Self-contained temperature control system

Claim 1

IN A SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING THE TEMPERATURE OF A TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE INSTRUMENT TENDING TO LOSE ITS HEAT TO AN ENVIRONMENT COOLER THAN SAID INSTRUMENT THE COMBINATION COMPRISING, A TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE INSTRUMENT, MEANS SUPPORTING SAID INSTRUMENT INCLUDING HEAT CONDUCTIVE MEANS CONTACTABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TEMPERATURESENSITIVE INSTRUMENT, A HEAT SINK SPACIALLY RELATED TO AND AT A TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN THE TEMPERATURE OF THE INSTRUMENT TO BE REGULATED, SAID HEAT SINK COMPRISING A RESERVOIR CONTAINING A CHEMICAL HEAT STORAGE MATERIAL CHARACTERIZED BY A RELATIVELY HIGH HEAT OF FUSION, INSULATION SURROUNDING SAID INSTRUMENT AND SAID HEAT SINK FOR INSULATING THEM FROM EACH OTHER AND FROM SAID ENVIRONMENT UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY ADIABATIC CONDITIONS, A THERMOSTATICALLY CONTROLLABLE HEAT CONDUCTIVE METAL VALVE COMPRISING A FIRST METAL BLOCK PORTION HAVING MOVABLY ASSOCIATED THEREWITH IN CONTACTABLE AND HEAT CONDUCTABLE RELATIONSHIP A SECOND METAL BLOCK COUPLED TO SAID FIRST BLOCK VIA A HEAT INSULATIVE ROD CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID BLOCKS AND SLIDABLY MOUNTED WITHIN A BORE OF THE OTHER OF SAID BLOCKS, BIASING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ROD TO MAINTAIN SAID BLOCKS IN HEAT CONDUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER, A TEMPERATURE-SENSING MEANS WITHIN SAID METAL VALVE FOR OPPOSING THE BIASING MEANS WHEN A GIVEN TEMPERATURE IS EXCEEDED WHEREBY TO SEPARATE THE CONTACTABLE METAL BLOCKS, A FLEXIBLE METAL HEAT CONDUCTOR CONNECTING SAID SECOND BLOCK PORTION IN DIRECT HEAT CONDUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID HEAT SINK, AND MEANS HEAT CONDUCTIVELY CONNECTING SAID FIRST BLOCK PORTION TO SAID HEAT CONDUCTIVE MEANS CONTACTABLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE INSTRUMENT.