A sample container carrier, a laboratory sample distribution system comprising such a sample container carrier and a laboratory automation system comprising such a laboratory sample distribution system are presented.

Food manipulation apparatus (10) is provided and comprises manipulation means (20) which moves two parts of a food item (30) between a first relative disposition and a second relative disposition. Furthermore, a robot (70) may be provided to place the food item (30) into a container (85).

Provided is an apparatus for treating containers and in particular plastic containers having a container treatment unit, wherein the apparatus has a main transport device which is suitable and intended to transport the containers along a predetermined transport path, wherein the container treatment device has at least two treatment devices which are suitable and intended to treat the containers in a predetermined manner, having a feed and discharge unit which is suitable and intended to feed containers to be treated to the at least first treatment unit and to discharge containers already been treated from the first treatment device and having a media supply unit which is suitable and intended to feed media to the at least one first treatment unit.

An apparatus for grouped take-up and feeding of a container-group of containers to a cyclical processing machine having a cyclical take-up device for taking up the group of containers includes an intake, a feed, and a transfer apparatus arranged in a transfer region between the intake and the take-up device. The intake forms a closed conveyor section that comprises a linear section, a conveyor, and carrying-and-holding elements that convey containers in a continuous container stream along the conveyor section. The feed uses mechanical propulsion to convey suspended containers to individually transfer the suspended containers to the carrying-and-holding elements. The transfer apparatus has rotatable grippers for taking up a container group from the container stream and after having taken up the group of containers, feeding the group of containers to the cyclical take-up device.

A machine for treating or conveying containers, comprising a guide extending along a feed direction for feeding the containers and a plurality of carriages for supporting the containers slidably mounted on a same guide consecutively to each other; said guide and each carriage together defining respective linear motors. Each support carriage comprises at least a part of respective gripping means and, in particular, two gripping means respectively mounted on different and consecutive carriages along the same guide. The carriages are movable towards or away from each other so as to regulate the reciprocal distance along the feed direction for feeding the containers and define a picking area of the gripping means between them as a function of the type of container to be picked or released.

In certain embodiments, a system includes: a source lane configured to move a first die container between a load port and a source lane staging area; an inspection sensor configured to produce a sensor result based on a die on the first die container; a pass target lane configured to move a second die container between a pass target lane out port and a pass target lane staging area; a fail target lane configured to move a third die container between a fail target lane out port and a fail target lane staging area; and a conveyor configured to move the die from the first die container at the source lane staging area to either the second die container at the pass target lane staging area or the fail target lane staging area based on the sensor result.

An apparatus for grouped take-up and feeding of a container-group of containers to a cyclical processing machine having a cyclical take-up device for taking up the group of containers includes an intake, a feed, and a transfer apparatus arranged in a transfer region between the intake and the take-up device. The intake forms a closed conveyor section that comprises a linear section, a conveyor, and carrying-and-holding elements that convey containers in a continuous container stream along the conveyor section. The feed uses mechanical propulsion to convey suspended containers to individually transfer the suspended containers to the carrying-and-holding elements. The transfer apparatus has rotatable grippers for taking up a container group from the container stream and after having taken up the group of containers, feeding the group of containers to the cyclical take-up device.

In certain embodiments, a system includes: a source lane configured to move a first die container between a load port and a source lane staging area; an inspection sensor configured to produce a sensor result based on a die on the first die container; a pass target lane configured to move a second die container between a pass target lane out port and a pass target lane staging area; a fail target lane configured to move a third die container between a fail target lane out port and a fail target lane staging area; and a conveyor configured to move the die from the first die container at the source lane staging area to either the second die container at the pass target lane staging area or the fail target lane staging area based on the sensor result.

A holding fixture for a final fill container including a pair of rigid support structures. Each rigid support structure including an inner support having an inner surface with a radius of curvature with respect to a longitudinal axis, the inner surface facing radially inward, a support arm connected to the inner support and extending in an outward direction away from the inner surface, the support arm having a base surface at a terminal end opposite from the inner support; and a compression member attached to the inner surface, the compression member being configured to contact the shell at least when the their longitudinal axes are collinear. The pair of rigid support structures has a closed orientation when the compression member from one of the pair of rigid support structures contacts the compression member from the other one of the pair of rigid support structures forming a combined annular compression member.

Methods and apparatus for picking items. Item picking devices are operably positioned on a rotatable frame portion so that they move in a rotary motion to pick items from a conveyor belt or other area as required. By moving item picking devices in a rotary motion in proximity to a conveyor belt or other area, embodiments of the present invention can more efficiently pick and place items for packaging, processing, shipment, or for further use and without being limited by space constraints.