Patent Publication Number: US-7210843-B2

Title: Multidirectional mixing of fluid samples

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application is a Continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/983,768, filed Nov. 8, 2004 by the inventor herein and entitled “MULTIDIRECTIONAL MIXING OF FLUID SAMPLES,” which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent applciation Ser. No. 10/001,146, filed Nov. 1, 2001, now abandoned, by the inventor herein and entitled “MULTIDIRECTIONAL SHAKER,” the specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference. 

   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The invention disclosed herein relates generally to mixing of fluid samples using shakers for microplates, small diameter test tubes, and like-configured fluid containers, and more particularly to mixing of fluid samples using a multidirectional shaker of simplified construction comprising a support tray resiliently mounted above a base through a plurality of spring members arranged in differing directions, and a plurality of electromagnetic drives or mechanical drives for imparting at least bi-directional vibratory motion to the support tray in order to mix the contents of a microplate or collection of specimen tubes positioned on the support tray, irrespective of the diameter of the microplate wells or tubes. 
   2. Description of the Background 
   The processing of biological specimens or chemical products in laboratories often requires the mixing of analytes within a container in order to carry out a desired reaction. Such containers have often comprised beakers or flasks whose contents were traditionally mixed by either manually shaking the beaker or flask, or by using a stirring rod. Other mixing apparatus have included a Teflon coated magnet placed within a beaker or flask and driven magnetically in a rotary motion to mix the beaker or flask contents. Unfortunately, manually shaking the beaker or flask provides insufficient means to control the mixing of the contents and easily results in laboratory technicians accidentally dropping the container and ruining the sample. Likewise, the use of stirring rods has required that the laboratory technician either thoroughly wash the rod between specimens in order to avoid cross-contamination, or throw away and replace disposable rods for applications with large numbers of specimens, making the rapid mixing of large numbers of specimens highly impractical. 
   In order to overcome these shortcomings, motor driven orbital shakers were developed which enabled a laboratory technician to place a beaker or flask on a motor driven platform that would cause the beaker or flask to travel in a continuous orbit to mix its contents. So long as the diameter of the beaker or flask holding a sample is greater than the orbit diameter of the platform, mixing of the contents will occur. For example, as shown in the schematic view of a prior art orbital mixer of  FIG. 1   a , the center of the flask travels in an orbital path equivalent to the orbit of the platform, and the centrifugal forces on the liquid will reverse every 180° to provide adequate mixing of the contents. 
   However, as the number of specimens needed to be analyzed in a given time period has grown, the quest for efficiency in the processing of such specimens has resulted in smaller and smaller sample sizes being studied, and thus smaller and smaller containers for holding those samples. Unfortunately, as smaller sized beakers and flasks were used, those orbital shakers having an orbit diameter that was larger than the beaker or flask diameter were shown to be ineffective for mixing the contents. For example, as shown in the schematic view of a prior art orbital mixer of  FIG. 1   b , a beaker or flask having a diameter that is smaller than the orbit diameter of the mixer simply travels in the shaker&#39;s orbit, and centrifugal forces drive the liquid contained within the beaker or flask against the side of the container which is furthest from the center of orbit. If there are any suspended solids in the liquid, they will likewise be driven against the outside wall of the container, and fail to mix with the solution. In order to alleviate this problem, a few orbital shakers have been made available having orbit diameters of as little as ⅛″. 
   As the need for processing greater numbers of samples in shorter amounts of time continued to grow, microplates were developed to hold multiple samples of a chemical or biological material to be analyzed in a single, compact structure having a rectangular grid of a large number of distinct “wells.” Such microplates are available today in 96-well, 384-well, and even 1536-well configurations. Likewise, racks of small diameter tubes have been developed providing a similar array of specimen-holding chambers. Obviously, the greater the number of wells or tubes in a standard microplate footprint, the smaller the diameter of the well, such that for microplates and tubes having chamber diameters of far less than ⅛″, an orbit of far less than ⅛″ would likewise be required in order to ensure proper mixing. As was true with orbital mixers for large flasks, the contents of such a small diameter tube rotating in an orbit larger than its own diameter are difficult to mix. Using an orbit larger than the well or tube diameter causes the liquid contents to move to the outside of the orbit and rise up the inner wall of the tube which is closest to the outside radius of the orbit. The contents of the tube begin to spin inside the tube with a relatively small amount of relative motion (or shearing) between adjacent layers of fluid within the walls of the tube. As the orbital speed is increased, the liquid in the tube is forced outward by centrifugal force, rising up the inner wall of the tube until it spills over the top. Given the orbit diameter limitation of only ⅛″, traditional horizontal orbital shakers have thus been ineffective in shaking microplates and tube collections having such small diameter chambers. 
