Instrument resource scheduling
AssigneeThrive Bioscience, Inc.
InventorsHoward Cannon, Keith Moulton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects of the present invention relate to an automated cell culture instrument and to methods for operating such an instrument. In one aspect, the cell culture instrument includes a computing unit and a plurality of electrically controllable resources (e.g., sensors, actuators, etc.). The computing unit receives a protocol, schedules the resources so as to execute the protocol, and operates the resources as scheduled or in response to so as to provide an improved environment for cell culture growth. The computing unit may simulate protocol execution in connection with the scheduling or execution of the protocol.
Claims15
A cell culture incubator instrument comprising:
- an electrically controllable imager;
- an electrically controllable transfer device for moving a cell culture vessel into and out of the imager;
- a processor;
- and
- a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions include at least one conditional action response to image analysis by the processor that define at least one protocol and that, when executed by the processor, enable the processor to:
- generate a schedule regarding operation of the transfer device and the imager to schedule at least one of the number of images and the frequency of imaging of the cell culture vessel, wherein at least one prerequisite operation is performed in preparation for a scheduled operation;
- wherein the prerequisite operation prompts a user to replenish incubator supplies or reconfigure an arrangement of the samples and to confirm this action as a first input;
- and wherein the processor is configured to substitute a second input based on best cell health or least cell stress upon the failure of the user to provide the first input within a predetermined time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.