Laboratory apparatus with user input function and method for user input in a laboratory apparatus

A laboratory apparatus (1) for device-controlled handling of at least one laboratory sample, comprising:

• at least one handling device for program-controlled handling of the at least one laboratory sample, wherein the program-controlled handling uses program parameters, which are at least partly defined as user parameters by a user, are controlled by the laboratory apparatus,
• a control device, comprising at least one processor device for data processing, wherein this data processing includes the execution of a control program for controlling the laboratory apparatus, and comprising at least one storage device for storing data, the control program and the program parameters,
• a user interface device (5) configured for the manual input of user data by a user, and for the display of information, the information depending on the user data,
• wherein the user interface device comprises a display, on which a display area (100) can be displayed, the display area containing a representation area being usable as a drawing interface, on which the user can draw sketches, in a movement detecting input mode provided by the control device, and
• wherein the user interface device comprises a movement detecting sensor device, which is arranged for the detection of at least one user movement, which is performable on the display area by a user, and
• wherein the control device, for providing the movement detecting input mode, is programmed
• to detect the at least one user movement being a continuous curve on the display area by means of the movement detecting sensor device;
• to determine the movement information from this user movement in the form of movement data and to store the movement data in the at least one storage device;
• to provide a visual monitoring of the user movement by displaying, without an observable time delay for the user, at least one graphical sketch element, which is a graphical object being a path, which represents the at least one user movement and which is drawn by the user in the representation area of the display while performing the at least one user movement,
• after displaying the graphical sketch element, to select at least one program parameter of the program parameters and/or to define a value of at least one program parameter of the program parameters depending on the at least one user movement and the movement data;
• and
• to detect pairs of program parameters or pairs of values of one program parameter or of two program parameters, which are represented in the display area as a point sequence or as a curve at two axis perpendicularly oriented to each other, in the movement detecting input mode by the user movement, wherein this point sequence or this curve forms the path.