Patent ID: 7854892

Claim:
A specimen transport system (MOD 22 ) for use with an automated clinical instrument ( 12 ) for transporting racks (R) supporting a plurality of specimen containers (C), in a linear array, atop a rack-supporting surface (S) relative to a specimen-processing apparatus (PA) of such automated clinical instrument, such specimen-processing apparatus (PA) serving to extract a desired volume of specimen from a specimen container (C) presented thereto for analysis by such automated clinical instrument, said specimen transport system (MOD 22 ) comprising: a housing (H) containing: (a) an input station ( 40 ) that is configured to receive one or more racks of specimen containers; (b) a specimen-processing station ( 50 ) at which individual racks of specimen containers are positioned to present a volume of specimen for extraction by the specimen processing apparatus of such automated clinical instrument; (c) an output station ( 42 ) that is configured to receive one or more racks of specimen containers after a contained portion of a specimen has been extracted from at least one container in said rack; and (d) a rack-transporting mechanism ( 70 ) configured to selectively transport each rack of specimen containers in the input station, one at a time, and independent of the transport of other racks containing said specimen containers, along any one of the following paths: (i) a path leading away from said input station and leading to said specimen-processing station, (ii) a path leading away from said specimen-processing station and leading to said output station, and (iii) a reflex path leading away from said specimen-processing station and returning back to said specimen-processing station to enable a reflex analysis of a previously analyzed specimen by said clinical instrument, said rack-transport mechanism being further configured to selectively transport the rack, along the bottom edge of the rack, back towards said specimen-processing station along the same path the rack was previously transported away from said specimen-processing station, and wherein said specimen processing station is located within said housing between said input station and said output station.