Patent ID: 8158431

Claim:
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; an image acquiring device coupled to the device operations controller and configured to receive 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; first computer-readable database instructions causing the device operations controller to transmit processing device image information to an operations display at the user facility and to simultaneously transmit the processing device image and the processing device status information over the operations communication 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 display of a selectable portion of the processing device image on a control display at the control facility and causing the control apparatus to transmit control instructions to the device operations controller over the operations communication interface.