Patent attributes
A magnetically-attractive specimen-container rack for use with a magnetic transport system for transporting racks of specimen-containers to or within an automated clinical instrument for analysis and/or processing. The specimen-container rack comprises a pair of U-shaped magnetically-attractive members mounted in the base section of the rack housing so that the distal ends of such members extend towards the base of the rack and terminate in a plane slightly short of the plane in which the rack is supported for movement atop a rack-supporting surface. Such members are adapted to cooperate with similarly-shaped permanent magnets carried by an X/Y-movable truck that underlies a non-magnetic rack-supporting plate. Other features of the rack include a pair of side-pockets formed in one side of the rack in the vicinity of the end walls of the rack housing, such pockets serving to receive a movably-mounted member associated with a linear drive mechanism by which the rack can be physically advanced edgewise along a linear path; and notch structure by which the rack can be releasably engaged by a movably-mounted plate which serves to lift and invert the rack to effect mixing of contained specimens.
