Storage apparatus, particularly with automatic insertion and retrieval

A storage unit comprising:

• a housing defining a storage chamber;
• first carrier means inside said chamber for carrying a plurality of specimens in a first predetermined array in a first horizontal plane;
• second carrier means inside said chamber for carrying a plurality of specimens in a second predetermined array in a second horizontal plane spaced from and generally parallel to said first horizontal plane;
• and
• drive means operatively connected to said first carrier means and said second carrier means for automatically rotating said first carrier means and said second carrier means independently of one another about a vertical axis.

A low-temperature storage unit comprising:

• a housing defining a storage chamber;
• carrier means inside said chamber for carrying a plurality of specimens in a predetermined horizontal array;
• support means inside said chamber for carrying a second plurality of specimens in another horizontal array parallel to said predetermined horizontal array;
• drive means operatively connected to said carrier means and said support means for rotating said carrier means and said support means about a vertical axis;
• insertion and removal means at least partially mounted to said housing for alternately inserting and removing specimens from said carrier means and said support means;
• and
• cooling means connected to said housing for maintaining said chamber in a predetermined sub-freezing temperature range.

A low-temperature storage unit comprising:

• a housing defining a storage chamber;
• first support means inside said chamber for supporting a plurality of specimens in a first horizontal plane;
• second support means inside said chamber for supporting a plurality of specimens in a second horizontal plane spaced from and generally parallel to said first horizontal plane;
• insertion and removal means at least partially mounted to said housing for alternately inserting and removing specimens from said first support means and said second support means;
• and
• circulating means operatively connected to said housing for circulating a fluid coolant from a sump in a bottom portion of said chamber to said first support means, said first support means and said second support means being relatively disposed so that coolant runoff from said first support means falls to said second support means.

A low-temperature storage unit comprising:

• a housing defining a storage chamber;
• a plurality of carrier trays inside said chamber;
• means in said housing for rotatably supporting said carrier trays one above the other;
• a plurality of specimens on each of said carrier trays;
• drive means at least partially mounted to said housing and operatively connected to said carrier trays for automatically rotating said carrier trays independently of one another about a vertical axis;
• circulating means attached to said housing for circulating a fluid coolant from a sump in a bottom portion of said chamber to one of said carrier trays;
• means in said housing for guiding run-off coolant from said one of said carrier trays to another of said carrier trays disposed below said one of said carrier trays;
• access means on said housing for enabling access to said chamber from above all of said carrier trays;
• insertion and removal means at least partially mounted to said housing for alternately inserting and removing specimens from said chamber via said access means, a plurality of said carrier trays being provided with alignable apertures for enabling access to specimens in lower ones of said carrier trays through upper ones of said trays;
• and
• control means operatively connected to said insertion and removal means for automatically tracking the locations of specimens in said housing and for controlling the insertion and removal of specimens from said chamber.

A low-temperature storage unit comprising:

• a housing defining a plurality of separate storage chambers;
• first cooling means in said housing for circulating a first coolant to maintain a first one of said chambers at a first predetermined low temperature;
• second cooling means in said housing for circulating a second coolant to maintain a second one of said chambers at a second predetermined low temperature different from said first temperature;
• first carrier means inside said first one of said chambers for carrying a first plurality of specimens in a first predetermined horizontal array;
• second carrier means inside said second one of said chambers for carrying a second plurality of specimens in a second predetermined horizontal array;
• drive means operatively connected to said first carrier means and said second carrier means for rotating said first carrier means and said second carrier means independently about a vertical axis;
• insertion and removal means at least partially mounted to said housing for alternately inserting and removing specimens from said first carrier means and said second carrier means.