Hierarchical Sample Storage System

• US 20090026907A1
• Filed: 08/14/2006
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BioTillion, LLC
• Original Assignee: Coldtrack LLC
• Inventors: Talmi, Yair, Coradetti, Thomas, Davidowitz, Hananel
• Granted Patent: US 8,346,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/407
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 1/50 for storing hazardous materials in the laboratory, e.g. cupboards, waste containers sample containers B01L3/50
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00445 Other cooling arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00782 reprogrammmable code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00722 Communications; Identification
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00871 Communications between instruments or with remote terminals

Abstract

In one embodiment, a cold storage system for biological samples has one or more freezers, each freezer having one or racks, each rack receiving one or more boxes, each box receiving one or more sample containers. In addition to the biological sample, each sample container has a unique passive RFID tag. Control electronics in each box energize reader coils to query individual RFID tags. Control electronics in each rack communicate with and provide power to the control electronics of each corresponding box, and control electronics in each freezer communicate with and provide power to the control electronics of each corresponding rack, and a host computer communicates with the control electronics in each freezer. In each instance, communication and power provisioning is implemented using magnetic inductive coupling. The system is able to determine the identity of each sample container in the system and maintain that information in a database.

Claims

1. A system for storing samples, the system comprising one or more cabinets, each cabinet comprising cabinet control electronics and one or more hierarchy levels, each hierarchy level comprising control electronics adapted to communicate with control electronics of one or more elements of a next-lower hierarchy level, wherein:

a lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet is a box level comprising one or more boxes for each element of a second-lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

each box at the box level comprises box control electronics and adapted to receive one or more corresponding sample containers, each sample container comprising container electronics and adapted to store a sample;

the cabinet control electronics of each cabinet is adapted to communicate with control electronics of each element of a highest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

the box control electronics of each box are adapted to communicate with the container electronics of each corresponding sample container;

the container electronics of each sample container is adapted to communicate sample-identification information to the corresponding box control electronics;

the corresponding box control electronics is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to control electronics of the corresponding element of the second-lowest hierarchy level; and

control electronics of each element of a second-highest hierarchy level is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to the corresponding cabinet control electronics.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

each cabinet comprises a rack hierarchy level and a box hierarchy level;

the rack hierarchy level is both the highest hierarchy level and the second-lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

the box hierarchy level is both the lowest hierarchy level and the second-highest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

each cabinet comprises the cabinet control electronics and is adapted to receive one or more corresponding racks,

each rack comprises rack control electronics and is adapted to receive one or more corresponding boxes;

the cabinet control electronics of each cabinet is adapted to communicate with the rack control electronics of each corresponding rack;

the rack control electronics of each rack is adapted to communicate with the box control electronics of each corresponding box;

the corresponding box control electronics is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to the corresponding rack control electronics; and

the corresponding rack control electronics is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to the corresponding cabinet control electronics.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

each cabinet comprises a shelf hierarchy level, a rack hierarchy level, and a box hierarchy level;

the shelf hierarchy level is the highest hierarchy level;

the rack hierarchy level is both the second-highest hierarchy level and the second-lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

the box hierarchy level is the lowest hierarchy level in each cabinet;

each cabinet comprises the cabinet control electronics and is adapted to receive one or more corresponding shelves;

each shelf comprises shelf control electronics and is adapted to receive one or more corresponding racks;

each rack comprises rack control electronics and is adapted to receive one or more corresponding boxes;

the cabinet control electronics of each cabinet is adapted to communicate with the shelf control electronics of each corresponding shelf;

the shelf control electronics of each shelf is adapted to communicate with the rack control electronics of each corresponding rack;

the rack control electronics of each rack is adapted to communicate with the box control electronics of each corresponding box;

the corresponding box control electronics is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to the corresponding rack control electronics;

the corresponding rack control electronics is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to the corresponding shelf control electronics; and

the corresponding shelf control electronics is adapted to communicate the sample-identification information to the corresponding cabinet control electronics.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the system is a cold storage system; and

each cabinet is a freezer having freezer control electronics.

