Device of distribution of impregnated supports and associated method

Device for distributing supports impregnated with antibiotics, comprising:

• a supporting frame,
• a dispenser, provided with an upper surface, a lower surface opposite with respect to the upper surface, and with plurality of seats configured for housing a corresponding plurality of tubular containers, each one containing a plurality of supports impregnated with antibiotics and stacked, the plurality of seats being configured in such a way that respective lower ends of said tubular containers are received in the seats while respective upper ends of the tubular containers, opposite to said lower ends of the tubular containers, are positioned in correspondence of the upper surface of the dispenser,
• an extractor, configured for extracting at least a first support from an upper end of a first tubular container housed in a respective seat of the dispenser and for moving the first support between a first position inside the first container and a second position extracted from the first container, said first position and said second position lying in correspondence of said upper surface,
• a collector, configured for collecting the first support from the second position and for transporting the first support from the second position towards a culture plate, and
• wherein the lower surface of the dispenser is disposed upon the supporting frame in such a way that the dispenser is movable relatively to the extractor positioned above the dispenser along a vertical axis for selectively and sequentially positioning the tubular containers in a horizontal plane for allowing the extraction of the supports from the upper ends of the tubular containers.

Method of distribution of supports impregnated with antibiotics, comprising:

• a step of positioning of a plurality of tubular containers, each one containing a plurality of supports impregnated with antibiotics and stacked, in a corresponding plurality of seats of a dispenser provided with an upper surface and a lower surface opposite with respect to the upper surface, the plurality of seats being configured in such a way that respective lower ends of said tubular containers are received in the seats while respective upper ends of the tubular containers, opposite to the lower ends, are positioned in correspondence of the upper surface of the dispenser, said lower surface of said dispenser being disposed upon a supporting frame in such a way that the dispenser is movable relatively to an extractor positioned above the dispenser along a vertical axis for selectively and sequentially positioning the tubular containers in a horizontal plane for allowing the extraction of the supports from the upper ends tubular containers,
• a first step of extraction of at least a first support from a first container, using said extractor, the step of extraction being performed in correspondence of an upper end of the first container and comprising a movement of the first support between a first position inside the first container and a second position extracted from the first container, said first position and said second position lying in correspondence of the upper surface of the dispenser,
• a step of collection of the first support from the second position using a collector,
• a step of transportation of the first support towards a culture plate by the collector, and
• wherein said first position and said second position lie in correspondence of a surface of the dispenser accessible from above.