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US 10,822,644 B2Granted
External files for distribution of molecular diagnostic tests and determination of compatibility between tests
AssigneeBecton, Dickinson and Company
InventorsAdam Steel, Thomas Wojeck, Michael Young, Mark Larsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods and systems for performing an automated assay, and particularly to performing an assay on a plurality of samples on an automated instrument.
Claims19
A method of performing an automated assay on a plurality of samples, said method comprising:
- providing an automated instrument comprising:
- a housing,
- a first area for performing automated assays, the first area located within the housing,
- a second area for performing automated assays, the second area located within the housing, and
- a space separating the first area from the second area, wherein each of said first and second areas have a rack configured to hold a plurality of samples to be processed concurrently by the automated instrument according to a plurality of different automated assay workflows using at least one resource of the automated instrument that is shared among the plurality of different automated assay workflows, wherein each different automated assay workflow has an associated unique assay definition file or user-defined protocol file, wherein said assay definition file or user-defined protocol file comprises a first-level compatibility index value and provides one or more parameters for a resource of the automated instrument used to perform the associated automated assay workflow;
- determining that the first assay workflow for a first sample using a set of resources of the automated instrument is compatible with the second assay workflow for a second sample using the set of resources of the automated instrument based at least in part on a first first-level compatibility index value included in a first assay definition file or user-defined protocol file for the first assay workflow being equal to a second first-level compatibility index value included in a second assay definition file or user-defined protocol file for the second assay workflow, wherein said first-level compatibility index value indicates that first values for parameters associated with respective resources in the set of resources included in the first assay definition file or user-defined protocol file and second values for the parameters associated with corresponding resources in the set of resources included in the second assay definition file or user-defined protocol file are each within a resource compatibility range for the respective resource:
- initiating the first assay workflow and the second assay workflow, each according to its own one or more parameters, concurrently at one of:
- (i) the first area, or (ii) the second area.
5 more elements
A system for performing an automated assay comprising:
- an automated instrument comprising:
- a housing;
- a first area for performing automated assay, the first area located within the housing;
- a second area for performing automated assays, the second area located within the housing;
- and
- a space separating the first area from the second area, wherein each of said first area and said second area have a rack configured to hold a plurality of samples to be processed concurrently by the automated instrument according to a plurality of different automated assay workflows utilizing at least one resource of the automated instrument that is shared between automated assay workflows, wherein each different automated assay workflow has an associated unique assay definition file or user-defined protocol file, wherein said assay definition file or user-defined protocol file comprises a first level compatibility index value and provides one or more parameters for performing the automated assay workflow;
- a processor;
- and
- a storage capacity storing instructions executable by the processor to cause the automated instrument to:
- request selection of a first assay workflow from among a first list of all available assay workflows;
- receive a selection of a first assay workflow selected from the first list and an identified area for performing the first assay workflow for a first sample using a set of resources of the automated instrument, wherein the identified area is one of the first area or the second area;
- display a second list of second assay workflows for the identified area, wherein said second list excludes any assay workflows having first-level compatibility index values different from a first-level compatibility index value of the first selected assay workflow, wherein said first-level compatibility index value indicates that first values for parameters associated with respective resources in the set of resources used by the first selected assay workflow and second values for the parameters associated with corresponding resources in the set of resources included assays workflows included in the second list are each within a resource compatibility range for the respective resource;
- request a selection from said second list of second workflow assays;
- receive the selection of a second assay workflow selected from the second list, the second assay workflow for a second sample;
- and
- initiate the selected first assay workflow and the selected second assay workflow, each according to one or more parameters specified in respective assay definition file or user-defined protocol files, concurrently at the identified area.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.