   Given the failure of traditional orbiting mixing apparatus to provide an effective means of mixing the contents of small well microplates and small diameter tubes, attempts have been made to provide mixing apparatus specifically configured for mixing the contents of microplate wells, but unfortunately have also met with little success. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,635,446 to Kurosawa et al. discloses a microplate shaking device using an eccentric motor to uncontrollably vibrate a microplate holding plate through a horizontal plane. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,649 to Sasaki discloses a microplate shaker device which pivotally mounts a microplate to a vibration plate, and slidably mounts the microplate atop a number of props. The vibration plate is caused to vibrate by either an electromagnet or an eccentric wheel in a nonlinear, horizontal manner. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,559 to Price discloses a mixing device for a specimen holder comprising two springlike metal rods upon which a specimen holder is mounted, the rods being fixed at one end in a vertical block, and a weight positioned adjacent the opposite end of the rods. Manually plucking one of the rods imparts a “pendulum-like” vibration to both rods, and thus to the specimen holder. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,477 to Tomes et al. discloses an agitating apparatus for a “well plate holder” which comprises a vertically-oriented reciprocating saw as a means for vertically shaking a multi-well plate, and provides agitating members comprising small diameter copper or stainless steel balls within each well. 
   Unfortunately, none of the known prior art devices have been able to provide controlled, multidirectional vibration to a microplate or collection of small diameter tubes in order to create vibratory motion of sufficient turbulence to thoroughly mix the well or tube contents. 
   Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,451 to Schmidt discloses a mixer which utilizes a complex, microprocessor-controlled circuit to provide oscillatory drives comprised of permanent magnets and drive coils juxtaposed therewith, with each coil being independently energized by separate variable frequency sources. The drive circuits are configured to alternately attract and repel the permanent magnets so as to provide the oscillatory motion, thus requiring actuation of the drive coils at all times during operation of the mixer. Such a construction is highly complex, requiring precise control of the timing of each drive cycle, and exhibits high energy requirements for its operation. It would be highly advantageous to provide a simplified mixing construction that has a lower energy requirement, but that can still provide consistent, reliable mixing through controlled multidirectional shaking of test specimen containers. 
   Moreover, effective mixing requires that the layers of fluid within the tube vigorously move relative to each other. Simply driving the tube with a small orbital motion simply rotates the fluid within the tube as a large slug, with the only appreciable relative motion occurring between the tube wall surface and the outermost fluid layer. However, suddenly stopping the orbiting motion will cause the fluid which was driven up the outer tube wall to collapse, causing greater turbulence and thus better mixing. In fact, the rapid on and off cycling of such motion causes the creation of turbulence within the tube which can greatly facilitate the mixing of layers of fluid within the tube. While mechanically driven orbiting mixers have been previously known which attempt to provide such impulse-driven mixing, such devices have not met with commercial success. For example, mechanically driven orbiting mixers have been known which are provided a timer in the motor circuit to periodically stop the unit and then start it again. Such starting and stopping of the drive mechanism is costly, creates much wear and tear on the equipment, and most importantly, is limited as to the speed with which such a device can cycle on and off due to inertia and the ability of a motor to quickly accelerate. 
   It would therefore be advantageous to provide an electromagnetic, multidirectional shaker of simplified construction which will ensure the efficient mixing of the contents of microplates and small diameter tubes. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method for mixing fluid samples using a multidirectional microplate and specimen tube shaker which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art. 
   In accordance with the above object, an electromagnetic multidirectional shaker is disclosed which has a first electromagnet driving a first support panel in a first direction, and a second electromagnet driving a second support panel in a second direction. The first electromagnet is affixed to a base and is operatively attached to the first support panel which is suspended from the base via one or more first spring members. The first spring members are configured to bias the first support panel to an at-rest position after it has been displaced by the first electromagnet. The second support panel is in turn supported above the first support panel by one or more second spring members. The second electromagnet is affixed to the first support panel, and is operatively attached to the second support panel. The second spring members are configured to bias the second support panel to an at-rest position after it has been displaced by the second electromagnet. 
