Craig Randall Veiner
Engineering at 88 Ct, Miami, FL

6343690, Feb 5, 2002

Oct 18, 1999

09/420307

Ted W. Britton - Sunrise FL
Valentin Quesada - Hialeah FL
Craig Veiner - Miami FL

Coulter International Corp. - Miami FL

B65G 2900

19886706, 1988036

A specimen carrier comprises a unitary structure for receiving and retaining a specimen container in an upright orientation. Such unitary structure is defined by a pedestal having upper and lower platforms connected by a stem. Extending upwardly from the upper platform is a plurality of rigid members which support a plurality of opposing flexible fingers adapted to engage and press upon the side wall of a specimen container received by the carrier. Preferably, the specimen carrier of the invention has a chamber formed therein for housing a pre-programmed, programmable or otherwise radio-frequency (RF) identification tag in the form of an RF transponder. Upon being energized by a suitable RF field provided by an RF reader antenna or sensor positioned adjacent the carriers intended path of movement, the tag transmits a unique identification code, such code being received by the antenna or sensor and decoded by the reader.

7998409, Aug 16, 2011

Sep 21, 2007

11/859347

Craig R. Veiner - Miami FL, US
Frank M. Tappen - Plantation FL, US
Roberto Del Valle - Coral Gables FL, US

Beckman Coulter, Inc. - Fullerton CA

G01N 21/00, G01N 31/00, G01N 33/00, G01N 35/00, G01N 35/02, B65G 49/00

422 65, 422 63, 436 47, 436 48, 1984651

A specimen-transport module adapted for use with each of a plurality of specimen-processing instruments of a multi-instrument clinical workcell. Such module is adapted to transport individual racks of specimen-containers relative to a specimen-aspiration probe of an associated instrument in a workcell, as well as to transfer selected racks of specimen-containers to an adjacent and identical specimen-transport module associated with another clinical instrument of the workcell. Since the same transport system is used to both present specimens for aspiration and to transfer specimens between instruments, there is no need for two independent conveyances as is characteristic of the prior art. Preferably, the specimen-transport module includes a magnetic X/Y transport system that operates beneath a rack-supporting surface to advance racks in mutually perpendicular directions across a supporting surface via magnetic forces.

7850914, Dec 14, 2010

Mar 5, 2004

10/794702

Craig R. Veiner - Miami FL, US
Frank M. Tappen - Plantation FL, US
Roberto Del Valle - Coral Gables FL, US

Beckman Coulter, Inc. - Fullerton CA

G01N 35/04

422 65, 422 63, 436 47, 436 48, 436 49, 1984651

A specimen-transport module adapted for use with each of a plurality of specimen-processing instruments of a multi-instrument clinical workcell. Such module is adapted to transport individual racks of specimen-containers relative to a specimen-aspiration probe of an associated instrument in a workcell, as well as to transfer selected racks of specimen-containers to an adjacent and identical specimen-transport module associated with another clinical instrument of the workcell. Since the same transport system is used to both present specimens for aspiration and to transfer specimens between instruments, there is no need for two independent conveyances as is characteristic of the prior art. Preferably, the specimen-transport module includes a magnetic X/Y transport system that operates beneath a rack-supporting surface to advance racks in mutually perpendicular directions across a supporting surface via magnetic forces.

7481978, Jan 27, 2009

Mar 23, 2005

11/088157

William Weigong Li - Miami FL, US
Craig R. Veiner - Miami FL, US
Sergio Cabrera - Miami FL, US

Beckman Coulter, Inc. - Fullerton CA

B01L 3/02, G01N 1/00

422100, 422 63, 422 65, 7386385, 7386424, 7386474

Apparatus for aspirating liquid from a container, e. g. , a test tube, having a puncturable stopper includes a pair of stepper motors that share a common linear actuator or drive member. One motor operates to axially advance the linear drive member (preferably a lead screw) to a position in which it serves to position a rigidly connected tube-detector/stripper member in engagement with the top of a stopper on a tube. Thereafter, the second motor operates to move along the surface of the same drive member to advance an aspiration probe through the engaged stopper and into a liquid aspirating position within the tube. Preferably, a linear guide rail, slidably-mounted on a frame that supports the liquid-aspirating apparatus, serves to guide both the movement of the aspiration probe and the linear drive member. As a result of the shared components, the apparatus is highly precise and reliable.

