Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
208 words
An apparatus for heating a sample with concentrated radiation energy comprising a first pair of inwardly reflecting substantially prolate spheroidal surface portions disposed outwardly of each other, said spheroidal surface portions having aligned major axes and a first common focus, a first source of radiation energy placed at one of the first two foci of the spheroids providing said spheroidal surface portions that are conjugate to said common focus, a second pair of inwardly reflecting substantially prolate spheroidal surface portions disposed outwardly of each other and of said first pair of surface portions, said second pair of spheroidal surface portions having a second common focus and major axes aligned with said first-mentioned major axes, one of the second two foci of the spheroids defining said second pair of spheroidal surface portions that are conjugate to said second common foCus being placed at the other of the first two conjugate foci, a second source of radiation energy placed at the other of the second two foci, and means for holding a sample at said other of said first two conjugate foci, said first and second pairs of spheroidal surface portions substantially enclosing said major axes at a portion thereof lying between said first and second sources of radiation energy.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
208 words
An apparatus for heating a sample with concentrated radiation energy comprising a first pair of inwardly reflecting substantially prolate spheroidal surface portions disposed outwardly of each other, said spheroidal surface portions having aligned major axes and a first common focus, a first source of radiation energy placed at one of the first two foci of the spheroids providing said spheroidal surface portions that are conjugate to said common focus, a second pair of inwardly reflecting substantially prolate spheroidal surface portions disposed outwardly of each other and of said first pair of surface portions, said second pair of spheroidal surface portions having a second common focus and major axes aligned with said first-mentioned major axes, one of the second two foci of the spheroids defining said second pair of spheroidal surface portions that are conjugate to said second common foCus being placed at the other of the first two conjugate foci, a second source of radiation energy placed at the other of the second two foci, and means for holding a sample at said other of said first two conjugate foci, said first and second pairs of spheroidal surface portions substantially enclosing said major axes at a portion thereof lying between said first and second sources of radiation energy.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second pairs of spheroidal surface portions are substantially congruent.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the adjacent ends of said first and second pairs of spheroidal surface portions are continuous.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
31 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the ratio of the minor axis to the major axis of each of said congruent spheroidal surface portions is not greater than 0.8.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
15 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said ratio is not greater than 0.6.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising means for forwardly directing the divergent radiation to the sample, said divergent radiation being the radiation which is not directed from each of said sources to those spheroidal surface portions at said one focus of which said source is placed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
34 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said divergent radiation does not include the radiation emitted axially inwardly from each of said sources within a predetermined small solid angle around said major axes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said concentrating means comprises a plurality of inwardly reflecting substantially prolate confocal spheroidal surface portions disposed between the adjacent ends of the coaxial spheroid portions of each of said pairs of spheroidal surface portions, said confocal spheroids having foci at said two conjugate foci of said pairs of spheroidal surface portions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
179 words
The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the outermost one of said confocal spheroidal surface portions is continuous to the adjacent coaxial spheroidal surface portions of each of said pairs of spheroidal surface portions, the end peripheries of said outermost one of said confocal spheroidal surface portions lying along the respective intersections of said adjacent coaxial spheroidal surfaces of the pair with a first circular conical surface having an axis coincident with said major axes, a vertex at the common focus of the pair, and a predetermined vertical angle, the end peripheries of each of the inner ones of said confocal spheroidal surface portions lying along the respective intersections of said first conical surface with second circular conical surfaces having their respective axes coincident with said major axes and the respective vertices at said two conjugate foci of the pair and passing through the respective end peripheries of the outwardly adjacent one of said confocal spheroidal surface portions, the last-mentioned end peripheries being in staggered relation to the end peripheries of each of said confocal spheroidal surface portions.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
The apparatus claimed in claim 2, further comprising an inwardly reflecting substantially hemispherical surface disposed axially outwardly of that coaxial spheroidal surface portion of each said pair of one focus of which the source of radiation energy is placed, each of said hemispherical surfaces having a center at said last-mentioned one focus and a diameter greater than the axial dimension of said sources.