Apparatus for performance of carrier-free,continuous electrophoresis in vertical cells

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS FREE-FLOW ELECTROPHORESIS COMPRISING TWO RECTANGULAR, ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE PLATES IN SPACED ALIGNMENT TO EACH OTHER FORMING A SEAPARATION CHAMBER, SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER BEING SUBSTANTIALLY IN A VERTICAL ARRANGEMENT; A PAIR OF ELECTRODE CHAMBERS EACH IONICALLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF A PAIR OF OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES OF SAID PLATES AND IONICALLY COMMUNICATING WITH SAID SEPARATING CHAMBER, EACH FO SAID ELECTRODE CHAMBERS ENCLOSING AT LEAST ONE ELECTRODE ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO AN ELECTRICAL SOURCE; A THIRD MARGINAL TOP SECTION OF SAID SEPARATING CHAMBER BEING ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE AND TIGHTLY SEALED BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE CHAMBERS; AT LEAST ONE CONNECTION TO A BUFFER SOLUTION AND SUPPLY FEED INLET TO SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER ADJACENT TO SAID THIRD MARGINAL TOP SECTION; THE MARGINAL SPACE OPPOSITE SIAD FEED INLET TO SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER ADJACENT TO SAID THIRD MARGINAL TOP SECTION; THE MARGINAL SPACE OPPOSITE SAID FEED INLET CONNECTIONS BEING CLOSED BY A HORIZONTAL BAR HAVING A PLURALITY OF OUTLETS ARRANGED AT REGULAR INTERVALS OVER ITS ENTIRE LENGTH BETWEEN SAID ELECTRODE CHAMBERS COMMUNICATING WITH A PLURALITY OF RECEPTACLES, EACH OF SAID OUTLEST EXTENDING FROM THE INNER SEPARATING SPACE BETWEEN SAID PLATES TO ITS PAIRED OUTER RECEPTACLE OF RSOLUTION FLOWING OUT OF SAID OUTLET WHEREBY EACH OF SAID RECEPTACLES IS IN LIQUID CONNECTION; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING BUFFER SOLUTION AND MATERIAL TO BE ELECTROPHORTICALLY SEPARATED TO SAID FEED INLET CONNECTIONS; AND MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY WITHDRAWING ELECTROPHORETICALLY SEPARATED MATERIAL AND BUFFER SOLUTION FROM EACH OF SAID COLLECTING RECEPTACLES SIMULTANEOUSLY AND IN EQUAL VOLUME IN RATIO TO THE FLOW RATE THROUGH SAID SEPARATING SPACE; AND AT LEAST ONE COOLING MEANS COMPRISING A HEAT DISTRIBUTION PLATE WHICH IS IN HEAT-CONDUCTIVE, ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTION WITH SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER, SAID HEAT DISTRIBUTION PLATE CONSISTING OF A HEAT-CONDUCTIVE MATEIAL BEING IN HEATCONDUCTIVE CONTACT AT A PLURALITY OF POINTS WITH A PLURALITY OF PELTIER CELLS ON ITS SURFACE WHICH FACES AWAY FROM SAID SEPARATION CHAMBER.