Patent ID: 7312084

Claim:
A sequential tandem incubator for use in a clinical analyzer, said incubator comprising: an inner ring and an outer ring, said outer ring including a first plurality of circumferentially disposed slide element receiving areas and said inner ring including a second plurality of circumferentially disposed slide element receiving areas, each of said first and second pluralities of slide element receiving areas being radially adjacent to one another on a common horizontal plane; at least one first drive mechanism for driving at least one of said inner and outer rings rotationally about at least one axis and within said common horizontal plane; and at least two second drive mechanisms for selectively moving slide elements in a radial direction exclusively within said common horizontal plane into and out of said incubator and between said first and second plurality of said circumferentially disposed slide element receiving areas in order to increase throughput of said incubator, each of said at least two second drive mechanisms including at least one reciprocating pusher blade assembly for loading slide elements into one of said inner ring and said outer ring and for moving slide elements between said inner ring and said outer ring.