Biosample plate with data storage and wireless communication means

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9417237-B2
Application number	US-201113151265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2011
Priority date	Jun 1, 2011
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a biosample plate that includes a memory component for storing information related to the biosample, biosample plate and biosample analysis data, and a wireless communication interface for transferring information to and from the biosample plate. The biosample plate may be used with an analyzing and data recording system such as an electromagnetic tape drive. The disclosed biosample plate facilitates the correlation between a large number of biosample plates and data as data remains with the corresponding biosamples both when the biosample plates are in use and when they are in storage. The wireless communication interface may comprise an antenna disposed in a biosample plate for data transmission to and from the biosample plate by radio signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A biosample cartridge, comprising:
a base;
a magnetic tape medium disposed within the biosample cartridge, wherein a biosample is deposited on the magnetic tape medium;
a memory component coupled to the base; and
a wireless communication interface communicatively coupled to the memory component,
wherein the biosample cartridge has a physical form factor of a tape media cartridge configured to functionally engage a LTO drive of an automated data storage tape library.

2. The biosample cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication interface uses radio signals for communication.

3. The biosample cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the wireless communication interface comprises:
a plurality of metal-plated trenches disposed in the base; and
a plurality of parallel side walls disposed on the base.

4. The biosample cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one reel, wherein the magnetic tape medium is coupled to the at least one reel.

5. The biosample cartridge of claim 3 , wherein the metal plating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper and platinum.

6. The biosample cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the memory component comprises a nonvolatile memory selected from the group consisting of electrically-erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), phase-change memory, flash memory, NOR memory, and NAND memory.

7. The biosample cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the memory component includes analysis information regarding the biosample, wherein the analysis information is in DICOM format.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:
accessing a biosample stored in a tape media library, the biosample being deposited on a magnetic tape medium disposed in a biosample cartridge stored in a storage slot of the tape media library, and wherein the biosample cartridge comprises a memory component for storing information from an analysis of the biosample;
analyzing the biosample deposited on the magnetic tape medium using a LTO drive of the tape media library to determine the information; and
transferring information between memory component and a digital read/write component through a wireless communication interface coupled to the memory component,
wherein the biosample cartridge is characterized by a physical form factor of a tape media cartridge configured to functionally engage the LTO drive of the tape media library.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising detecting at least one of microorganisms and antigens in the biosample.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the wireless communication interface is formed by a plurality of metal-plated trenches disposed in the biosample cartridge, and the metal plating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper and platinum.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the metal plating is gold.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the memory component is disposed on a base of the biosample cartridge.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the information is in DICOM format.

14. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a controller to cause the controller to:
cause, by the controller, retrieval of a cartridge from a storage slot of an automated tape media library and functionally loading of the cartridge into a LTO drive of the automated tape media library, the cartridge comprising:
a biosample attached to a magnetic tape medium disposed in the cartridge, and
a base having coupled thereto a nonvolatile memory component;

cause, by the controller, a drive motor system to move the magnetic tape medium to a position corresponding to the biosample using the LTO drive;
generate, by the controller, information based on an analysis of the biosample attached to the magnetic tape medium, the analysis being performed at least in part using the LTO drive; and
store, by the controller, the information from the analysis of the biosample in the nonvolatile memory component through a wireless communication interface coupled to the nonvolatile memory component,
wherein the cartridge has a physical form factor of a tape media cartridge that is configured to allow the functional loading of the tape media cartridge into the LTO drive of the automated tape library.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the wireless communication interface is formed by a plurality of metal-plated trenches disposed in the base, and
wherein the metal plating comprises a material selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper and platinum.

16. The biosample cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the biosample deposited on the magnetic tape medium is attached to a magnetized nanoparticle.

17. A tape media library comprising a plurality of cartridges comprising at least one tape media cartridge and at least one biosample cartridge as recited in claim 1 .

18. The tape media library of claim 17 , wherein the tape media cartridges and the biosample cartridges are characterized by identical exterior dimensions.

19. The biosample cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the automated date storage tape library comprises:
a library controller;
an access robot;
a cartridge picker;
a barcode reader
the drive; and
a plurality of storage slots each being configured to store the biosample cartridge.

Assignees

• Haustein Nils
• Krause Thorsten
• Topol Anna Wanda
• Winarski Daniel James
• IBM

Inventors

• Haustein Nils
• Krause Thorsten
• Topol Anna Wanda
• Winarski Daniel James

Classifications

• B01L3/508

  Rigid containers without fluid transport within · CPC title

• G01N35/00732 Primary

  Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers · CPC title

• G01N33/48792

  Data management, e.g. communication with processing unit (for in vivo diagnostics A61B5/0002; transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• B01L2200/025

  Align devices or objects to ensure defined positions relative to each other · CPC title

• G01N2035/00099

  Characterised by type of test elements · CPC title