System for the storage and traceability of biological specimen holders

Abstract

The device for the storage and traceability of biological specimens placed in holders is provided with identification information in the form of encoded data. The device includes at least one tray provided with a plurality of cells for the storage of the holders provided with storage housings for the holders, at least one apparatus for reading encoded data and determining data relative to the location of each holder within the receptacle, and a computerized processor for the data read and determined by the apparatus. The is a device for recognizing an empty housing within the receptacle defined by a detector for a physical characteristic of the bottom of the cell or an element secured to this bottom.

Claims

1. A system for storage and tracing biological specimens, the system comprising: a tray being comprised of a plurality of cells, wherein each cell is comprised of a bottom and a peripheral wall above said bottom, and wherein said bottom is comprised of an end segment, a planar central segment, and a curved end segment, said planar central segment being between said end segment and said curved end segment so as to define a zone below said planar central segment; a first secured element placed on said curved end segment of each cell; a second secured element placed on said end segment of each cell; and a slide being comprised of a specimen end and an encoded data end opposite said specimen end, a biological specimen being placed on said specimen end, encoded data being placed on said encoded data end, said slide being removably placed in at least one cell of said plurality of cells so as to cover said second secured element with said biological specimen and said first secured element with said encoded data when said slide is within a respective cell, wherein said encoded data end is moveable within said zone so as to be tiltable into said zone during removal from said at least one cell of said plurality of cells.

2. The system for storage and tracing, according to claim 1, wherein said first secured element is comprised of at least one of a group consisting of a shaped volume on said curved end segment and encoded data on said curved end segment, and wherein said second secured element is comprised of at least one of a group consisting of a shaped volume on said end segment and encoded data on said end segment.

3. The system for storage and tracing, according to claim 2, wherein said shaped volume extends downward from a surface of said curved end segment.

4. The system for storage and tracing, according to claim 1, wherein said slide has a slide depth.

5. The system for storage and tracing, according to claim 4, wherein each cell has a cell depth from said bottom to an upper edge of said peripheral wall, said cell depth being at least equal to said slide depth.

6. The system for storage and tracing, according to claim 1, wherein said slide is rectangular.

7. The system for storage and tracing, according to claim 1, wherein said bottom has a bottom length, said planar central segment being two thirds length of said bottom length.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will be better understood upon reading the description done in reference to the appended figures, provided as non-limiting examples.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a tray defining an embodiment variant of the receptacle according to the invention, including a plurality of solid cells of biological specimens slides and several empty cells.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 1 illustrating the removal of a sampled slide.

(5) FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of two trays of FIG. 1, superimposed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) As indicated above, the present invention relates to a system for the storage and traceability of biological specimens 1 sampled from a patient, an animal, or even a plant, for medical research or analysis work.

(7) The following disclosure relates to the application of such a system 1 a to the traceability of biological specimens 1 provided with identification information in the form of encoded data 2, during their analysis phase in a pathology department, during which they are conveyed on slides 3 having a specimen end 3a and an encoded data end 3b, conventionally of rectangular parallelepiped shape, stored in tray-forming receptacles 4 having a plurality of cells 5 organized in columns 6 and rows 7. However, it is clear that the system according to the invention is studied to be suitable for all of the steps of the lifetime of such biological specimens 1, from their collection to their destruction.

(8) Conventionally, the system according to the invention includes at least one apparatus (not illustrated) including at least one cavity configured to temporarily accommodate a receptacle, such as a tray 4. The system is configured for a means for reading encoded data 2 and determining data relative to the location of each slide 3 within the tray 4. In the case at hand, in the illustrated example, the latter correspond to the locations in terms of columns 6 and rows 7 occupied by the cells 5 in which the slides 3 are housed on the tray 4. More specifically, in this example, the tray 4 contains fifteen slides 3 of biological specimens 1, while the cells 5 occupying rows F, I, J of the column 1 and those occupying rows E and G of column 2 are empty.

(9) Furthermore, the system according to the invention is also configured for a computer processing means (not shown) for the data read and determined by the apparatus or means for reading encoded data.

(10) According to the invention, the system is a means for recognizing an empty housing within said receptacle, and therefore an empty cell 5 within the tray 4.

(11) In reference to the figures, the cells 5 are designed to be able to house each slide 3 by nesting and are delimited by a bottom 9 topped by a peripheral wall 10. In order to allow the reading apparatus to recognize an empty cell 5, there is a secured element 11, 13, (a first secured element 11a, 13a, a second secured element 11b, 13b) on the bottom 9. The system is configured for the means for reading encoded data, such as a means for detecting a physical characteristic of the bottom 9 of a cell 5 or of an element 11, 13 secured to this bottom 9, which can be provided in the context of the invention.

(12) Thus, according to one conceivable variant embodiment, the bottom 9 of a cell 5 can include two volumes 11 (a first secured element 11a, a second secured element 11b), for example star-shaped, extending in relief or hollow on its face 12 designed to receive the slide 3 bearing the biological specimen 1, the reading apparatus then being equipped with means for detecting said volume, mounted in said receiving cavity on the tray 3.