   In a first preferred embodiment, both the first and second electromagnets and spring members provide substantially linear motions that are perpendicular to one another. Such combination of linear motions impart a horizontal elliptical motion to the second support panel, which motion may be varied in effective diameter simply by adjusting the amplitude of the vibration imparted by either one of the two electromagnets in combination with their associated spring members. A rectified current is applied to each of the electromagnets, such that each electromagnet is cyclically energized and de-energized. In combination with the spring members set forth herein, energizing each electromagnetic drive unit causes retraction of a flange or other member attached to the associated support platform against the bias of at least one spring member, and de-energizing each electromagnetic drive unit allows such spring member to move such support platform in the opposite direction. Thus, each electromagnet need only be energized during half of each vibration cycle, thus eliminating the need for a permanent magnet within the drive assembly and reducing the energy required to operate the assembly. Moreover, it has been found that by tuning the natural frequency of the spring-mass system of a multidirectional shaker according to the embodiments herein to the frequency of the drive signal applied to the electromagnets, greater mixing may be achieved in small well containers. For instance, in cases where a 60 Hz drive signal is supplied (through a rectifier) to the electromagnets, as would be the case when powering a shaker from a standard electrical outlet in the United States, spring members may be selected for inclusion in the shaker apparatus so as to cause the natural frequency of the system to approximate the frequency of that drive signal. By substantially matching the natural frequency of the shaker assembly as a spring-mass system (via selection of spring members having the necessary spring constants) to the drive frequency, significantly improved mixing is achieved beyond that available from prior known shaker assemblies. 
   In a further embodiment, a control assembly may be provided that cycles the rectified current drive signal supplied to the electromagnetic drive units on and off, preferably between 5 and 20 cycles per second. In other words, and by way of example only, a rectified current drive signal may be supplied to one or both electromagnetic drive units in a series of multiple impulses each second, thus starting and stopping the vibratory motion imparted by each drive unit several times each second, to in turn cause greater mixing of the contents than has previously been available. Furthermore, the control assembly may independently control each of the two electromagnetic drives so as to allow shutting down only one of the two drive units, thus eliminating the centrifugal force but maintaining linear shaking, in turn creating even greater turbulence within the fluid column so as to improve mixing. 
   In a second preferred embodiment, the first electromagnet and spring members provide substantially linear motion, while the second electromagnet and spring members provide arcuate motion within a plane that is perpendicular to the linear direction imparted by the first electromagnet and spring members. Here, the combination of motions impart a three-dimensionally warped elliptical motion to the second support panel, which motion may again be varied in diameter by adjusting the amplitude of the vibration imparted by either one of the two electromagnets. The arcuate motion applied by the second electromagnetic drive causes a centrifugal force component in the fluid upwards and away from the center of rotation, thus providing even greater mixing. 
   It should be noted here that, as used above, the term “substantially linear motion” is intended to include the minimally asymtopically arcuate motion of the support panels described herein resulting from their linear displacement from the drive axis of each electromagnetic drive unit and the fixed distance of the spring members. Thus, it is intended that the term “substantially linear motion” involve the motion imported on each support panel as set forth herein as a result of application of the driving force having a drive axis parallel to the major axis of such support panel when the shaker assembly is at rest. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment and certain modifications thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which: 
       FIG. 1   a  is a top-down schematic view of a prior art orbital specimen shaker. 
       FIG. 1   b  is a second top-down schematic view of a prior art orbital specimen shaker. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view of an electromagnetic multidirectional shaker according to one aspect of the instant invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of an electromagnetic multidirectional shaker according to one aspect of the instant invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a partial sectional view of the shaker of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a partial sectional view of a second preferred embodiment of an electromagnetic multidirectional shaker according to one aspect of the instant invention. 
       FIG. 6  is a side sectional view along line A—A of  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a mechanical multidirectional shaker according to one aspect of the instant invention. 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  are schematic flow charts showing the operation of the shaker of  FIG. 6 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   As shown in the schematic view of  FIG. 2 , a multidirectional shaker comprises a base  10  to which is affixed a first electromagnetic drive  20 . The operative end of electromagnetic drive  20  engages a first support platform  30 , which support platform  30  is in turn supported by base  10  via one or more first spring members  11 . A second electromagnetic drive  25  is affixed to support platform  30 , with its operative end engaging a second support platform  50 . Second support platform  50  is in turn supported by support platform  30  via one or more second spring members  12 . In operation, power is supplied from a utility service  110 , such as a standard 120 volt electrical outlet supplying a 60 Hz signal. That signal is preferably directed through a rectifier (and optional controller)  100  which in turn supplies a rectified current drive signal to each electromagnetic drive unit, as discussed in greater detail below. 
