Valve means for chromatographic apparatus

Claim 1

In apparatus for transferring samples to a chromatographic column having a pump supplying buffer and eluent liquid to the column, and having a plurality of tubular containers for receiving samples before being transferred to the column, a sample inlet tubing and a waste tubing, and having a valve controlling flow in said apparatus, said valve comprising: a body having an internal bore and having a plurality of said tubular containers spaced circumferentially around said body, each of said containers having inlet and outlet passages communicating with said bore and said passages being arranged in rows extending axially of said bore, each of said rows of passages being associated with a different container and being spaced circumferentially from adjacent rows of passages; a plug mounted in said bore for rotation, said plug having a first row of V-shaped channels interconnecting axially spaced surface portions of said plug and having a second row of Vshaped channels interconnecting axially spaced surface portions of said plug, said second row of channels being spaced circumferentially from said first row of channels; said inlet and outlet passages of said tubular containers being aligned with the respective inlet and outlet passages of adjacent tubular containers about the circumference of said bore, said column and said pump communicating with said bore at locations spaced axially from said inlet and outlet passages, said sample inlet tubing and said waste tubing communicating with said bore at other locations spaced axially from said inlet and outlet passages, and a plurality of axially spaced conduit means extending circumferentially between said plug surface and said bore, separate ones of said conduit means being aligned with said respective locations, said first row of V-shaped channels communicating between the inlet passage of one of said containers and through said conduit means from said pump through said tubular container to said column, and by changing the rotational position of said plug, communication is established through said second row of V-shaped channels and through said conduit means from said sample inlet tubing through said tubular container to said waste tubing, a first pair of said conduit means being spaced axially of said bore from said inlet and outlet passages a distance corresponding to the length of said V-shaped channels of said first row, the second pair of said conduit means being spaced from said inlet and outlet tubing a distance corresponding to the length of said V-shaped channels of said second row, said second row of V-shaped channels including a third channel having a length corresponding to the distance separating said conduit means of said first pair, said column and said pump communicating with said first pair of conduit means, said sample inlet tubing and said waste tubing communicating with said second pair of conduit means, whereby rotating said plug to align said first row of channels with one of said tubular container passages conducts a sample in said container from said second row of channels while said tubular container introduces another sample into said container.