Patent ID: 8920721

Claim:
A method for gripping a first biological sample holder and a second biological sample holder shaped differently than the first biological sample holder, the first biological sample holder comprising a wall with two opposite lateral edges extending longitudinally in a vertical direction and biological sample receptacles carried by the wall and emerging through a horizontal rim connecting the two lateral edges, the wall extending vertically with the lateral edges and the receptacles opening upwardly, the second biological sample holder comprising first and second opposite parallel lateral walls extending longitudinally in the horizontal direction, an upper horizontal wall connecting the first and second lateral walls and biological sample receptacles being carried by the upper wall, the first and second lateral walls extending in the vertical direction, with the receptacles emerging upwardly, and the clamp including a first and second arm, the first arm including a first contact face defined by a first groove formed therebetween, the first contact faces including a flat surface, the second arm including a second contact face defined by a second groove formed therebetween, the contact faces including a flat surface; the method comprising the following steps: gripping the first biological sample holder using the clamp along a gripping direction, moving first and second arms of the clamp such that first and second grooves extend longitudinally in the vertical direction, from a position of release, in which the first and second grooves are spaced away from each other along the gripping direction up to a first gripping position, the first and second grooves being brought closer to each other along the gripping direction, extending opposite each other, and receiving the lateral edges of the first biological sample holder, in order to grip the first biological sample holder by squeezing the lateral edges along the gripping direction., gripping, in place of the first biological sample holder the second biological sample holder, gripping of the second biological sample holder including through the movement of the first and second arms from a second position of release, wherein each of flat surfaces of the first contact face and the flat surfaces of the second contact face are spaced away from each other along the gripping direction up to a second gripping position, in which the first and second contact faces are brought closer to each other along the gripping direction, are opposite each other, and contact, respectively, the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall of the second biological sample holder, so as to grip the second biological sample holder by squeezing the first and second lateral walls along the gripping direction.