Patent ID: 8480953

Claim:
A system for handling and analyzing samples, the system comprising: a vessel for holding at least one biological sample, the vessel including an identification region for providing information related to the at least one sample, and the vessel having a positioning feature for placing the vessel in an alignment orientation; a holder for receiving the vessel, the holder including an orientation feature that complements the positioning feature of the vessel such that, with the vessel received in the holder, physical contact between the positioning feature and the orientation feature causes the vessel to move downward and rotate towards the alignment orientation relative to the holder such that a point fixed on the vessel moves around a longitudinal axis of the vessel; and a reader for reading the identification region of the vessel and storing the information related to the at least one sample when the vessel is moved to the alignment orientation, wherein: the orientation feature includes a cam and the positioning feature includes a cam follower; and the alignment orientation places the vessel in a position such that the identification region can be read by the reader.