Multiple reflection optical device

Claim 1

A MULTIPLE REFLECTION OPTICAL DEVICE COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RADIATION TRANSPARENT, HIGH REFRACTIVE INDEX, ELONGATED MEMBER HAVING FLAT OPPOSED SURFACES AND DIMENSIONS AT WHICH RADIATION ENTERING A REGION THEREOF AND INCIDENT ON ONE OF THE OPPOSED SURFACES AT AN ANGLE ABOVE THE CRITICAL ANGLE IS INTERNALLY REFLECTED TO THE OTHER OPPOSED SURFACE THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY CONFINING THE RADIATION WITHIN THE MEMBER WHEREBY THE RADIATION PROPAGATES THROUGH THE MEMBER BY INTERNAL REFLECTIONS BEFORE EXITING THEREFROM, SUBSTANTIALLY RADIATION TRANSPARENT MEANS IN OPTICAL CONTACT WITH A SURFACE PORTION OF ONE OF SAID OPPOSED SURFACES FOR TRANSMITTING RADIATION INTO SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, MEANS FOR EXTRACTING THE PROPAGATED RADIATION FROM THE ELONGATED MEMBER, SAID TRANSMITTING MEANS HAVING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICALLY CURVED ENTRANCE SURFACE ADJACENT THE SURFACE CONTACTING THE SAID SURFACE PORTION FOR RECEIVING THE RADIATION, SAID CURVED SURFACE HAVING A RADIUS OF CURVATURE WHOSE CENTER IS SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE CENTER OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER BETWEEN THE SAID OPPOSED SURFACES, AND MEANS FOR PIVOTING THE ELONGATED MEMBER, TRANSMITTING MEANS AND EXTRACTING MEANS RELATIVE TO THE INCIDENT RADIATION ABOUT AN AXIS WHICH IS GENERALLY COINCIDENT WITH THE CENTER OF THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF THE SAID CURVED ENTRANCE SURFACE.