Pulse type mass spectrometer wherein ions are separated by oscillations in an electrostatic field

Claim 1

A MASS SPECTROMETER COMPRISING A VACUUM TIGHT ENVELOPE WITH MEANS FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF A VAPOR OR GAS TO BE ANALYSED, ION SOURCE MEANS IN SAID ENVELOPE FOR IONIZING, DURING AN INITIAL SHORT TIME INTERVAL, A PART OF THE GAS OR VAPOR TO BE ANALYSED; A NUMBER OF SPACED APERTURED ELECTRODES IN SAID ENVELOPE; ENERGY SOURCE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ELECTRODES FOR PRODUCING, ALONG AN AXIS OF SAID ELECTRODES, ONLY A TROUGH-SHAPED D.C. POTENTIAL HAVING A RELATIVELY POSITIVE VALUE AT THE POINT OF ION PRODUCTION, A RELATIVELY NEGATIVE VALUE AT A POINT A CERTAIN DISTANCE ALONG SAID AXIS EXTENDING FROM THE POINT OF ION PRODUCTION, AND A RELATIVELY POSITIVE VALUE AT A POINT ALONG THE AXIS WHICH IS SITUATED FURTHER FROM THE ION SOURCE THAN THE POINT OF RELATIVELY NEGATIVE POTENTIAL, THE LAST MENTIONED POSITIVE POTENTIAL BEING AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE POSITIVE POTENTIAL AT THE ION SOURCE TO PROVIDE, DURING A PERIOD OF TIME FOLLOWING SAID SHORT TIME INTERVAL, OSCILLATIONS OF IONS DISPOSED BETWEN THE TWO POINTS OF POSITIVE POTENTIAL; MEANS FOR DETECTING GROUPS OF IONS WHICH HAVE SEPARATED DURING OSCILLATIONS ALONG SAID AXIS BETWEEN THE POINT OF ION PRODUCTION AND THE OPPOSITE POINT OF POSITIVE POTENTIAL; AND MEANS ACTIVATING SAID DETECTING MEANS FOR DETECTING SEPARATED GROUPS OF IONS A SPECIFIC TIME INTERVAL AFTER THE PRODUCTION OF THESE.