEAT CHARACTERISTIC WHICH VARIES WITH AN ADIABATICALLY APPLIED ELECTRIC CHARGE, CHARGING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ELEMENT FOR ADIABATICALLY TRANSFERRING AN ELECTRICAL CHARGE TO SAID ELEMENT, A THERMALLY ISOLATED ENCLOSURE, FIRST MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ELEMENT FOR THERMALLY LINKING SAID ELEMENT TO SAID ENCLOSURE, DISCHARGE MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ELEMENT FOR ADIABATICALLY DISCHARGING SAID ELEMENT, AN AMBIENT HEAT SINK, SECOND MEANS COUPLED TO SAID ELEMENT FOR THERMALLY LINKING SAID ELEMENT AND SAID HEAT SINK, AND CYCLIC CONTROL MEANS FOR CYCLICALLY AND SEQUENTIALLY COUPLING SAID ELEMENT TO SAID CHARGING MEANS, SAID FIRST MEANS SAID DISCHARGING MEANS AND SAID SECOND MEANS, TO THEREBY CHARGE SAID ELEMENT SO AS TO ABSORB HEAT FROM SAID ENCLOSURE AND TO DISCHARGE SAID ELEMENT TO INCREASE THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF AND THEREBY DELIVER SAID ABSORBED HEAT TO SAID HEAT SINK.