WO2019159059A1

WO2019159059A1 - Managing errors in a laboratory instrument

Info

Publication number: WO2019159059A1
Application number: PCT/IB2019/051118
Authority: WO
Inventors: Brian LITTMAN; Nilesh Kumar SINHA; Shani Dev MISHRA; Sreekumar SASIDHARAN
Original assignee: Beckman Coulter Inc.
Priority date: 2018-02-15
Filing date: 2019-02-12
Publication date: 2019-08-22

Abstract

Disclosed subject matter relates to laboratory instruments including a method of managing errors in a laboratory instrument, which includes detecting an error occurring in a laboratory instrument, from an event log including one or more events, determining whether the error is rectifiable, upon positive determination, solutions corresponding to the identified error are retrieved from a repository associated with the laboratory instrument and the solutions are arranged in a ranked list, and one or more solutions retrieved, are implemented based on the ranked list, to rectify the error in the laboratory instrument without any manual intervention, until the error is rectified.

Description

MANAGING ERRORS IN A LABORATORY INSTRUMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to laboratory instruments, and more specifically to diagnostic instruments.

BACKGROUND

Generally, laboratory instruments may encounter many errors during their usage. Usually, errors occurring in laboratory instruments may be constructional errors, configuration errors, calibration errors and the like. Typically, certain errors occurring in laboratory instruments may be solved by following a method or procedure suggested in a manual provided with the laboratory instrument, and few other errors may require mandatory inspection by Field Service Engineers (FSE) to fix the other errors. Generally, the errors occurring in laboratory instruments may be recorded as events in an event log, and based on the event log, the errors may be reported to FSEs, who inspects the laboratory instruments to fix these errors. However, in the midst of critical operations, waiting for FSEs to visit a location of the laboratory instrument to fix the errors may not be feasible due to an increase in turnaround time taken for fixing the errors, and an increase in instrument downtime. Usually, every visit of the FSEs for fixing or rectifying errors in the laboratory instrument may be a very expensive choice for an organization. Typically, in some other scenarios, time being wasted in consulting the manual to rectify an issue, and the laboratory instrument may be further prone to errors due to lack of expertise of the laboratory technicians in fixing the errors.

The present disclosure provides a method and a system for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument, preferably automatically, thereby ameliorating some of the current disadvantages.

The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the disclosure and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms prior art already known to a person skilled in the art SUMMARY

One or more shortcomings of the prior art may be overcome, and additional advantages may be provided through embodiments of the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages may be realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method of managing an error in a laboratory instrument. In one embodiment, the method includes detecting an error occurring in a laboratory instrument, from an event log. In a further embodiment, the event log comprises one or more events associated with the laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, the method includes determining whether the error identified is rectifiable without any human intervention (hereinafter also referred to as automatically). In a further embodiment, upon determination that the error is rectifiable automatically, the method includes retrieving one or more solutions corresponding to the identified error from a repository associated with the laboratory instrument and organizing the one or more solutions in a ranked list. In a further embodiment, the method includes selecting and implementing the one or more solutions retrieved, based on the ranked list, to rectify the error in the laboratory instrument without any manual intervention, until the error is rectified. A further embodiment includes a laboratory instrument configured to perform the method of managing an error in a laboratory instrument.

The foregoing summary is only illustrative in nature and is not intended to be in any way limiting on the embodiments disclosed herein. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DIAGRAMS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same reference numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG.l illustrates an exemplary architecture for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG.2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.3 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of a method of managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG.4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computer system for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.

In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily construed to be as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments that may be disclosed.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been illustrated by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that this is not intended to limit the disclosure to the forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

