Other

Wordtech Systems, Inc.

Copypro, Inc.

Agrifim Irrigation Internaional N.v.

David B Miller

Alexander V Drynkin

William M Hess

Rodney R Ruskin

John M Langa

Nick V Solokhin

Brian J Lechman

A camera box for capturing and processing bar code images on the bottom ends of laboratory tubes in a laboratory tube rack of standard size with laboratory tube compartments each having a bottom aperture utilizing a smart phone camera, the camera box including a housing with a top deck and sides with one side having a lower side opening, the top deck of the housing having an opening sized to view the underside of a rack when the tube rack is seated on the top deck over the opening and including a camera tray that supports a smart phone camera, wherein the side opening of the camera box housing is sized to receive the camera tray and a supported smart phone camera into the housing under the housing opening and a rack with at least one laboratory tube seated on the top deck, wherein on activation of the smart phone camera, an image of the underside of the rack and the barcode of any laboratory tube in the rack is captured and processed.

Camera box for reading and decoding tube rack bar code

A liquid-level sensing instrument for determining the level of a liquid in a container or vessel such as a laboratory tube in a rack or a well in a well plate with the container having an acoustically transparent top opening to direct ultrasonic signals to the liquid surface and receive reflected signals where the transceiver sensor instrument is constructed with a piezoelectric focusing sensor that has a concave focusing surface for focusing ultrasonic signals through the opening to the liquid surface in a selected container particularly a container in a group of containers and receiving reflected signals for processing.

Ultrasonic volume-sensing transducer instrument with concave transceiver element

A robotic picker with a pick head unit for a robotic tube handler that provides for automated transport and sampling of laboratory tubes, the picker having a prong picker with a multiple of depending pick prongs optimized for an orthogonal arrangement of tubes, typically in a tube rack, wherein the pick head unit has a mechanism for shifting the radial orientation of the pick head unit to accommodate both orthogonal and diagonal arrangements of laboratory tubes.

Adjustable robotic picker for laboratory containers

A laboratory tube presentation unit for removal of a selected laboratory tube in a tube rack having multiple rows of laboratory tubes by raising the row of tubes in which the selected tube is located, the rack having tube wells and a rectangular bottom with a hole in each well, the unit including a selector assembly having a displaceable actuator assembly with a row of lift pins that are alignable under a select row of holes in the tube wells that correspond to a row of tubes having the selected tube in the tube rack seated on the top deck, the actuator assembly carriage having further an actuator with a manual transport shift and a lift mechanism that raises the row of lift pins under the select row of holes in the tube wells having the particular tube to be removed.

Laboratory tube presentation apparatus for raising a row of tubes contained in a rack of tubes

A laboratory tube cap presenter for a tube, such as a test tube, a medical vial or other vessel that may be capped by an automated capper in a robotic tube handling apparatus, the tube cap presenter having a magazine of pre-oriented tube caps that cooperates with a selector mechanism and a shuttle mechanism to transport a selected tube cap to a presentation station where the tube cap is oriented for pick up by the pickup mechanism of a robotic tube handling apparatus.

Laboratory tube cap presenter for capping laboratory tubes

A laboratory tube printer and labeler for labeling laboratory tubes with printed labels, the tube printer and labeler advantageously accommodating an automated tube handling device having a robotic pickup and placement mechanism where the tube printer and labeler has a housing having an upper deck with a printing station and a tube labeling and pickup station displaced from the printing station such that the labeling and pickup station can be accessed by the robotic pickup and placement mechanism wherein a printed label is transported to the labeling and pickup station and applied to a laboratory tube placed in the labeling and pickup station.

Laboratory tube printer and labeler

A tube handling system with a semi-automatic lab tube selection apparatus for enabling a user to pick a select lab tube in a standard lab tube holding rack with open-bottom wells that contain one or more lab tubes that includes a tube selection unit having, a housing with a top deck having a tube rack support, a transport mechanism contained within the housing having a carriage assembly, with the carriage assembly having a carrier with a push-pin, a drive system that moves the carrier and the push-pin under the tube rack support, and an actuator that raises the push-pin on command for removal, and, a control system to locate the carrier and the push-pin at a select location corresponding to a selected position under an open-bottom well of a tube rack positioned on the tube rack support to raise the push-pin for removal.

