Patent ID: 7811824

Claim:
A method of monitoring the properties of a biological or chemical sample, the method comprising: a) carrying out a plurality of different tests on the sample to generate corresponding test data; b) optionally carrying out a preliminary processing of the test data to generate partially processed data; c) storing the test data and/or partially processed data in a test system; d) verifying that a user is authorized to request a specific first user-defined selection of the stored test data or partially processed data for analysis and, if said user is authorized, causing a processing system to analyze the first user-defined selection of the test data or partially processed data to generate a first set of result data relating to one or more properties of the sample, and reporting said first set of result data to said user; e) recording in the test system which data or partially processed data was analyzed to generate said first set of result data, generating a first fee invoice specific to said first set of result data, and marking the first set of result data in the test system as having been reported to said user; f) subsequent to step (d), verifying that said user is authorized to request a specific second user-defined selection of the stored test data or partially processed data and, if said user is authorized, causing the processing system to analyze the second user-defined selection of the test data or partially processed data to generate a second set of result data relating to one or more properties of the sample different from the properties corresponding to the first user-defined selection, and reporting said second set of result data to said user; and g) recording in the test system which data or partially processed data was analyzed to generate said second set of result data, generating a second fee invoice specific to said second set of result data, and marking the second set of result data in the test system as having been reported to said user.