Patent ID: 8812329
Filing Date: 2014-08-19
Classification: G01N,G06Q,G16H

Abstract:
1. A method for processing a sample in an anatomical pathology laboratory comprising: providing a host controlling at least one instrument in the anatomical pathology laboratory, said host being configured to have at least one local data element and at least one global data element and said host being configured to identify samples in the laboratory using radio frequency identification labels associated with the samples, said at least one global data element having a common data definition and data value used by said host and at least one other host connected to said host, said at least one local data element having a data definition and data value used only by said host, wherein said at least one instrument controlled by the host includes a first stainer that uses a first reagent, wherein said at least one global data element includes a first global data element that is associated with the first reagent and indicates the first reagent is currently owned by the host thereby indicating that the first reagent physically resides at an instrument controlled by the host; receiving a first of said samples, said first sample being a tissue sample associated with a radio frequency identification label encoded with a tissue sample identifier including a first part representing a tissue source, a second part representing a year associated with the tissue sample, and a tissue sequence number; partitioning the first sample into one or more blocks, each of said blocks associated with a different block identifier; preparing a set of one or more slides from said first sample, each of said one or more slides having a portion of said first sample on a surface of said each slide and being cut from one of said blocks; preparing a radio frequency identification label for each of said one or more slides in the set, said radio frequency identification label being affixed to said each slide and having a slide identifier encoded thereon that uniquely identifies said each slide, wherein said slide identifier for said each slide having the portion of the first sample thereon includes the tissue sample identifier, a block identifier associated with one of the blocks from which the portion was cut, and a slide sequence number; performing one or more processing steps in said laboratory to at least a first slide of said set of one or more slides, wherein said performing includes: