A method of operating an automated analytical system

• Main Authors: HENDRICK, KENDALL, B, KANEWSKE, WILLIAM, J.III, SMITH, JANE, B, CLIFT, GILBERT, MCDOWELL, DOUGLAS, D, PENNINGTON, CHARLES, D, CLARK, FREDERIC, L, MARTIN, RICHARD, R, WALKER, DONNY RAY, TAYI, APPARAO, YOST, DAVID, A, WALKER, EDNA, S, MERRIAM, RICHARD, A, RUMBAUGH, WILLIAM, A, CLEMENS, JOHN, M, MITCHELL, JAMES, E, VAUGHT, JAMES, A, LAGOCKI, PETER, A, MOORE, LARRY, W
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 07.06.2006
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; CHEMISTRY; CONTROLLING; DISPENSING, DELIVERING OR TRANSFERRING LIQUIDS, NOT OTHERWISEPROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; ENZYMOLOGY; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULARARTICLES; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LIQUID HANDLING; MEASURING; MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUIDLEVEL; METALLURGY; METERING BY VOLUME; MICROBIOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; OPENING, CLOSING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SPIRITS; SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; VINEGAR; WINE; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

The invetion relates to a method of operating an automated analytical system comprising the steps of identifying interactions between steps in a random access system, allowing for random access processing, randomly inserting and removing pipetting steps from a prescheduled timeline, and continuing operations of scheduling of events while performing analytical steps. The interactions are cross-contamination of liquid test samples or reagents within an analytical system for the analysis of test samples, and the random inserting and removing pipetting steps from a prescheduled timeline comprises the steps of inserting and removing pipetting steps from a processing timeline while maintaining control over cross-contamination.