Upflow cooling stage for photoluminescence analysis
AssigneeGemological Institute of America, Inc. (GIA)
InventorsLorne Loudin, Mehdi Toosi, Wuyi Wang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods here may be configured for cooling and examining materials. In some example embodiments, the system may include a main thermoconductive body with indentations on the top surface, a bottom surface having legs structures along the edge, wherein the bottom surface and the plurality of leg structures form a partially enclosed bottom chamber, and a center channel connecting the top surface and the bottom chamber.
Claims28
A cooling stage, comprising:
- a main body formed of a thermoconductive material, the main body further comprising:
- a top surface including a plurality of open compartments, wherein the plurality of open compartments comprises indentations on the top surface;
- a bottom surface having a plurality of leg structures along the edge of the bottom surface, wherein each leg structure is flanked by an arch, and wherein the bottom surface and the plurality of leg structures form a partially enclosed bottom chamber;
- and
- a channel through a center region of the main body, connecting the top surface and the bottom chamber.
The cooling stage of 1, wherein the channel has a horizontal dimension that is between 5% and 10% of the horizontal dimension of the main body.
A cooling system, comprising:
- a cooling stage, wherein the cooling stage comprises:
- a main body formed of a thermoconductive material, the main body further comprising:
- a top surface including a plurality of open compartments, wherein the plurality of open compartments comprises indentations on the top surface;
- a bottom surface having a plurality of leg structures along the edge of the bottom surface, wherein each leg structure is flanked by a space on either side, and wherein the bottom surface and the plurality of leg structures form a partially enclosed bottom chamber;
- and
- a channel through a center region of the main body, connecting the top surface and the bottom chamber;
- a container in which the cooling stage is placed, the container having a continuous lip around its bottom edge, thereby trapping air between the bottom of the container and a surface upon which the container is positioned;
- and
- a coolant inside the container, the coolant surrounding the cooling stage.
A method of cooling gemstone samples during analysis, comprising:
- positioning one or more gemstone samples positioned in a plurality of open compartments on a top surface of a cooling block, wherein the cooling block is placed within a container and surrounded by a coolant, wherein the level of the coolant is lower than the height of the cooling block, wherein the cooling block comprises a bottom surface having a plurality of leg structures along the edge of the bottom surface, wherein each leg structure is flanked by a space on either side, and wherein the bottom surface and the plurality of leg structures form a partially enclosed bottom chamber;
- and
- forming a thin film of the coolant over the top surface of the cooling block, wherein the coolant travels upward via a channel through a center region of the cooling block and from the bottom chamber to the top surface of the cooling block.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.