Guided Retrieval For RFID-Tracked Biological And Other Samples

• US 20140352456A1
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Published: 12/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BioTillion, LLC
• Original Assignee: BioTillion, LLC
• Inventors: Davidowitz, Hananel
• Granted Patent: US 9,764,325 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/864.91
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/022 Transponder chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/508 rigid containers not provided for above
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/545 for laboratory containers

Abstract

A storage system for storing samples, such as frozen biological samples in RFID-tagged vials. The storage system has a plurality of lowest-level containers, such as sample boxes; a plurality of mid-level containers, such as shelves and racks; and a highest-level container, such as a mechanical freezer. Each lowest-level container receives a plurality of samples in a corresponding plurality of storage locations, each mid-level container receives two or more lowest-level containers, and the highest-level container receives the two or more mid-level containers. Each mid-level container and each lowest-level container has a corresponding indicator device. A controller sub-system tracks the locations of samples stored in the storage system. When a desired sample is to be retrieved from the storage system, the controller sub-system activates (a) the indicator device corresponding to the mid-level container containing the desired sample and (b) the indicator device corresponding to the lowest-level container containing the desired sample.

Claims

1. A storage system for storing samples, the system comprising:

a plurality of lowest-level containers, each lowest-level container configured to receive a plurality of samples in a corresponding plurality of storage locations;

two or more mid-level containers, each mid-level container configured to receive two or more lowest-level containers;

a highest-level container configured to receive the two or more mid-level containers, wherein;

each mid-level container has a corresponding mid-level indicator device;

each lowest-level container has a corresponding lowest-level indicator device;

the storage system is configured to operate with a controller sub-system that tracks the storage locations of samples stored in the storage system; and

when a desired sample is to be retrieved from the storage system, the controller sub-system activates;

(a) the mid-level indicator device corresponding to the mid-level container containing the desired sample; and

(b) the lowest-level indicator device corresponding to the lowest-level container containing the desired sample.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the storage system comprises the controller sub-system.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the controller sub-system does not activate the lowest-level indicator device corresponding to the lowest-level container containing the desired sample until after the mid-level container containing the desired sample is accessed.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of desired samples are to be retrieved from the storage system, the controller sub-system activates:

(a) the mid-level indicator device corresponding to each mid-level container containing at least one of the plurality of desired samples; and

(b) the lowest-level indicator device corresponding to each lowest-level container containing at least one of the plurality of desired samples.

5. The invention of claim 4, wherein the controller sub-system is configured to de-activate:

(a) a corresponding lowest-level indicator device after a last desired sample has been retrieved from each lowest-level container; and

(b) a corresponding mid-level indicator device after a last desired sample has been retrieved from each mid-level container.

6. The invention of claim 4, wherein, when first and second desired samples to be retrieved are stored in first and second mid-level containers, then the controller sub-system activates sequentially the two corresponding mid-level indicator devices for the first and second desired samples, with both (i) the mid-level indicator device for the second desired sample being activated and (ii) the mid-level indicator device for the first desired sample being de-activated, after retrieval of the first desired sample.

7. The invention of claim 4, wherein, when first and second desired samples to be retrieved are stored in the same mid-level container, but in first and second lowest-level containers, then the controller sub-system activates sequentially the two corresponding lowest-level indicator devices for the first and second desired samples, with both (i) the lowest-level indicator device for the second desired sample being activated and (ii) the lowest-level indicator device for the first desired sample being de-activated, after retrieval of the first desired sample.

8. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

each storage location has a corresponding storage-level indicator device;

when the desired sample is to be retrieved from the storage system, the controller sub-system further activates;

(c) the storage-level indicator device corresponding to the storage location containing the desired sample.

9. The invention of claim 8, wherein:

the controller sub-system does not activate the storage-level indicator device corresponding to the storage location containing the desired sample until after the lowest-level container containing the desired sample is accessed.

