METHOD OF RESTORING SETTINGS OF AN INSTRUMENT FOR PROCESSING A SAMPLE OR A REAGENT AND A SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING A SAMPLE OR REAGENT

• US 20170177880A1
• Filed: 12/15/2016
• Published: 06/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Roche Diagnostics Operations Incorporated (Roche Holding AG)
• Inventors: Salin, Richard Edward
• Granted Patent: US 10,146,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00584 Control arrangements for automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00613 Quality control
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00712 Automatic status testing, e.g. at start-up or periodic
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/14 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in operation G06F11/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1417 Boot up procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 : for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 : Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 : involving digital signatures

Abstract

A method for saving and/or restoring settings of an instrument for processing a sample or reagent is disclosed. The instrument comprises a control unit and an operating system. A storage medium is provided to the instrument. The storage medium comprises a script. The script restores data for restoring settings of the instrument. The script is encrypted and/or digitally signed. The method verifies an identity and/or integrity of the script and executes the script upon starting the instrument by the operating system with the storage medium when the identity and/or integrity of the script correspond to an identity and/or integrity of the instrument. The control unit provides an input menu for allowing a user to input a saving and/or restoring command. The instrument saves settings on the storage medium and/or restores settings of the instrument from the storage medium by the restoring data corresponding to the saving and/or restoring command.

Claims

1. A method for restoring settings of an instrument for processing a sample or reagent, wherein the instrument comprises a control unit and an operating system, the method comprises:

providing a storage medium, wherein the storage medium comprises a script and restoring data for restoring settings of the instrument, wherein the script is encrypted/digitally signed and wherein the instrument receives the storage medium;

verifying an identity and/or integrity of the script;

executing the script upon starting the instrument by the operating system with the storage medium received by the instrument when the identity and/or integrity of the script corresponds to an identity of the instrument;

providing an input menu by the control unit for allowing a user to input a saving and/or restoring command; and

saving settings of the instrument on the storage medium and/or restoring settings of the instrument from the storage medium by the restoring data corresponding to the saving and/or restoring command.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the storage medium is not bootable.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising,

decrypting the script when the identity and/or integrity of the script corresponds to the identity and/or integrity of the instrument.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein restoring settings of the instrument from the storage medium includes copying and decrypting the restoring data from the storage medium to the instrument.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the saving of settings of the instrument on the storage medium includes copying and encrypting settings data on the storage medium.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the settings of the instrument are stored in a database.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the saving of settings includes copying the database on the storage medium, and wherein the database is compressed before being copied on the storage medium.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the database is compressed before being copied on the storage medium.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the starting of the instrument includes booting of the instrument.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the booting of the instrument includes detecting whether the storage medium is inserted into the instrument.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the booting of the instrument is disabled when the script is executed.

12. A system, the system comprising:

an instrument for processing a sample or reagent and a storage medium, wherein the instrument comprises;

a control unit, and

an operating system, wherein the storage medium comprises a script, wherein the script comprises restoring data for restoring settings of the instrument, wherein the script is encrypted and/or digitally signed,

wherein the instrument is configured to carry out the method according to claim 1.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the instrument further comprises,

a connection device configured to allow the storage medium to be received by the instrument, wherein the operating system is configured to:

start the instrument with the storage medium received by the instrument,

verify an identity and/or integrity of the script,

execute the script when the identity and/or integrity of the script corresponds to an identity and/or integrity of the instrument;

wherein the control unit is configured to provide an input menu for allowing a user to input a saving and/or restoring command; and

wherein the instrument is configured to save settings of the instrument on the storage medium and/or to restore settings of the instrument from the storage medium by the restoring data corresponding to the saving and/or restoring command.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the instrument comprises a display device, wherein control unit is configured to provide the input menu on the display device.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the storage medium is not bootable.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the operating system is configured to decrypt the script when the identity of the script corresponds to the identity of the instrument.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the operating system is configured to copy and decrypt the restoring data from the storage medium to the instrument for restoring settings of the instrument from the storage medium.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the operating system is configured to copy and encrypt settings data on the storage medium for saving settings of the instrument on the storage medium.