System and method for transmitting analyzed data on a network

• US 20060285539A1
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Published: 12/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neogen Corporation
• Original Assignee: Centrus International Incorporated (Neogen Corporation)
• Inventors: Eden, Gideon
• Granted Patent: US 7,558,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/378
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00881 network configurations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

An instrumentation network data system that transmits periodically measured instrument parameters or data to workstations residing on a computer network. A laboratory workstation residing on the network periodically collects and processes data from the instruments at predetermined collection time-intervals. The laboratory workstation includes a buffering data file to store the analyzed data. A supervisor workstation residing on the network periodically accesses the analyzed data from the buffering data file at predetermined supervision-time intervals and updates a supervision data file in the supervisor working station with the analyzed data. At predetermined viewing-time intervals, the supervisor working station can transmit the analyzed data to at least one viewing workstation residing on the network for remote viewing of the analyzed data.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring instrument data collected by an instrument comprising:

at least one laboratory workstation coupled to the instrument, and acquiring and analyzing instrument data;

at least one viewer workstation coupled to a network; and

at least one supervisor workstation coupled to the laboratory workstation and coupled to the viewer workstation through the network, the supervisor workstation acquiring the analyzed instrument data and selectively providing the analyzed instrument data to the viewer workstation.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the laboratory workstation acquires and analyzes the data at predetermined collection-time intervals;

the supervisor workstation acquires the analyzed instrument data at predetermined supervision-time intervals; and

the supervisor workstation provides the analyzed instrument data to the viewer workstation at predetermined viewing-time intervals.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the collection-time intervals, the supervision-time intervals, and the viewing-time intervals are identical.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the supervisor workstation comprises:

supervision means for determining whether the analyzed data meets predetermined criteria.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the supervision means further comprises:

display means for displaying the analyzed data at the supervisor workstation.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the viewer workstation comprises a display component for displaying the analyzed data at the viewer workstation.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the laboratory workstation comprises:

an input/output module for communicating on the network;

a first memory, containing instructions;

a processor, for analyzing the instrument data in accordance with the instructions;

data files in the first memory, the analyzed instrument data being stored in the data files; and

a status word in the first memory, the status word updated after a review of the analyzed instrument data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the supervisor workstation comprises an input/output module for selectively transmitting the data files to the viewer workstation.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the supervisor workstation comprises:

an input/output module for communicating on the network;

a second memory, containing instructions;

a processor; and

supervision data files in the second memory, for receiving analyzed instrument data.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the supervisor workstation comprises an input/output module for selectively transmitting the supervision data files to the viewer workstation.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein the supervision means further comprises:

an automatic reviewing system for automatically determining if the analyzed data meets predetermined criteria.

12. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

alarm control means for providing an alarm indication when the analyzed data meets predetermined criteria.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the alarm control means is connected to the supervisor workstation.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the alarm control means is connected to the viewer workstation.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the alarm indication comprises:

at least one of an audible, telephonic, or wireless alarm.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the alarm indication comprises:

at least one of an alarm transmitted via telephone, wireless phone, pager, or e-mail.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises:

at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a virtual personal network (VPN).

18. A method of distributing instrument data to viewer workstations on a network, comprising:

acquiring instrument data at a laboratory workstation from an instrument;

analyzing the acquired data;

acquiring the analyzed data at a supervisor workstation;

displaying the analyzed data at the supervisor workstation; and

selectively transmitting the analyzed data to at least one viewer workstation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

monitoring an instrument comprises monitoring an instrument at predetermined collection-time intervals;

acquiring the analyzed data comprises acquiring the analyzed data at predetermined supervision-time intervals; and

transmitting the analyzed data comprises transmitting the analyzed data at predetermined viewing-time intervals.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the collection-time intervals, the supervision-time intervals, and the viewing-time intervals are identical.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the network comprises:

at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a virtual private network (VPN).

22. The method of claim 18, wherein reviewing the analyzed data comprises:

determining if the analyzed data satisfies predetermined criteria.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising:

generating an alarm when the analyzed data fails to satisfy predetermined conditions.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the alarm comprises:

at least one of a wireless, telephonic, audible, or e-mail alarm.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein analyzing the data comprises:

storing the data in buffered data files.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying the analyzed data comprises:

displaying the analyzed data on a display means for manual review.

27. The method of claim 26, comprising:

updating a status word in a memory device of the laboratory workstation to indicate that the analyzed data has been displayed.

28. The method of claim 18, comprising:

executing instructions contained in a memory of the supervisor workstation to automatically review the analyzed data.

29. The method of claim 18, wherein transmitting the analyzed data comprises:

employing a records-locking scheme on the analyzed data to avoid data access conflicts.

30. The method of claim 18, wherein transmitting the analyzed data comprises:

displaying the analyzed data at the viewer workstation.

31. A system for monitoring instrument data collected by an instrument comprising:

at least one laboratory workstation coupled to the instrument, and acquiring and analyzing instrument data;

at least one supervisor workstation coupled to the laboratory workstation via a first network, the supervisor workstation acquiring the analyzed instrument data, the first network using first network protocols; and

at least one viewer workstation coupled to the supervisor workstation through a network, the viewer workstation automatically gaining access to the analyzed instrument data at the supervisor workstation over a second network using second network protocols.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein:

the second network protocols are identical to the first network protocols.

33. The system of claim 31, wherein:

the at least one viewer workstation automatically accesses the analyzed instrument data at predetermined intervals.

34. The system of claim 31, wherein:

the laboratory workstation acquires and analyzes the data at predetermined collection-time intervals;

the supervisor workstation acquires the analyzed instrument data at predetermined supervision-time intervals; and

the viewer workstation automatically accesses the analyzed instrument data from the supervisor workstation at predetermined viewing-time intervals.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein:

the collection-time intervals, the supervision-time intervals, and the viewing-time intervals are identical.