Specimen carrier transfer apparatus for a conveyor system

Claim 1

Apparatus for transferring a laboratory specimen carrier onto and off of a conveyor track, comprising: a conveyor track for transporting a specimen carrier, having an upstream end, and a downstream end, and a moving transport surface; a support frame mounted adjacent said track having a cylinder with extendable plunger operably mounted thereon; said cylinder mounted with said plunger moveable in a direction transverse to the movement of said conveyor track transport surface; a planar support platform positioned laterally adjacent to and substantially coplanar with said moving transport surface; a housing mounted to said plunger, including a pair of spaced-apart generally vertical side walls, connected by a cross member at their upper ends; said housing side walls being fixed in substantially parallel relationship to one another and oriented parallel to the direction of movement of said transport surface; said plunger operable to reciprocate said housing in a plane parallel to the moving transport surface from a first position with the side walls of said housing on opposite sides of the conveyor track permitting passage of a specimen carrier therebetween on said transport surface, and a second position with the side walls of said housing moved transversely to one side of the conveyor track and positioned over said support platform; said support platform located to slidingly support the specimen carrier as it is slid by the vertical walls relative to the moving transport surface.