Shaking apparatus for agitating and withdrawing a specimen in a sealed vessel

Claim 1

A shaking apparatus for agitating and withdrawing a liquid specimen in at least one sealed vessel having a plug on one end, said apparatus comprising: a frame means having upper and lower ends; vessel holding means supported by said frame means and displaceable between said upper and lower ends of said frame means for holding at least one vessel by spring means, said vessel holding means being movable in a forward direction, in a backward direction substantially opposite to said forward direction, in an upward direction substantially transverse to said forward and backward directions and in a downward direction substantially opposite to said upward direction; first driving means supported by said frame means for moving said vessel holding means in said forward direction and in said backward direction; second driving means supported by said frame means for moving said vessel holding means in said upward direction and in said downward direction; third driving means supported by said frame means for reciprocally rotating said vessel holding means in a predetermined angular range; tilting means supported by said frame means in an area of said upper end of said frame means for tilting said vessel holding means such that a vessel plug accommodating end thereof faces toward said downward direction; specimen withdrawing means supported by said frame means adjacent said tilting means and including two needles adapted to be stabbed through a plug of a vessel held in the vessel holding means, one of said needles allowing air to pass into said vessel and the other needle allowing said liquid specimen to pass out of said vessel; and a needle cleansing tank for cleaning the needles, said needle cleansing tank including apertures therein through which said needles are inserted for cleansing, said needle cleansing means being positioned between the specimen withdrawing means and the tilting means.