Patent ID: 7186378

Claim:
A sampling aliquotter system for aspirating with a probe aliquot portions of sample fluid from a sample fluid tube closed by a closure and for dispensing said aliquot portions into a vessel, said aliquotter comprising: a sample fluid tube closed by a closure; a horizontal drive, a vertical drive, a probe depending from said vertical drive, a pump module and a cleansing module, the horizontal drive adapted to position the vertical drive above the sample fluid tube, the vessel and the cleansing module, wherein the vertical drive comprises a linear actuator configured to drive the probe through the closure, wherein the pump module being configured to aspirate and dispense sample fluid through the probe, the cleansing module being configured to cleanse the sample fluid probe, and wherein the vertical drive further comprises a retainer with a first and second clips mounted on a single round shaft, the clips rotatable between a binding position and a free position by a single rotary actuator and configured such that either: (a) the first dip binds the probe and the second dip releases the retainer, or (b) the second dip binds the retainer and the first dip binds the probe.