Abstract A method for making a magnetic resonance cell. Two elongated tubes communicate through orifices with the cell which is surrounded by an oven. One tube contains an ampoule prefilled with a barium film. The other tube has a necked-down portion or seal-off region and an enlarged portion. The enlarged portion has two branches, the first axially aligned with the necked-down portion and the second disposed at an acute angle with respect to the first. A wax carrier is in the first branch and an ampoule containing cesium is in the second. Vacuum pumps evacuate the cell and tubes, after which evacuation the cell is heated. Moving the wax carrier into the necked-down portion of the tube allows the wax to evaporate into the resonance chamber of the cell. After removing the wax carrier from the necked-down portion, one positions the cesiumfilled ampoule in the necked-down portion. The necked-down portion is then heated and sealed to remove the cell and ampoules from the vacuum system. Breaking the ampoules allows the barium to act as a getter and the cesium to escape. The cesium-filled ampoule and necked-down portion may be removed by heating and sealing the necked-down portion at its point of connection to the cell.
Inventors
👤 Donald I Shernoff
👤 James H Simpson
Bibliographic Details
Application Number—
JurisdictionUS
Data Sourcegoogle_patents
Last Synchronized2026-11-04 00:15
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01R; G01R33/00; G01R33/20; G01R33/24
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
279 words
A method of making a magnetic resonance cell out of a glass sphere comprising the steps of: placing an ampoule, having a frangible tip and containing gettering material, inside a first tube having an open end; placing a second ampoule containing wax inside a second tube open at both ends; placing a third ampoule having a frangible tip and containing an alkali metal inside a third tube open at only one end; connecting the open ends of the second and third tubes to one end of a necked-down tube which is smaller in diameter than the two to which it connects, the connection being made so that all three tubes communicate with each other; connecting the open ends of the first tube and the necked-down tube to orifices in said sphere; connecting the open end of said second tube to vacuum pumping means; placing said sphere inside an oven; evacuating the system of tubes and sphere; heating said sphEre to remove gases from the walls and then allowing the sphere to cool; moving said ampoule containing the wax inside the necked-down tube to a position near the sphere; heating the sphere to a temperature sufficient to melt the wax without degrading it so that the wax coats the inside of the sphere; removing the sphere and tubes from the oven; moving said wax-containing ampoule back and out of said neckeddown tube; moving said alkali-metal-containing ampoule into said neckeddown tube; heating the necked-down tube at the end away from the end communicating with the sphere to seal it off and breaking off the second and third tubes therefrom after the seal; and breaking the frangible tips of the remaining ampoules.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
279 words
A method of making a magnetic resonance cell out of a glass sphere comprising the steps of: placing an ampoule, having a frangible tip and containing gettering material, inside a first tube having an open end; placing a second ampoule containing wax inside a second tube open at both ends; placing a third ampoule having a frangible tip and containing an alkali metal inside a third tube open at only one end; connecting the open ends of the second and third tubes to one end of a necked-down tube which is smaller in diameter than the two to which it connects, the connection being made so that all three tubes communicate with each other; connecting the open ends of the first tube and the necked-down tube to orifices in said sphere; connecting the open end of said second tube to vacuum pumping means; placing said sphere inside an oven; evacuating the system of tubes and sphere; heating said sphEre to remove gases from the walls and then allowing the sphere to cool; moving said ampoule containing the wax inside the necked-down tube to a position near the sphere; heating the sphere to a temperature sufficient to melt the wax without degrading it so that the wax coats the inside of the sphere; removing the sphere and tubes from the oven; moving said wax-containing ampoule back and out of said neckeddown tube; moving said alkali-metal-containing ampoule into said neckeddown tube; heating the necked-down tube at the end away from the end communicating with the sphere to seal it off and breaking off the second and third tubes therefrom after the seal; and breaking the frangible tips of the remaining ampoules.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
11 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the alkali metal is cesium.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the getter comprises a film inside its containing ampoule.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the getter comprises a film of barium inside its containing ampoule.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the getter-containing and alkali-metal-containing ampoules are made of Pyrex glass.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 1, wherein the ampoules and the tubes are made of Pyrex glass.