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Publication Number
US-10877054-B2
Publication Date
2020-12-29
Expiration Date
Abstract
A specimen slide for holding tissue specimens, and a method of loading tissue specimens on the specimen slide are described. The specimen slide can be printed with control and patient information corresponding to respective control and patient tissue specimens mounted on the specimen slide. The control and patient information can be printed at different times. The control information may be printed before loading the control tissue specimen on the specimen slide, and the patient information can be printed after loading the control tissue specimen on the specimen slide. The control and patient information may be encoded in a first barcode and a second barcode, respectively. The barcodes can have different configurations, such as different barcode types or different orientations. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
Core Innovation
The invention relates to a specimen slide system in which a specimen slide includes a specimen area with a control specimen subarea and a patient specimen subarea, and a printing area on the front surface of the slide. The printing area carries a first barcode and a second barcode, where the first barcode has a first configuration and the second barcode has a second configuration that is different from the first configuration.
The specimen area and the printing area are arranged so that one of the control specimen subarea and the patient specimen subarea separates the printing area from the other of the control specimen subarea and the patient specimen subarea. In the disclosed embodiments, the control specimen subarea can be positioned between the patient specimen subarea and the printing area, and the control specimen subarea can carry a control tissue specimen.
The disclosed control and patient barcodes are used to encode information associated with different tissue specimens and to improve automated traceability. A slide printer prints the first barcode on the printing area, loads the control tissue specimen on the specimen area, and prints the second barcode with a different configuration for a patient tissue specimen. In some embodiments, the disclosed method determines control information using tissue type data corresponding to the patient tissue specimen, and the second barcode printing is performed in response to a match.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims cover a specimen slide with separated control/patient subareas and two differently configured barcodes, a method using a slide printer to print a control barcode, load a control tissue specimen, and then print a patient barcode with a different configuration, and a non-transitory machine-readable medium that causes the slide printer to perform the barcode printing method. Across the independent claims, the main inventive features include the two separated barcode configurations, encoding control vs patient information, and automated determination or conditional behavior based on tissue type matching.
Separated control and patient subareas with separated printing area
A specimen slide with a specimen area including a control specimen subarea and a patient specimen subarea, and a printing area on the front surface, where the specimen area and the printing area are arranged so that one of the control specimen subarea and the patient specimen subarea separates the printing area from the other.
Two differently configured barcodes on the printing area
A specimen slide where the printing area includes a first barcode having a first configuration that is at least one of a bar code type and an orientation on the slide, and a second barcode having a second configuration that is at least one of a bar code type and an orientation on the slide and the second configuration is different than the first configuration.
Printing control barcode, loading control tissue specimen, and printing patient barcode
printing a first barcode on a printing area of a specimen slide, wherein the first barcode has a first configuration that is at least one of a bar code type and an orientation on the slide and the first bar code encodes control information; loading a control tissue specimen on a specimen area of the specimen slide, wherein the control information corresponds to the control tissue specimen; and printing a second barcode on the printing area, wherein the second barcode has a second configuration that is at least one of a bar code type and an orientation on the slide and the second configuration is different than the first configuration, wherein the second barcode encodes patient information corresponding to a patient tissue specimen that is different than the control tissue specimen.
Printer-executed instructions for printing control and patient barcodes
A non-transitory machine readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a processor of a slide printer cause the slide printer to print a first barcode on a printing area of a specimen slide that encodes control information corresponding to a control tissue specimen and to print a second barcode on the printing area that has a second configuration different from the first and encodes patient information corresponding to a patient tissue specimen.
Collectively, the independent claims define a specimen slide that separates control and patient subareas from a dedicated printing area and carries two barcodes with different configurations encoding different information. The independent method and medium claims further require printing a first control barcode, loading a control tissue specimen, and printing a second patient barcode with a different configuration, with additional dependents introducing tissue-type matching behavior and optional actions.
Stated Advantages
Improves automated traceability.
Reduces mis-matching risk between control and patient specimens.
Documented Applications
Automated traceability for mounting a control tissue specimen and a patient tissue specimen on a specimen slide with coordinated barcode printing and differentiation of control vs patient information.
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