Modulated corner reflector

Claim 1

A MODULATABLE RELAY SYSTEM FOR A COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM HAVING A PLURALITY OF STATIONS ADAPTED TO TRANSMIT AND RECEIVE INFORMATION VIA-R-F CARRIER WAVES, EACH OF SAID STATIONS HAVING AN ASSIGNED SUB-CARRIER FREQUENCY FOR MODULATION OF THE RESPECTIVE R-F CARRIER AND ON WHICH THE INFORMATION TO BE TRANSMITTED IS TO BE IMPRESSED, SAID RELAY SYSTEM COMPRISING A RECEIVER; A BROADBAND ANTENNA FOR FEEDING R-F CARRIER WAVES TRANSMITTED BY ONE OR MORE OF SAID STATIONS TO SAID RECEIVER, SAID RECEIVER INCLUDING MEANS FOR DETECTING SAID SUB-CARRIER FROM THE R-F CARRIER WAVE APPLIED THERETO; AN ARRAY OF RETRODIRECTIVE CORNER REFLECTORS ARRANGED TO BE ILLUMINATED BY THE R-F CARRIER WAVES TRANSMITTED BY SAID PLURALITY OF STATIONS AND FOR REFLECTING THE RESPECTIVE R-F CARRIER WAVE BACK TO THE TRANSMITTING STATION, EACH OF SAID CORNER REFLECTORS COMPRISING A POLYHEDRON COMPOSED A DIELECTRIC MATERIAL HAVING A PRESELECTED DIELECTRIC CONSTANT GREATER THAN THAT OF AIR, EACH POLYHEDRON HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTERSECTING FACES FORMING THE CORNER FROM WHICH INCIDENT R-F WAVES ARE TO BE REFLECTED, AND MEANS DISPOSED ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID INTERSECTING FACES OF EACH OF SAID POLYHEDRONS, FOR VARYING THE R-F REFLECTION COEFFICIENT OF THE RESPECTIVE FACE IN RESPONSE TO THE APPLICATION OF ELECTRICAL SIGNAL THERETO; AND MEANS FOR APPLYING SUB-CARRIER DETECTED BY SAID RECEIVER TO SAID MEANS FOR VARYING REFLECTION COEFFICIENT, WHEREBY TO MODULATE R-F CARRIER WAVES REFLECTED BY SAID ARRAY OF CORNER REFLECTORS WITH THE APPLIED SUB-CARRIER AND, THEREBY, WITH ANY INFORMATION IMPRESSED ON THE LAST-NAMED SUB-CARRIER.