Semi-automated lab tube selection apparatus for rack contained tubes

Automated laboratory apparatus for determining the volume of liquid samples contained in the cavities of laboratory sample collectors, such as well trays or tube racks, the apparatus having an ultrasonic height measuring instrument and a processor for calculating the volume of liquid in a particular sample container from the measured height, the apparatus also having a robotic displacement mechanism that selectively positions an ultrasonic height measuring sensor above a select sample container in the well tray or tube rack for measuring the height of liquid in the container, comparing the measured height to the height of the bottom of an empty container and calculating the volume of liquid in that container.

Ultrasonic height and volume measuring instrument for laboratory test containers

A test tube pick system for picking and placing test tubes in a rack that includes a hand-held pick unit that communicates with a host device that assists in instructing the picking and placement of test tubes, the hand-held pick unit having a housing with a hand grip portion, a control portion with an actuator control and a display for displaying alphanumeric characters for pick and placement locations, a pick portion having four extending fingers with bent ends forming four parallel spaced end prongs, and an actuator mechanism that displaces and spreads at least two of the four end prongs when the actuator control is activated by a user.

Test tube picker for rack stored test tubes

A system for the duplication of binary data onto CD-R disks, the system including a copy unit, a host computer and computer software, the software being installed in the host computer to provide a user interface and to direct the transfer of data from the host computer to the copy unit including a set of multiple stacked recordable disk drives, a microprocessor electronically connected to the activating mechanism of a pivotal transport tower and to the set of multiple stacked recordable disk drives. A robotic disk pickup head on the pivotal transport tower is encompassed by a set of disk spindle members arranged in a symmetric semi-circular pattern around the central tower, the disk pickup head being connected to the pivotal transport tower with an elevator mechanism for lifting and transporting compact disks among the disk spindle members and any selected one of the stacked recordable disk drive members.

Programmable self-operating compact disk duplication system

A system for the duplication of binary data onto CD-R disks, the system including a copy unit, a host computer and computer software, the software being installed in the host computer to provide a user interface and to direct the transfer of data from the host computer to the copy unit, the copy unit including a set of multiple stacked recordable disk drives, a microprocessor electronically connected to the activating mechanism of a pivotal transport tower and to the set of multiple stacked recordable disk drives. A robotic disk pickup head on the pivotal transport tower is encompassed by a set of disk spindle members arranged in a symmetric semi-circular pattern around the central tower, the disk pickup head being connected to the pivotal transport tower with an elevator mechanism for lifting and transporting compact disks among the disk spindle members and any selected one of the stacked recordable disk drive members. The microprocessor concurrently directs the movement of the disk pickup head and the copying of data to the CD-R disks in the disk drive members. After a disk copy operation is completed, the computer software and microprocessor may direct the stacked recordable disk drive members to inspect the burned CD-R disks for copy errors and further direct the disk pickup head to remove and eject defective burned CD-R disks and place properly burned CD-R disks on a specified disk spindle member. The system allows for source data to be read from multiple master compact disks inserted in specified stacked recordable disk drive members to provide for random access copying from the multiple master compact disks.

A thermal transfer printer having a print head and a media support platform in the form of a removable tray that is displaced relative to the print head, the media support platform having a rigid support surface for a media item having a non-rectangular configuration such as a compact disk, the support platform having a mask with a cutout substantially in the shape of the non-rectangular disk, the mask and media item combining to form a contact surface for the print head to uniformly distribute a constant force of the print head in a uniform pressure across the mask and media item during printing, the mask providing, in addition, a holding apparatus for the media item which is contacted by a displaceable retainer urging the media item against the edge of the mask with the print head avoiding contact with the retainer on the printing area, the printer having a mechanism to displace the retainer and sense whether a media item is properly placed in the cutout and retained by the retaining apparatus, and the printer having a print head unit that can be flipped to the side of the printer for replacement of the print ribbon or access to the print head and internal components for maintenance and servicing.

Thermal printer method of operation for compact disks and other media

A compact disk duplication system with a compact disk drive with an extendible disk tray for copying data onto a batch of compact disks, the disk duplication system having a disk transport unit with an XYZ transport mechanism, the transport unit having a deck, a frame and a housing, the transport mechanism including a carriage displaceable from side to side relative to the deck, an elevator device carried by the carriage having an elevator cage displaceable up and down relative to the deck, and a tram device having a cross beam on the elevator cage with a tram having a disk pickup mechanism displaceable fore and aft relative to the deck with the displacements of the carriage, elevator cage and tram being controlled for automatic operation by controlled drive mechanisms.

Growing community of inventors

Orinda, CA, United States of America

David B Miller