Patent ID: 8460935

Claim:
A sample analyzer comprising: a reagent container holder configured to hold a first reagent container and a second reagent container, each of which contains a same kind of reagent; a measurement unit for aspirating a sample to be measured, and for measuring a measurement sample prepared from the sample and the reagent contained in the first reagent container or the second reagent container; and an information processing unit configured to perform operations comprising: receiving a start instruction to start successive measurement of a plurality of samples; controlling the measurement unit to start the successive measurement of the plurality of samples according to the reception of the start instruction; determining whether to switch from the first reagent container to the second reagent container while the measurement unit is performing the successive measurement by using the reagent contained in the first reagent container; transmitting a start instruction to start quality control to the measurement unit and an aspiration stop instruction to stop sample aspiration when it is determined to switch from the first reagent container to the second reagent container; controlling the measurement unit upon reception of the start instruction and the aspiration stop instruction to suspend a start of aspiration of a next sample, to aspirate a quality control sample, and to measure a quality control measurement sample prepared from the quality control sample and the reagent contained in the second reagent container; and controlling the measurement unit to start the aspiration of the next sample when an analysis result of the quality control measurement sample meets a predetermined condition, wherein both of the first reagent container and the second reagent container are held by the reagent container holder during suspension of the start of the aspiration of the next sample.