Abstract: The invention contemplates an optical microscope of inverted design and having versatility for application to solve and serve virtually all microscopy problems and needs. The microscope features a particular U-shaped housing with upstanding legs and with integrated optical elements contained within and carried by said housing. A rugged specimen table is removably secured to both legs, and is presented for viewing a specimen on said table via either reflected light or via transillumination, the light source in both cases being so mounted to the exterior of the housing as to be thermally isolated from the housing and from the lens system, the latter being vertically adjustable in the space between the housing legs and beneath the specimen table. Various further features are described.

Abstract: The invention contemplates a binocular barrel system as for use in a microscope wherein an oriented target line at the focal plane of the eyepiece is kept at consistently the same orientation with respect to the viewed object, in spite of the fact that the eyepiece housings are swivel-mounted to the barrel for accommodation to the interpupillary distance of the observer. A parallelogram system so coordinates rotation of the target-line support at the eyepiece, with rotational displacement of the eyepiece about the barrel, that the correct orientation is seen by any and all observers, regardless of individual differences in interpupillary distance.