Patent ID: 8719053
Filing Date: 2014-05-06
Classification: G01N,G06Q,G16H

Abstract:
1. A laboratory instrument information management and control apparatus, comprising: a Laboratory Information System (LIS) configured to manage patient and laboratory information; a plurality of laboratory instruments configured to run anatomical pathology tests including automated staining of a sample relating to at least one patient; a plurality of host computers, wherein each of said plurality of host computers is in communication with a portion of said plurality of laboratory instruments; an interface point server (IPS) in communication with said plurality of host computers and said LIS, said interface point server configured to function as a communication interface between said plurality of host computers and said LIS in a manner responsive to a predetermined communication protocol, and said IPS comprising a first level interface for data communication and control between said LIS and said IPS, and said IPS comprising a second level interface for data communication and control between said plurality of host computers and said IPS, wherein said first level interface and said second level interface are software interfaces, each of said plurality of host computers including host data and being independently configured with data sharing enabled or disabled, said second level interface facilitating replication of data elements shared between said plurality of host computers, said data elements that are shared being stored in a data element storage of said IPS, wherein said second level interface facilitates communicating an update, by a first of said plurality of host computers to a first of said data elements that are shared, to a second of said plurality of host computers sharing said first data element; and wherein a first of the plurality of host computers includes a computer readable medium comprising code stored thereon for: sending, by said first host computer to each other host computer of the plurality of host computers, a request requesting ownership of the second data element; and wherein each other host computer of the plurality of host computers includes a computer readable medium comprising code stored thereon for: