Patent ID: 7858033

Claim:
A specimen preprocessing/transport apparatus comprising: a test tube transport path on which test tubes filled with specimens are held individually in test tube holders and transported one by one in a standing position; a rack transport path which extends parallel to the test tube transport path and on which at least five sample cups in each set are held in a sample cup rack in a standing position and the sample cup rack is transported; a filled-tube loading section which loads the specimen-filled test tubes into the test tube transport path, the filled-tube loading section being located on a most upstream side of the test tube transport path; a rack loading section which loads the sample cup rack into the rack transport path, the rack loading section being located on a most upstream side of the rack transport path; an aliquoting/dispensing device which is located in the middle of the test tube transport path and configured to simultaneously aliquot the specimens in the specimen-filled test tubes, at least five in each set, transported on the test tube transport path, and simultaneously dispense the at least five sample cups on the rack transport path; an analyzer which is located on the downstream side of the rack transport path and configured to receive the sample cup rack stored with the specimens and analyze the specimens; a rack standby unit which is located on that part of the rack transport path which is situated on the upstream side of the analyzer and controls the rate of loading of the sample cup racks into the analyzer; and a rack interrupt-loading unit which is located on a more downstream side of the rack transport path than the rack standby unit and interrupts the rack transport path to load the sample cup rack into the rack transport path.