   As shown more particularly in the partial sectional view of  FIG. 4 , electromagnetic drive  20  preferably comprises a wire coil  40  encasing a core assembly  41   a . Core assembly  41   a  is enclosed within a housing which in turn is rigidly attached to an upward extension  10   a  of base  10 . An armature assembly  41   b  is positioned opposite core assembly  41   a  a sufficient distance to define an air gap  43  between the core assembly and the armature assembly. Armature assembly  41   b  is in turn rigidly attached to support platform  30 , as set forth in greater detail below. 
   Air gap  43  is preset during construction of base unit  10 . However, air gap  43  may inadvertently become either excessively narrow, in which case the core and armature assemblies may contact one another during the shaking operation, or excessively wide, in which case the current of the device may rise to dangerous levels. Thus, in the event that the air gap requires adjustment, a slot  42   a  configured to receive a screwdriver or similar device is provided within an outward extension from core assembly  41   a . The extension is rotatable through use of a tool such as a screwdriver to either narrow air gap  43  (via clockwise rotation), or to widen air gap  43  (via counterclockwise rotation). The proper air gap is reached when the air gap is as narrow as possible without the core and armature assemblies contacting one another during operation. The position of the extension (and thus the width of the air gap) may be locked in place after adjustment by tightening hex nut  42 . 
   In use, a rectified current drive signal is applied to coil  40 , thus energizing the coil for half of a cycle and de-energizing the coil for the remainder of the cycle. As mentioned above, the rectified current drive signal is supplied from rectifier  100  of typical construction, which in turn receives a power signal from utility service  110  ( FIG. 2 ), and which preferably supplies the rectified current drive signal at the same frequency as the power signal, which again in a system configured for operation from a standard 120 volt outlet in the United States would be 60 Hz. When coil  40  is energized, core assembly  41   a  is magnetized and attracts armature assembly  41   b . As armature assembly  41   b  moves towards core assembly  41   a , it pulls support platform  30  towards core assembly  41  against the bias of first spring members  11  (preferably in the form of leaf springs), in turn flexing spring members  11 . When coil  40  is de-energized, the magnetic pull between core assembly  41   a  and armature assembly  41   b  is released, and spring members  11  return to and pass through their at rest position, in turn pushing support panel  3  outward from core assembly  41 . This cycle continues as long as power is supplied to the electromagnetic drive such that support platform  30  is vibrated substantially in the horizontal direction. 
   As can readily be seen by the schematic view of  FIG. 2 , vibration of support platform  30  substantially in the horizontal direction likewise causes the vibration of second electromagnetic drive  25  and support platform  50  substantially in the horizontal direction. Second electromagnetic drive  25  may be identical to first electromagnetic drive  20 , except that second electromagnetic drive  25  is positioned to operatively engage second support platform  50  instead of first support platform  30 . As support platform  30  is vibrated substantially in the horizontal direction, electromagnetic drive  25  and second spring members  12  likewise vibrate support platform  50  substantially in the horizontal direction at a right angle to the direction of support platform  30 . 
   The combined vibrational movements imparted to support platform  30  may take on a variety of forms. For example, if the two platforms are driven in phase (i.e., if one platform begins its movement simultaneously with the other), then the motion generated will simply be a straight line whose motion is the vector sum of the motion of the two individual platforms. However, if the motion of the second platform is delayed until the point where the first platform has completed its travel and before returning, and the return of the first platform is delayed until the second platform completes its travel, and continues to repeat this sequence, then the final motion will become a square (assuming both platform strokes were equal, or a rectangle if not equal). By adjusting the phased relationship of the two platforms, it is easy to create a wide variety of mixing paths including squares, rectangles, straight lines, circles, and ellipses of varying ovalities. Use of the electromagnetic drives  20  and  25  of  FIG. 2  easily enables an operator via a controller  100  to electrically adjust both phase and relative amplitude of the individual platforms permitting the user to obtain the ideal multidirectional path to induce mixing of liquid in any size tube. 