(13) According to one alternative solution, the bottom 9 of each cell 5 can include information representative of its emptiness, for example in the form of encoded data 13, printed on discs affixed on the bottom 9 or printed directly on the bottom 9, and able to be read by the encoded data reading means included by the reading apparatus. A character detector of the “OCR” (optical character recognition) type could also be provided, able to conclude on an absence of slide 3, if characters are detected printed directly on the bottom 9 or on labels adhered thereon (not illustrated).

(14) It should be noted that in these examples, the volumes 11, encoded data 13 or printed characters are implanted on the bottom 9 of the cells 5 so as to be hidden, on the one hand by the encoded data 2 and on the other hand by the biological specimen 1 included by the slides 3, when they are in the cells 5 (cf. FIG. 1). Thus, the volumes 11, encoded data 13 or printed characters are only detected in case of empty cells 5 and their detection is therefore immediately interpreted by the computer processing means as being representative of such an empty cell 5.

(15) One additional solution proposed by the present invention in order to allow the recognition by the reading apparatus of an empty cell 5 consists of equipping the latter with a gray level sensor mounted in the receiving cavity of the tray 4, and configured to recognize a gray level representative of an empty cell 5, by defining different gray levels detected in case of presence of a slide 3. In practice, to that end, the camera with which the reading apparatus, which conventionally includes the device according to the invention, is equipped, will be used. Thus, the computer processing means of the latter will be configured to compare the gray levels of an image of a tray 4 containing slides 3 read by the camera, with the gray levels of a control image read beforehand by this same camera while the tray 4 was empty. A match between the gray levels of a cell 5 of the control image and the gray levels of a cell 5 of a tray 4 being read being synonymous with an absence of slide in this same cell, no reading error information will be delivered, which makes it possible to free the operator from a verification step. In short, such a verification will only prove necessary in the case where the computer processing means identify both a read error of the encoded data 2 and an absence of match between the gray levels of a cell 5 of the control image and the gray levels of a cell 5 of a tray 4 being read, indicating the presence of a slide 3.

(16) In the tray 4 illustrated in the figures, each cell 5 has a depth p, comprised between the upper edge 18 of its peripheral wall 18 and the face 12 of the central segment 14 of the bottom 9, at least equal to the thickness p1 of a slide 3 of biological specimen 1. Thus, when such a slide 3 is housed in a cell 5, it has no zone emerging outside the latter, capable of being exposed to any untimely impacts or scraping that risk damaging it. Such a feature therefore makes it possible to ensure the structural integrity of the slides 3 housed in the cells 5.

(17) In order to improve the gripping of a slide 3 housed in a cell 5, the bottom 9 of the cell 5 has further been designed so as to have a planar central segment 14 extended by two end segments 15, 16, the end segment 16 of which is also planar, while the curved end segment 15 is curved so as to arrange at least one zone 15a with play 17, extending below the plane passing through the central segment 14 and delimited by the peripheral wall 10 and the bottom 9 of the cell 5. The first secured element 11a, 13a is placed on the curved end segment 15 of each cell. The second secured element 11b, 13b placed on said end segment 16 of each cell.

(18) Additionally, in order to guarantee that when idle, a slide 3 housed in a cell 5 remains flat, the end segments 16 and the central segment 14 extend together over a length L1 equal to ⅔ of the length L of the cell 5. Any risk of breaking of a slide 3 during its removal, related to an overly abrupt movement is avoided owing to the fact that the curved end segment 15 preferably has a curve radius allowing a tilting of a slide housed in the cell bearing tangentially along the curved end segment (cf. FIG. 3). Of course, a structure can also be considered in which the bottom of each cell is only planar along its central segment, while both of its end segments are curved. In this case, the gripping of a slide is further optimized because it can be done indifferently by either of its ends, with the same level of gentleness.

(19) As illustrated in FIG. 4, the tray 4 is advantageously molded so as to be able to be stacked easily with an identical tray 4. To that end, in the illustrated variant embodiment, its upper face 19 includes a plurality of ribs 20 of triangular section, formed along each row 7 in the extension of the peripheral wall 10 of each cell 5, while its lower face 21 includes a plurality of grooves 22 of “V”-shaped section complementary to that of the ribs 20, and extending parallel thereto, along tabs 23 extending the lower face 21. Such a feature allows better organization within biological analysis laboratories and optimization of the space available for the storage and warehousing of the slides 3 while ensuring the protection thereof.

(20) It should further be noted that the device according to the present invention is preferably completed by means designed to be able to guarantee a total insertion of a receptacle such as the tray 4 into the cavity that it includes, before the implementation of its means for reading encoded data 2 13 [sic] and determining location data, the nature of which has been specified above.

(21) To that end, the reading apparatus can for example be equipped with an optical fork designed to be able to detect a pair of orifices (not illustrated) arranged on an edge of the tray 4.

(22) Furthermore, the reading apparatus to be able to be equipped with means for identifying the type of receptacle inserted into said cavity, so as to cause the commissioning, if applicable, of reading means dedicated to a given type of receptacle.