5. The invention of claim 4, wherein each container electronics, each box control electronics, and each second-lowest-level control electronics are housed within a cold side of each corresponding freezer.

6. The invention of claim 5, wherein:

the communications between each container electronics and each corresponding box control electronics is implemented using non-ohmic coupling; and

the communications between each box control electronics and each corresponding second-lowest-level control electronics is implemented using non-ohmic coupling.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein:

the non-ohmic coupling between each second-lowest-level control electronics and each corresponding box control electronics transfers operating power from the second-lowest-level control electronics to the box control electronics; and

the non-ohmic coupling between each box control electronics and each corresponding container electronics transfers operating power from the box control electronics to the container electronics.

8. The invention of claim 5, wherein:

each freezer control electronics is housed within a warm side of each corresponding freezer; and

the communications between each freezer control electronics and each corresponding highest-level control electronics is implemented using non-ohmic coupling.

9. The invention of claim 8, wherein the non-ohmic coupling between each freezer control electronics and each corresponding highest-level control electronics transfers operating power from the freezer control electronics to the highest-level control electronics.

10. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

each container electronics is an RFID tag having an associated tag coil; and

each box has at least one reader coil associated with each sample container.

11. The invention of claim 10, wherein each box has a plurality of slots, each slot having an associated reader coil, such that, if a sample container is inserted within a slot, the associated reader coil is adapted to energize the tag coil of the corresponding slot to activate the associated RFID tag.

12. The invention of claim 10, wherein each box control electronics is implemented on a printed circuit board within which is integrated each corresponding reader coil.

13. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the cabinet electronics of each cabinet are adapted to communicate with the highest-level control electronics of each corresponding highest-level element via corresponding non-ohmic coupling;

the second-lowest-level control electronics of each second-lowest-level element are adapted to communicate with the box control electronics of each corresponding box via corresponding non-ohmic coupling; and

the box control electronics of each box are adapted to communicate with the container electronics of each corresponding sample container via corresponding non-ohmic coupling.

14. The invention of claim 13, wherein each instance of non-ohmic coupling is inductive magnetic coupling.

15. The invention of claim 13, wherein:

the cabinet electronics of each cabinet are adapted to transfer operating power to the highest-level control electronics of each corresponding highest-level element via the corresponding non-ohmic coupling;

the second-lowest-level control electronics of each second-lowest-level element are adapted to transfer operating power to the box control electronics of each corresponding box via the corresponding non-ohmic coupling; and

the box control electronics of each box are adapted to transfer operating power to the container electronics of each corresponding sample container via the corresponding non-ohmic coupling.

16. The invention of claim 1, wherein at least one sample container comprises an untagged tube containing the sample, wherein the untagged tube is inserted within a tagged tube containing the container electronics.

17. The invention of claim 16, wherein the tagged tube comprises a mechanism that engages structure of the untagged tube to retain the untagged tube within the tagged tube.

18. The invention of claim 17, wherein the mechanism comprises an annular metal ring that cuts into structural material of the untagged tube to retain the untagged tube within the tagged tube.

19. The invention of claim 17, wherein the untagged tube comprises a ridge that engages with the mechanism to retain the untagged tube within the tagged tube.

20. The invention of claim 17, wherein the untagged tube is adapted to be released from the tagged tube by inserting a releasing tool between the structure of the untagged tube and the mechanism of the tagged tube.

21. The invention of claim 1, further comprises a host computer in communication with each cabinet control electronics.

22. The invention of claim 21, wherein the host computer is adapted to control operations of the system to autonomously identify each sample stored within the system.

23. The invention of claim 22, wherein the host computer is adapted to autonomously identify each sample stored within the system by causing each container electronics to be individually queried to provide its corresponding sample-identification information.