7331474, Feb 19, 2008

Mar 5, 2004

10/794685

Craig R. Veiner - Miami FL, US
Frank M. Tappen - Plantation FL, US
Roberto Del Valle - Coral Gables FL, US
Richard A. Marquis - Miami FL, US

Beckman Coulter, Inc. - Fullerton CA

A47B 73/00

211 74, 211 77, 422104

A magnetically-attractive specimen-container rack for use with a magnetic transport system for transporting racks of specimen-containers to or within an automated clinical instrument for analysis and/or processing. The specimen-container rack comprises a pair of U-shaped magnetically-attractive members mounted in the base section of the rack housing so that the distal ends of such members extend towards the base of the rack and terminate in a plane slightly short of the plane in which the rack is supported for movement atop a rack-supporting surface. Such members are adapted to cooperate with similarly-shaped permanent magnets carried by an X/Y-movable truck that underlies a non-magnetic rack-supporting plate. Other features of the rack include a pair of side-pockets formed in one side of the rack in the vicinity of the end walls of the rack housing, such pockets serving to receive a movably-mounted member associated with a linear drive mechanism by which the rack can be physically advanced edgewise along a linear path; and notch structure by which the rack can be releasably engaged by a movably-mounted plate which serves to lift and invert the rack to effect mixing of contained specimens.

7264111, Sep 4, 2007

Mar 16, 2006

11/377127

Craig R. Veiner - Miami FL, US

Beckman Coulter, Inc. - Fullerton CA

G01N 35/02

198619, 1984651, 422 65

A magnetic specimen-transport system for transporting racks of specimen-containers to or within an automated clinical instrument for analysis and/or processing. The magnetic specimen-transport system that is adapted to transport magnetically-attractable racks of specimen-containers in mutually perpendicular (X/Y) directions across a rack-supporting surface, whereby the racks can be transported among various non-linearly aligned positions on such surface.

7028831, Apr 18, 2006

Mar 5, 2004

10/794686

Craig R. Veiner - Miami FL, US

Beckman Coulter, Inc. - Fullerton CA

G01N 35/02

198619, 1984651, 422 65

A magnetic specimen-transport system for transporting racks of specimen-containers to or within an automated clinical instrument for analysis and/or processing. The magnetic specimen-transport system that is adapted to transport magnetically-attractable racks of specimen-containers in mutually perpendicular (X/Y) directions across a rack-supporting surface, whereby the racks can be transported among various non-linearly aligned positions on such surface.

7854892, Dec 21, 2010

May 7, 2007

11/744936

Craig R. Veiner - Miami FL, US
Frank M. Tappen - Plantation FL, US
Roberto Del Valle - Coral Gables FL, US

Beckman Coulter, Inc. - Fullerton CA

G01N 35/04

422 65, 422 63, 436 47, 436 48, 436 49, 1984651, 198619

A specimen-transport module adapted for use with each of a plurality of specimen-processing instruments of a multi-instrument clinical workcell. Such module is adapted to transport individual racks of specimen-containers relative to a specimen-aspiration probe of an associated instrument in a workcell, as well as to transfer selected racks of specimen-containers to an adjacent and identical specimen-transport module associated with another clinical instrument of the workcell. Since the same transport system is used to both present specimens for aspiration and to transfer specimens between instruments, there is no need for two independent conveyances as is characteristic of the prior art. Preferably, the specimen-transport module includes a magnetic X/Y transport system that operates beneath a rack-supporting surface to advance racks in mutually perpendicular directions across a supporting surface via magnetic forces.

7661326, Feb 16, 2010

Oct 26, 2006

11/553107

William W. Li - Miami FL, US
William J. Casey - Boca Raton FL, US
Craig R. Veiner - Miami FL, US
Carlos R. Gonzalez - Pinecrest FL, US
Jose M. Cano - Miami FL, US
Roberto Del Valle - Coral Gables FL, US
Santiago Galvez - Miami FL, US

Beckman Coulter, Inc. - Fullerton CA

G01N 1/00

7386373

Apparatus for aspirating and dispensing liquid samples in an analytical instrument, e. g. , a hematology instrument, includes a liquid-sampling valve that, while operating to segment and position for dispensing one or more precise volumes of a liquid sample that has been aspirated into the valve by a pump, simultaneously enables the apparatus to be operated in an aspirate/dispense (suck-and-spit) mode in which a liquid sample can be selectively driven through the valve in opposite directions by a pump, e. g. , a syringe pump.