Pivoted distributor arm supporting a discharge hose in a liquid dispensing device

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION WITH A ROTARY FRACTION COLLECTOR DISPENSING MEANS FOR SUPPLYING LIQUIDS TO STATIONARY RECEIVING VESSELS PLACED EVENLY SPACED IN A PLURALITY OF CIRCULAR ROWS CENTERED ON THE ROTATABLE CENTRAL SHAFT OF THE COLLECTOR, PARTICULARLY FOR USE IN PREPARATORY CHROMATOGRAPHY, SAID DISPENSING MEANS COMPRISING (A) A TWO-PART DISTRIBUTOR ARM INCLUDING AN ARM BASE FIXED FOR STEPWISE ROTATION TO THE CENTRAL SHAFT OF THE COLLECTOR AND AN ARM EXTENSION JOINTED WITH ONE END TO THE ARM BASE; (B) A SUPPLY HOSE FOR CARRYING LIQUID TO THE RECEIVING VESSELS; (C) HOLDING MEANS FOR THE DISCHARGE END OF THE SUPPLY HOSE AT THE FREE END OF THE ARM EXTENSION; (D) SPRING CATCH MEANS BETWEEN THE ARM BASE AND THE ARM EXTENSION TO HOLD THESE DISTRIBUTOR ARM PARTS TEMPORARILY IN DIFFERENT ANGULAR RELATION AND THUS TO VARY THE EFFECTIVE ROTATIONAL RADIUS OF THE DISCHARGE END OF THE SUPPLY HOSE; (E) AND INDEXING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISTRIBUTOR ARM PARTS AND ADAPTED TO CHANGE THE SAID ANGULAR RELATIONAFTER EACH FULL REVOLUTION OF THE ARM BASE, THEREBY PLACING THE DISCHARGE END OF THE SUPPLY HOSE IN OPERATIONAL POSITION RELATIVE TO THE RECEIVING VESSELS ARRANGED IN CONCENTRIC CIRCULAR ROWS.