Locking mechanism for releasably locking a receptacle carrier to a carrier support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12337327-B2
Application number	US-202318401088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2023
Priority date	Mar 7, 2019
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A carrier support moveable between a first position and a second position is configured to hold a carrier for holding a plurality of receptacles. The carrier support includes a carrier locking mechanism to lock the carrier with respect to the carrier support when the carrier support is in the second position and to release the carrier when the carrier support is in the first position to permit the carrier to be removed from the carrier support when the carrier support is in the first position. The carrier locking mechanism includes a pivoting latch configured to pivot between a first position not engaged with a portion of the carrier and a second position engaged with a portion of the carrier and a slide latch configured to translate linearly between a first position not engaged with a portion of the carrier and a second position engaged with a portion of the carrier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A carrier support for holding a carrier, wherein the carrier is configured to hold a plurality of receptacles, wherein the carrier support is configured to be moveable between a first position and a second position, and wherein the carrier support comprises a carrier locking mechanism configured to lock the carrier with respect to the carrier support when the carrier support is moved to the second position and to release the carrier when the carrier support is moved to the first position to permit the carrier to be moved with respect to the carrier support when the carrier support is in the first position, wherein the carrier locking mechanism comprises:
a pivoting latch configured to pivot with respect to the carrier support between a first position not engaged with a portion of the carrier and a second position engaged with a portion of the carrier, wherein the pivoting latch includes an upper end that engages a portion of a carrier on the carrier support when the carrier support is in the second position and the pivoting latch is in the second position and a lower end that contacts a hard stop when the carrier support is moved from the second position thereof to the first position thereof, thus causing the pivoting latch to rotate from the second position to the first position, thereby disengaging the upper end from the carrier supported on the carrier support; and
a slide latch configured to translate linearly with respect to the carrier support between a first position not engaged with a portion of the carrier and a second position engaged with a portion of the carrier, wherein the slide latch engages a portion of a carrier on the carrier support when the carrier support is in the second position and the slide latch is in the second position, and the slide latch contacts a hard stop that pushes the slide latch into the first position when the carrier support is moved from the second position thereof to the first position thereof, thereby disengaging the slide latch from the carrier supported on the carrier support.

2. The carrier support of claim 1 , further comprising:
a torsional spring coupled to the pivoting latch to bias the pivoting latch to its respective second position engaged with a portion of the carrier; and
a linear spring coupled to the slide latch to bias the slide latch to its respective second position engaged with a portion of the carrier.

3. The carrier support of claim 1 , comprising:
a first shelf and a second shelf separated by an open space, wherein the first shelf and the second shelf are each configured to support a different part of the carrier.

4. The carrier support of claim 3 , wherein the pivoting latch is pivotably mounted within the first shelf to pivot with respect to the first shelf between the first and second positions of the pivoting latch.

5. The carrier support of claim 4 , further comprising a torsional spring to bias the pivoting latch to its respective second position engaged with a portion of the carrier.

6. The carrier support of claim 3 , wherein the slide latch is slidably mounted within a receptacle adjacent to the second shelf to slide within the receptacle with respect to the second shelf between the first and second positions of the slide latch.

7. The carrier support of claim 6 , further comprising a linear spring coupled to the slide latch to bias the slide latch to its respective second position engaged with a portion of the carrier.

8. A carrier support for holding a carrier, wherein the carrier is configured to hold a plurality of receptacles, wherein the carrier support comprises a first shelf and a second shelf separated by an open space, wherein the first shelf and the second shelf are each configured to support a different part of the carrier, wherein the carrier support is configured to be moveable between a first position and a second position, and wherein the carrier support comprises a carrier locking mechanism configured to lock the carrier with respect to the carrier support when the carrier support is moved to the second position and to release the carrier when the carrier support is moved to the first position to permit the carrier to be moved with respect to the carrier support when the carrier support is in the first position, wherein the carrier locking mechanism comprises:
a pivoting latch pivotably mounted within the first shelf to pivot with respect thereto between a first position not engaged with a portion of the carrier and a second position engaged with a portion of the carrier, wherein the pivoting latch includes an upper end that engages a portion of a carrier on the carrier support when the carrier support is in the second position and the pivoting latch is in the second position and a lower end that contacts a hard stop when the carrier support is moved from the second position thereof to the first position thereof, thus causing the pivoting latch to rotate from the second position to the first position, thereby disengaging the upper end from the carrier supported on the carrier support
a torsional spring to bias the pivoting latch to its respective second position engaged with a portion of the carrier;
a slide latch slidably mounted within a receptacle adjacent to the second shelf to slide within the receptacle with respect to the second shelf between a first position not engaged with a portion of the carrier and a second position engaged with a portion of the carrier, wherein the slide latch engages a portion of a carrier on the carrier support when the carrier support is in the second position and the slide latch is in the second position, and the slide latch contacts a hard stop that pushes the slide latch into the first position when the carrier support is moved from the second position thereof to the first position thereof, thereby disengaging the slide latch from the carrier supported on the carrier support; and
a linear spring coupled to the slide latch to bias the slide latch to its respective second position engaged with a portion of the carrier.

Assignees

• Gen Probe Inc

Inventors

• Buse David A

Classifications

• B66F9/072

  Travelling gear therefor · CPC title

• G01N2035/0412

  Block or rack elements with a single row of samples · CPC title

• G01N35/0099

  comprising robots or similar manipulators (robots per se B25J) · CPC title

• B65G2201/0244

  Bottles · CPC title

• G01N35/04

  Details of the conveyor system {(G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence)} · CPC title