Apparatus for reducing the size of a collimated beam of radiant energy

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR REDUCING THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF A COLLIMATED BEAM OF RADIANT ENERGY COMPRISING: A FIRST MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED FIRST REFLECTING SURFACE WHICH IS STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY AND CONCAVE IN CROSS-SECTION, SAID FIRST SURFACE BEING PART CYLINDRICAL AND PROVIDING A FOCAL LINE WHICH IS PARALLEL THEREWITH AND DISPOSED IN FRONT THEREOF, SAID FIRST SURFACE HAVING A FIRST AXIS OF CURVATURE, A SECOND MEMBER IS STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY, AND CURVED IN SURFACE WHICH IS STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY AND CURVED IN CROSS-SECTION, SAID REFLECTING SURFACES BEING BOTH LATERALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART SAID FIRST AND SECOND REFLECTING SURFACES ALSO EXTENDING IN PARALLEL DIRECTIONS, SAID SECOND REFLECTING SURFACE BEING CONVEX IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID FIRST SURFACE AND BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT TO SAID FOCAL LINE, BOTH OF SAID REFLECTING SURFACES FURTHER BEING IN COLLIMATIVE REFLECTIVE REGISTRY WHEREBY A COLLAMINATED BEAM OF LIGHT INCIDENT ON SAID FIRST SURFACE AT A PREDETERMINED ANGLE IS REFLECTED FROM SAID FIRST SURFACE ONTO SAID SECOND SURFACE FROM WHICH IT IS REFECTED IN COLLIMATED FORM BUT WITH ONE CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION THEREOF REDUCED, A THIRD MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED THIRD REFLECTING SURFACE WHICH IS STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY AND CONCAVE IN CROSS-SECTION, SAID THIRD SURFACE HAVING A THIRD AXIS AND CYLINDRICAL SHAPED WHICH PROVIDES A SECOND FOCAL LINE WHICH IS PARALLEL THEREWITH AND DISPOSED IN FRONT THEREOF, SAID THIRD SURFACE BEING DISPOSED IN THE REFLECTIVE OPTICAL PATH OF SAID SECOND SURFACE, SAID SECOND AND THIRD SURFACES BEING IN EXTENDED REFLECTIVE REGISTRY, A FOURTH MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED FOURTH REFLECTING SURFACE WHICH IS STRAIGHT LONGITUDINALLY AND CURVED IN CROSS-SECTION, SAID THIRD AND FOURTH REFLECTING SURFACES BEING PARALLEL AND BEING LATERALLY AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED, SAID FOURTH SURFACE BEING CONVEX IN A DIRECTION TOWARD SAID THIRD SURFACE AND BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO THE SECOND FOCAL LINE, THE LATERAL SPACING BETWEEN SAID THIRD AND FOURTH SURFACES BEING IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE DIRECTION OF LATERAL SPACING BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND SURFACES, BOTH SAID THIRD AND FOURTH SURFACES FURTHER BEING IN COLLIMATIVE REFLECTIVE REGISTRY WHEREBY A COLLIMATED BEAM OF LIGHT REFLECTED ALONG SAID REFLECTIVE OPTICAL PATH FROM SAID SECOND SURFACE ONTO SAID THIRD SURFACE IS REFLECTED FROM THE LATTER ONTO SAID FOURTH SURFACE FROM WHICH IT IS REFLECTED IN A COLLIMATED FROM BUT WITH A SECOND CROSS-SECTIONAL DIMENSION THEREOF REDUCED, SAID SECOND DIMENSION BEING AT RIGHT ANGLES TO SAID ONE DIMENSION AND MEANS FIXEDLY SUPPORTING SAID SURFACES IN THE RELATIVE POSITIONS AFORESAID.