A step-wise feeding device of containers equipped with a mouth, a plane of symmetry passing through the mouth, includes support bases and transportation means of the support bases in a feeding direction. Each support base can be associated with and dissociated from the transportation means, and each support base includes a clamping group of a container, the clamping group having a closed clamping position and an open loading and unloading position. The clamping group is a gripper-type including two side boards, sustained by supports on opposite sides of the support base, which move in a self-centering manner with respect to an axis. Each support base has a bearing plane for the bottom of the container, on which a virtual point is defined, arranged on a longitudinal axis at a fixed distance from a front end of the support base, for centering the mouth of any container arranged on the plane.

A specimen transport apparatus capable of reading a specimen identifier is provided, by which an increase in the size of an apparatus and a decrease in processing ability are suppressed. In a specimen transport apparatus including: a specimen holder that holds a specimen container to which a specimen identifier is attached and that is provided with a transport magnetic body; and a plurality of electromagnets that are arranged under a transport surface to transport the specimen holder by attracting or repelling the transport magnetic body, a magnetic flux center of the transport magnetic body is eccentric with respect to a central axis of the specimen container.

A system for transporting a sample in a clinical analysis system includes a sample container holding the sample, a ferromagnetic base connected to a bottom portion of the sample container, and a puck. The puck is used for transporting the sample container in the clinical analysis system. The puck comprises an embedded magnet for securing the sample container to the puck using the ferromagnetic base.

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.

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.

A sample handling system for handling samples is disclosed. The sample handling system comprises sample holders, each receives a sample container; a sample transport device for moving the sample holders; a control unit for controlling functionality of the sample handling system, and a monitoring system for monitoring the samples during movement. The monitoring system comprises a camera module for continuously capturing images of a part of the sample transport device, wherein the camera module is at a distance from the sample transport device such that the camera module has a free field of view to the sample transport device, and a processor for processing the captured images and determining an item of information about the sample transport device and/or the sample container and/or the sample from the captured images. The control unit retrieves the item of information from the processor. The controlling is based on the retrieved item of information.

Disclosed is a fitment holder that includes a base, a hub extending from the base, and a fitment positioning structure comprising a plurality of pins. The plurality of pins may be configured to engage a wing of the fitment and the plurality of pins may include a plurality of heads residing in a plurality of countersunk areas formed in the base. The plurality of pins may also include a plurality of ends extending from a top surface of the base.

A holder for conveyance of a cylindrical body includes a tubular portion having a hollow portion in which a cylindrical body is housed, and a protrusion having a base end connected to an inner wall surface of the tubular portion and a distal end formed as a free end. The protrusion has elasticity and flexibility, and the protrusion is disposed on an inner diameter side of an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical body at an expected housing position such that a side surface of the distal end of the protrusion is allowed to come into contact with the outer circumferential surface while the protrusion is warped to an outer diameter side of the hollow portion.

A laboratory distribution system is presented. The system comprises diagnostic laboratory container carriers and a conveyor. The conveyor comprises an endless drive defining a closed-loop conveyor pathway. The system comprises supporting elements attached to the endless drive. The supporting elements receive a container carrier and transport the container carrier in an upright position along a pathway section. The supporting elements are mounted pivotally about a horizontal pivot axis to the drive and structured such that a center of gravity of the supporting element with or without an empty or loaded container carrier is arranged below and vertically aligned with the pivot axis when the supporting element is in an upright position such that each supporting element is free to pivot about the associated pivot axis under the effect of gravitational forces acting on the supporting element for maintaining the supporting elements in an upright position while travelling along the path.

A laboratory sample distribution system is presented. The laboratory sample distribution system comprises an optical inspection device adapted to optically inspect items that need to be optically inspected, at least one mirror device, a driver adapted to move the items to be optically inspected and to move the at least one mirror device, and a control device configured to move an item to be optically inspected relative to the optical inspection device by controlling the driver such that a field of view of the optical inspection device is extended.