The terms“comprises”, “comprising”,“includes” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that includes a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by“comprises... a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method. Also, the words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open-ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms“a,”“an,” and“the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Embodiments disclosed herein may include a method and a system for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument. In some embodiments, the phrase "one or more errors" and the word "error" may be alternatively used. In one embodiment, the system may be a server/console associated with a laboratory instrument, capable of managing the one or more errors in the laboratory instrument. In some other embodiments, the method for managing one or more errors in the laboratory instrument may be described in conjunction with a server, and the method may also be implemented in various computing systems/devices, other than the server. In one embodiment, the one or more errors occurring in a laboratory instrument may be recorded in an event log that includes one or more events associated with the laboratory instrument. One embodiment may include a system for managing an error in a laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, the system may include a processor and a memory that is communicatively coupled to the processor. In a further embodiment, the memory may store processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, may cause the processor to detect an error occurring in a laboratory instrument, from an event log. In a further embodiment, the event log may include one or more events associated with the laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, the processor may determine whether the error may be rectified automatically. In a further embodiment, on determination that the error may be rectified automatically, the processor may retrieve one or more solutions corresponding to the error from a repository associated with the laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, a ranked list of the one or more solutions may be created. In a further embodiment, the processor may implement the one or more solutions retrieved, based on the ranked list, to rectify the error in the laboratory instrument without any manual intervention, until the error may be rectified.

A further embodiment may include a non-transitory computer readable medium including instructions stored thereon, which when processed by at least one processor may cause a system to perform operations that may include detecting an error occurring in a laboratory instrument, from an event log. In a further embodiment, the event log, may include one or more events associated with the laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, the instructions may further cause the processor to determine whether the error may be rectified automatically. In a further embodiment, on determination that the error may be rectified automatically, the instructions may cause the processor to retrieve one or more solutions corresponding to the error from a repository associated with the laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, a ranked list of the one or more solutions may be created. In a further embodiment, the instructions may cause the processor to implement the one or more solutions retrieved, based on the ranked list, to rectify the error in the laboratory instrument without any manual intervention, until the error is rectified.

In some embodiments, the one or more events recorded in the event log may be specific to the laboratory instrument. In some other embodiments, the one or more errors may be classified into automatically rectifiable and automatically not rectifiable categories. In some other embodiment, the one or more errors that are not automatically rectifiable may require interference of a Field Service Engineer (FSE) to rectify the one or more errors. In some embodiment, a user of the laboratory instrument may detect the one or more errors from the event log and select an error from the one or more errors in the event log. In an example embodiment, a user of the laboratory instrument may include, but not be limited to, a laboratory technician. In some other embodiments, upon selecting the error from the event log, the system may determine a classification associated with the error i.e. the system may determine whether the error is automatically rectifiable or not.

In some embodiments, if the error is determined to be automatically rectifiable (hereinafter also referred to as positive determination), the system may retrieve one or more solutions corresponding to the error from a repository associated with the laboratory instrument. In some other embodiments, the system may retrieve the one or more solutions from the repository based on an event Identifier (ID) of the one or more events. In some other embodiments, upon retrieving the one or more solutions, the laboratory instrument may organize or create the one or more solutions as a ranked list.

In some embodiments, a ranked list of one or more solutions may be based on priority of the one or more solutions relative to an error. In some other embodiments, a system may identify one or more optimal solutions from one or more solutions and arrange the one or more optimal solutions based on priority. In some other embodiments, priority of one or more solutions or one or more optimal solutions may be determined by a system automatically based on error rectification history of one or more errors or based on one or more errors that may have occurred before and after a currently selected error.

In some embodiments, priority of one or more solutions or one or more optimal solutions may be manually selected by a user. In some other embodiments, a system may implement one or more solutions retrieved, based on a ranked list sequentially, to rectify an error in a laboratory instrument without any manual intervention, until the error may be completely rectified. In some other embodiments, upon rectification of an error, a system may display a notification indicating a message, for example, "Error Rectified".

