Patent ID: 7662339

Claim:
A laboratory instrument adapted to extract an amount of material from a container for testing thereof, said laboratory instrument comprising: a rack adapted to support a container; a first carriage assembly having a piercing tool adapted to pierce a sealed cap of a container supported by said rack; a second carriage assembly having a sampling tool adapted to enter said container supported by said rack through an opening formed by said piercing tool, said sampling tool further being adapted to extract said amount of said material from said container, said first and second carriage assemblies being mounted on a common gantry; a plurality of drive mechanisms adapted to independently move said first and second carriage assemblies into various operable positions with respect to said container; and a control system adapted to direct said plurality of drive mechanisms to move said first and second carriage assemblies to said operable positions in accordance with a predetermined operational sequence, wherein said predetermined operational sequence comprises: moving said first carriage assembly along a first motion path so that said piercing tool is juxtaposed a sealed cap of a container supported by said rack; moving said first carriage assembly along a second motion path so that said piercing tool engages said sealed cap to form an opening therein; moving said first carriage assembly along said second motion path so that said piercing tool disengages from said sealed cap; and moving said first carriage assembly along said first motion path to remove said piercing tool from alignment with said container.