Portable temperature measuring device

Claim 1

A PORTABLE TEMPERATURE DEVICE COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HOLLOW SHELL OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTION AND COMPRISING ONE LENGTHWISE WALL OF HIGH THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY METAL AND A SHALLOW COVER SEALED TO SAID WALL, AT LEAST TWO SPACERS IN ADDITION TO SAID SHELL, SAID SPACERS RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID COVER AND WALL NEAR OPPOSITE INTERNAL ENDS THEREOF AND ARRANGED WITHIN SAID SHELL ABUTTING SAID COVER AND SAID WALL TO POSITIVELY DEFINE THE MINIMUM INTERIOR SPACING BETWEEN THE INNER SURFACES OF SAID WALL AND SAID COVER, SAID COVER COMPRISING TRANSPARENT MATERIAL AT LEAST THROUGHOUT A PORTION THEREOF, A TEMPERATURE MEASURING INSTRUMENT COMPRISING A TEMPERATURE RESPONSIVE ELEMENT AND MEANS FOR TRANSLATING RESPONSES OF SAID ELEMENT INTO VISUAL INDICATIONS OF TEMPERATURE, MEANS FOR SECURING SAID INSTRUMENT TO THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID WALL SUCH THAT SAID ELEMENT IS IN INTIMATE THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY WITH THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID WALL AND SUCH THAT SAID ELEMENT IS ENCLOSED WITHIN THE SAID MINIMUM INTERIOR SPACING OF SAID SHELL SO AS TO BE OUT OF CONTACT WITH ANY OTHER INNER SURFACE OF SAID SHELL AND SUCH THAT SAID INDICATING MEANS IS VISIBLE THROUGH SAID TRANSPARENT MATERIAL FROM OUTSIDE SAID SHELL, AND MEANS ADAPTED TO ATTACH SAID SHELL TO A BODY SO THAT THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID WALL ABUTS THAT PART OF SAID BODY WHEREOF THE TEMPERATURE IS TO BE MEASURED.