Cleansing apparatus for test-vessels

#The invention relates to a test-vessel or cuvette cleansing apparatus with a holding means for receiving the test-vessels with their mouths opening downwardly, and with entry spray orifices for the cleansing liquid pointing into the cuvettes, possibly also having cleansing liquid container receiving the holding means.

#Quartz and glass test-vessels are frequently used in optical measurements. Such test-vessels are commonly known as "cuvettes" and typically have a square or rectangular cross-section with straight sides. The shapes of such cuvettes thereby means that there are corners formed by the side walls and the bottom of the vessel. When rinsing such cuvettes following use, there is frequently the problem of fully rinsing the residual substance out of the corners of the cuvette, and that mere softening-up and rinsing underneath the water tap will not always be adequate, in particular as regards cuvettes having small openings, because the pressure of the jet is inadequate to reach all corners of the cuvette.

#Apparatus for rinsing test-vessels already is known, and comprises in addition to a test-vessel holding means, an entry orifice and a magnetic stirrer to agitate the cleansing liquid. However this known apparatus also fails to provide for adequate rinsing by the cleansing liquid in all corners.

#The invention is discussed in further detail below in relation to the drawing and a preferred embodiment.

#FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the apparatus, and

#FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

#Several boreholes, six in the embodiment shown, are provided in a circular plastic plate 1 and are arranged equally spaced around the central axis 3 of a bar 6, illustrated as holes 2. Conical nozzles 4 pass through each of these holes 2 in such a manner that the narrow aperture 5 points upwardly. The disk 1 is mounted centrally on the bar 6. This bar 6 is provided with a handle 7 at the top.

#A central disk 8 also is centrally mounted on the bar 6 and at a spacing which is less than the length of one cuvette 14. This disk 8 is provided with boreholes 9 which correspond in numbers and radial array to the arrangement of the holes (therefore, in the embodiment shown there are six boreholes). The dimensions of the boreholes 9 are greater than the corresponding dimensions of the cuvettes 14. An upper disk 10 also is mounted centrally on the bar 6 at a slightly larger spacing than the length of the cuvettes however, contrary to what is the case for disks 1 and 8, it is rotatable about the axis of bar 6, for instance between two fixed flanges 11 and 12. The diameters of the disks are so selected that the apparatus fits into a suitable beaker 13 acting as the container, preferable a 1,000 ml glass beaker with a diameter of about 100 mm.

#The disks 1 and 8 may be mounted on the bar 6 so as to be adjustable vertically therein, such as by friction fit, in order to accommodate cuvettes of different size.