In some embodiments, a scenario where an error selected by a system may be determined to be not automatically rectifiable (also referred as negative determination), the system may display a notification indicating a message. In an example embodiment such a message may include "Error identified (Error Number) is not automatically rectifiable. Contact FSE". In some other embodiments, upon displaying a notification, the system may receive another selection of a user from one or more errors. In some other embodiments, one or more errors may be automatically selected by a system one after the other, without any manual interference.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a feature wherein one or more errors occurring in laboratory instruments, for example, " Beckman Coulter® Access 2", " Beckman Coulter® Dxl" and the like, may be automatically fixed without any manual interference. In some other embodiments, in a startup scenarios of a server/console where an event log may not be accessed or scenarios where a display of the server/console may be damaged, the present disclosure provides a feature wherein, the system automatically rectifies one or more errors without waiting for any user inputs. In some other embodiments, when a console/server is in active condition, the system indicates one or more errors that may have been rectified in the meantime and status of the one or more errors. In some other embodiments, the present disclosure may help in reducing frequent visits of a Field Service Engineer (FSE) for rectifying the one or more errors, thereby reducing high cost involved in rectifying the one or more errors. In certain other embodiments, the present disclosure may help in reducing a total turnaround time involved in rectifying one or more errors and also may reduce a total downtime of the laboratory instrument. In some other embodiments, the present disclosure may provide a feature wherein the system may be integrated with any laboratory instrument by configuring one or more solutions specific to the laboratory instrument. In some other embodiments, the present disclosure may provide a feature wherein the system may rectify one or more errors in the laboratory instrument from a remote location.

Reference is now made to FIG.l, which illustrates an exemplary architecture for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Architecture 100 includes user 101, laboratory instrument 103, server 105, error managing system 107 (also referred as system 107) and repository 108. Laboratory instrument 103 is associated with server 105 via a communication network (not shown in the FIG.l). Further, system 107 is configured in server 105. Server 105 may be a local server or a remote server. Further, laboratory instrument 103 is associated with repository 108, comprising one or more solutions related to one or more errors occurring in laboratory instrument 103. System 107 includes processor 109, Input/Output (I/O) interface 111 and memory 113. I/O interface 111 is configured to display an event log that includes one or more events associated with laboratory instrument 103. Further, the event log dynamically records one or more errors occurring in laboratory instrument 103. In some embodiments, processor 109 receives one or more messages from laboratory instrument 103 dynamically. The one or more messages indicate occurrence of one or more errors in laboratory instrument 103. Therefore, the event log dynamically records the one or more errors based on the one or more messages received from laboratory instrument 103. Further, processor 109 detects and selects an error from the one or more errors recorded in the event log.

Upon positive determination, i.e. if an error is determined to be automatically rectifiable, processor 109 retrieves one or more solutions corresponding to the error from repository 108. Further, processor 109 ranks the one or more solutions into a ranked list based on priority of the one or more solutions. Furthermore, processor 109 implements the one or more solutions retrieved, based on the ranked list, to rectify the error in laboratory instrument 103 without any manual intervention. Upon rectification of the error, the system displays a notification indicating a message, for example, "Error Rectified". Upon negative determination, i.e. if the error is determined to be not automatically rectifiable, I/O interface 111 displays a notification indicating a message, for example, "Error is not automatically rectifiable. Contact FSE". Upon displaying the notification, processor 109 proceeds to detect another error from the one or more errors.

In an example embodiment, laboratory instrument 103 may be "Beckman Coulter® Access 2", "Beckman Coulter® Dxl" and the like. In another example embodiment, server 105 may be a console such as a computer, a laptop, a desktop and the like. In some embodiments, the communication network may be at least one of, a wired communication network and a wireless communication network or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, repository 108 may be external to server 105. In an alternate embodiment, repository 108 may be configured in server 105. In some other embodiments, server 105 and repository 108 may be configured within laboratory instrument 103. In some embodiments, processor 109 may detect and select the error automatically based on one or more predefined settings. In an example embodiment, one or more predefined setting may include time stamp basis, sequential order of error occurrence, random order and the like. In an alternate embodiment, processor 109 may receive a user input for detecting and selecting the error. In some embodiments, user 101 may provide a user input, and the user may not be limited to, a laboratory technician. In a further embodiment, processor 109 may determine whether the error is automatically rectifiable. In some embodiments, processor 109 may identify one or more optimal solutions from the one or more solutions and arrange the one or more optimal solutions in a ranked list based on priority. In some embodiments, processor 109 may sequentially implement one or more solutions or one or more optimal solutions, until the identified error is rectified.

Reference is now made to FIG.2, which illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, system 107 may include data 203 and modules 205. As an example, data 203 is stored in memory 113 configured in system 107 as shown in the FIG.2. Data 203 may include classification data 211, solution data 213, error rectification history 215, ranked list 217, notification data 219, and other data 223. In the illustrated FIG.2, module 205 are described herein in detail.

