Method and apparatus for inoculating and streaking a medium in a plate

1. An apparatus for inoculating and streaking a solid growth culture medium in a plate, the streaking using a streaking applicator having a line of resiliently and flexibly supported spaced apart contact surfaces, the apparatus including:

(a) a plate supply capable of storing raw plates in an inverted orientation;

(b) a plate transfer feed mechanism capable of obtaining an inverted raw plate from the plate supply, orientating the raw plate such that its bottom is lowermost and its lid is removed, and transferring the orientated and de-lidded raw plate to the plate work position in an inoculating and streaking station;

(c) the inoculating and streaking station including:

the plate work position, having a notional action line fixed in two dimensions (x,y) in a predetermined position; and

a plate rotation device for rotating a positioned plate to cause streaking;

(d) a sensor capable of locating the surface height of the medium in a positioned plate to thereby determine for that plate, prior to inoculation and streaking of that plate, the third dimension (z) of the action line;

(e) an inoculating device capable of dispensing inoculum, along the action line, on the surface of the medium in the positioned plate;

(f) a streaking device capable of moving the streaking applicator such that its line of spaced apart contact surfaces contacts, along the action line, the surface of the medium in the positioned plate, prior to rotation of the positioned plate for streaking;

(g) a plate store capable of storing processed plates in an inverted orientation; and

(h) a plate transfer store mechanism capable of retrieving a processed plate from the plate work position, re-orientating the processed plate to its inverted orientation with its lid on, and transferring the processed plate to the plate store.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plate supply is formed by a plurality of removable cassettes, each cassette able to hold and then feed multiple raw plates to the plate transfer mechanism.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plate transfer feed mechanism includes an orientation mechanism, the orientation mechanism providing for orientation of at least the raw plate bottom about a generally horizontal axis, before the de-lidded raw plate is transferred into the plate work position.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the orientation mechanism is provided by a pair of opposed plate receiving jaws.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the jaws is provided by a retractable, vacuum-actuated device, and one is provided by a pair of elongate prongs.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein at least one of the jaws is mounted for rotation about an axis in one of the x or y directions such that the inverted raw plate held between the jaws can have at least its bottom orientated by 180 degrees about that axis to bring the plate bottom into its upright orientation.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the orientation mechanism is then able to move to be located over a platform, following which the upright and held raw plate bottom may be lowered onto the platform.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the raw plate is left centralized and clamped upon the platform ready to be moved into the plate work position.

9. An apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the orientation mechanism forms a part of the plate transfer store mechanism, and functions to retrieve the processed plate bottom from the plate work position, and re-orientate the processed plate bottom to its original inverted orientation with its lid on.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plate store is formed by a plurality of removable cassettes, each cassette able to receive multiple processed plates from the plate transfer store mechanism and then store multiple processed plates.