Patent ID: 6498037
Filing Date: 2002-12-24
Classification: B01L,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A method of handling reagents in random access fashion comprising:providing a first set of containers containing reagents in consecutive locations along a first circular path having an axis of rotation, each of the containers having bar code, which identifies the reagent it contains, about at least a portion of its outer surface; providing a second set of containers containing reagents in consecutive locations along a second circular path that is concentric with the first circular path so that along any radial line drawn from the mutual center of the circles the containers of the second set are offset from the containers of the first set, each of the containers of the second set including a bar code about at least a portion of its outer surface; rotating said first and second set of containers about the axis of rotation; alternately scanning the bar code on a reagent container of the first set and then a reagent container of the second set; automatically rotating each reagent container of the first set about its respective axis as it is being scanned to facilitate scanning the bar code; storing the identity of the reagents that have been determined by scanning the bar code on the reagent containers of the first set and the locations of the respective reagent containers of the first set along the first circular path; and automatically and selectively rotating the first set of containers about the axis of rotation of the first circular path based on the stored identity and location information to position a selected reagent container of the first set in an aspirating position.