Camera box for reading and decoding tube rack bar code

A process for capturing an image of bar codes on the bottom ends of laboratory tubes contained in a laboratory tube rack having compartments with aperture bottoms permitting capture of an image of an underside of the tube rack with the bar codes on the tube bottoms appearing through the compartment apertures, the process comprising the steps of:

• providing a camera box that has a housing with a top deck and sides with one side having a lower side opening, the top deck of the housing having an opening sized to view an underside of a tube rack when the tube rack is seated on the top deck over the opening, the camera box including a camera tray that supports a smart phone camera, wherein the side opening of the camera box housing is sized to receive the camera tray and a supported smart phone camera into the housing under the housing opening;
• seating the laboratory tube rack having at least one laboratory tube with a bar code on its bottom end;
• placing a smart phone camera on the camera tray positioned on the tray to capture the underside of the tube rack when the tray is received into the camera box through the side opening of the camera box;
• inserting the camera tray with the smart phone camera into the housing of the camera box;
• activating the smart phone camera to capture an image of the underside of the tube rack and any barcode on the bottom end of any laboratory tube contained in the tube rack;
• and,
• processing any barcode on the bottom of any laboratory tube contained in the tube rack.