Patent ID: 8394636
Filing Date: 2013-03-12
Classification: G05B,G16H,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A remote control system comprising: a clinical specimen processing device situated at a user facility and coupled to a communications network by a device operations controller, the clinical specimen processing device comprising first and second mechanical sections; an image acquiring device coupled to the device operations controller and configured to acquire a processing device image of the clinical specimen processing device; an operations communications interface coupled to the device operations controller and to the communications network, the operations communications interface having circuitry configured to transmit the processing device image and processing device status information to the communications network, the processing device status information indicating a status of each of the first and second mechanical sections and including at least one of a normal condition, a warning condition and an error condition; first computer-readable database instructions causing the device operations controller to transmit the processing device image and the processing device status information over the operations communications interface; a control apparatus situated at a control facility and configured to remote-control the clinical specimen processing device; a control communications interface coupled to the control apparatus and to the communications network, the control communications interface having circuitry configured to process the processing device image and the device status information and to transmit control instructions; and second computer-readable database instructions causing the control apparatus to transmit a selectable portion of the processing device image to a control display at the control facility and to transmit control instructions to the device operations controller over the control communications interface.