Specimen Rack and Specimen Carrier System

• US 20080299007A1
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Tech Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Takagi, Yoshimitsu, Saito, Yoshiaki, Yamaguchi, Takuya, Ohtake, Hitoshi, Takebe, Yasuaki, Noguchi, Kiyoteru
• Granted Patent: US 8,216,511 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/65
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/021 Identification, e.g. bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/023 Sending and receiving of information, e.g. using bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/024 Storing results with means integrated into the container
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/06 Test-tube stands; Test-tube holders
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/009 alarms, e.g. audible
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/026 having blocks or racks of reaction cells or cuvettes

Abstract

A specimen rack and a specimen carrier system includes a luminous body disposed on a vicinity of a specimen container loading slot to notify, to an operator, information concerning an analyzing situation and condition of the specimen contained in the specimen container held by the specimen rack.

Claims

1. A specimen rack that can hold a single or a plurality of specimen containers containing specimens, comprising:

a notification unit that notifies information, to outside, concerning an analyzing situation and a specimen condition for the specimen contained in the single or the plurality of specimen containers held on a specimen rack; and

a communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from outside, necessary for performing the notification unit.

2. The specimen rack according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit is constituted by a luminous body having a single color or plural colors.

3. The specimen rack according to claim 2, wherein the luminous body is disposed in a top portion or a position above the top portion.

4. The specimen rack according to claim 2, wherein the luminous body is disposed on a vicinity of a specimen container loading slot corresponding to the specimen in comparison with the specimen container loading slot which does not correspond to the specimen.

5. The specimen rack according to claim 2, wherein the notification unit notifies the analyzing situation and the specimen condition for the specimen contained in the single or the plural specimen containers held on the specimen rack by using a combination of colors of the luminous body, or an emission mode of the luminous body, or a combination of the colors of the luminous body and the emission mode of the color of luminous body, said combinations or emission mode being associated in advance with said the analyzing situation and the specimen condition for the specimen.

6. The specimen rack according to claim 1, further comprising a unit that receives electric power in a contact or non-contact manner.

7. The specimen rack according to claim 1, further comprising a unit that accumulates electric power.

8. The specimen rack according to claim 1, further comprising a unit that receives electric power from an electric power supplying unit provided in an input portion and/or an unloading position of the specimen rack in a specimen carrier system.

9. The specimen rack according to claim 1, wherein an unit that stores the information necessary for performing and controlling the notification unit includes a storage unit to temporarily store all or part of information obtained from communications with the outside unit and/or a storage unit that semi-permanently stores a read-only information requiring no rewriting or deletion.

10. The specific rack according to claim 9, further comprising a unit that deletes the information stored temporarily in either one of or both of the storage units.

11. The specific rack according to claim 10, wherein the deletion unit deletes the temporarily stored information in response to an operation by an operator who manipulates a button or a switch provided on a console or on an operation screen that are a part of or provided independently of the specimen rack, a specimen carrier system, a specimen analyzing device or a specimen analyzing pretreatment device.

12. The specimen rack according to claim 1, wherein an input portion and an unloading position that are removable from the specimen rack or from a specimen carrier system include a communication unit that communicates in a wired or wireless manner with a communication unit provided in the specimen carrier system or in a move destination of the input portion and unloading position after removed from the specimen carrier system.

13. The specimen rack according to claim 1, wherein an input portion and an unloading position that are removable from the specimen rack or from a specimen carrier system include a unit that receives electric power in a wired or wireless manner from the specimen carrier system or from an electric power supplying unit provided in a move destination of the input portion and unloading position after removed from the specimen carrier system.

14. The specimen rack according to claim 1, wherein the specimen rack is disposed in a specimen rack installing facility independent of a specimen carrier system, a specimen analyzing device or a specimen analyzing pretreatment device,

the specimen rack installing facility includes a communication unit and an electric power receiving and supplying unit, and

the specimen rack includes a unit that communicates in a wired or wireless manner with the specimen carrier system or specimen rack installing facility so that the notification unit provided in the specimen rack is performed even in a case where the specimen rack is disposed in the specimen rack installing facility.

15. The specimen rack according to claim 1, wherein the specimen rack is disposed in a specimen rack installing facility independent of a specimen carrier system, a specimen analyzing device or a specimen analyzing pretreatment device,

the specimen rack installing facility includes a communication unit and an electric power receiving and supplying unit, and

the specimen rack includes a unit that receives electric power in a wired or wireless manner from the specimen rack installing facility so that the notification unit provided in the specimen rack is performed even in a case where the specimen rack is placed in the specimen rack installing facility.

16. A specimen carrier system, comprising a specimen rack according to claim 1 and a specimen analyzing device and/or a specimen analyzing pretreatment device.

17. The specimen carrier system according to claim 16, further comprising a communication unit that transmits and receives information to and from the specimen rack in a contact or non-contact manner, wherein

the communication unit is disposed on a carrier line provided from an input portion up to the specimen analyzing pretreatment device or the specimen analyzing device and/or a carrier line provided from the specimen analyzing pretreatment device or the specimen analyzing device up to an unloading position.

20. A specimen carrier system, comprising:

a specimen rack according to claim 16;

a carrier device that carries the specimen rack;

an analyzing device that analyzes the specimen, and

a display device,

wherein the display device displays either a normality or an abnormality of the specimen contained in the specimen container, or the normality or the abnormality of the an analyzing treatment for the specimen contained in the specimen container, when the specimen rack is present at a position on a carrier device where the specimen is tested by an operator.

18. A specimen rack that can hold a single or a plurality of specimen containers containing specimens, comprising:

a holding unit that holds specimens;

a communication unit that receives information indicating either a normality or an abnormality of the specimen contained in the specimen containers, or a normality or an abnormality of an analyzing treatment for the specimen contained in the specimen containers, and information indicating a displaying manner to display a display device in accordance with the information indicating either the normality or the abnormality of the specimen contained in the specimen containers, or the normality or the abnormality of the analyzing treatment for the specimen contained in the specimen containers, and

the display device disposed corresponding to the holding unit, and that displays either the normality or the abnormality of the specimen contained in the specimen containers, or the normality or the abnormality of the analyzing treatment for the specimen contained in the specimen containers, wherein

the display device is disposed in either a top portion of the specimen rack, or a side surface of a vicinity of the top portion and a vicinity of the holding unit corresponding to the display device in comparison with the holding unit which does not correspond to the display device.

19. The specimen rack according to claim 18, wherein the display device displays either the normality or the abnormality of the specimen contained in the specimen containers, or the normality or the abnormality of the analyzing treatment of the specimen contained in the specimen containers, when the specimen rack is present at a position where the specimen is tested by an operator.