Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
  • G06Q10/02—Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q50/00—Information and communication technology [ICT] specially adapted for implementation of business processes of specific business sectors, e.g. utilities or tourism
  • G06Q50/10—Services
  • G06Q50/22—Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
  • G01N35/02—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor using a plurality of sample containers moved by a conveyor system past one or more treatment or analysis stations
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
  • G07F11/46—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports
  • G07F11/58—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from movable storage containers or supports the articles being supported on or by endless belts or like conveyors
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
  • G07F17/0092—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H10/00—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data
  • G16H10/40—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01L—CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE
  • B01L3/00—Containers or dishes for laboratory use, e.g. laboratory glassware; Droppers
  • B01L3/54—Labware with identification means
  • B01L3/545—Labware with identification means for laboratory containers
  • B01L3/5453—Labware with identification means for laboratory containers for test tubes

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a queuing system for hospital laboratories and other places, in which blood samples, urine samples and the like are collected.
• the person from whom the samples are to be collected will draw a number for a queuing system and then wait for his/her turn to go to a counter to be registered by a member of the staff.
• the staff member will then enter personal identification data for the person into a computer system, in which the samples to be collected from this person are registered in order to check, which samples are to be collected.
• a sampling form (a so-called PTB) is printed containing patient information and the patient is either called out through an internal queue system using this PTB or the PTB is given to the patient and he/she is called out by a queue number.
• this medical laboratory assistant When a medical laboratory assistant is ready to collect the samples, this medical laboratory assistant calls out the patient, either by name or by queue number, and confirms the patients ID against the PTB. The same medical laboratory assistant prepares the relevant sample containers with appropriate marking and collect the samples.
• the present invention relates to a queuing system for hospital laboratories and similar places, which queuing system is arranged to automatically dispense relevant sample containers to a person and comprises one or more operator terminals, a sample container collecting and labelling system, a mechanical conveyor for transporting sample containers from the sample container collecting and labelling system to the one or more operator terminals and an electronic controller arranged to be able to receive identification data from persons through the one or more operator terminals, communicate with a booking system holding data regarding previously requested biologic samples, such as blood samples or urine samples, to be collected from the different persons, allocate queue numbers, communicate with the automatic sample container collecting and labelling system, and control the motion of the mechanical conveyor, wherein each of the operator terminals comprises data entering means for registration of identification data of a person and a dispensing opening for dispensing sample containers to the person.
• a queuing system is advantageous in a number of ways. For instance, it saves the staff members for a substantially amount of work, it improves the ergonomic aspect for the staff, who avoids the repetitive movements related to labelling the sample containers, it reduces the number of
• sample container refers to containers, suc as for instance blood sample tubes or urine sample tubes, for storing and handling biological samples from a person
• the data entering means comprises one or more of the following: a touchscreen, an optical reader, an electronic card reader or a keypad.
• each person carries an electronic ID card, from which data identifying the person can be read automatically by the operator terminal using magnetic or optical means. If such an ID card or another physical medium carrying data, which can be automatically read, is not available, identification data, for instance in the form of a civil registration number or a personal identification number, can be entered via a touchscreen or a keypad.
• the mechanical conveyor comprises a transportation crib and a horizontal linear guide.
• the mechanical conveyor is able to deliver the sample containers to a number of different operator terminals arranged next to each other.
• the queuing system further comprises a vertical linear guide
• the mechanical conveyor further comprises a vertical linear guide
• the outlet from the sample container collecting and labelling system can be arranged beneath the inlet to the dispensing chutes of the operator terminals, and the queuing system may ⁇ be equipped with operator terminals arranged in different heights, the lowermost of which could, for instance, be adapted to be used by wheelchair users.
• the transportation crib is tillable.
• Tilting the transportation crib is a simple and reliable way of causing sample containers conveyed therein to slide into a dispensing chute of an operator terminal.
• each of the relevant sample containers is labelled with identification data for the person, from whom the given sample is to be collected, as well as the type/purpose of the sample to be stored in the given sample container.
• the relevant sample containers are dispensed in one or more closed packings, such as for instance plastic bags.
