Patent ID: 7879292

Claim:
An agitating device for agitating a sample within a sample container, comprising: a base; a container holder for holding the sample container magnetically attached to the base, wherein the container holder is mounted on a horizontally-supported shaft so as to be rotatable relative to the horizontally supported shaft; an agitation drive unit, comprising a contact member for contacting the container holder and a drive source for reciprocating the contact member contacting the container holder between a lower position and an upper position; and a moving part for moving the base, the moving part comprises a first drive belt for moving the base in a first direction, a first drive source for driving the first drive belt, a second drive belt for driving the base in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a second drive source for driving the second drive belt, and wherein the base is connected to the first drive belt and the second drive belt such that the base is moved in the first direction when the first drive belt and the second drive belt are simultaneously driven by the first drive source and the second drive source, and the base is moved in the second direction when the first drive source is stopped and the second drive belt is driven by the second drive source, and further wherein the contact member contacts the container holder when the base moves to the second position.