To provide a simple-structured low-temperature storage system capable of carrying storage objects to a full capacity on a tray and of reliably transferring storage objects without the necessity for a camera to check the positions of a rack or storage objects. The low-temperature storage system includes a storage area inside a low-temperature storage chamber for storing storage objects, and a picking area where a positioning device is disposed to allow storage objects to be carried in and out. The positioning device includes a rack fixing unit that fixes a rack, a tray fixing unit, and a drive mechanism. The rack fixing unit includes a rack pressing member that presses the rack, and a rack motion restricting member that restricts movements of the rack. The tray fixing unit includes a tray pressing member that presses the tray, and a tray motion restricting member that restricts movements of the tray.

The present invention aims at providing a low-temperature storage container that is highly insulated and can therefore reduce the amount of cooling medium consumption. The low-temperature storage container of the present invention includes a cylindrical container body having an opening and a storage compartment, and a plurality of holding shelves provided in the storage compartment, on which storage trays for holding storage objects are placed. The storage compartment includes a plurality of holding zones arranged in a circumferential direction of the container body, where the storage trays are held, and at least one passage zone where the storage trays pass. The holding shelves are configured as parts of a plurality of rack units that are sections arranged in a circumferential direction of the container body.

A sample rack includes a placement table having an upper surface for placing at least one sample plate thereon, a handle portion holding a proximal end portion of the placement table, the handle portion having a lower end portion positioned lower than a lower surface of the placement table when the upper surface is leveled, and a leg portion attached to the placement table to take a protruding posture in which the leg portion is protruded downward from the lower surface and a storage posture in which the leg portion is not protruded downward from the lower surface. The leg portion is configured to support the sample rack to maintain the upper surface substantially horizontally in cooperation with the lower end portion of the handle portion when the sample rack is placed on a substantially horizontal surface with the leg portion taking the protruding posture.

In examples, a method of controlling customer access to an assay system comprises (a) receiving a system identifier; (b) identifying said system identifier; and (c) utilizing information obtained from the system identifier to perform one or more operations selected from: (i) enabling full access to said system and/or a consumable used in said system; (ii) enabling partial access to said system and/or a consumable used in said system; or (iii) denying access to said system and/or a consumable used in said system.

The present disclosure relates to a circulating device, a circulating method, and a sample analyzer. The circulating device includes a mounting rack and an input mechanism, an output mechanism, a recycling mechanism and a transferring mechanism arranged on the mounting rack. The input mechanism is configured to provide a bearing box holding a reaction vessel. The output mechanism is configured to output the bearing box holding the reaction vessel from the input mechanism. The recycling mechanism is configured to recycle the bearing box, which is from the output mechanism and the reaction vessel held by which has been unloaded. The transferring mechanism includes transferring components corresponding to the input mechanism, the output mechanism and the recycling mechanism simultaneously. The transferring components are configured to not only convey the bearing box holding the reaction vessel from the input mechanism to the output mechanism, but also convey the bearing box, the reaction vessel held by which has been unloaded, from the output mechanism to the recycling mechanism. Thus, the structure of the circulating device is more compact.

The present disclosure relates to a cuvette box conveying device, a cuvette box conveying method, and a sample analyzer. The cuvette box conveying device includes a frame. The frame includes a new box placing position and a waste box recycling position. The new box placing position and the waste box recycling position are arranged on different layers in the direction of Z axis, so as to reduce the space occupied by the new box placing position and the waste box recycling position on an XY plane. In the cuvette box conveying device, the space occupied by the new box placing position and the waste box recycling position on the XY plane is reduced by arranging the new box placing position and the waste box recycling position on different layers in the direction of Z axis.

A device for receiving, stacking, and removing microplates is presented and described. The device comprises a tower for stacking the microplates, wherein a microplate comprises a container and, optionally, a lid. There is a retaining device at the lower end of the tower, which has a first retaining tool and a second retaining tool, and preferably partially encompasses a microplate. The first retaining tool is designed to hold a microplate in a form-fitting manner. The second retaining tool is designed to fix a container in the microplate in place in a frictional manner. The first retaining tool is above the second retaining tool in the stacking direction. A system that comprises the device described above, a dispenser device, and a transport device, is also disclosed. The dispenser device is used to fill microplates, and the transport device is used to add and remove microplates to and from the device.

A microplate processing device having at least one carriage with a first receptacle for microplates where the at least one carriage is movable in a first horizontal direction, and having at least one lift that is movable in a vertical direction, where the microplates can be removed from and supplied to the carriage, the carriage has a through-opening, the periphery, in the vertical projection, can at least in part be situated horizontally within the periphery of a microplate held in the carriage, and the lift has a second receptacle for microplates, the periphery, in the vertical projection, is situated within the periphery of the through-opening, where the second receptacle can be moved unhindered through the through-opening in the vertical direction.

The present invention relates to a horizontal-flow-type apparatus for automatically transporting reagent cartridges. The apparatus includes: a magazine (110) in which a plurality of reagent cartridges (1) is stacked; a conveyer belt (120) having a plurality of separating projections (121) arranged in a conveying direction to horizontally separately convey the reagent cartridges (1); a driving motor (130) for driving the conveyer belt (120); a feeding unit (140) for feeding the reagent cartridges (1) stacked in the magazine (110) onto the conveyer belt (120); an examining unit (150) disposed over the front end of the conveyer belt (120) to examine the reagent cartridges (1); and reagent cartridge aligning members (161, 162) disposed in the conveying line of the conveyer belt (120), opposite to the examining unit (150), to align the reagent cartridges (1) in position.

The present invention relates to methods, devices and systems for associating consumable data with an assay consumable used in a biological assay. Provided are assay systems and associated consumables, wherein the assay system adjusts one or more steps of an assay protocol based on consumable data specific for that consumable. Various types of consumable data are described, as well as methods of using such information in the conduct of an assay by an assay system.