Microwave oven having rotating conductive radiators

Claim 1

A microwave oven comprising: a conductive enclosure; a waveguide positioned outside said enclosure adjacent to a horizontal wall of said enclosure; a magnetron for energizing said waveguide with microwave energy; an aperture in said wall communicating from said waveguide into said enclosure; an antenna probe extending vertically through said aperture for coupling said microwave energy from said waveguide into said enclosure; a plurality of microwave radiating elements positioned in said enclosure; transmission lines for coupling said microwave energy from said antenna probe to said microwave radiating elements, said transmission lines comprising conductive strips connected to said antenna probe at a common junction, each of said conductive strips extending radially from said antenna probe and supporting one of said radiating elements, each of said conductive strips being parallel to said wall and spaced less than a quarter wavelength of said microwave energy from said wall wherein said wall functions as a ground plane substantially limiting microwave radiation from said conductive strips; and means for rotating said antenna probe about its axis wherein said conductive strips move with respect to adjacent portions of said wall to move said radiating elements in circular paths around said antenna probe.