10. The invention of claim 8, wherein, when a plurality of desired samples are to be retrieved from the storage system, the controller sub-system activates the storage-level indicator device corresponding to each storage location containing one of the plurality of desired samples.

11. The invention of claim 10, wherein, when first and second desired samples to be retrieved are stored in the same mid-level container and the same lowest-level container, but in first and second storage locations, then the controller sub-system activates sequentially the two corresponding storage-location indicator devices for the first and second desired samples, with both (i) the storage-location indicator device for the second desired sample being activated and (ii) the storage-location indicator device for the first desired sample being de-activated, after retrieval of the first desired sample.

12. The invention of claim 1, wherein the storage system comprises a plurality of different mid levels, including:

a first mid level having plurality of first-mid-level containers, each first-mid-level container configured to receive two or more lowest-level containers and having a corresponding first-mid-level indicator device configured to be activated by the controller sub-system; and

a second mid level having a plurality of second-mid-level containers, each second-mid-level container configured to receive two or more first-mid-level containers and having a corresponding second-mid-level indicator device configured to be activated by the controller sub-system.

13. The invention of claim 1, wherein each indicator device is a light-emitting diode.

14. The invention of claim 1, wherein each stored sample is contained in a unique RFID-tagged vial.

15. The invention of claim 14, wherein:

the highest-level container is a cold-storage device; and

each sample is a frozen biological sample.

16. The invention of claim 15, wherein:

the highest-level container is a mechanical freezer configured to receive a plurality of racks;

each rack has a corresponding rack indicator device and is configured to receive a plurality of shelves;

each shelf has a corresponding shelf indicator device and is configured to receive a plurality of boxes; and

each box has a corresponding box indicator device and is configured to receive one or more unique RFID-tagged vials, each vial containing a frozen biological sample.

17. The invention of claim 14, wherein:

the highest-level container is a room-temperature storage device; and

each sample is a room-temperature biological sample.

18. The invention of claim 17, wherein:

the highest-level container is a tissue block repository configured to receive a plurality of drawers;

each drawer has a corresponding drawer indicator device and is configured to receive a plurality of tissue boxes; and

each tissue box has a corresponding tissue-box indicator device and in configured to receive one or more unique RFID-tagged vials, each vial containing a room-temperature biological sample.

19. The invention of claim 1, wherein the controller sub-system is configured to activate one or more of the indicator devices in a special manner that indicates when an incorrect sample has been retrieved from the storage system.

20. The invention of claim 1, wherein the controller sub-system is configured to de-activate one or more corresponding indicator devices after the desired sample has been retrieved from the storage system.

21. The invention of claim 1, wherein, when a plurality of desired samples are to be retrieved from the storage system, the controller sub-system:

(i) guides retrieval of all desired samples in the same lowest-level container before guiding retrieval of any desired sample in another lowest-level container; and

(ii) guides retrieval of all desired samples in the same mid-level container before guiding retrieval of any desired sample in another mid-level container.

IK. The invention of claim I, wherein the controller sub-system is configured to automatically detect when a sample is removed from its corresponding lowest-level container.

22. The invention of claim 1, wherein the storage system further comprises a scanner configured to determine identity of a sample that has been removed from the lowest-level container.

23. A controller sub-system for a storage system for storing samples, the storage system comprising:

a plurality of lowest-level containers, each lowest-level container configured to receive a plurality of samples in a corresponding plurality of storage locations;

two or more mid-level containers, each mid-level container configured to receive two or more lowest-level containers;

a highest-level container configured to receive the two or more mid-level containers, wherein;

each mid-level container has a corresponding mid-level indicator device;

each lowest-level container has a corresponding lowest-level indicator device;

the controller sub-system is configured to track the storage locations of samples stored in the storage system; and

when a desired sample is to be retrieved from the storage system, the controller sub-system activates;

(a) the mid-level indicator device corresponding to the mid-level container containing the desired sample; and

(b) the lowest-level indicator device corresponding to the lowest-level container containing the desired sample.