Patent ID: 7700042

Claim:
An automated analyzer, comprising: a rotor configured to rotate about a vertical central axis, and including an inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral portion; a specimen container to contain a specimen; a plurality of specimen container holders evenly spaced around the outer peripheral portion of the rotor and configured to hold a specimen container; a plurality of reagent cups containing a reagent for reacting with the specimen; a plurality of reagent cup holders evenly spaced around the inner peripheral portion of the rotor and configured to hold a reagent cup, each reagent cup holder including a main body section and a flange section that extends radially outwards from a bottom of the main body section, wherein the reagent cup, positioned in the one of the plurality of reagent cup holders, extends through a bottom surface of the plurality of reagent cup holders such that the bottom of the reagent cup directly contacts an upper surface of a temperature controlling element; a specimen dispenser configured to remove the specimen from the specimen container and configured to dispense the specimen into the reagent cup, wherein the specimen dispenser includes a revolving device configured to revolve a specimen dispensing nozzle about the central axis of the rotor, a radial movement device configured to move the specimen dispensing nozzle along a radial direction of the rotor, and a lift motor configured to raise and lower the specimen dispensing nozzle; the temperature controlling element positioned beneath the plurality of reagent cup holders, and one of the plurality of reagent cup holders holds the reagent cup such that said upper surface of the temperature controlling element contacts the flange section at a bottom of the reagent cup holder leaving a gap between an inner peripheral surface of each reagent cup holder and the corresponding reagent cup to heat the reagent cup; a stirrer disposed along a movement route of the reagent cup held by any one of the reagent cup holders and configured to stir a mixed solution of the reagent and the specimen in the reagent cup; and a data analyzer disposed along the movement route of the reagent cup and configured to analyze the mixed solution, wherein the outer peripheral portion is lower than the inner peripheral portion of the rotor.