Patent ID: 7353116

Claim:
A method comprising: providing a test request for reading or processing signal data from a sub-array of probes on a chemical array, wherein the test request references a type of test to be performed; retrieving an instruction, corresponding to the test request provided, from a plurality of instructions stored in a memory, wherein different instructions for reading or processing signal data from the chemical array, corresponding to different test requests are stored in the memory, each instruction retrievable with a different test request, based on the test request provided and wherein at least two of said instructions instruct processing or reading a sub-array pattern, different from the other, from the same chemical array, and wherein any sub-array pattern, whether comprising a continuous set of features or a non-continuous set of features is instructable; reading or processing the signal data, for the sub-array instructed by the retrieved instruction; and outputting results from said reading or processing for use by a user.