Patent ID: 6846456

Claim:
A work station for simultaneously performing multiple assays, said work station comprising: (a) a fixed first receiving structure adapted to receive and carry a receptacle holding structure for holding a plurality of receptacles, said first receiving structure being constructed and arranged to position a receptacle holding structure carried thereby so that receptacles held by the receptacle holding structure are arranged and oriented to be engageable by a substance transfer device for dispensing substances into or removing substances from two or more of the receptacles simultaneously; (b) a fixed second receiving structure adjacent said first receiving structure and adapted to receive and carry a contamination limiting element holding structure for removably holding a plurality of contamination limiting elements which are operatively engageable by a substance transfer device to limit contact between the substance transfer device and a potentially contaminating substance removed by the substance transfer device from two or more receptacles, said second receiving structure being constructed and arranged to position a contamination limiting element holding structure carried thereby so that contamination limiting elements held by the contamination limiting element holding structure are positioned and oriented to permit a substance transfer device to operatively engage two or more of the contamination limiting elements simultaneously and remove the two or more contamination limiting elements from the contamination limiting element holding structure; and (c) a substance transfer device positioning structure adjacent to each of said first and second receiving structures and constructed and arranged to: (i) permit a substance transfer device to be manually positioned with respect to a contamination limiting element holding structure carried by said second receiving structure to allow the substance transfer device to simultaneously engage two or more contamination limiting elements held by the contamination limiting element holding structure, and (ii) permit a substance transfer device to be manually moved between said first and second receiving structures and to be manually positioned with respect to a receptacle holding structure carried by said first receiving structure to allow the substance transfer device to simultaneously dispense substances into or simultaneously remove substances from two or more receptacles held by the receptacle holding structure.