   As shown in the perspective view of  FIG. 3  and the sectional view of  FIG. 4 , a first preferred embodiment of the instant invention comprises a base  10  having upwardly extending walls  10   a  affixed to both a front and rear end of base  10 . Electromagnetic drive  20  is rigidly affixed to one of walls  10   a  of base  10 , such as by way of a plurality of threaded members  21 . Electromagnetic drive  20  is mounted so that the entirety of the housing for coil  40  is located on the exterior side of wall  10   a . As shown more particularly in the partial sectional view of  FIG. 4 , wall  10   a  is provided an opening through which armature  41   b  extends. The end of armature  41   b  opposite core assembly  41   a  is affixed to support platform  30  at flange  31 . Flange  31  has a central opening configured to receive the free end of armature assembly  41   b . A compression nut  32  is threadably attached to armature assembly  41   b  and holds the outer end of armature assembly  41   b  within flange  31 , such that horizontal movement of armature assembly  41   b  with respect to core assembly  41   a  imparts substantially horizontal motion to support platform  30  in the same direction. 
   First spring members  11 , preferably in the form of leaf springs, are mounted to the top, inner edge of walls  10   a  and to the bottom, outer edges of support platform  30  adjacent walls  10   a  so as to suspend support platform  30  above base  10 , thus allowing movement of support platform  30  with respect to base  10 . 
   Support platform  30  is provided a single upwardly extending wall  30   a . Second electromagnetic drive  25  is rigidly affixed to wall  30   a , such as by way of a plurality of threaded members  21 . Second electromagnetic drive  25  is mounted so that the entirety of the housing for coil  40  is located on the exterior side of wall  30   a . As with walls  10   a , wall  30   a  is provided an opening through which armature  41   b  of second electromagnetic drive  25  extends. The end of armature  41   b  of second electromagnetic drive  25  opposite core assembly  41   a  is affixed to a downwardly extending flange  51  of support platform  50 . Flange  51  has a central opening configured to receive the outer end of armature assembly  41   b . A compression nut  32  is threadably attached to armature assembly  41   b  of second electromagnetic drive  25 , and holds the outer end of armature assembly  41   b  within flange  51 , such that horizontal movement of armature assembly  41   b  with respect to core assembly  41   a  of second electromagnetic drive  25  imparts horizontal motion to support platform  50  in the same direction. 
   To optimize mixing, spring members  11  and  12  are preferably selected so as to cause the natural frequency of the shaker assembly to approximate the frequency of the drive signal supplied from utility service  110  and through rectifier (and optional controller)  100 . More particularly, for a drive signal having a known frequency (e.g., 60 Hz from a standard electrical outlet in the United States), spring members  11  and  12  may be selected having a spring constant that causes the natural frequency of the system to approximate the frequency of the drive signal. It has been found that by so tuning the natural frequency of the system to the frequency of the drive signal, the system may achieve far greater mixing that prior known systems, and that by rectifying such drive signal and relying on the spring members alone to move each support platform through half of each cycle (as opposed to using a powered motor or drive unit to move each support platform through their entire cycle), the system may achieve such greater mixing with less power consumption. 
   As shown in the perspective sectional view of  FIG. 5  and the side sectional view of  FIG. 6 , a second preferred embodiment of the instant invention provides base  10 , first electromagnetic drive  20 , and first spring members  11  which are essentially identical to those components shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  and bearing like reference numerals. However, while the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4  provides substantially planar elliptical motion to support platform  50  by summing first and second substantially horizontal motions imparted by the first and second electromagnetic drives  20  and  25 , the embodiment of  FIGS. 5 and 6  provides a three-dimensionally warped elliptical motion to support platform  50  by summing a substantially horizontal motion imparted by first electromagnetic drive  20  with an arcuate motion within a plane perpendicular to the horizontal motion imparted by second electromagnetic drive  25 . 
   In the second preferred embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , support platform  30  comprises a generally rectangular frame at its base having an upwardly extending flange  31  for receiving the outer end of armature assembly  41   b  of first electromagnetic drive  20 . Support platform  30  is again suspended from base walls  10   a  by first spring members  11 . Support platform  30  is provided a first bore hole directly below flange  31  and extending through the side wall of platform  30 , and a second bore hole at the opposite side of the frame and aligned with the first opening. A shaft  70  extends through the bore holes in support platform  30 . A locking pin  71  is inserted through shaft  70  at either end within the side wall of support platform  30  so as to prevent rotation of shaft  70  with respect to support platform  30 . 
   Support platform  30  is also provided an upwardly extending bracket  75  for mounting second electromagnetic drive  25  at an angle with respect to the horizontal plane. Bracket  75  is provided an opening through which armature  41   b  of second electromagnetic drive  25  extends. The end of armature  41   b  opposite core assembly  41   a  of second electromagnetic drive  25  is affixed to support platform  50  at angled flange  51 . Angled flange  51  has a central opening configured to receive the outer end of armature assembly  41   b , and affixes the outer end of armature assembly  41   b  thereto, such that movement of armature assembly  41   b  with respect to core assembly  41   a  of second electromagnetic drive  25  imparts motion to support platform  50  in the same direction (i.e., at the same angle to the horizontal plane as drive  25 ). 
