Apparatus for gel electrophoresis

Claim 1

A VERTICAL GEL ELECTROPHORESIS APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) A LOWER BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBER CAPABLE OF HOLDING LIQUID BUFFER SOLUTION AND INCLUDING AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING END WALL FOR DEFINING A PORTION OF A GEL CONTAINING PASSAGEWAY, (B) AN UPPER BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBER CAPABLE OF HOLDING LIQUID BUFFER SOLUTION, THE CHAMBER INCLUDING AN END WALL POSITIONED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE UPWARDLY EXENDING END WALL OF THE LOWER CHAMBER AND DEFINING THEREWITH A GEL PASSAGEWAY, THE END WALL OF THE UPPER CHAMBER HAVING MEANS PERMITTING BUFFER SOLUTION TO BE IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE GEL PASSAGEWAY SO THAT BUFFER SOLUTION IN THE BUFFER CHAMBERS MAY CONTACT GEL IN SAID PASSAGEWAY, (C) MEANS SEALING THE GEL PASSGEWAY TO PREVENT THE PASSAGE OF BUFFER SOLUTION ALONG THE PASSAGEWAY FROM THE UPPER CHAMBER TO THE LOWER CHAMBER WHEN THE PASSAGEWAY IS FILLED WITH LIQUID IMPERMEABLE GEL, (D) ELECTRODE IN EACH BUFFER CHAMBER POSITIONED BELOW A NORMAL LEVEL FOR BUFFER SOLUTION THEREIN, EACH ELECTRODE INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONNECTION TO A SOURCE OF D.C. CURRENT, (E) THE UPPER AND LOWER BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBERS INCLUDING THE GEL DEFINING PASSAGE WALLS BEING CONSTRUCTED OF A MATERIAL HAVING ELECTRICALLY INSULATING PROPERTIES AT LEAST ON THE SURFACE THEREOF, AND (F) MEANS FOR HOLDING THE UPPER AND LOWER BUFFER SOLUTION CHAMBERS IN RIGID ASSEMBLED RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UPPER CHAMBER ABOVE THE LOWER CHAMBER AND THE END WALLS THEREOF COOPERATING TO FORM THE GEL PASSAGEWAY.