Patent ID: 8747743

Claim:
An automatic analyzer comprising: an analyzing unit including: an analyzing mechanism; and a dispensing reagent cassette storage for storing reagent cassettes for dispensing; a reagent replenishing unit including a replenishing reagent cassette storage for storing in advance reagent cassettes for replenishing to be supplied as the reagent cassettes for dispensing, respectively; means for transferring a reagent cassette for replenishing which transfers a first reagent cassette that is judged to be used as a reagent cassette for dispensing to the dispensing reagent cassette storage from the replenishing reagent cassette storage; a reagent cassette ejecting mechanism which ejects, from the replenishing reagent cassette storage, a second reagent cassette for replenishing that is judged not to be used as a reagent cassette for dispensing, the reagent cassette ejecting mechanism being included in the reagent replenishing unit; a reagent information reading mechanism for reading reagent information included on the reagent cassette for replenishing; and a control computer configured to read the reagent information included on the reagent cassette for replenishing at a position of the replenishing reagent cassette storage via the reagent information reading mechanism one by one after the reagent cassette for replenishing is loaded in the replenishing reagent cassette storage, the control computer also configured to judge whether or not the reagent cassette for replenishing can be used for an analysis operation on the basis of the information read by the reagent information reading mechanism, wherein the reagent cassette ejecting mechanism ejects the second reagent cassette for replenishing which is judged not to be used by the control computer, where the second reagent cassette for replenishing, which is judged by the control computer not to be used, is not arranged continuously in the replenishing reagent cassette storage and is not transferred to the analyzing unit, and wherein at least one reagent cassette, which is not ejected by the reagent cassette ejecting mechanism and is arranged in the replenishing reagent cassette storage, is transferred to the dispensing reagent cassette storage from the replenishing reagent cassette storage through the means for transferring a reagent cassette in response to a reagent replenishing request from the control computer.