US Patent 9466473 Coaxial ion guide

A method of mass and/or ion mobility spectrometry is disclosed comprising: trapping ions in an annular or co-axial ion trap; and then axially ejecting at least some of said ions from said annular or co-axial ion trap into an annular ion guide. Ions trapped in the ion trap are distributed around the entire circumference of the annular or co-axial ion trap. As the ions travel along at least a portion of the length of the ion guide their motion around the circumference of the annular ion guide is unrestricted and the ions separate axially as they travel along the ion guide.