Instrument for the measurement of moisture and the like

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR SENSING A CONSTITUENT OF MATERIAL COMPRISING A SENSING DEVICE HAVING MEANS DEFINING A SURFACE WAVE TRANSMISSION PATH, MEANS FOR COUPLING A MICROWAVE SIGNAL TO SAID SURFACE WAVE TRANSMISSION PATH TO TRANSMIT SAID MICROWAVE SIGNAL ALONG SAID TRANSMISSION PATH AS A SURFACE WAVE, SAID SENSING DEVICE HAVING MEANS FOR REMOVABLY RECEIVING A SOLID MATERIAL WHICH INCLUDES A CONSTITUENT TO BE DETECTED WITHIN THE FIELD OF SAID SURFACE WAVE, THE FREQUENCY OF SAID SURFACE WAVE BEING SUCH AS TO GIVE A RELIABLE INDICATION OF THE PRESENCE OF SAID CONSTITUENT WITHIN ITS FIELD, AND MEANS FOR DETECTING SAID MICROWAVE SIGNAL TRANSMITTED ALONG SAID PATH AS AN INDICATION OF THE PRESENCE OF SAID CONSTITUENT, SAID DEVICE HAVING A REGION OF EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS TO BE CONVENIENTLY GRASPED BY THE HAND IN MANIPULATING SAID DEVICE WHICH REGION IS LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE INFLUENCE OF SAID SURFACE WAVE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF SENSING A CONSTITUENT OF GRANULAR MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES RELATIVELY BRINGING A VOLUME OF SAID GRANULAR MATERIAL INTO AN ANNULAR SPACE SURROUNDING A SINGLE CONDUCTOR SURFACE WAVE TRANSMISSION PATH, TRANSMITTING MICROWAVE ENERGY OF FREQUENCY DIFFERENTIALLY SENSITIVE TO SAID CONSTITUENT ALONG SAID TRANSMISSION PATH AS A SURFACE WAVE, AND DETECTING SAID MICROWAVE ENERGY TRANSMITTED ALONG SAID PATH AS AN INDICATION OF THE PRESENCE OF SAID CONSTITUENT.