Patent ID: 8463427

Claim:
An apparatus for automatically loading and unloading biological material test tubes, said test tubes being transported into and from a capsule, said capsule being suitable for a pneumatic mail system comprising a pipe network, said test tubes being supported by a test tube container which is removably accommodated in said capsule, which comprises: a conveyor comprising a loading and unloading interface adapted to automatically transport single biological material test tubes to biological material preparing and testing modules; a receiving/dispatching station for the capsules connected by pipes of said pneumatic mail system to/from biological material collecting departments; a receiving/dispatching station for capsules connected by additional pipes of said pneumatic mail system to/from biological material testing departments; handling devices adapted to handle arriving test tube containers and single test tubes, said test tubes and test tube containers being dispatched to a bench, said bench including a loading area and an unloading area for single test tubes and test tube containers; material identifying and checking devices; rotational orienting devices placed on said bench for test tube containers picked up by said devices from the capsules at said receiving/dispatching station with a random orientation, said rotational orienting devices being able to rotate said containers from a random orientation to a correct orientation of the container; and a control unit adapted to coordinate said handling devices during the loading and unloading operations, wherein said rotational orienting devices of the test tube containers comprise a plate which rotates about its center, said plate including orienting rods and an electric motor which is adapted to control the rotation of the plate, said plate first turning so that the orienting rods coincide with corresponding holes on the resting surface of the container, thus allowing the container to be released, with further turning to take the container to an oriented position which is suitable for loading/unloading test tubes from/to the interface of the conveyor, and wherein the handling devices are able to correctly reach positions according to a reference system.