Memory management method and apparatus for automated biological reaction system

• US 20060190185A1
• Filed: 09/23/2005
• Published: 08/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ventana Medical Systems Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Ventana Medical Systems Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Mead, Stephen, Ford, Anthony, Richards, William, Heilman, Bronwen, Druyor-Sanchez, Bobbi, McDaniel, Darin
• Granted Patent: US 8,137,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/31 Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/312 for samples mounted on planar substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00673 of reagents
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00782 reprogrammmable code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00811 consumable or exchangeable components other than sample carriers, e.g. detectors, flow cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1002 Reagent dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1016 Control of the volume dispensed or introduced
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/112499 with sample on test slide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/115831 Condition or time responsive
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/25 including sample preparation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/2575 Volumetric liquid transfer

Abstract

A reagent management system for an automated biological reaction apparatus including an automated biological reaction apparatus including at least one reagent dispenser for applying a reagent to a sample, a memory device containing data for a reagent device selected from the group consisting of a reagent dispenser or a reagent kit used in the automated biological reaction apparatus, a host device comprising a processor and a host device memory connected to the processor, the host memory device including a reagent table, and a scanner for transferring the memory device data to the host device memory,

Claims

1. A reagent management system for an automated biological reaction apparatus comprising:

an automated biological reaction apparatus including at least one container for holding a reagent for later application to a sample;

a memory device containing data characteristic of said reagent in said container used in the automated biological reaction apparatus;

a host device comprising a processor and a host device memory connected to the processor, the host memory device including a reagent table;

a scanner for transferring the memory device data characteristic of said reagent to the host device memory.

2. The reagent management system of claim 1 wherein the memory device is selected from the group consisting of linear barcodes, 2-dimensional barcodes, text, optical data matrices, RFID, magnetic media, and any combinations thereof.

3. The reagent management system of claim 2 wherein the memory device is associated with a kit, dispenser or container.

4. The reagent management system of claim 2 wherein the memory device is a touch memory device associated with a reagent vessel package.

5. The reagent management system of claim 3 wherein the scanner is a bar code scanner.

6. The reagent management system of claim 3 wherein the memory device is an RFID tag.

7. The reagent management system of claim 6 wherein the scanner is an RFID tag reader.

8. The reagent management system of claim 2 wherein the memory device is text and the scanner is a text scanner.

9. The reagent management system of claim 1 wherein the reagent container is a reagent dispenser and wherein the reagent dispenser data includes an expiration date for the reagent.

10. The reagent management system of claim 1 wherein the host device processor updates the reagent table in the host memory device based on comparisons to the reagent memory device table.

11. The reagent management system of claim 10 including a means for checking whether the reagent memory device has been previously read prior to transfer to the host device of the data in the memory device.

12. The reagent management system of claim 1 including a means for connecting the host computer processor to the memory device prior to scanning the data in the memory device.

13. The reagent management system of claim 1 wherein the reagent device data includes a machine readable identifier for the reagent device.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the machine readable identifier comprises a reagent serial number and product code.

14-1. A reagent management system comprising;

an automated biological reaction apparatus including at least one container for holding a reagent for later application of said reagent to a sample undergoing a reaction in the automated biological reaction apparatus;

a reagent vessel package containing the at least one reagent container;

an RFID tag associated with at least one reagent vessel package, the RFID tag including data for characterizing said reagent used in the automated biological reaction apparatus;

a host device comprising a processor and a host memory device connected to the processor, the host memory device including a reagent table;

an RFID scanner for reading and transferring the characterizing data in the RFID tag to the host memory device; and

means to write to the RFID tag that the characterizing data has been transferred, wherein the host device processor is connected to the RFID scanner.

16. The reagent management system of claim 15 including a means for updating the reagent table in the host memory device when the characterizing data is transferred to the host memory device.

17. The reagent management system of claim 15 wherein the characterizing data includes a machine readable identifier and expiration date information for the reagent.

18. The reagent management system of claim 17 including a means for writing in the host memory device that the machine readable identifier and expiration date information has been read.

19. The reagent management system of claim 18 wherein the means of writing in the host memory device includes setting a flag in the memory device.