LABORATORY SAMPLE ARCHIVING APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20110115610A1
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shandon Diagnostics Ltd. (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Thomas Fergus Hughes
• Inventors: Hughes, Thomas Fergus
• Granted Patent: US 8,952,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/022 Transponder chips
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 9/00 Supporting devices; Holding devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0498 Drawers used as storage or dispensing means for vessels or cuvettes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0006 with random access selection of a record carrier from the card-file, e.g. the carriers are suspended on the selection device which in part of the card magazine
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L

Abstract

An archive apparatus is provided for storing and archiving laboratory samples including radio frequency identification means. The apparatus comprises a support structure or cabinet (4), a drawer (6) translatable in a translation direction (12) into and out of the support structure (4), and sample support means comprising ribs (8) associated with the drawer (6) for supporting an array (10) of samples or slides (20) spaced along the translation direction (12) for movement with the drawer (6). A radio frequency reader antenna (14) is connected to the support structure (4) adjacent to the drawer (6) and recording means (34, 38) are adapted to operatively communicate with the reader antenna (14) to store information obtained from the radio frequency identification means of laboratory samples or slides (20) supported by the drawer (6). The apparatus can automatically collect and store current information concerning the samples or slides (20) in the drawer (6) as a consequence of opening and closing of the drawer (6).

Claims

1. Archive apparatus for storing and archiving laboratory samples (20) including a radio frequency identifier (2) the apparatus comprising a support structure (4), a drawer (6) translatable in a translation direction (12) into and out of the support structure (4), a sample support (8) associated with the drawer (6) for supporting an array (10) of samples (20) spaced along the translation direction (12) for movement with the drawer (6), a radio frequency reader antenna (14) connected to the support structure (4) adjacent to the drawer (6) and a recorder (34, 38) adapted to operatively communicate with the reader antenna (14) to store information obtained from the radio frequency identifier of laboratory samples (20) supported by the drawer (6).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reader antenna (14) is configured to emit a curtain (18) of electromagnetic waves.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the curtain (18) of electromagnetic waves and the sample support (8) are configured such that the curtain (18) of electromagnetic waves interacts with the radio frequency identifier (2) of a limited number of laboratory samples (20) at any one time as the drawer (6) is translated in the translation direction (12).

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the limited number is one.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recorder (34, 38) includes a controller (34) operatively connected to the reader antenna (14).

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller (34) is operatively connected to a computer system (38) including sample tracking software.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support structure (4) accommodates plural drawers (6).

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein one said reader antenna (14) is connected to the support structure (4) adjacent to each drawer (6).

9. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller (34) is operatively connected to plural said reader antennae (14).

10. A compound archive apparatus comprising plural archive apparatuses according to claim 1.

11. The compound archive apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the recorder (34, 38) includes a single computer system (38) operatively connected to the reader antennae (14).

12. A method for storing and archiving laboratory samples (20) with a radio frequency identifier (2) including providing apparatus comprising a support structure (4), a drawer (6) translatable in a translation direction (12) into and out of the support structure (4), supporting the laboratory samples (20) in an array (10) in a sample support (8) associated with the drawer (6) with the laboratory samples (20) spaced along the translation direction (12) for movement with the drawer (6), providing a radio frequency reader antenna (14) connected to the support structure (4) adjacent to the drawer (6) and recorder (34, 38), translating the drawer (6) in the translation direction (12) so that the laboratory samples (20) pass the reader antenna (14), operatively communicating information from the radio frequency identifier (2) of the samples (20) supported by the drawer (6) to the recorder (34, 38) and recording said information with the recorder (34, 38).

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising the further steps of at least partly translating the drawer (6) out of the support structure (4), altering a distribution of the samples supported by the drawer (6), translating the drawer (6) back into the support structure (4) and updating a record held by the recorder (34, 38) of samples (20) supported by the drawer (6) based on signals received by the reader antenna (14).

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the recorder (34, 38) records historic information concerning the samples (20) in the drawer (6) in addition to current information concerning the samples (20) in the drawer (6).

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the stored information concerning samples (20) supported by the drawer (6) is displayed by the recorder (34, 38) graphically.

16. The method according to claim 12, including identifying a user accessing the samples (20) by means of user identifier (42) and using this identification to record which user has accessed the samples (20) or to control access to the samples (20).