Method and apparatus for electrophoretic density gradient separation and analysis

Claim 1

A METHOD OF ELECTRROPHORESIS ACCORDING TO WHICH BUFFER LIQUID AND A SAMPLE LIQUID ARE INTRODUCED INTO A CHAMBER OF AN ELECTROPHORESIS CELL ACROSS WHICH A VOLTAGE IS APPLIED FOR THE ELECTROPHORETIC TREATMENT OF THE SAMPLE LIQUID IN SAID CHAMBER FOR ELECTROPHORETICALLY SEPARATING INGREDEINTS THEREOF, SAID METHOD COMPRISING PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF BUFFER LIQUIDS OF DIFFERENT DENSITIES, RESPECTIVELY, TREATING THE SAMPLE LIQUID TO IMPART THERETO A SELECTED DENSITY, INTRODUCING A HORIZONTALLY FLOWING STREAM OF SAID TREATED SAMPLE LIQUID INTO SAID CHAMBER AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO SAID CHAMBER INDIVIDUAL HORIZONTALLY FLOWING STREAMS OF SAID BUFFER LIQUIDS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS, RESPECTIVELY, BELOW AND ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID SAMPLE IN SAID CHAMBER, THE DENSITY OF THE TREATED SAMPLE LIQUID BEING NOT GREATER THAN THE DENSITY OF THE BUFFER BELOW THE SAMPLE LIQUID AND GREATER THAN THE DENSITY ABOVE THE SAMPLE LIQUID, FOR FORMING IN SAID CHAMBER, BY THE FLOW OF SAID SAMPLE AND BUFFER LIQUIDS, A HORIZONTAL LAYER OF SAMPLE LIQUID AND A DENSITY GRADIENT ABOVE SAID SAMPLE LIQUID, THE DENSITY OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE BUFFER LIQUIDS INTRODUCED INTO THE CHAMBER ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE SAMPLE LIQUID BEING GREATER THAN A BUFFER LIQUID INTRODUCED INTO THE CHAMBER ADJACENT TO AND BELOW SAID ONE OF THE BUFFER LIQUIDS SO AS TO MIX THEREWITH BY GRAVITY DURING THE FLOW OF THE LIQUIDS INTO SAID CHAMBER, APPLYING SAID VOLTAGE FOR THE ELECTROPHORETIC TREATMENT OF SAID LAYER OF THE SAMPLE LIQUID, SCANNING THE LIQUID IN SAID CHAMBER IN THE REGION OF AT LEAST PART OF SAID DENSITY GRADIENT FOR EXAMINING THE VOLTAGE-INDUCED MIGRATION OF IONS FROM THE SAMPLE LIQUID INTO THE DENSITY GRADIENT, AND OPERATING A RECORDER IN RESPONSE TO THE SCANNING OPERATION FOR PROVIDING A RECORD OF THE QUANTITIES OF THE ELECTROPHORETICALLY SEPARATED INGREDIENTS, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE SAMPLE LIQUID.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF ELECTRROPHORESIS ACCORDING TO WHICH BUFFER LIQUID AND A SAMPLE LIQUID ARE INTRODUCED INTO A CHAMBER OF AN ELECTROPHORESIS CELL ACROSS WHICH A VOLTAGE IS APPLIED FOR THE ELECTROPHORETIC TREATMENT OF THE SAMPLE LIQUID IN SAID CHAMBER FOR ELECTROPHORETICALLY SEPARATING INGREDEINTS THEREOF, SAID METHOD COMPRISING PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF BUFFER LIQUIDS OF DIFFERENT DENSITIES, RESPECTIVELY, TREATING THE SAMPLE LIQUID TO IMPART THERETO A SELECTED DENSITY, INTRODUCING A HORIZONTALLY FLOWING STREAM OF SAID TREATED SAMPLE LIQUID INTO SAID CHAMBER AT A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, SIMULTANEOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO SAID CHAMBER INDIVIDUAL HORIZONTALLY FLOWING STREAMS OF SAID BUFFER LIQUIDS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS, RESPECTIVELY, BELOW AND ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID SAMPLE IN SAID CHAMBER, THE DENSITY OF THE TREATED SAMPLE LIQUID BEING NOT GREATER THAN THE DENSITY OF THE BUFFER BELOW THE SAMPLE LIQUID AND GREATER THAN THE DENSITY ABOVE THE SAMPLE LIQUID, FOR FORMING IN SAID CHAMBER, BY THE FLOW OF SAID SAMPLE AND BUFFER LIQUIDS, A HORIZONTAL LAYER OF SAMPLE LIQUID AND A DENSITY GRADIENT ABOVE SAID SAMPLE LIQUID, THE DENSITY OF AT LEAST ONE OF THE BUFFER LIQUIDS INTRODUCED INTO THE CHAMBER ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE SAMPLE LIQUID BEING GREATER THAN A BUFFER LIQUID INTRODUCED INTO THE CHAMBER ADJACENT TO AND BELOW SAID ONE OF THE BUFFER LIQUIDS SO AS TO MIX THEREWITH BY GRAVITY DURING THE FLOW OF THE LIQUIDS INTO SAID CHAMBER, APPLYING SAID VOLTAGE FOR THE ELECTROPHORETIC TREATMENT OF SAID LAYER OF THE SAMPLE LIQUID, SCANNING THE LIQUID IN SAID CHAMBER IN THE REGION OF AT LEAST PART OF SAID DENSITY GRADIENT FOR EXAMINING THE VOLTAGE-INDUCED MIGRATION OF IONS FROM THE SAMPLE LIQUID INTO THE DENSITY GRADIENT, AND OPERATING A RECORDER IN RESPONSE TO THE SCANNING OPERATION FOR PROVIDING A RECORD OF THE QUANTITIES OF THE ELECTROPHORETICALLY SEPARATED INGREDIENTS, RESPECTIVELY, OF THE SAMPLE LIQUID.