Patent ID: 7122158

Claim:
A test tube holder comprising: a holder body including engagement sections which are formed on an outer surface of a proximal end portion of a columnar base body and engaged with conveying guide rails and a cylindrical hollow for holding a test tube at a core of the columnar base body; and a test tube insertion adapter fitted into the cylindrical hollow of the holder body and provided to selectively hold test tubes whose outside diameters differ from each other, wherein the test tube insertion adapter includes: an adapter body having a flange section which contacts an end face of an opening of the cylindrical hollow, an annular section which ranges with an inner circumference of the flange section and is fitted on an inner surface of the opening, a plurality of flat spring sections whose proximal end portions are arranged at regular intervals along a circumference of the annular section and connected to the annular section and whose distal end portions extend inward in the cylindrical hollow and bent toward an axis of the adapter body such that the adapter body is shaped like a funnel, and contact sections which are formed on inner surfaces of the distal end portions of the flat spring sections, respectively and contact outer surfaces of the test tubes to be held; an elastic annular band with which the flat spring sections are bound together while surrounding outer surfaces of the flat spring sections in order to bring the contact sections of the adapter body into contact with the outer surfaces of the test tubes at given pressure, wherein the elastic annular band is shaped like a funnel as a whole such that an inner surface of the elastic annular band is brought into intimate contact with the outer surfaces of the flat spring sections; and projections projected from outer surfaces of at least some of the flat spring sections to hold the elastic annular band in a given position in a longitudinal direction of the flat spring sections.