Patent ID: 7356417

Claim:
A method of collecting data about a plurality of samples that possess characteristics that change over time, the samples being contained in an array of containers that are arranged in a container spatial relationship, the method comprising: displaying for user input a matrix of cells in a cell spatial relationship that corresponds to the container spatial relationship; and accepting user input into at least one of the cells of the matrix that is displayed, of at least one value of at least one of the characteristics that change over time for at least one of the samples that corresponds to the at least one of the cells in the matrix that is displayed wherein the displaying is preceded by: storing in a database, a plurality of past values of the characteristics of the plurality of samples that were collected during at least one past time interval; storing in a rule base, a plurality of rules that determine whether a characteristic of a sample is to be collected and, if so, that identify the characteristic which is to be collected, based on values of characteristics of samples; applying the plurality of rules that are stored in the rule base to the plurality of past values that are stored in the database to identify target samples from which data is to be collected from the plurality of samples and to identify at least one target characteristic to be collected for the target samples that are identified; and wherein the displaying comprises displaying the matrix of cells for the at least one target characteristic to be collected in the target samples from which data is to be collected.