Automatic device for the automated conduct of analyses, notably medical analyses

A method of managing a set of bottles in an automatic device, the automatic device including:

• a storage zone for storing a plurality of bottles,
• an automated sampling system for selectively sampling contents of respective bottles among the plurality of bottles stored in the storage zone,
• a first access opening to a loading zone,
• the loading zone being configured to introduce a new bottle that was not already stored in the automatic device into the automatic device,
• a second access opening to an unloading zone,
• the unloading zone configured to enable recovery of a respective bottle of the plurality of bottles that are no longer to be used by the automatic device,
• a bottle conveyor and storage system, configured selectively and individually to transport a respective bottle among those stored in the storage zone from a first location in the storage zone to the unloading zone and the new bottle from the loading zone to a second location in the storage zone,
• the bottle conveyor and storage system including at least one storage module defining at least a part of the storage zone and a bottle entry/exit zone to the at least one storage module, the at least one storage module being provided with means for driving bottles within the at least one storage module in a loop, to enable selective positioning of a bottle in the entry/exit zone;
• the method including:
• transporting a bottle from the loading zone to the storage zone and disposing the bottle at a predefined location thereof, or
• transporting a bottle from a predefined location of the storage zone to the unloading zone,
• the conveyor including a rear belt, the rear belt providing at least a part of the transport from the loading zone to the at least one storage module that has to receive the new bottle,
• the method including the step consisting in combined movement of the bottles of a module by driving the belt in one direction, until the bottle to be removed from the module is moved onto the rear belt, then moving the belt in the opposite direction to move away the separator that has pushed the bottle onto the rear belt and to free the bottle to allow it to continue on its path by being driven by the rear belt.