Cartridge for storing biosample capillary tubes and use in automated data storage systems

• US 9,286,914 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2011
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bates, Allen Keith, Haustein, Nils, Johnson, James William, Krause, Thorsten, Schwartz, Stephen Leonard, Topol, Anna Wanda, Troppens, Ulf, Winarski, Daniel James
• Primary Examiner(s): Myers, Glenn
• Application Number:
  US13/151,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20120309297A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 422/561, 422/562, 422/565, 360/94, 360/93, 506/33, 506/35, 235/492, 235/493, 235/487, 455/39, 398/118, 414/331.01, G9B/5.002, G9B/5.024
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0096 Casings for storing test samples A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; preservation of living parts of the human or animal body A01N1/02; containers for retaining a material to be analysed B01L3/50; containers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/16; swab-sampler being part of enzymology or microbiology container C12M1/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/150305 Packages specially adapted for piercing devices or blood sampling devices kits for diabetes A61M5/003; packaging in general B65D
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0809 rectangular shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/0812 Bands; Tapes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/065 specially adapted for capillary tubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00762 magnetic code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00801 Holders for sample carriers, e.g. trays, caroussel, racks
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0425 Stacks, magazines or elevators for plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00029 provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides G01N35/028 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/0099 comprising robots or similar manipulators robots per se B25J
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/049 Cassettes for special applications not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/00821 using stationary heads
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/24 for communication between two or more posts wireless communication networks H04W

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a cartridge that includes slots for storing biosample capillary tubes. The cartridge has the same form factor as data tape cartridges to allow the cartridge to be handled by the same robotic mechanisms that handle data cartridges in an automated tape library. One aspect of the disclosure concerns a cartridge comprising an enclosure that includes a movable door to provide access to a tube holder in the enclosure. The tube holder includes cylindrical holes or slots for receiving capillary tubes which contain biosamples scanned and analyzed an automated tape library.

Claims

1. A cartridge for storing capillary tubes, comprising:

an enclosure including a movable door to provide access to inside the enclosure, the enclosure having the same form factor as a data tape cartridge used in an automated tape library;

a holder disposed in the enclosure and having a plurality of cylindrical holes for receiving a plurality of said capillary tubes, the capillary tubes being configured to house biosamples that are scanned and analyzed by the automated tape library; and

one or more memory modules coupled to the enclosure, each memory module being configured to store data relating to the biosamples, the capillary tubes, and the cartridge, wherein at least one of the one or more memory modules comprises a nonvolatile memory.

2. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the cartridge is an LTO type cartridge.

3. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein diameters of the cylindrical holes are slightly larger than diameters of the capillary tubes to allow the holder to retain the capillary tubes in place when moving.

4. The cartridge of claim 1, further comprising at least two of the memory modules.

5. The cartridge of claim 4, further comprising a wireless communication interface coupled to the memory modules for sending data to and receiving data from the automated tape library.

6. The cartridge of claim 5, wherein the wireless communication interface uses radio signals for communication.

7. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the wireless communication interface is a radio antenna selected from the group consisting of a quarter-wave antenna, a fractal antenna, and an inductor of an inductor-capacitor oscillator.

8. The cartridge of claim 1, wherein the nonvolatile memory is selected from a group consisting of electrically-eraseable programmable read-only memory, phase change memory, flash memory, NOR memory and NAND memory.

9. The cartridge of claim 1, further comprising the plurality of capillary tubes.

10. A cartridge for storing capillary tubes, comprising:

an enclosure including a movable door to provide access to inside the enclosure, the enclosure having the same form factor as a data tape cartridge used in an automated tape library;

a holder disposed in the enclosure and having a plurality of cylindrical holes for receiving a plurality of said capillary tubes, the capillary tubes being configured to house biosamples that are scanned and analyzed by the automated tape library; and

a plurality of memory modules for storing data related to the biosamples, capillary tubes and cartridge, and

wherein the memory modules comprise a nonvolatile memory selected from the group consisting of electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory, phase-change memory, flash memory, NOR memory, and NAND memory.

11. An analytical system comprising:

an automated tape library;

a cartridge comprising an enclosure having a holder inside the enclosure and a movable door to provide access to the holder, the enclosure having the same form factor as a data tape cartridge used in the automated tape library, the holder comprising a plurality of cylindrical holes for receiving a plurality of capillary tubes, and the capillary tubes being configured to house biosamples that are scanned and analyzed by the automated tape library; and

one or more memory modules disposed in the enclosure, each memory module being configured to store data relating to the biosamples, the capillary tubes, and the cartridge, wherein at least one of the one or more memory modules comprises a nonvolatile memory.

12. The analytical system of claim 11, wherein the cartridge is an LTO type cartridge.

13. The analytical system of claim 11, wherein the one or more memory modules are configured to store data related to the biosamples, the capillary tubes and the cartridge.

14. The analytical system of claim 13, wherein the cartridge comprises a wireless communication interface coupled to the at least one memory module for sending data to and receiving data from the automated tape library.

15. The analytical system of claim 14, wherein the wireless communication interface is a radio antenna selected from the group consisting of a quarter-wave antenna, a fractal antenna, and an inductor of an inductor-capacitor oscillator.

16. The analytical system of claim 13, at least one of the one or more memory modules comprising a nonvolatile memory selected from a group consisting of electrically-eraseable programmable read-only memory, phase change memory, flash memory, NOR memory and NAND memory.

17. An analytical system comprising:

a tape drive;

a cartridge comprising an enclosure having a holder inside the enclosure and a movable door to provide access to the holder, the enclosure having the same form factor as a data tape cartridge used in the tape drive, the holder comprising a plurality of cylindrical holes for receiving a plurality of capillary tubes, and the capillary tubes being configured to house biosamples that are scanned and analyzed by the tape drive; and

at least one memory module disposed in the enclosure, the at least one memory module comprising a nonvolatile memory selected from a group consisting of electrically-eraseable programmable read-only memory, phase change memory, flash memory, NOR memory and NAND memory.

18. The analytical system of claim 17, wherein the cartridge comprises a plurality of the memory modules, and wherein the memory modules are configured for storing data related to the biosamples, the capillary tubes and the cartridge.

19. The analytical system of claim 18, wherein the cartridge comprises a wireless communication interface coupled to the memory modules for sending data to and receiving data from the tape drive.