Method of and system for collecting information about analyzing apparatuses, and the analyzing apparatus

• US 20030229475A1
• Filed: 03/31/2003
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
• Original Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
• Inventors: Osaka, Naoki, Morikawa, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,099,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/8804 automated systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/88 Integrated analysis systems specially adapted therefor, not covered by a single one of the groups G01N30/04 - G01N30/86
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis

Abstract

The present invention proposes an analyzing apparatus by which the operator can easily obtain the management information and/or the analysis progress information of plural apparatuses without going around to check the plural analyzing apparatuses one after another. In a liquid chromatograph 201 as an embodiment of the present invention, an individual management information collector 20 collects individual management information of the apparatus through an internal communication interface 28. Examples of the individual management information include: state of operation; operator name; control information of a liquid supply pump 4, an automatic sampler 6, a column oven 8 and a detector. A total management information collector 24 searches the network for other liquid chromatographs 202, 203, collects the individual management information of said other liquid chromatographs 202, 203, and combines the collected information and the individual management information of the liquid chromatograph 201 to form total management information. The total management information is shown to the operator on a display 25 or a web server 26 publishes the information to network 14 through a network interface 22.

Claims

1. An analyzing apparatus, comprising:

an individual management information collector for collecting management information of a part or parts of the analyzing apparatus as individual management information;

a network interface for connecting the analyzing apparatus to a network to transfer information to and from the network;

a total management information collector for searching the network for other analyzing apparatuses, for collecting the individual management information of said other analyzing apparatuses, for forming total management information combining the collected information and the individual management information of the analyzing apparatus, and for holding the total management information; and

a display for displaying the total management information held by the total management information collector.

2. The analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a network server for sending the total management information held by the total management information collector through the network interface and the network to a network client.

3. The analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a controller for controlling and managing the analyzing apparatus.

4. The analyzing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a controller for controlling and managing the analyzing apparatus.

5. A method of collecting information about plural analyzing apparatuses, comprising steps of:

connecting the plural analyzing apparatuses to a network;

collecting management information of the plural analyzing apparatuses connected to the network by any one of the plural analyzing apparatuses or by an information processing apparatus connected to any one of the analyzing apparatuses; and

displaying the collected management information by said one of the plural analyzing apparatuses or by said information processing apparatus connected to any one of the analyzing apparatuses.

6. An analyzing apparatus, comprising:

an individual progress information collector for collecting analysis progress information indicative of a progress of an analysis performed by the analyzing apparatus as individual progress information;

a network interface for connecting the analyzing apparatus to a network to transfer information to and from the network;

a total progress information collector for searching the network for the other analyzing apparatuses, for collecting the individual progress information of said other analyzing apparatuses, for forming total progress information combining the collected information and the individual progress information of the analyzing apparatus, and for holding the total progress information; and

a display for displaying the total progress information held by the total progress information collector.

7. The analyzing apparatus according to claim 6, where the total progress information collector changes a displaying order of data according to an externally given instruction.

8. An analyzing system including a network to which a plurality of analyzing apparatuses and at least one client terminal are connected, wherein each of the plurality of analyzing apparatuses comprises:

an individual progress information collector for collecting analysis progress information indicative of a progress of an analysis performed by the analyzing apparatus; and

a network interface for connecting the analyzing apparatus to the network to transfer information to and from other the network,

and at least one of the plurality of the analyzing apparatuses comprises;

a total progress information collector for searching the network for other analyzing apparatuses, for collecting the individual progress information of said other analyzing apparatuses, for forming total progress information combining the collected information and the individual progress information of the analyzing apparatus, and for holding the total progress information; and

a total progress information server for processing the total progress information into a preset format of data and for sending the data through the network interface and the network to the client terminal from which a request for the data has been received.

9. The analyzing system according to claim 8, where the total progress information collector changes a displaying order of data according to an externally given instruction.