Data 203 may be stored in memory 113 in form of various data structures. Additionally, data 203 may be organized using data models, such as relational or hierarchical data models. Other data 223 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by modules 205 for performing the various functions of system 107.

Data 203 stored in memory 113 may be processed by modules 205 of system 107. Modules 205 may be stored within memory 113. In an example, modules 205 is communicatively coupled to processor 109 configured in system 107, and may also be present outside memory 113 as shown in FIG.2 and implemented as hardware. As used herein, the term modules may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.

Modules 205 may include, for example, error detecting module 231, determining module 233, retrieving module 235, prioritizing module 237, solution implementing module 239, notification module 241 and other modules 245. Other modules 245 may be used to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of system 107. It will be appreciated that such aforementioned modules 205 may be represented as a single module or a combination of different modules.

Error detecting module 231 detects and selects an error from one or more errors recorded in an event log. The event log includes one or more events associated with laboratory instrument 103. Error detecting module 231 detects and selects an error automatically based on one or more predefined settings, for example, time stamp basis, sequential order of error occurrence, random order and the like. Alternatively, error detecting module 231 may receive a user input based on which error detecting module 231 may detect and select the error. In some embodiments, the one or more errors may be indicated using one or more indications in an event log such as an exclamatory mark, a cross mark, a colored background and the like. In some embodiments, different colors may be used to indicate different classifications of the one or more errors in the event log.

Further, determining module 233 determines whether the error is automatically rectifiable. In some embodiments, the one or more errors may be classified into automatically rectifiable and automatically not rectifiable. In some other embodiments, the one or more errors that are not automatically rectifiable may require manual interference such as interference of a Field Service Engineer (FSE) to rectify the one or more errors. Determining module 233 compares the selected error with a predefined list of one or more errors. The predefined list of one or more errors may be stored as classification data 211. Based on the comparison, determining module 233 determines the classification of the error.

In some embodiments, retrieving module 235 retrieves one or more solutions from a repository 108 associated with laboratory instrument 103. ETpon positive determination i.e. when an error is determined to be automatically rectifiable, retrieving module 235 maps an event Identifier (ID) corresponding to the error with an event ID corresponding to the one or more solutions in repository 108. Based on the mapping, retrieving module 235 retrieves the one or more solutions corresponding to the event ID. The one or more solutions thus retrieved from repository 108 may be stored as solution data 213. Further, retrieving module 235 identifies and retrieves one or more optimal solutions from the one or more solutions. In some embodiments, one or more optimal solutions may be the solutions that are best suited for rectifying the error. In some other embodiments, the one or more optimal solutions may be identified based on error rectification history 215 of the one or more errors.

In some embodiments, prioritizing module 237 ranks the one or more solutions or the one or more optimal solutions based on priority. Prioritizing module 237 determines the priority of the one or more solutions or the one or more optimal solutions, automatically, based on error rectification history 215. Alternatively, prioritizing module 237 may determine the priority based on the one or more errors that may have occurred before and after the currently selected error. Prioritizing module 237 may receive a priority as a user input i.e. the priority may be manually selected by user 101. Upon determining the priority, prioritizing module 237 creates ranked list 217.

Solution implementing module 239 implements the one or more solutions and the one or more optimal solutions based on the ranked list, sequentially. Solution implementing module 239 implements the one or more solutions or the one or more optimal solutions, without any manual intervention, until the error is rectified. In some embodiments, when the error is rectified, remaining of the one or more solutions or the one or more optimal solutions may not be implemented.

Notification module 241 displays a notification indicating rectification status. As an example, notification module 241 may display a message such as "Error rectified", upon rectifying the error. Further, when the error is determined to be not automatically rectifiable, notification module 241 displays a notification indicating a message, for example, "Error cannot be automatically rectifiable. Contact FSE". The messages may be pre-stored in system 107 as notification data 219. Upon displaying the notification, the error detecting module 231 detects and selects another error from the one or more errors recorded in the event log.

