Inclined prism ocular systems for stereomicroscope

Claim 1

A stereomicroscope with a compact arrangement of inclined oculars together with illuminating and remote imaging optical systems comprising: a. a body having objective lens means; b. a top on said body facing said objective lens means for mounting ocular tubes; c. a pair of inclined ocular systems mounted side-by-side on said top, each comprising an ocular tube having an inclined axis and containing: 1. an eyepiece; 2. a rhomboid prism having an entrance surface and an exit surface for displacing the line of sight without affecting image orientation or deviating the line of sight; and, 3. a Schmidt prism having six surfaces including an entrance surface, an exit surface forming a substantially 45* angle with said entrance surface, and two further surfaces meeting at a 90* angle to form a roof, the ridge of the roof facing and substantially perpendicular to the ridge produced where entrance and exit surfaces meet at said substantially 45* angle, said rhomboid and Schmidt prisms arranged so that the entrance surface of said rhomboid prism faces said objective lens means, the exit surface of said rhomboid prism faces the entrance surface of said Schmidt prism in parallel spaced adjacency and the exit surface of said Schmidt prism faces said eyepiece, the two prisms being lined up compactly along the inclined axis of said ocular tube thereby providing two plane reflections in the rhomboid prism and two plane and one roof reflection in the Schmidt prism, the roof reflection being in an optical path aligned on the roof ridge; and, d. illuminating and remote imaging optical systems connected on said top at front and rear positions between said ocular systems whereby four optical systems face said objective lens means in a substantially circular orientation.