System for managing inventories of reagents

• US 8,318,499 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2009
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Abbott Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Fritchie, Patrick P., Jones, John C., Schwartz, Oscar F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mui, Christine T
• Application Number:
  US12/486,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20100324722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,259 Days
• Field of Search: 436/43, 422/50, 422/99, 422/500, 340/10.1, 340/825
• US Class Current: 436/43
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00435 Refrigerated reagent storage
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00673 of reagents
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00762 magnetic code
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00811 consumable or exchangeable components other than sample carriers, e.g. detectors, flow cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00821 nature of coded information
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0091 GUI [graphical user interfaces]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00584 Control arrangements for automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00663 of consumables
• 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: G01N 35/04 Details of the conveyor system G01N35/021 - G01N35/028 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/11 Automated chemical analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/13 Tracers or tags

Abstract

A system for managing the inventory of reagents for a laboratory automation system. The system for managing the inventory of reagents comprises a controller, software for the controller, and a refrigerator capable of refrigerating reagents, detecting the presence or absence of reagents in the refrigerator, and detecting the location of reagents in the refrigerator. The system for managing the inventory of reagents is connected to a laboratory automation system. The laboratory automation system comprises at least one clinical analyzer. A typical system for managing inventories of reagents includes an operator interface for the loading of boxes of reagents and other supplies, radio frequency identification system for identification of inventory and tracking, robotic mechanisms for loading containers onto the track system and removing containers from the track system, de-capping equipment, refrigeration equipment, and information technology connections to laboratory analyzers and vendors.

Claims

1. A system to manage inventories of reagents, said system comprising a refrigerator to:

refrigerate a reagent;

detect a presence or an absence of the reagent in the refrigerator; and

detect a location of the reagent in the refrigerator, wherein the refrigerator comprises at least one shelf and a reconfigurable frame coupled to the shelf to reconfigure the shelf to accommodate reagent kits of different sizes, wherein the reconfigurable frame comprises a plurality of elongated dividers having a plurality of tabs and a plurality of slots, wherein the tabs are reconfigurably engageable with the slots.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is to communicate with a laboratory automation system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the laboratory automation system comprises at least one clinical analyzer.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the laboratory automation system further comprises equipment to remove a cap from a container of the reagent.

5. The system of claim 2, further including a robotic mechanism to remove the container from the refrigerator and place the container onto said laboratory automation system.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interface to enable a human operator to load reagent containers into the refrigerator.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a radio frequency identification system to identify and track the reagent.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said refrigerator includes a radio frequency identification reader for reading a radio frequency identification tag attached to a container of the reagent.

9. The system of claim 1, further including a laboratory information system connected to at least one clinical analyzer.

10. The system of claim 1, further including a laboratory information system connected to at least one vendor.

20. The system of claim 1 further comprising a radio frequency identification reader associated with the frame to communicate with radio frequency identification tags associated with one or more of the reagents.

25. The system of claim 1 wherein the reconfigurable frame is disposed on an antenna board.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the reconfigurable frame is reconfigurable to provide a custom array configuration.

11. A method for managing the inventory of at least one reagent, the method comprising:

identifying at least one reagent to be withdrawn from a refrigerator;

locating the reagent on a shelf in the refrigerator, the shelf including a reconfigurable frame to accommodate reagent kits of different sizes, wherein the reconfigurable frame comprises a plurality of elongated dividers having a plurality of tabs and a plurality of slots, wherein the tabs are reconfigurably engageable with the slots;

withdrawing the reagent from the refrigerator; and

transferring the reagent withdrawn from the refrigerator to a clinical analyzer or to a laboratory automation system having at least one clinical analyzer.

12. The method of claim 11, further including identifying the clinical analyzer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the clinical analyzer is identified automatically.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the reagent is identified automatically.

15. The method of claim 11, further including ordering one or more of the reagent, a second reagent or another consumable item from a vendor.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein one or more of the reagent, the second reagent or the other consumable item is ordered automatically.

17. The method of claim 16, further including confirming the order by means of a human operator.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the status of one or more reagents for at least one clinical analyzer is determined.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein status of one or more reagents in at least one refrigerator is determined.

21. A refrigerator comprising:

a shelf to support a reagent, the shelf comprising;

a radio frequency identification reader to communicate bi-directionally with a radio frequency identification tag associated with the reagent, and

a reconfigurable frame comprising;

a plurality of elongated dividers having a plurality of tabs, and

a plurality of slots, wherein the tabs are reconfigurably engageable with the slots; and

a robotic system contained in the refrigerator, the robotic system including a gripping device to rotate, telescope and move along vertical and horizontal tracks located in the refrigerator to retrieve the reagent from any compartment of the refrigerator and to move the reagent within the refrigerator and outside of the refrigerator.

22. The refrigerator of claim 21, wherein a first portion of the slots face upwardly and a second portion of the slots face downwardly.

23. The refrigerator of claim 22, wherein the first portion of the slots are associated with a first portion of the dividers oriented in a first position, and the second portion of the slots are associated with a second portion of the dividers oriented in a second position different than the first position.

24. The refrigerator of claim 23, wherein the first position and the second position are orthogonal.

27. The refrigerator of claim 21, further comprising a prioritization system to develop a priority schedule to prioritize use of the reagent and one or more additional reagents, wherein the robotic system is to move the reagents based on the priority schedule.

28. The refrigerator of claim 27, wherein the priority schedule is based on an age of each of the reagents.