A transport device to transport items that includes a transport rake having at least one tine, and a counter rake having at least one tine. The counter rake is adjustable relative to the transport rake in a transport direction, clamping an item to be transported between the at least one tine of the transport rake and the at least one tine of the counter rake. At least one of the transport rake or counter rake connects to a transport element. The transport element is moveable linearly in the transport direction. The transport device further includes a drive system comprising a corresponding drive element that is not connected to the transport element.

An embodiment is a sample analysis system for analyzing a sample that includes at least one test device for analyzing the sample. The system also includes a rack handler operable to move a sample from a first location to a second location along a travel path. The rack handler has a rotation assembly including a) an engagement element for engagement with the sample rack, and b) a motor coupled to the engagement element and is operable to cause rotation of the engagement element. The rotation assembly rotates the sample rack from a first orientation into a second orientation along the travel path when the engagement element engages the sample rack.

Disclosed is a method for packaging articles (2). Hereby, outer packages (3) are moved by a first conveying device (10). Temporally following this, the outer packages (3) are moved by a second conveying device (20), which second conveying device (20) is located next to the first conveying device (10). Furthermore, articles (2) are inserted into a respective outer package (3), while the respective outer package (3) is located on the first conveyor (10) and/or while the respective outer package (3) is located on the second conveyor (20).

It is intended, that the outer packages (3) are received on the first conveyor (10) by format parts (5) and, together with their respective format part (5), are transferred to the second conveyor (20) located next to the first conveyor (10).

Furthermore, it is provided that the outer packages (3), which will be continuously arranged on the format parts until then, will be removed from the format parts (5) together with the inserted articles (2) and the format parts (5) will then be returned to the first conveyor (10) for renewed seizure of outer packages (3).

A laboratory sample distribution system comprising a plurality of sample container carriers, each adapted to carry one or more sample containers, each carrier comprising at least one magnetically active device and at least one electrically conductive member, a transport plane adapted to support the carriers, a plurality of electro-magnetic actuators stationary arranged below the transport plane, the actuators being adapted to move the carriers on top of the transport plane by applying a magnetic force to the carriers, a plurality of inductive sensors distributed over the transport plane, a control unit configured to control the movement of the carriers using an output signal provided by the inductive sensors by driving the actuators such that the carriers move along corresponding transport paths, and an evaluation unit configured to linearize the output signal from an inductive sensor by means of a linearization algorithm.

A vacuum holder for articles, a combination of a vacuum holder and an article, a system for holding and conveying articles, and a method for holding and conveying articles are disclosed. The vacuum holder includes a main body having a surface and an air passageway leading to the surface, and a valve joined to the main body and in fluid communication with the air passageway. The vacuum holder includes an extensible skirt gasket with an opening therein. An article can be placed adjacent to the surface of the main body, and a vacuum can be drawn through the air passageway to hold the article to the vacuum holder. The valve maintains the vacuum between the article and the vacuum holder without being connected to a vacuum source, until it is desired to release the article from the vacuum holder.

The present invention relates to a retention device for a product which is compatible with a plurality of different shapes of products, within an industrial line for producing and processing products, comprising a frame with a receiving base which is intended to support the bottom of a product; a gripping means for a product comprising a set of pincers which is provided with two jaws which can be moved between a spaced-apart position and a closed-up position. Each jaw is mounted freely in terms of rotation about a pivot point and has a concave vertical shape in order to retain the product at least at one upper support location and at least at one lower support location. The invention also relates to a conveying installation for products within an industrial line for producing and processing products, comprising at least one retention device according to the invention.

A device for selecting and discarding pucks (2,3) for holding bottles (1) with a support and travel plane (110), a plurality of teeth (120) where the teeth (120) are arranged in the plane (110) to form a routing path towards a discarding path (OUT2) for discarding empty pucks (2) without a bottle (1) and a routing path towards an exit path (OUT3) for outputting full pucks (3) containing a bottle (1).

The shuttle system is configured to convey a container through a filling center. The shuttle system includes a shuttle and a base plate that is operably attached with the shuttle. A plurality of support members extend vertically upwardly from the base plate and surround a container receiving space. The support members are configured to directly contact side surfaces of the container and to support the container as the shuttle moves through the filling center without locking the container to the shuttle.

An apparatus and a transfer process for articles are presented. The articles are transferred without risk of damage when gripped by pincer grip devices, regardless of article shape and gripping manner. The apparatus includes a first transport device, having pincer grip devices, moving along a first closed path, each having pincer claws projecting outward from the first closed path. The pincer claws are movable from a gripping position to a release position. The apparatus also includes a second transport device, having tray-like elements moving along a respective second closed path and configured to receive respective articles resting thereon. The first and second transport devices cooperate with each other at one or two exchange segments where the first closed path is superimposed on said second closed path and where the articles transported in the pincer grip devices are laid on tray-like elements and/or removed therefrom.

A method may include filling an order of a plurality of orders with a dosing filler system. The method may include receiving pharmaceutical orders including order for drugs used in multi-drug regimens using an order processing device. Each of the multi-drug regimen may have a plurality of scheduled dosing events. The method may include transporting containers to a dosing device, using the dosing device to dispense drugs for scheduled dosing events into the containers based on the received pharmaceutical orders, transporting the containers with the dispensed drugs to the container sealing device, using the container sealing device to seal the plurality of the containers with the dispensed drugs, transporting the dosage unit containers to the container identifier assembly, and using the container identifier assembly to identify the dosage unit containers based on the received pharmaceutical order.