Patent ID: 8263389

Claim:
A perifusion device, comprising; a plurality of sample containers; the sample containers having a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, the containers receiving liquid through the inlet and discharging through the liquid outlet; a receptacle housing having a plurality of receptacles for receiving liquid from the outlets of the sample containers, said plurality of receptacles being positioned in said receptacle housing such that different receptacles receive samples from different liquid outlets of said sample containers; a drive connected to the receptacle housing for moving said receptacle housing such that samples from the liquid outlets of said sample containers are successively collected in different ones of said plurality of receptacles; a valve manifold having a plurality of liquid inlets and a plurality of liquid outlets, and a plurality of flow junctions connecting said liquid inlets to said liquid outlets, and at least one valve disposed between each liquid inlet and each flow junction, said liquid outlets of said valve manifold being connected to said liquid inlets of said sample containers; a plurality of liquid sources for supplying liquid to said liquid inlets, each liquid source being in liquid connection to one of said liquid inlets of said valve manifold; and, a programmable controller for controlling the operation of said valves and the flow of liquid from said liquid sources to the flow junctions, and thereby to the sample containers, wherein each of said liquid inlets is connected to a liquid inlet conduit of said manifold, said liquid inlet conduit having a plurality of branch lines, each branch line being connected to at least one of said flow junctions and having a valve associated with said branch line to control liquid flow through said branch line and to said flow junction.