Automatic fraction collector

Claim 1

COLLECTING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS FOR A FLUENT MATERIAL COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A BASE; A PAIR OF FRAME SUPPORT MEMBERS UPSTANDING FROM SAID BASE AND A TOP MEMBER CONNECTING THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID FRAME SUPPORT MEMBERS; A COUNTERBALANCING UNIT INCLUDING A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL SIDE MEMBERS EACH PIVOTALLY AFFIXED, BY FIRST PIVOT MEANS AT A POINT OF PIVOTING THEREON, INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF TO AND SUPPORTED ON A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID FRAME SUPPORT MEMBERS; A COUNTERBALANCING WEIGHT POSITIONED ON ONE END OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS; A VERTICAL STEM PIVOTALLY AFFIXED BETWEEN AND TO THE END OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS OPPOSITE SAID COUNTERBALANCING WEIGHT BY SECOND PIVOT MEANS AND LINKAGE MEANS CONNECTING THE LOWER END OF SAID STEM TO SAID BASE AND COOPERATING WITH BOTH OF THE AFOREMENTIONED PIVOT MEANS FOR EFFECTING A PANTOGRAPHIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SAID STEM, SAID COUNTERBALANCE UNIT AND SAID LINKAGE MEANS; A PAIR OF SHAFT SUPPORT MEMBERS PROJECTING SIDEWARDLY FROM SAID STEM, A SHAFT AND MEANS SUPPORTING SAID SHAFT ROTATABLY WITH RESPECT TO AND ON SAID SHAFT SUPPORT MEMBERS, SAID SHAFT BEING POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID STEM; A TURNTABLE FIXED NONROTATABLY WITH RESPECT TO AND ON SAID SHAFT AND POSITIONED BETWEEN THE UPPERMOST OF SAID SHAFT SUPPORT MEMBERS AND SAID TOP MEMBER, SAID SHAFT PROJECTING THROUGH SAID TOP MEMBER AND CARRYING A RECEPTACLE-SUPPORTING PLATFORM FIXEDLY AT THE UPPER END THEREOF SPACED UPWARDLY FROM SAID TOP MEMBER; PAWL MEANS AFFIXED PIVOTALLY TO ONE OF SAID FRAME SUPPORT MEMBERS FOR EFFECTING ROTATION OF SAID TURNTABLE UPON DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID TURNTABLE; WHEREBY WHEN A WEIGHT IS PLACED ON SAID PLATFORM SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME SAID COUNTERBALANCING WEIGHT, SAID PLATFORM, SHAFT TURNTABLE, SHAFT SUPPORT MEMBERS AND SAID STEM WILL ALL MOVE DOWNWARDLY, SAID TURNTABLE WILL ENGAGE SAID PAWL MEANS AND SAID TURNTABLE, SHAFT PLATFORM WILL BE CAUSED TO ROTATE.