Patent ID: 9567621
Date: 2017-02-14
CPC Classifications: C12M,C12Q,G01N

Claim:
1. An automated detection apparatus for rapid non-invasive detection of microorganism growth in a test sample, comprising: (a) a housing enclosing an interior chamber, said housing further comprising a first exit location and a second exit location operable for unloading a specimen container from said interior chamber; (b) a holding structure contained within said interior chamber and comprising a plurality of wells for holding one or more of said specimen containers; (c) a detection unit located within said interior chamber for the detection of microorganism growth in said specimen container, wherein said detection unit is operable to determine if said specimen containers are “positive” or “negative” for microorganism growth therein; and (d) an automated transfer mechanism located within said interior chamber, said automated transfer mechanism comprising a gripper mechanism and a spring clip associated with the gripper mechanism, the automated transfer mechanism operable for the automated transfer of a “positive” specimen container from said holding structure to said first exit location, or for the automated transfer of a “negative” specimen container from said holding structure to said second exit location, wherein the spring clip snaps the gripper mechanism over a lip of a specimen container during transfer.