Patent ID: 8180573

Claim:
A sample processing apparatus, comprising: a sample processing unit for processing a biological or chemical sample with an auxiliary item used to process the sample; an output device for outputting a processing result by the sample processing unit; and a controller configured for receiving identifying information associated with the auxiliary item, evaluating the received identifying information against stored identifying information associated with at least one other auxiliary item historically used with the sample processing unit, confirming, when the received identifying information is the same as the stored identifying information, whether or not any past amount of the at least one other auxiliary item historically used with the sample processing unit remains in the sample processing unit, determining, when the received identifying information is the same as the stored identifying information and a past amount of the at least one other auxiliary item historically used with the sample processing unit does not remain in the sample processing unit, that the auxiliary item is not appropriate for sample processing by the sample processing unit, determining, when the received identifying information is the same as the stored identifying information and a past amount of the at least one other auxiliary item historically used with the sample processing unit does remain in the sample processing unit, that the auxiliary item is appropriate for sample processing by the sample processing unit, and controlling, when determining that the auxiliary item is not appropriate for the sample processing by the sample processing unit, the output device so as to output the processing result and reliability information showing that the processing result has a low reliability.