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  Melting and vaporizing apparatus and methodUSPTO Application #: 20060011603Title: Melting and vaporizing apparatus and method Abstract: An apparatus and method for heating materials or substances in an oven at an oven temperature below their melting and/or vaporization points to either melt and/or vaporize the substance. Substances are inserted into a substantially spherical envelope. The envelope is sealed at a preset pressure. The solid is heated in an oven at an oven temperature substantially below the melting or vaporization temperature of the substance at the preset pressure for a time sufficient to either melt or vaporize the substance. Abstract of the Disclosure (end of abstract) Agent: Barnes & Thornburg - Washington, DC, US Inventor: Susana Curatolo USPTO Applicaton #: 20060011603 - Class: 219387000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Electric Heating, Heating Devices, Combined With Container, Enclosure, Or Support For Material To Be Heated, Portable Or Mobile, Food Conveying Type (e.g., Lunch Box) The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060011603. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
Detailed Description of the Invention CROSS-REFERENCE [0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 10/480,042, filed December 9, 2003, which is a nationalization of PCT/US02/32003, filed October 8, 2002, which claims priority and benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/393,829 filed July 8, 2002. The provisional application and the national PCT application are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE [0002] The present disclosure relates generally to heating materials and, more specifically, to heating materials with respect to their melting and vaporization points or temperatures. [0003] Solid materials or substances must be heated in many processes to create liquids or gases. These are used to create compounds of the materials and/or to create vapors for depositions. The cost related to the process is an initial function of the equipment necessary to perform the heating and, secondly, the amount of energy that must be used to convert a solid into a liquid or a solid or liquid into a vapor. After the initial cost of the equipment, continued savings can be achieved if the temperature to convert a solid to a liquid or a vapor or the temperature to convert a liquid to a vapor can be reduced. There will be significant savings if this temperature can be reduced substantially below the melting point for melting or a vaporization point for vaporizing. [0004] The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method for heating materials or substances in an oven at an oven temperature below their melting and/or vaporization points to either melt and/or vaporize the substance. Substances are inserted into a substantially spherical envelope. The envelope is sealed at a preset pressure. The solid is heated in an oven at an oven temperature substantially below the melting or vaporization temperature of the substance at the preset pressure for a time sufficient to either melt or vaporize the substance. [0005] The envelope is shaped so as to create an electron vortex of electrons or a plasma flow of electrons emitted from the substance. The heating at the oven temperature generates electron emissions from the substance and creates the electron vortex or the plasma flow, which allows melting or vaporization of the substance at the oven temperature below the melting or vaporization temperature at the preset pressure. The electron vortex or plasma flow creates a magnetic confinement field without external excitement. The electron vortex or plasma flow also accelerates the emission of electrons in the substance, which increases the heat of the substance above that of the oven temperature. [0006] The substantially spherical envelope structure can also be used in a coating method wherein the substance and a substrate to be coated are inserted into the substantially spherical envelope. The envelope is sealed at a preset pressure and heated in the oven at an oven temperature below the vaporization temperature of the substance at the preset pressure and for a time sufficient to vaporize the substance. The heat in the oven is reduced to deposit the vapors on the substrate. The substrate may be one of metal and ceramic. The substantially spherical envelope may be tear-, ovoid- or elliptically-shaped. [0007] These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of the disclosure, when considered in conjunction with accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0008] Figures 1A-1C show the process of enclosing the material in an envelope according to the present disclosure. [0009] Figure 2 shows a dual enclosure according to the present disclosure. [0010] Figure 3 shows a triple enclosure device according to the present disclosure. [0011] Figure 4 shows a flow chart of a process according to the present disclosure. [0012] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating electron vortex or plasma flow according to the present disclosure. [0013] Figure 6 is a top view showing a dipole produced according to the present disclosure. [0014] Figure 7 is a sealed enclosure for a vapor deposition process according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [0015] The presently disclosed process and apparatus effectively melts or vaporizes a material or substance using substantially less energy than before. The material is melted and/or vaporized at an oven temperature below the melting and/or vaporization temperature of the substance. Thus, substantial energy savings are produced. The vaporized material may be used for vapor deposition processes. An example of the apparatus is illustrated in Figures 1-3. [0016] A material 10 is placed in an envelope 20, as illustrated in Figure 1A. The envelope 20 is neck down at 22 and receives a tube 24, as shown in Figure 1B. The interior of the envelope 20 is evacuated. The tube 24 is removed from the envelope 20, and it is sealed at 26, as shown in Figure 1C. The resulting structure is a generally spherical shape which resembles a tear drop, an ovoid or an ellipse. The processing of the envelope 20 to form the neck down 22 and closing it at 26 is performed with heat in a two-step method and sufficiently slow as not to preheat or affect the material 10 in the envelope 20. The envelope 20 may be quartz, for example. [0017] Although the results to be described below have been achieved with a single envelope 20, the results can be further improved by using multiple enclosures. As illustrated in Figure 2, a spherical crucible 30 having an opening 32 to receive the material or substance 10 is placed within the envelope 20. As an example, the crucible 30 may be a ball or sphere having a diameter Dc of approximately 12 millimeters. The resulting envelope 20 may have a diameter De of approximately 22 millimeters and a height of 50.8 millimeters. The thickness of the envelope 20 may be approximately 1 millimeter. [0018] A triple enclosure device is illustrated in Figure 3. The crucible 30 is enclosed in an enclosure 40 having an opening 42. The enclosure 40 is inserted in the envelope 20 and sealed therein. The openings 32, 42 allow vapors from the material 10 in the crucible 30 to flow into the envelope 20 during the process. As an example, the crucible 30 will have a diameter Dc of approximately 12 millimeters, the enclosure 40 will have a diameter Df of approximately 22 millimeters, and the envelope 20 will have a diameter De of approximately 44 millimeters. [0019] Envelope 20 with substance 10 by itself or with a crucible 30, or crucible 30 and enclosure 40, is then inserted into an oven. It is heated at an oven temperature and time sufficient to melt or vaporize the substance 10. The oven temperatures to melt and/or vaporize are below the melt and/or vaporization temperature of the material. The general process is described in Figure 4. The substance 10 is inserted into the envelope 20 at step 50. The envelope 20 is sealed at step 52, and the envelope 20 is heated in an oven at step 54. The envelope 20 is then cooled at 56. Continue reading... Full patent description for Melting and vaporizing apparatus and method Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Melting and vaporizing apparatus and method patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. 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