Patent ID: 7814805

Claim:
A tip ejector system for use on an automated pipette machine to eject a pipette tip from a pipette nozzle on the machine, the tip ejector system comprising: an arm that is rotatable in a horizontal plane between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position the arm is positioned to engage the tip during movement of the nozzle along a selected path and to prevent movement of the tip along said selected path while permitting the nozzle to move along said selected path, so that said movement of the nozzle along said selected path causes said nozzle and said tip to disengage from each other, wherein in the second position the arm is positioned to avoid engagement with the tip during movement of the nozzle, wherein the arm defines a slot, and wherein the slot has a selected width that is sufficiently large to fit a first portion of the pipette nozzle and sufficiently small to prevent pass-through of at least one portion of the tip.