Patent ID: 9310281
Filing Date: 2016-04-12
CPC Classification: G01N

Claim Text:
1. An automated sample tube blotting system comprising: a processing module; a pair of rotary grippers, each rotary gripper having a respective tube strip holder, the pair of rotary grippers being rotatable between a first position in which the respective tube strip holder is upright and a second position in which the respective tube strip holder is inverted; a tube strip comprising one or more connected sample tubes, the tube strip being configured to be held by the respective tube strip holder of each of the pair of rotary grippers; wherein the pair of rotary grippers are located at respective opposite ends of the tube strip when the tube strip is held by the pair of rotary grippers; a supply of absorbent material connected to the processing module; a transport mechanism movably connecting the pair of rotary grippers to the processing module and configured to move the pair of rotary grippers in a lateral direction from a starting location to a location above the absorbent material, and in a vertical direction towards and away from the absorbent material; and an absorbent material removal mechanism connected to the processing module.