Apparatus for automatically performing chemical analyses

Claim 1

ANALYZING APPARATUS COMPRISING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED, SUBSTANTIALLY OPPOSED SUPPORT MEMBERS, A PLURALITY OF PIPETTING ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON THE UPPER SUPPORT MEMBER IS PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, A PLURALITY OF REACTION CONTAINERS, FLEXIBLE TUBING CONNECTING EACH PIPETTING ELEMENT WITH AN ASSOCIATED REACTION CONTAINER, A PLURALITY OF INDIVIDUAL OPEN TOP TEST SPECIMEN CONTAINERS ON THE LOWER SUPPORT MEMBER AND IN A SPACED ARRANGEMENT TO DISPOSE SAID SPECIMEN CONTAINERS IN OPPOSED RELATION TO THE RESPECTIVE PIPETTING ELEMENTS WHEN SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS ARE IN ONE RELATIVE POSITION, AT LEAST ONE OPEN TOP REAGENT CONTAINER ON SAID LOWER SUPPORT MEMBER AND LOCATED TO DISPOSE EACH OF SAID PIPETTING ELEMENTS IN OPPOSED RELATION TO SAID REAGENT CONTAINER WHEN SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS ARE IN ANOTHER RELATIVE POSITION, ASPIRATING MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID REACTION CONTAINERS, FIRST DRIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LOWER SUPPORT MEMBER HORIZONTALLY AND FIRST CONTROL MEANS FOR SAID DRIVE MEANS OPERATIVE TO LOCATE SAID LOWER SUPPORT MEMBER IN A POSITION IN WHICH SELECTED REAGENT, SPECIMEN AND RELATION CONTAINERS ARE IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH SELECTED PIPETTING ELEMENTS, SECOND DRIVE MEANS FOR MOVING SAID LOWER SUPPORT MEMBER VERTICALLY AND SECOND CONTROL MEANS FOR SAID SECOND DRIVE MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID LOWER SUPPORT MEMBER TO BRING SAID SELECTED REAGENT, SPECIMEN AND REACTION CONTAINERS INTO OPERATIVE RELATION TO SAID VERTICALLY ALIGNED PIPETTING ELEMENTS, SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONTROL MEANS BEING OPERABLE IN A PREDETERMINED SEQUENCE AND TIME PATTERN TO EFFECT SUCCESSIVE INSERTION AND WITHDRAWAL OF SAID SELECTED PIPETTING ELEMENTS RELATIVE TO SAID SELECTED REAGENT, SPECIMEN AND REACTION CONTAINERS AND WITH CONCOMITANT OPERATION OF SAID ASPIRATING MEANS TO SUCCESSIVELY TRANSFER MEASURED AMOUNTS OF THE CONTENTS OF SAID SPECIMEN AND REAGENT CONTAINERS TO THE RESPECTIVE REACTION CONTAINERS.