Patent ID: RE41240

Claim:
An apparatus for controlling divergence of a beam of light, comprising: a first multiple-lens array comprising a plurality of plano-convex lenses arranged in a pattern and supported on a transparent substrate; a second multiple-lens array comprising a plurality of plano-concave lenses arranged in a pattern and supported on a transparent substrate; the first and second multiple-lens arrays being formed so that a curvature of convex lens surfaces of the first array matches a curvature of concave surfaces of the second array, and each convex lens surface of the first array corresponds to and is aligned with a matching concave lens surface of the second array; the first and second multiple-lens arrays being disposed serially and coaxially in a light beam path such that convex lens surfaces of the first array are generally adjacent concave surfaces of the second array; one of the multiple-lens arrays being movable coaxially with respect to the other of the multiple-lens arrays; and wherein either no substantial transmission or no substantial refraction of the beam of light takes place in any spacing between the plurality of lenses of at least one of the first and the second multiple-lens arrays.