Host apparatus and method providing calibration and reagent information to a measurement apparatus which makes use of a consumable reagent in a measuring process

A method of deriving a test result using a measurement apparatus and a consumable reagent, the method comprising:

• providing a network;
• providing a consumable reagent together with an associated lot data file containing calibration data and associated identification codes each associated with respective ones of the calibration data;
• providing said measurement apparatus with a first set of lot data files containing calibration data and identification codes each associated with respective ones of the calibration data provided therewith;
• providing a host apparatus with a second set of lot data files containing calibration data and identification codes each associated with respective ones of the calibration data provided therewith;
• reading said associated lot data file of said consumable reagent with said measurement apparatus;
• transmitting over said network said associated lot data file of said consumable reagent to said host apparatus when said associated lot identification codes of said consumable reagent fail to match any of said lot identification codes of the first set of lot data files provided on the measuring apparatus;
• identifying with said host apparatus whether the associated lot identification codes of the received first set of lot data files match any of the lot identification codes of the second set of lot data files;
• distributing said lot data file of said consumable reagent via the network from the host apparatus when one of said associated lot identification codes matches one of the lot identification codes of the second set of lot data files;
• and
• deriving the test result using the measurement apparatus, the consumable reagent, and the calibration data associated with said associated lot identification code received from the host apparatus.

A measurement system using a consumable reagent, said system comprising:

• a machine-readable memory removable from one of the reagent, a test strip which provides the reagent, and a container which provides a plurality of test strips, said memory containing a lot data associated with a consumable reagent, said lot data file containing calibration data and lot identification codes each associated with respective ones of the calibration data provided therewith;
• a reader which interfaces with the machine-readable memory and reads said lot data file of said consumable reagent from said removable machine-readable memory;
• and
• a measurement apparatus remote from said reader and which uses said consumable reagent in a measurement process, wherein said measurement apparatus communicates with said reader to receive said lot data file associated with said consumable reagent.