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AssigneeCompur-Electronic Gesellschaft mit beschrankter Haftung
InventorsOtto Wienchol, Franz Muhlbock
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A rotor, adapted for rotation at high speeds, has symmetrically arranged radial channels for receiving tubular containers of material to be evaluated, such for example as samples of blood. The outer end of each radially extending container is placed against a resilient abutment at the rim of the rotor, and its inner end is placed against a clamping collar arranged centrally of the rotor and having limited movement in the direction of the axis of rotation. In the initial loading position, the tubular containers are inclined upwardly from the rim toward the center of the rotor. They are clamped firmly into position on the rotor by axial movement of the clamping member which carries the inner ends of the containers downwardly, to force the containers slightly radially outwardly, compressing the resilient abutments at their outer ends. The invention relates to details of construction of the axially movable clamping member, which has a spring tending to move it to unclamping or loading position, and a latch to hold it in clamped position, against the force of the spring.
Apparatus for centrifugal separation of test samples in containers of tubular form open at both ends, said apparatus comprising a rotor of plate-like form having a plurality of radially extending recesses each being adapted to accommodate one of said tubular containers, resilient abutment means on said rotor at the outer end of each recess in position to serve as an abutment for the outer end of a tubular container laid in such recess, clamping means mounted centrally on said rotor and movable axially from a loading position to a clamping position, said clamping means forming a movable abutment for the inner ends of the tubular containers, said axial movement of said clamping means carrying the inner ends of the tubular containers from a position on one side of a transverse plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said rotor and containing the outer ends of said containers to a position on the opposite side of said plane, and said axial movement of said clamping means serving to displace a tubular container radially outwardly into tight sealing and clamping engagement with said resilient abutment means, characterized by the provision of a spring tending to maintain said clamping means in its loading position, and a latch for holding said clamping means in its clamping position against the force of said spring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.