Automatic integrator for chromatograph records

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY COUNTING SIGNALS REPRESENTATIVE OF INCREMENTAL AREAS ENCLOSED BETWEEN A BASE LINE AND A CURVING LINE DISPLAYING VARIATIONS IN A CHARTED QUANTITY ON A RECORD CHART AND FOR ACCUMULATING SAID COUNTED SIGNALS FOR A PREDETERMINED PORTION OF SAID CHART HAVING BEGINNING AND ENDING MARKS COMPRISING: (A) FIRST SENSING MEANS FOR SENSING THE BEGINNING AND THE ENDING MARKS OF SAID PREDETERMINED PORTION IN SEQUENCE, (B) SECOND SENSING MEANS FOR SENSING SAID BASE LINE AND SAID CURVING LINE ON SAID RECORD CHART IN SEQUENCE, (C) A START CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS, (D) A COUNTER AND MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID COUNTER WITH SAID SIGNALS TO BE COUNTED, (E) AN ACTUATING CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID COUNTER TO SAID MEANS FOR ENERGIZING, (F) SAID START CIRCUIT MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID SENSING OF SAID BASE LINE FOR OPERATING SID COUNTER ACTUATING CIRCUIT, WHEREBY SAID COUNTER IS ENERGIZED TO ACCUMULATE SAID SIGNALS, (G) A STOP CIRCUIT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS, (H) A CIRCUIT SWITCHING MEANS, AND MEANS IN SAID START CIRCUIT MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID CIRCUIT SWITCHING MEANS SO AS TO DISCONNECT SAID START CIRCUIT FROM SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS AND TO CONNECT SAID STOP CIRCUIT MEANS TO SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS, (I) SAID STOP CIRCUIT MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO SAID SENSING OF SAID CURVING LINE FOR INTERRUPTING SAID CONNECTION OF SAID COUNTER TO SAID MEANS FOR ENERGIZING, (J) SAID START CIRCUIT MEANS, SAID ACTUATING CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID COUNTER AND SAID STOP CIRCUIT MEANS BEING OPERATED IN SEQUENCE TO ACCUMULATE SAID COUNTED SIGNALS IN INCREMENTAL AREAS ENCLOSED BETWEEN SAID BASE LINE AND SAID CURVING LINE BEGINNING WITH THE SENSING OF SAID BEGINNING MARK OF SAID PREDETERMINED PORTION AND TERMINATING WITH THE SENSING OF SAID ENDING MARK OF SAID PREDETERMINED PORTION, (K) AND ADDITIONAL CIRCUIT MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID CIRCUIT SWITCHING MEANS TO DISCONNECT SAID STOP CIRCUIT MEANS FROM SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS AND TO RECONNECT SAID START CIRCUIT MEANS TO SAID SECOND SENSING MEANS, SAID ADDITIONAL CIRCUIT MEANS INCLUDING A TERMINATING CIRCUIT FOR TERMINATING OPERATION OF SAID COUNTER IF SAID START CIRCUIT, SAID ACTUATING CIRCUIT AND SAID STOP CIRCUIT ARE NOT OPERATED IN SEQUENCE BEFORE OPERATION OF SAID ADDITIONAL CIRCUIT AND MEANS FOR INDICATING TERMINATION OF OPERATION OF SAID COUNTER BY SAID TERMINATING CIRCUIT.