Apparatus for automatic collection of liquid fractions

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS ADAPTABLE FOR AUTOMATIC COLLECTION OF A PLURALITY OF LIQUID FRACTIONS, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A DISTILLATION COLUMN, CONTROL MEANS ADAPTED TO CONTROL CONDENSATE DISCHARGE FROM SAID COLMUN A MEASURING MEANS ADAPTABLE FOR RECEIPT OF CONDENSATE FROM SAID COLUMN, AND TO DISCHARGE UPON RECEIPT OF A PREDETERMINED VOLUME OF CONDENSATE, A COLLECTING MEANS INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LIGHT-TRANSMITTABLE RECEPTACLES AND ACTUABLE TO POSITION A FIRST RECEPTACLE FOR RECEIPT OF CONDENSATE DISCHARGE FROM SAID MEASURING MEANS AND TO REPLACE SAID FIRST RECEPTACLE WITH A SECOND RECEPTACLE AT SAID RECEIVING POSITION FOR RECEIPT OF A SUBSEQUENT CONDENSATE DISCHARGE, A LIGHT SOURCE AND A LIGHT RESPONSIVE MEANS, SAID LIGHT SOURCE AND SAID LIGHT RESPONSIVE MEANS BEING ARRANGED WITH RESPECT OT EACH OTHER AND WITH THE RECEPTACLE IN THE RECEIVING POSITION WHEREBY, UPON INTRODUCTION OF CONDENSATE TO A PREDETERMINED LEVEL IN THE RECEPTACLE, LIGHT FROM SAID LIGHT THE RECEPTACLE AND THE FOCUSED BY THE CONDENSATE IN LIGHT RESPONSIVE MEANS, AND A TIME DELAY MEANS ACTUABLE UPON ACTUATION OF SAID LIGHT RESPONSIVE MEANS TO PREVENT SAID CONTROL MEANS FOR A PREDETERMINED TIME PERIOD FROM DISCHARGING CONDENSATE INTO SAID MEASURING MEANS AND TO ALLOW SUFFICIENT TIME DELAY FOR SAID MEASURING MEANS TO COMPLETE ITS DISCHARGE AND, UPON COMPLETION OF SAID TIME DELAY, TO ACTUATE THE COLLECTING MEANS FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE FIRST RECEPTACLE HAVING RECEIVED SAID CONDENSATE DISCHARGE WITH A SECOND RECEPTACLE.