Patent ID: 7578612

Claim:
An apparatus for agitating a sample, said apparatus comprising: first, second, and third suspension tethers, each tether having first and second ends; a sample holder, having first, second, and third attachment points to which the first ends of the first, second, and third suspension tethers, respectively, are coupled, thereby suspending the sample holder; a suspension tether separation structure having first and second sides, and having first, second, and third orifices therethrough from the first to the second side, and wherein the first, second, and third suspension tethers, respectively, are passed through from the first side to the second side; a radial member positioned at the second side of the suspension tether separation structure, to which the second ends of the first, second, and third suspension tethers are coupled, proximate to one another; and a motor coupled to the radial member by a rotatable shaft.