Liquid sample injection in a chromatographic apparatus

Claim 1

A VAPOR PHASE CHROMATOGRAPHIC APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES AN ELONGATED TUBULAR COLUMN CONTAINING PACKED SOLID PARTICLES, FIRST CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH THE INLET END OF SAID COLUMN FOR SUPPLYING A CARRIER FLUID THERETO, AN INJECTION MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A LIQUID MIXTURE TO BE ANALYZED INTO THE INLET END OF SAID COLUMN ONTO THE SAID PACKING THEREIN, SAID INJECTION MEANS COMPRISING AN INJECTION TUBE OF SMALL DIAMETER, A CHAMBER OF FIXED VOLUME AT THE EXTERNAL END OF SAID INJECTION TUBE, A PISTON IN SEALING CONTACT WITH AND SLIDABLY DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PISTON RECIPROCALLY WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, AND SECOND CONDUIT MEANS FOR CONDUCTING THE EFFLUENT FROM THE OUTLET END OF SAID COLUMN TO MEANS FOR DETECTING THE COMPONENTS OF THE SAID FRACTIONATED LIQUID MIXTURE, AN INLET CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER FOR SUPPLYING SAID LIQUID MIXTURE THERETO, AND AN OUTLET CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER FOR CONDUCTING SAID LIQUID MIXTURE THEREFROM, FIRST AND SECOND VALVE MEANS IN SAID INLET AND OUTLET CONDUITS, RESPECTIVELY, FOR SEALING SAID CHAMBER WHILE SAID PISTON IS FORCING SAID MIXTURE INTO SAID TUBE, AND BIASING MEANS DISPOSED IN SAID CHAMBERS FOR AUTOMATICALLY WITHDRAWING SAID PISTON WHEN THE CLOSING FORCE ON SAID PISTON IS RELEASED.