Server 105 comprising system 107 is inactive and user 101 is not be able to view the event log due to scenarios such as start-up delay, broken display and the like, system 107 may automatically select the one or more errors for rectification and perform the method as explained above to rectify the one or more errors. Further, when server 105 is in active mode, system 107 may notify user 101 about error status of the one or more errors that were selected for rectification when server 105 was inactive. Henceforth, the process of managing the one or more errors in the laboratory instrument is explained with the help of one or more examples for better understanding of the present disclosure. However, the one or more examples should not be considered as limitation of the present disclosure. Consider an exemplary event log as shown in the below Table 1.

Table 1

Consider system 107 detects and selects "RV cleanout error" as a first error to be processed for rectification. Consider that the event ID associated with the event of "RV cleanout error" is " 13253". System 107 may determine if the selected error "RV cleanout error" is automatically rectifiable. If system 107 obtains a positive determination, system 107 may identify and retrieve one or more solutions associated with the event ID "13253". System 107 determines that the error is automatically rectifiable, and system 107 may enable an autofix icon as an indicator that the error is being fixed. Further, system 107 may receive a user input through the autofix icon for running autocorrect method before retrieving one or more solutions from repository 108.

Consider that 10 solutions associated with the event ID " 13253" are retrieved from repository 108. System 107 may analyze error rectification history 215 to check if previously "RV cleanout error" was rectified. If the "RV cleanout error" was rectified previously, system 107 may identify the one or more solutions that were implemented for rectifying the error. Based on error rectification history 215, system 107 may choose 4 optimal solutions among the 10 solutions and may prioritize the 4 optimal solutions based on user input. Therefore, system 107 may generate the ranked list comprising the 4 optimal solutions arranged based on the priority. An exemplary ranked list of the optimal solutions is as shown below:

Solution 5

Solution 3

Solution 1 Solution 9

System 107 may implement the 4 optimal solutions sequentially, based on the ranked list, until the error is rectified. When the error is rectified, system 107 may display a notification indicating "Error rectified". Alternatively, if the error is not rectified upon implementing all the 4 optimal solutions, system 107 may display a notification indicating "Error not rectified. Would you like to implement remaining solutions?" ETpon receiving an input from user 101 to continue the process of rectifying the identified error, system 107 may implement the remaining of one or more solutions and accordingly notify user 101 regarding the error status.

Further, consider a scenario where system 107 obtains a negative determination. System 107 may display a notification indicating "Error cannot be automatically rectified.

Contact a field service engineer". Further, system 107 may proceed and select a next error "communication error" for processing.

Reference is now made to FIG.3, which illustrates a flowchart of a method of managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG.3, method 300 includes one or more blocks illustrating a method of managing one or more errors in laboratory instrument 103. Method 300 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform functions or implement abstract data types.

The order in which method 300 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement method 300. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method 300 can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

At block 301, method 300 may include detecting, by processor of a system , one or more errors occurring in laboratory instrument, from an event log. In some embodiments, the event log may include one or more events associated with laboratory instrument . At block 302, processor may check if the one or more errors are detected in the event log. If the one or more errors are detected in the event log, processor may proceed to block 303 via "Yes". If the one or more errors are not detected in the event log, processor may proceed to block 313 via "No". At block 313, processor may terminate method 300.

At block 303, method 300 may include selecting, by processor , an error from the one or more errors. Processor may select the error based on a user input received from user operating laboratory instrument . Processor may automatically select the error based on one or more predefined settings, for example, time stamp basis, sequential order of error occurrence, random order and the like.

At block 305, method 300 may include determining, by processor, whether the error is automatically rectifiable. If method 300 results in a positive determination, processor may proceed to block 307 via "Yes". If method 300 results in a negative determination, processor proceeds to block 311 via "No". At block 311, processor may display a notification indicating a message such as "The error cannot be automatically rectified. Contact a field service engineer". Upon displaying the notification, processor may proceed to block 313 to terminate method 300.

At block 307, method 300 may include, retrieving, by processor, one or more solutions corresponding to the error from repository associated with laboratory instrument. In some embodiments, one or more solutions may be retrieved based on an event Identifier (ID) of one or more events. In some other embodiments, processor may identify and retrieve one or more optimal solutions from one or more solutions. In some other embodiments, one or more optimal solutions may be solutions that are best suited for rectifying an identified error. In some other embodiments, processor may prioritize one or more solutions or one or more optimal solutions. In some other embodiments, processor may generate a ranked list including one or more solutions or one or more optimal solutions arranged based on the priority.

