Masking of laboratory devices and routing of test sample containers in a laboratory system

A method of routing test sample container carriers at an end of a laboratory shift in a laboratory system, wherein the laboratory system comprises a plurality of laboratory devices, at least one buffer, a transportation system, and laboratory middleware, the method comprising:

• halting loading of test sample container carriers into a laboratory system;
• masking a target laboratory device of the plurality of laboratory devices so that test sample container carriers cannot be retrieved from the target laboratory device;
• processing all test sample container carriers by laboratory analytic devices of the plurality of laboratory devices in the laboratory system until the test sample container carriers reach the target laboratory device;
• calculating a new laboratory system workflow by the laboratory middleware at a start of a next laboratory shift;
• unmasking the target laboratory device after the new laboratory workflow is calculated;
• and
• retrieving and sending test sample container carriers to laboratory analytic devices of the plurality of laboratory devices in the laboratory system from the target laboratory device after the target laboratory device is unmasked for test samples in the test sample container carriers that have open test requests.

A method of routing test sample container carriers during peak workload periods in a laboratory system, wherein the laboratory system comprises a plurality of laboratory devices, at least one buffer, a transportation system, and laboratory middleware, the method comprising:

• detecting an incoming increase of test sample container carriers into the laboratory system;
• masking a target laboratory device of the plurality of laboratory devices so that test sample container carriers are not sent to the target laboratory device and test sample container carriers cannot be retrieved from the target laboratory device;
• calculating a new laboratory system workflow by the laboratory middleware after there is no longer an increase of test sample container carriers;
• unmasking the target laboratory device after the new laboratory workflow is calculated;
• and
• retrieving the test sample container carriers for the test samples in the test sample container carriers that have pending open test requests from the target laboratory device and sending those test sample container carriers to laboratory analytic devices from the target laboratory device after the target laboratory device is unmasked.