Vessels for the optical observation of liquids

• US 4,021,124 A
• Filed: 02/25/1976
• Issued: 05/03/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kunststoff-Spritzgusswerk
• Original Assignee: Kunststoff-Spritzgusswerk
• Inventors: Sarstedt, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Corbin, John K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Koren, Matthew W.
• Application Number:
  US05/661,084
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• Field of Search: 356/246, 250/576, 23/292
• US Class Current: 356/246
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00376 Conductive heating, e.g. heated plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0406 Individual bottles or tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/03 Cuvette constructions

Abstract

A vessel is provided for receiving a small quantity of a liquid to be observed optically. The vessel has a body provided with four upstanding side walls of which two opposite walls are transparent and optically true and are intended to lie in the optical path. The other two walls are much closer together so as to reduce the interior volume of the vessel and are provided with external vertical ribs so as to impart a generally square external configuration to the vessel. A U-shaped thermally conductive body is disposed with its bridge portion beneath the bottom of the vessel body and with its limbs upstanding between the ribs and in thermal contact with said other side walls. The vessel can be secured in position by means of the bridge piece which may be of dovetail shape or may be magnetic or provided with a permanent magnet.

Claims

1. Vessel means for the optical observation of small quantities of liquids, said vessel comprising a vessel body having a bottom and four side walls which extend upwardly therefrom, two opposite ones of said side walls defining transparent and planar end walls which extend parallel to one another and which have outer surfaces located at a predetermined distance apart and the other two of said side walls being spaced apart by a distance less than said predetermined distance in order to reduce the quantity of liquid required for examination, and each having an outer surface on which are defined two ribs which extend parallel to the transparent end walls, each two mutually aligned ones of said ribs having edges which are spaced the said predetermined distance apart, and a generally U-shaped thermally conductive body defining limbs, each limb occupying a space between two respective ribs and having an inwardly facing side which abuts against a respective one of said other side walls, said U-shaped body also defining a bridge portion interconnecting said limbs and extending below said bottom, said bridge portion being adapted to releasably fix the vessel to a heating device.

2. Vessel means according to claim 1, in which said vessel body also has outer walls each interconnecting the outer edges of the two ribs on a respective other side wall to define a receiving pocket to receive a respective limb of the thermally conductive body.

3. Vessel means according to claim 1, in which said bridge portion of the thermally conductive body defines a dovetail configuration at its side remote from said limbs.

4. Vessel means according to claim 1, in which said bridge portion of the thermally conductive body has a magnet thereon.

5. Vessel means according to claim 1, in which said bridge portion of the thermally conductive body has thereon a plate consisting of magnetizable material.

6. Vessel means according to claim 1 in which said thermally conductive body consists of magnetizable material.

7. Vessel means according to claim 1 in which said vessel body consists of an injection moulding.