Biological sample storage and monitoring system

• US 9,140,487 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluechiip Limited, Bluechip Limited
• Original Assignee: Bluechip Limited
• Inventors: Chaffey, Jason Philip, Miljanic, Miroslav
• Primary Examiner(s): BLOUNT, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US13/490,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20120293338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.02, 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/505, 340/870.01, 62/63, 62/801.27, 738/631.1, 435/1.1, 700/125, 374/13.001, 374/13.004
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0252 Temperature controlling refrigerating apparatus, i.e. devices used to actively control the temperature of a designated internal volume, e.g. refrigerators, freeze-drying apparatus or liquid nitrogen baths
• CPC Class Codes: A01N 1/0257 Stationary or portable vessels generating cryogenic temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/022 Transponder chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/545 for laboratory containers
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/50 Cryostats
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/06 Stock management
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/16 Sensors measuring the temperature of products
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/022 for recording
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/32 using change of resonant frequency of a crystal

Abstract

A method of maintaining a thermal history (369; 699) of samples stored in a temperature-controlled sample storage system is provided. The system can include: one or more containers (218, 220; 522) each storing one of the samples; one or more storage objects (210-216, 208; 510, 516-518, 520; 654-660, 662) each housing one or more containers or other storage objects; one or more structures (200-206; 512; 650) defining a temperature-controlled storage environment and housing the one or more storage objects; machine readable tags (14) each of which is associated with a separate container and storage object, each tag encoding an identification code and having a temperature-dependant characteristic; and an interrogator (12) for reading the identification code and the temperature-dependant characteristic.

Claims

1. A method of maintaining a thermal history of biological samples stored in a temperature-controlled sample storage system, the system including one or more containers each storing one of the samples;

one or more storage objects each housing one or more containers or one or more second storage objects;

one or more structures defining a temperature-controlled storage environment and housing the one or more storage objects;

machine readable tags each of which is associated with a separate container and storage object, each tag encoding an identification code and having a temperature-dependant characteristic; and

an interrogator for reading the identification code and the temperature-dependant characteristic, the method including the steps of;

a) monitoring the temperature in each temperature-controlled storage environment;

b) interrogating a database to determine one or more specific storage objects housing a particular container within a specific structure;

c) locating one of the specific storage objects housing the particular container by reading the identification code of the machine-readable tag associated with that specific storage object;

d) reading the value of the temperature dependant characteristic of the machine-readable tag associated with the specific storage object located in step c);

e) storing the read identification code and value of the temperature-dependant characteristic in the database;

f) removing the particular container, or another of the specific storage objects in which the particular container is stored, from the storage object located in step b);

g) repeat steps c) to f) until the particular container is removed; and

h) returning the one or more specific storage objects to the specific structure.

2. A method according to claim 1, and further including the step of:

determining whether any of the values of the temperature dependant characteristic exceed a temperature limit.

3. A method according to claim 2, and further including the step of:

triggering an alarm condition when the value exceeds the temperature limit.

4. A method according to claim 1, and further including the step of:

determining whether any of the values of the temperature dependant characteristic exceeds any of a plurality of temperature limits.

5. A method according to claim 4, and further including the step of:

triggering an alarm condition when the value exceeds any one of the temperature limits.

6. A method according to claim 5, and further including the step of:

providing a different response depending upon which of the temperature limits are exceeded.

7. A method according to claim 1, and further including the step of:

prior to step c), locating the specific structure housing the particular container by reading the identification code of the machine-readable tag associated with that structure.

8. A method according to claim 1, and further including the step of retrievably housing each container in the structure by:

reading the identification code of the machine-readable tag associated with each container;

reading the identification code of the machine-readable tag associated with each storage object in which the container is housed;

storing the read identification codes in the database for subsequent interrogation.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein each machine readable tag includes a plurality of resonant members.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the resonant members has the temperature-dependant characteristic.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the resonant members have different resonant frequencies from each other.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein the resonant members are vibrated by a Lorentz-type force on application of an excitation signal to the tag.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein the temperature-dependant characteristic is a shift in resonant frequency of the at least one resonant member as a function of temperature.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein a first coil antenna is coupled to the plurality of resonant members, wherein the interrogator includes signal processing circuitry and a reading head in communication with signal processing circuitry, and wherein the reading head including an interrogation coil, the method further including the steps of:

positioning the interrogation coil proximate the coil antenna; and

generating an interrogation signal in the interrogation coil so as to induce an excitation signal in the coil antenna.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the step of positioning the interrogation coil proximate the coil antenna includes locating one of the interrogation coil and the antenna coil inside the other during tag reading.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein one or both of the interrogation coil and the antenna coil have a helical form.

17. A method according to claim 14, wherein the step of positioning the interrogation coil proximate the coil antenna includes concentrically locating the interrogation coil and the antenna coil during tag reading.