   Support platform  50  is pivotally attached to support platform  30  in the following manner. One side of support platform  50  is provided downwardly extending arms  52  and  53  which, at their bases, are pivotally mounted on shaft  70 . A bearing or elastomer bushing  72  is preferably provided between the shaft  70  and the hollowed opening at the bottom of each of arms  52  and  53  to facilitate the free rotation of arms  52  and  53  about shaft  70 . Arms  52  and  53  may be removably attached to support platform  50 , such as by one or more screws, bolts, or other fastening members, or may alternately be molded in a single piece therewith. The opposite side of support platform  50  is provided downwardly extending second spring members  12  which, at their bases, are fixedly attached to shaft  70  via one or more screws, bolts, or other fastening members. With this mounting structure, support platform  50  is capable of pivotal movement about shaft  70  under the force of electromagnetic drive  25 , but is biased towards an at-rest position by spring members  12 . Thus, under the force of electromagnetic drive  25  and spring members  12 , support platform  50  is vibrated through an arc rather than a straight line, which arc has a centrifugal force component upwards and away from the center of rotation, such that the microplate wells or tubes positioned on support platform  50  are moved in a three-dimensional circular or elliptical path whose ends are bent downwards out of the horizontal plane, further facilitating the creation of a vortex within the fluid to even further enhance mixing. 
   It should also be noted that, in an alternate embodiment, a shaker in accordance with one aspect of the instant invention may be operated entirely by mechanical driving means. As shown in the schematic view of  FIG. 7 , a mechanical multidirectional shaker of the instant invention comprises a base  10  to which is affixed a first mechanical drive  80  in the form of a rotating cam of conventional construction. The cam of first mechanical drive  80  engages first support platform  30 , which support platform  30  is in turn supported by base  10  via one or more first spring members  11 . A second mechanical drive  85  is affixed to support platform  30 , with its cam engaging second support platform  50 . Second support platform  50  is in turn supported by support platform  30  via one or more second spring members  12 . 
   Just as with the electromagnetically-actuated embodiment of the multidirectional shaker of the instant invention, vibration of support platform  30  under the force of first mechanical drive  80  and first spring members  11  likewise cause the vibration of second mechanical drive  85  and support platform  50  in the same direction. Second mechanical drive  85  may be identical to first mechanical drive  80 , except that second mechanical drive  85  is positioned to operatively engage second support platform  50  instead of first support platform  30 . As support platform  30  is vibrated in the horizontal direction, mechanical drive  85  and second spring members  12  likewise vibrate support platform  50  in the horizontal direction at a right angle to the direction of support platform  30 . 
   As shown in the schematic flow chart of  FIG. 8 , such a mechanical multidirectional shaker may be operated to provide varying multidirectional mixing path geometries. For instance, a motor  90  may provide power output to a gear box  91 , which transfers power to first mechanical drive  80  to vibrate (in combination with spring members  11 ) platform  30  in a first direction. Gear box  91  simultaneously transfers power to a gear differential  92 , which in turn transfers power to second mechanical drive  85  to vibrate (in combination with spring members  12 ) platform  50  in a second direction at a right angle to the first direction. The power input into gear differential  92  may be adjusted, such as by way of a manual lever  93 , to enable varying the phase of the two mechanical drives so as to provide a multitude of mixing path geometries to suit varying mixing requirements. 
   As shown in the schematic flow chart of  FIG. 9 , alternate mechanical driving means may be provided in the form of a crank  96  rotating about a crank shaft  95 , and operatively connected to either of support platforms  30  or  50 , via a connecting rod  97 , all of conventional construction. In this case, the shaking amplitude of platforms  30  and  50  may again be easily adjusted by moving connecting rod  97  to various locations on crank  96  and in conjunction with gear differential  92  of  FIG. 8 , enabling a multitude of mixing path geometries to suit varying mixing requirements. 
   Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept. By way of example, while each embodiment herein shows driving the two support platforms  30 ,  50  in orthogonal directions with respect to one another, one of the panels could alternately be driven in a direction other than at a right angle to the other panel, without departing from the spirit and scope of the instant invention. It should be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth herein.