At block 309, method 300 may include, implementing, by processor, the one or more solutions or the one or more optimal solutions, based on the ranked list, to rectify the error in laboratory instrument without any manual intervention, until the error is rectified. In some embodiments, upon rectification of the error, processor may display a notification indicating a message such as "Error rectified".

Reference is now made to FIG.4, which illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computer system for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. FIG.4 illustrates a block diagram of exemplary computer system 400 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the computer system 400 can be system 107 that is used for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument 103. Computer system 400 may be interfaced with a laboratory information system (LIS) or a hospital information system (HIS) and/or a repository which may be part of the LIS/HIS or may be separate.

Computer system 400 may include central processing unit (“CPU” or“processor”) 402. Processor 402 may include at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user or system-generated business processes. A user may include a person, a person using a device such as such as those included in this invention, or such a device itself. Processor 402 may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.

Processor 402 may be disposed in communication with one or more input/output (I/O) devices (411 and 412) via EO interface 401. I/O interface 401 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, Video Graphics Array (VGA), IEEE 802. n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Global System For Mobile Communications (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc. Using EO interface 401, computer system 400 may communicate with one or more input devices 411 and output devices 412. For example, input device 411 may be an antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control, camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric reader, microphone, touch screen, touchpad, trackball, stylus, scanner, storage device, transceiver, video device/source, etc. Output device 412 may be a printer, fax machine, video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), plasma, Plasma display panel (PDP), Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED) or the like), audio speaker, etc.

Processor 402 may be disposed in communication with communication network 409 via network interface 403. Network interface 403 may communicate with communication network 409. Network interface 403 may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), Transmission Control Protocol/Intemet Protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802. l la/b/g/n/x, etc. Using network interface 403 and communication network 409, computer system 400 may communicate with repository 410a and server 410b. Communication network 409 can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet or Local Area Network (LAN) and such within the organization. Communication network 409 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Intemet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, communication network 409 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc. Server 410b may include, but not limited to, a computer, a laptop, a desktop and a tablet. In some embodiments, processor 402 may be disposed in communication with memory 405 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc. not shown in FIG.4) via storage interface 404. Storage interface 404 may connect to memory 405 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE- 1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fibre channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

Memory 405 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, user interface 406, operating system 407, web browser 408 etc. In some embodiments, computer system 400 may store user/application data, such as the data, variables, records, etc. as described in this invention. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle ® or Sybase®.

Operating system 407 may facilitate resource management and operation of computer system 400. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE^® MACINTOSH^® OS X^®, UNIX^®, UNIX-like system distributions (E G., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION^® (BSD), FREEBSD^®, NETBSD^®, OPENBSD, etc ), LINUX^® DISTRIBUTIONS (E G., RED HAT^®, UBUNTU^®, KUBUNTU^®, etc ), IBM^®OS/2^®, MICROSOFT^® WINDOWS^® (XP^®, VISTA^®/7/8, 10 etc ), APPLE^® IOS^®, GOOGLE™ ANDROID™, BLACKBERRY^® OS, or the like. User interface 406 may facilitate display, execution, interaction, manipulation, or operation of program components through textual or graphical facilities. For example, user interfaces may provide computer interaction interface elements on a display system operatively connected to computer system 400, such as cursors, icons, check boxes, menus, scrollers, windows, widgets, etc. Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) may be employed, including, without limitation, Apple^® Macintosh^® operating systems’ Aqua^®, IBM^® OS/2^®, Microsoft^® Windows^® (e.g., Aero, Metro, etc.), web interface libraries (e.g., ActiveX^®, Java^®, Javascript^®, AJAX, HTML, Adobe^® Flash^®, etc.), or the like.

