Managing plural scanning devices in a high-throughput laboratory environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11327286-B2
Application number	US-202016984032-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2020
Priority date	Nov 30, 2017
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods for managing a plurality of scanning devices in a high-throughput laboratory environment. Each of the scanning devices is configured for a remote boot operation from an administrative server that is communicatively coupled with the plurality of scanning devices via a local network. The remote boot replaces the complete operational firmware of a scanning device. The scanning devices are each configured to periodically provide operational information to the administrative server for centralized storage. The centralized storage of operational information for each of the plurality of scanning devices, coupled with the ability of the administrative server to initiate a reboot of any scanning device and thereby update the complete operational firmware of the scanning device, allows for centralized administration of multiple scanning devices that facilitates configuration, support, image data storage, and/or communication with outside servers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of updating firmware using a server device having a non-transitory data storage apparatus and communicatively coupled with a plurality of digital slide scanning devices via a first network and communicatively coupled with a user device via a second network, the method comprising:
receiving a current operational firmware from a user device via a second network and storing the current operational firmware in the non-transitory data storage apparatus;
receiving operational information from each of the plurality of digital slide scanning devices and storing the operational information in the non-transitory data storage apparatus; and
for each of the plurality of digital slide scanning devices, performing a network boot operation on the digital slide scanning device via the first network, wherein the network boot operation comprises sending an instruction to reboot the digital slide scanning device to the digital slide scanning device to trigger, at the digital slide scanning device, a download of the current operational firmware from the server device to the digital slide scanning device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational information comprises digital slide image data.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational information comprises current configuration data for the respective digital slide scanning device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an instruction from the user device via the second network, wherein the instruction identifies a first digital slide scanning device from the plurality of digital slide scanning devices; and
sending an instruction, corresponding to the instruction received from the user device, to the first digital slide scanning device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
analyzing the operational information stored in the non-transitory data storage apparatus;
and scheduling a maintenance appointment for at least one of the plurality of digital slide scanning devices based on the analysis.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network is a local area network, and wherein the second network comprises a wide area network.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second network comprises the Internet.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational information comprises synchronization information for a stage and line scan camera.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational information comprises at least one contiguous digital image.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational information comprises information for at least one line scan camera.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational information comprises information related to an imaging sensor.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational information comprises information related to a focusing sensor.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operational information comprises focus information.

14. A system comprising:
a server device having a non-transitory data storage apparatus, the server device communicatively coupled with a plurality of digital slide scanning devices and a user device via a network;
each of the plurality of digital slide scanning devices having a local data storage area;
the server device configured to:
receive a current operational firmware from the user device via the network, and store the current operational firmware in the non-transitory data storage apparatus;
receive operational information from each of the plurality of digital slide scanning devices, and store the operational information in the non-transitory data storage apparatus; and,
for each of the plurality of digital slide scanning devices, perform a network boot operation by sending an instruction via the network to the digital slide scanning device to reboot and download the current operational firmware from the server device.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operational information comprises digital slide image data.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the operational information comprises at least one contiguous digital image.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operational information comprises current configuration data for the respective digital slide scanning device.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the server device is further configured to:
receive an instruction from the user device via the network, wherein the instruction identifies a first digital slide scanning device from the plurality of digital slide scanning devices; and
send an instruction, corresponding to the instruction received from the user device, to the first digital slide scanning device.

19. The system of claim 14 , wherein the server device is further configured to:
analyze the operational information stored in the non-transitory data storage apparatus; and
schedule a maintenance appointment for at least one of the plurality of digital slide scanning devices based on the analysis.

20. The system of claim 14 , wherein the network comprises a local area network and a wide area network.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the network comprises the Internet.

22. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operational information comprises synchronization information for a stage and line scan camera.

23. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operational information comprises information for at least one line scan camera.

24. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operational information comprises information related to an imaging sensor.

25. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operational information comprises information related to a focusing sensor.

26. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operational information comprises focus information.

Assignees

• Leica Biosystems Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Dailey Timothy
• Stearrett Aaron

Classifications

• G06F9/4416 Primary

  Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL] · CPC title

• G02B21/0036

  Scanning details, e.g. scanning stages · CPC title

• G02B21/008 Primary

  Details of detection or image processing, including general computer control · CPC title

• G01N35/00871

  Communications between instruments or with remote terminals · CPC title

• G02B21/002

  Scanning microscopes (scanning near field optical microscopes G01Q60/18) · CPC title