Patent ID: 7628954

Claim:
In a testing system, a handling device for samples and reagents to be used in testing in said system, said samples being transportable by a sample carrier and said reagents being transportable by a reagent carrier, comprising: a platform defining a plurality of locations on which said carriers can be placed from a loading side for loading into said testing system; a position indicator at each location, each position indicator for providing feedback to the system as to the presence or not of a particular carrier at each location, each position indicator having four indicating positions, each position indicator cooperating with said platform, each position indicator biased upwardly, whereby when no carrier is in a location on said platform, said position indicator at said location is in its uppermost position, when either a sample carrier or a reagent carrier is only partially loaded at said location, said position indicator is in a position lower than said uppermost position, when a sample carrier is properly loaded at said location, said position indicator is in a position lower than said uppermost position and lower than the position of the position indicator when either a sample carrier or a reagent carrier is only partially loaded at said location, and when a reagent carrier is properly loaded at said location, said position indicator is in a position lower than said uppermost position and lower than the position of the position indicator when either a sample carrier or a reagent carrier is only partially loaded at said location, provided that said position of said position indicator when said reagent carrier is properly loaded at said location is different from said position of said position indicator when said sample carrier is properly loaded at said location; and a sensor for detecting the position of said position indicator.