Patent ID: 8691558

Claim:
An apparatus for inoculating and streaking a solid growth culture medium in a plate, the streaking using a streaking applicator having a line of resiliently and flexibly supported spaced apart contact surfaces, the apparatus including: (a) a plate supply capable of storing raw plates in an inverted orientation; (b) a plate transfer feed mechanism capable of obtaining an inverted raw plate from the plate supply, orientating the raw plate such that its bottom is lowermost and its lid is removed, and transferring the orientated and de-lidded raw plate to the plate work position in an inoculating and streaking station; (c) the inoculating and streaking station including: the plate work position, having a notional action line fixed in two dimensions (x,y) in a predetermined position; and a plate rotation device for rotating a positioned plate to cause streaking; (d) a sensor capable of locating the surface height of the medium in a positioned plate to thereby determine for that plate, prior to inoculation and streaking of that plate, the third dimension (z) of the action line; (e) an inoculating device capable of dispensing inoculum, along the action line, on the surface of the medium in the positioned plate; (f) a streaking device capable of moving the streaking applicator such that its line of spaced apart contact surfaces contacts, along the action line, the surface of the medium in the positioned plate, prior to rotation of the positioned plate for streaking; (g) a plate store capable of storing processed plates in an inverted orientation; and (h) a plate transfer store mechanism capable of retrieving a processed plate from the plate work position, re-orientating the processed plate to its inverted orientation with its lid on, and transferring the processed plate to the plate store.