Cuvette handling
First Claim
1. A multicuvette rotor for use in a centrifugal analyzer, said rotor comprising a body portion that defines a circumferential array of elongated cuvettes disposed about a centrally located aperture, interlock structure at the periphery of said body portion for engaging alignment structure, and spacer structure carried by said body portion so that, when said rotors are in stacked relation with said interlock structure engaged with said alignment structure, the body portions of said rotors are spaced apart to allow circulation of air between said body portions and the cuvettes of said stacked rotors are in aligned orientation.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An analysis system of the concurrent type has a multicuvette unit supply station, a loading station, an analysis station, and transport mechanism for transporting cuvette units in correlated orientation between the several stations. Each cuvette unit includes mechanical interlock structure that cooperates with orientation structure at each of the several stations and with orientation structure carried by the transport mechanism so that continuity of cuvette orientation information is maintained throughout loading and concurrent analysis of the several samples in the cuvette unit.
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Citations
10 Claims
- 1. A multicuvette rotor for use in a centrifugal analyzer, said rotor comprising a body portion that defines a circumferential array of elongated cuvettes disposed about a centrally located aperture, interlock structure at the periphery of said body portion for engaging alignment structure, and spacer structure carried by said body portion so that, when said rotors are in stacked relation with said interlock structure engaged with said alignment structure, the body portions of said rotors are spaced apart to allow circulation of air between said body portions and the cuvettes of said stacked rotors are in aligned orientation.
- 6. A centrifugal analyzer system comprising a storage structure storing rotors, wherein each of said rotor includes a body portion that defines a circumferential array of elongated cuvettes disposed about a centrally located aperture, interlock structure at the periphery of said body portion for engaging orientation structure, and spacer structure carried by said body portion, said storage structure including tower means for supporting said rotors in stacked spaced relations, orientation structure extending along the length of said tower means for engaging said interlock structure at the periphery of said rotor body portions so that, when said rotors are in stacked relation with said interlock structure engaged with said orientation structure, the body portions of said rotors are spaced apart to allow circulation of air between said body portions and the cuvettes of said stacked rotors are in aligned orientation, and release means for releasing said rotors sequentially from said tower means.
Specification