Patent 9446418 was granted and assigned to Beckman Coulter on September, 2016 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An analytical laboratory system and method for processing samples is disclosed. A sample container is transported from an input area to a distribution area by a gripper comprising a means for inspecting a tube. An image is captured of the sample container. The image is analyzed to determine a sample container identification. A liquid level of the sample in the sample container is determined. A scheduling system determines a priority for processing the sample container based on the sample container identification. The sample container is transported from the distribution area to a subsequent processing module by the gripper.