Computer system 400 may implement web browser 408 stored program components. Web browser 408 may be a hypertext viewing application, such as MICROSOFT^® INTERNET EXPLORER^®, GOOGLE™ CHROME™, MOZILLA^® FIREFOX^®, APPLE^® SAFARI^®, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers 408 may utilize facilities such as AJAX, DHTML, ADOBE^® FLASH^®, JAVASCRIPT^®, JAVA^®, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. Computer system 400 may implement a mail server stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP, ACTIVEX^®, ANSI^® C++/C#, MICROSOFT^®, NET, CGI SCRIPTS, JAVA^®, JAVASCRIPT^®, PERL^®, PHP, PYTHON^®, WEBOBJECTS^®, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT^® exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, the computer system 400 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLE^® MAIL, MICROSOFT^® ENTOURAGE^®, MICROSOFT^® OUTLOOK^®, MOZILLA^® THUNDERBIRD ", etc.

Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term“computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc (CD) ROMs, Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method and a system for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, the present disclosure provides a feature wherein the one or more errors occurring in laboratory instruments, for example, " Beckman Coulter® Access 2", "Beckman Coulter® Dxl" and the like, can be automatically fixed without any manual interference. In a further embodiment, in a startup scenario of a server/console where an event log cannot be accessed or scenarios where a display is damaged, the present disclosure provides a feature wherein, a system automatically rectifies the one or more errors without waiting for user inputs. In a further embodiment, when a consol e/server is in active condition, a system may indicate one or more errors that may have been rectified in the meantime and status of the one or more errors. In a further embodiment, the present disclosure facilitates in reducing high expenses involved in rectifying the one or more errors. In a further embodiment, the present disclosure facilitates in reducing a total turnaround time involved in rectifying one or more errors and also may reduce a total downtime of a laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, the present disclosure provides a feature wherein a system may be integrated with any laboratory instrument by configuring one or more solutions specific to the laboratory instrument. In a further embodiment, the present disclosure provides a feature wherein a system may rectify one or more errors in the laboratory instrument from a remote location. As described herein a description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be apparent that more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be apparent that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the disclosure need not include the device itself.

The specification describes a method and a system for managing one or more errors in a laboratory instrument. The illustrated steps are set out to explain exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that on-going technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not as a limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments.

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the disclosure, which is set forth in the following claims.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method of managing an error in a laboratory instrument (103), the method comprising: detecting an error occurring in a laboratory instrument (103), from an event log, wherein the event log comprises one or more events associated with the laboratory instrument (103); determining whether the detected error is rectifiable; upon positive determination, retrieving one or more solutions corresponding to the error from a repository (108) associated with the laboratory instrument (103) and creating a ranked list (217) of the one or more solutions; and implementing the one or more solutions retrieved, based on the ranked list (217), to rectify the detected error in the laboratory instrument (103) without any manual intervention, until the error is rectified.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises displaying a notification indicating a rectification status of the error upon rectification of the error.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises identifying one or more optimal solutions from the one or more solutions, wherein the one or more optimal solutions are arranged based on priority for sequential implementation.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more solutions are retrieved from the repository (108) based on an event Identifier (ID) of the one or more events.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises determining whether the error is automatically rectifiable, and on negative determination, receiving a user (101) selection for rectification of the error.

6. A laboratory instrument (103) configured to perform the method as claimed in any of the preceding claims 1 to 5.

7. A system (107) for managing an error in a laboratory instrument (103), the system (107) comprising: a processor (109); and

a memory (113) communicatively coupled to the processor (109), wherein the memory (113) stores the processor-executable instructions, which, on execution, causes the processor (109) to:

detect an error occurring in a laboratory instrument (103), from an event log, wherein the event log comprises one or more events associated with the laboratory instrument (103); determine whether the detected error is rectifiable; upon positive determination, retrieve one or more solutions corresponding to the error from a repository (108) associated with the laboratory instrument (103) and creating a ranked list (217) of the one or more solutions; and implement the one or more solutions retrieved, based on the ranked list (217), to rectify the detected error in the laboratory instrument (103) without any manual intervention, until the error is rectified.

8. The system (107) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor (109) is further configured to display a notification indicating a rectification status of the error upon rectification of the error.

9. The system (107) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor (109) is further configured to identify one or more optimal solutions from the one or more solutions, wherein the one or more optimal solutions are arranged based on priority for sequential implementation.

10. The system (107) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processor (109) determines whether the error is automatically rectifiable, and on negative determination, the processor (109) receives a user (101) selection for rectification of the error.