The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 11, 1997
Filed:
Jun. 15, 1994
David Breeser, St. Paul, MN (US);
Alan Wirbisky, Eden Prairie, MN (US);
Ross Krogh, Waconia, MN (US);
Pasteur Sanofi Diagnostics, , FR;
Abstract
The present invention provides a vessel shuttle which can be used, for example, for moving reaction vessels to or from an assay resource station in an automated chemical analyzer. The vessel shuttle has a plurality of movable plates including first and second vessel carrying plates adapted to move cooperatively with respect to one another to advance a vessel stepwise along a linear path without net motion of the first and second vessel carrying plates as the vessel is advanced one step. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second vessel carrying plates each comprise a plurality of fingers defining recesses for receiving vessels and the first vessel carrying plate is adapted to move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the vessels' linear path and the second vessel carrying plate is adapted to move rectilinearly both generally parallel to and generally perpendicular to that linear path. The present invention may also include a waste chute for disposing of spent reaction vessels, the waste chute having a novel gate design. In accordance with this embodiment, the vessel shuttle can move a new vessel to a position for access by a pipettor or the like, transport a reaction vessel from the vessel shuttle to an adjacent assay resource station, and transport a reaction vessel from that assay resource station to the waste chute in one motion of the vessel shuttle.