US 4,609,017 A · Method and apparatus for transporting carriers of sealed sample tubes and mixing the samples

Abstract

A plurality of sealed blood sample tubes are housed in a rack and a plurality of these racks are vertically stacked, with the sample tubes lying horizontally. The racks are successively deposited onto a horizontal conveyor belt which is housed in and moves longitudinally on a table that rocks around its longitudinal axis to mix the samples in a semi-inverting mode as a rack is stepped from the stack to a sample aspiration station and/or thereat. The aspiration station preferably includes a sample segmenting and diluting valve and a sample identification reader. Aspiration is accomplished by pushing a sample tube partially out from the carrier rack and onto a seal piercing tip of the aspiration probe. The tube then is returned to the rack. The other tubes in that rack similarly are aspirated after the rack is stepped to align each tube with the aspiration probe, with table rocking and sampling mixing accompanying each advancing step of the rack. After a rack has advanced through the aspiration station, it is stacked out of the way.

Claims28

Dependent claims

A method for transporting carriers of sealed sample tubes, said tubes having sample material therein and there being a tube seal sealing one end of each tube, mixing the sample material in the tubes and piercing the tube seals for feeding of the sample material into a sample analyzer, each carrier holding a plurality of the sample tubes, said method comprising the steps of:

advancing each of a series of the carriers along a longitudinal and substantially horizontal path from an input location to an output location, there being a seal piercing station between those locations;
rocking the path around its longitudinal and substantially horizontal axis such that the sample tubes undergo a plurality of partial inversions during which the sealed end of each tube is rocked above and below the other end of the tube;
said rocking being accomplished a plurality of times and in a sufficient manner for the sample material to be adequately mixed just prior to seal piercing;
and stopping said advancing of each of the carriers at the seal piercing station for a time duration sufficient for seal piercing and sample feeding into the analyzer;
said rocking being accomplished during at least one of said advancing and stopping steps.

2 more elements

An apparatus for transporting carriers of sealed sample tubes, said tubes having sample material therein and there being a tube seal sealing one end of each tube, mixing the sample material in the tubes and piercing the tube seals for feeding the sample to an analyzer, each carrier capable of holding a plurality of the sample tubes, said apparatus comprising:

a table having a longitudinal and substantially horizontal axis, said table being constructed and arranged to be rocked around its longitudinal and substantially horizontal axis, one longitudinal end of said table being its carrier input end and the other longitudinal end being its carrier output end;
carrier conveyor means supported by said table and constructed and arranged for conveying said tube carriers over the surface of said table from proximate said input end to proximate output end, said tube carriers and said sealed sample tubes being horizontally aligned for movement on said carrier conveyor means, said conveyor means being rocked whenever said table is rocked and thereby rocking any carriers thereon and the sample tubes held therein;
tube seal piercing means mounted adjacent to said table at a location between its said input and output ends;
drive means for rocking said table and advancing said conveyor means, said drive means being constructed and arranged such that the sample tubes in a carrier on the conveyor will undergo a plurality of partial inversions during which the sealed end of each tube is rocked above and below the other end of the tube for sample mixing, said drive means further being constructed and arranged to advance a carrier on said conveyor means to bring the sample tubes into substantial alignment with said seal piercing means and then for stopping said conveyor means for a time duration sufficient for seal piercing, said drive means also being constructed and arranged to effect the table rocking during at least one of the conveyor advancing and the conveyor stopping time durations.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for transporting carriers of sealed sample tubes and mixing the samples

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for transporting carriers of sealed sample tubes and mixing the samples

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims28