Rotor system and method for manipulating liquid matter

Claim 2

A rotor system comprising a rotor having a rotational axis, a plurality of radial cavities in said rotor disposed in generally concentric array about said rotational axis of said rotor for receiving and retaining respective quantities of liquid when said rotor is rotated, overflow means associated with each of said cavities and adapted to discharge from said cavity any liquid in excess of the volumetric capacity of said cavity at the instant rotational speed of said rotor, and displacement means disposed in each of said cavities, said displacement means in each cavity displacing a quantity of liquid within each of said cavities, said quantity of displaced liquid in each cavity being essentially equal to the liquid displacement volume of the displacement means in respective cavities, whereby said displaced quantities of liquid are expelled from respective cavities through their respective overflows upon rotation of said rotor with said displacement means in said cavities.

Claim 3

The rotor system of claIm 1 and including dispensing means disposed in superposition to said rotor and including a plurality of displacement bodies for simultaneous admission to said cavities in said rotor.

Claim 4

The rotor system of claim 1 wherein said displacement means comprises a solid body of generally spherical geometry.

Claim 5

The rotor system of claim 1 wherein said solid body comprises a glass bead.

Claim 6

A dispenser device for simultaneously dispensing a plurality of displacement bodies into separate compartments of a rotor comprising mounting means releasably mounting said dispenser device in rotational engagement with said rotor in the approximate center of said rotor and above said compartments, a plurality of channel means in said device, respective ones of said channels being in alignment with and disposed above respective ones of said compartments when said dispenser device is mounted on said rotor, each of said channels being open at its lower end, at least one generally spherical displacement body disposed in each of said channel means, detention means retaining said displacement bodies within said channels and adapted to selectively and simultaneously release one body from each channel whereby said bodies are free to fall into said compartments.

Claim 7

A dispenser device for simultaneously dispensing a plurality of displacement bodies into separate compartments of a rotor comprising mounting means releasably mounting said dispenser device in rotational engagement with said rotor in the approximate center of said rotor and above said compartments, a plurality of channel means in said device, respective ones of said channels being in alignment with and disposed above respective ones of said compartments when said dispenser device is mounted on said rotor, each of said channels being open at its lower end, at least one generally spherical displacement body disposed in each of said channel means, detention means retaining said displacement bodies within said channels and adapted to selectively and simultaneously release one body from each channel whereby said bodies are free to fall into said compartments.

Claim 8

The dispenser device of claim 5 wherein said detention means comprises an annular member having an inner wall disposed adjacent to said lower openings of said channels and spaced apart therefrom by a distance greater than the diameter of a displacement body but less than twice the diameter of a displacement body, a cavity in said inner wall of said annular member adjacent each of said lower openings of said channels, said cavity being of a depth such that a displacement body residing in said cavity projects into its respective channel a distance sufficient to preclude the passing of another displacement body therepast, said cavity including an upwardly inclined wall portion defining its lower dimension whereby when said dispenser is rotated the centrifugal forces accompanying such rotation forces a displacement body from each channel into said cavity to preclude the release of displacement bodies from said channels but when said dispenser is not rotating said bodies are released for movement out of said channels, retainer means disposed beneath said channels and spaced therefrom by a distance sufficient to permit the passage of not more than one displacement body therebetween, ridge means disposed on the upper side of said retainer means and defining a barrier against radial movement of displacement bodies except when said dispenser means is rotated at a rotational speed sufficient to cause said bodies to overcome said barrier.