Automatic chemical testing apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED, COMPRISING A ROTATABLE CARRIER, A PLURALITY OF TEST TUBE HOLDERS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON A HORIZONTAL AXIS UPON SAID CARRIER APPROXIMATELY EQUI-DISTANT FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF TEST TUBES DISPOSED IN SAID HOLDERS, A CAM RIGIDLY MOUNTED BENEATH SAID CARRIER IN POSITION TO ENCOUNTER AND TILT ONCOMING TEST TUBES IN SAID HOLDERS AS SAID CARRIER IS ROTATED, DRIVING MEANS ADAPTED TO ROTATE THE CARRIER THROUGH A SERIES OF PREDETERMINED DEGREES OF ROTATION WITH A PAUSE INTERVAL BETWEEN EACH MOVE, A REAGENT DISPENSER MOUNTED ABOVE SAID CARRIER AND DISPOSED AT A PAUSE POINT ABOVE THAT AT WHICH THE TUBES IN THE HOLDERS PERIODICALLY PAUSE, MEANS ACTUATED BY SUCCESSIVE ONCOMING TEST TUBES FOR OPERATING SAID DISPENSER TO DISCHARGE REAGENT INTO SUCCESSIVE TEST TUBES, HEATING MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE PATH OF ONCOMING TEST TUBES AT AT LEAST ONE OF THE PAUSE POINTS, COOLING MEANS MOUNTED ADJACENT THE PATH OF ONCOMING TEST TUBES AT AT LEAST ONE OF THE PAUSE POINTS, AN AGITATOR MOUNTED IN POSITION TO ENCOUNTER AND AGITATE SUCCESSIVE ONCOMING TEST TUBES, AND MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY EXTRACTING AND STORING TUBES FROM SAID HOLDERS AT THE COMPLETION OF THEIR CIRCUIT ON THE CARRIER.