GB1463655A - Transferring liquid from a take-up station to a discharge station - Google Patents

Abstract

1463655 Transferring liquid from a take-up station to a discharge station G D SEARLE & CO Ltd 17 April 1974 [17 Jan 1973] 2528/73 Heading G1B An automatic method of transferring liquid from a take-up station to a discharge station, comprises the steps of fitting one end of a length of tube to the nozzle of a syringe, immersing the other end of the tube in liquid at the take-up station, operating the syringe to draw liquid into the tube but not into the syringe itself, displacing the tube to the discharge station, operating the syringe to expel liquid from the tube, and removing the tube from the nozzle of the syringe, the above steps then being repeated in turn for each of a number of new lengths of tube. In combination with, or for use in combination with, apparatus defining a takeup station, from which liquid is to be taken up for transfer to a discharge station which is also defined by the apparatus, and comprising means mounted at a first operating station for fitting a liquid takeup tube, for use in taking up the liquid from the take-up station, in a holder, and means mounted at a second operating station for removing used takeup tube from a holder, the take-up station, the discharge station and the first and second operating stations being spaced by equal respective distances from a given axis and being arranged about that axis so that a holder that is rotated thereabout in a given sense starting at the first operating station passes to the take-up station, the discharge station and the second operating station in that order, the stations being angularly spaced from one another about the given axis by an integral multiple of 360/n degrees, where n is an integer greater than three - a device for transferring liquid from the take-up station to the discharge station, comprising four dispensers fitted on a stand which is adapted to be mounted in the apparatus so as to be rotatable about the given axis, the dispensers each comprising a syringe actuable in a first sense to draw fluid thereinto, and in a second sense to expel fluid therefrom via a nozzle thereof, and a holder connected with the nozzle of the syringe for receiving one end of a liquid take-up tube and holding the tube so that its interior is in communication with the nozzle and its other end projects from the holder, the holders being spaced from the axis of rotation by equal respective distances and being angularly spaced from one another about the axis of rotation by an integral multiple of 360/n degrees, and the device further comprising rotational drive means for rotating the stand in the given sense about the axis of rotation in steps of 360/n degrees for bringing each holder in turn to each of n angular positions such that when the stand is mounted in the apparatus a holder at a first of the n angular positions is positioned for having a liquid take-up tube fitted therein by the means mounted at the first operating station, a holder, fitted with a liquid take-up tube, at an m th of the n angular positions, where m is an integer greater than unity but at least two less than n, is positioned to enable liquid at the take-up station to be drawn up into the liquid take-up tube by actuation of the syringe connected with that holder in the second sense, and a holder, fitted with a liquid take-up tube, at a q th of the n angular positions, where q is an integer greater than p but less than n, is positioned to enable the liquid take-up tube to be removed from the holder, and the device further comprising actuating means which are operative to actuate a syringe in the first sense when the holder with which it is connected is at the m th angular position and in the second sense when the holder with which it is connected is at the p th angular position. Preferably m, n, p and q are equal respectively to 2, 4, 3 and 4.