Vertical gel electrophoresis apparatus

Claim 1

A VERTICAL GEL ELECTROPHORESIS APPARATUS OF THE TYPE INCLUDING A LOWER BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBER CAPABLE OF HOLDING LIQUID BUFFER SOLUTION, AN UPPER BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBER CAPABLE OF HOLDING LIQUID BUFFER SOLUTION, A WALL OF EACH BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBER DEFINING A GEL PASSAGEWAY, THE GEL PASSAGEWAY BEING IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH LIQUID BUFFER SOLUTION IN THE BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBERS AND, WHEN SAID PASSAGEWAY IS FILLED WITH IMPERMEABLE GEL FREE FLOW OF BUFFER SOLUTION FROM THE UPPER CHAMBER TO THE LOWER CHAMBER IS PREVENTED BY SAID GEL, AN ELECTRODE IN EACH BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBER POSITIONED BELOW A NORMAL LEVEL FOR BUFFER SOLUTION THEREIN, EACH ELECTRODE INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONNECTION TO A SOURCE OF D.C. CURRENT, THE UPPER AND LOWER BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBERS AND THE GEL PASSAGE WALLS BEING CONSTRUCTED OF A MATERIAL HAVING ELECTRICALLY INSULATING PROPERTIES AT LEAST ON THE SURFACE THEREOF, AND MEANS FOR HOLDING THE UPPER AND LOWER BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBERS IN RIGID ASSEMBLED RELATIONSHIP, THE IMPROVEMENTS COMPRISING, AN INTERNAL DRAIN TUBE EXTENDING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE UPPER TANK UPWARDLY A DISTANCE EQUAL TO A DESIRED LEVEL OF BUFFER SOLUTION IN THE TANK, EXTERNAL TUBULAR CONNECTIONS ESTABLISHING FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE TWO TANKS AND PUMP MEANS FOR RECIRCULATING BUFFER SOLUTION FROM THE LOWER TANK THROUGH THE EXTERNAL TUBULAR CONNECTIONS TO THE UPPER TANK AND THEN DRAINING BACK TO THE LOWER TANK.