Apparatus for treatment of solids for analysis

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR TREATING QUANTITIES OF SOLID MATERIAL FOR ANALYSIS, COMPRISING A MIXING CONTAINER; A TURNTABLE MEANS FOR STORING A PLURALITY OF TABLETS, EACH TABLET COMPRISING A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF MATERIAL, DISPENSING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID TURNTABLE MEANS FOR CAUSING SAID TURNTABLE MEANS TO TRANSFER ONE TABLET FOR CAUSING SAID TURNTABLE MEANS TO TRANSFER ONE TABLET INTO SAID CONTAINER DURING EACH OF SUCCESSIVE PERIODS; SUPPLY MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF LIQUID INTO SAID CONTAINER DURING EACH OF THE SUCCESSIVE PERIODS; MIXER MEANS OPERABLE WITHIN SAID CONTAINER FOR MIXING THE TABLET WITH THE LIQUID THEREIN, TO FORM A LIQUID CONTAINING THE MATERIAL OF THE TABLET AS A CONSTITUENT THREOF, DURING EACH OF THE SUCCESSIVE PERIODS, IN FLUID FLOW COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CONTAINER, FOR WITHDRAWING A PORTION OF THE MATERIAL CONTAINNG LIQUID FROM SAID CONTAINER; CLEANOUT MEANS OPERABLE ONLY BETWEEN THE SUCCESSIVE PERIODS AND SUBSEQUENT TO THE OPERATION OF SAID TAKE-OFF MEANS FOR REMOVING ALL LIQUID FROM SAID CONTAINER, WHEREBY SAID CONTAINER IS EMPTIED PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF EACH PERIOD; AND PROGRAMMING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID DISPENSING MEANS, SAID SUPPLY MEANS, SAID MIXER MEANS, SAID TAKE-OFF MEANS, AND SAID CLEAN-OUT MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY AND CYCLICALLY OPERATING THESE MEANS.