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:
Dec. 18, 2001
Filed:
Jul. 14, 1998
Beri Cohen, Hartsdale, NY (US);
Thomas W. DeYoung, Stormville, NY (US);
Krunoslav Esteban Draganovic, Upper Nyack, NY (US);
Paul E. Purpura, Yorktown, NY (US);
Bayer Corporation, Tarrytown, NY (US);
Abstract
An analytical instrument has a sample handler for inputting racks of containers, including various types and sizes of test tubes, both capped and uncapped, and inserts, into the instrument. The sample handler has an infeed, an outfeed and a cross-feed between the infeed and outfeed. The infeed and outfeed advance the racks of containers using walking beam mechanisms which lift the racks by tabs on the right and left sides of the rack, which are positioned at a substantially identical height. Racks input into the infeed are transferred by the walking beam mechanism to a track on the cross-feed. They are then pushed, by a transport subassembly having a platform with pivotable pusher fingers to cam the rack and to push it in only one direction, from behind the infeed to a fixed position behind the outfeed.