Patent ID: 7722821

Claim:
A sample cup for retaining a specimen to be subjected to spectrochemical analysis, comprising: a cell body of a cylindrical configuration having an open top end and an open bottom end and defining a hollow between the two open ends, the open top end having an outer wall and an inner wall encircling the open top end, the outer wall and the inner wall extending axially and positioned in concentric relationship with one another, said outer wall and said inner wall forming an internal reservoir space therebetween, said inner wall being positioned sufficiently below a top edge of said outer wall to allow a sample material to flow over the inner wall into the internal reservoir space, and the outer wall prevents overflow of the sample material from the internal reservoir space; and a cap for sealing the open top end of the cell body, the cap having a top surface and a bottom surface and a peripherally disposed sidewall extending downwardly from the bottom surface of the cap, wherein the sidewall frictionally and continuously engages solely the inner surface of the outer wall of the top end of the cell body.