• sample containers may be distributed in two or more packings.
• the one or more closed packings are labelled with the name of the person, from whom the samples are to be collected, and/or a queue number.
• Labelling the one or more closed packings with the name of the person also reduces the risk of errors and loss of sample containers. Furthermore, the closed packing(s), which the person is going to take care of anyway until the samples are actually collected, is a well-suited place to put the queue number, which will then not be forgotten.
• Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the operator terminal shown in Fig. 1,
• Fig. 3 is a rear side view of the operator terminal shown in Figs. 1 and 2,
• Fig. 4 is a front view of a module of a queuing system with an operator terminal according to an embodiment of the invention, is an oblique rear view of a modular queuing system according to an
• Fig. 6 is a rear view of the modular queuing system shown in Fig. 5, and is a side view of the modular queuing system shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Detailed description of the invention
• Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an operator terminal J of a queuing system 8 according to an embodiment of the invention.
• the operator terminai 1 comprises a housing 2, in which a touchscreen 3 and an electronic card reader 4 are mounted.
• the operator terminal 1 can comprise other types of data entering means, such as for instance an optical reader for reading data from a variety of different physical data carriers and/or a keypad (not shown).
• a dispensing chute 5 extends through the operator terminal 1 ending in a dispensing opening 6 on the front thereof, from which a person can collect one or more packings (not shown) with relevant sample containers.
• a part of the housing 2 covers the lowermost part of the dispensing opening 6, which prevents packings passing down the dispensing chute 5 from continuing out through the dispensing opening 6 and falling onto the floor.
• the dispensing opening 6 can be covered by some form of lid (not shown), which must be opened before the closed packing(s) can be removed from the operator terminal 1.
• an operator terminal 1 combines a queuing system 8 with the possibility to automatically dispense the relevant sample containers for different kinds of biological samples to be collected directly to the person, from whom the samples are to be collected.
• Calculations have shown that up to 75 % of the work load of the staff members working in blood sample collecting laboratories relates to tasks, which can be handled by a queuing system 8 according to the present invention.
• Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the operator terminal 1 shown in Fig.
• Fig. 3 is a rear side view of the operator terminal 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
• Fig. 4 is a front view of a module 7 of a queuing system 8 with an operator terminal 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.
• This figures shows schematically how a user will experience a queuing system 8 comprising only a single operator terminal 1.
• the queuing system 8 can comprise one or more such modules 7, each having an operator terminal 1 mounted in the front side thereof.
• Fig. 5 is an oblique rear view of a modular queuing system 8 according to an embodiment of the invention.
• the illustrated queuing system comprises three substantially equal modules 7, behind which a mechanical conveyor 10-12 and an automatic blood sample tube collecting and labelling system 9 is arranged.
• control cabinet 13 comprising an electronic controller.
• the mechanical conveyor comprises a transportation crib 10, a horizontal linear guide 11, a vertical linear guide 12 and a motor and is arranged to move the transportation crib 10 along the horizontal linear guide 11 and the vertical linear guide 12, respectively.
• a first position of the transportation crib 10 it is placed under or aligned with an outlet (not shown) from the automatic blood sample tube collecting and labelling system 9, so that one or more packings (not shown) with blood sample tubes from this system 9 can be placed within the transportation crib 10.
• the transportation crib 10 is moved to a second position, through a sidewards motion along the horizontal linear guide 11 until it is aligned with the dispensing chute 5 of that operator terminal 1 and an upwards motion along the vertical linear guide until it is above the inlet of that dispensing chute 5.
• the transportation crib 10 When the second position has been reached, the transportation crib 10 is tilted, causing the one or more packings conveyed therein to fall down through the dispensing chute 5 to be collected by the person waiting for the one or more packings.
• other solutions such as for instance a mechanical pushing mechanism, may be used for moving the one or more packings from the transportation crib 10 into the dispensing chute 5.
• the motion of the transportation crib 10 in the sideward and upward directions, respectively, can be performed in any order or simultaneously.
• the mechanical conveyor is driven by a motor, preferably a servomotor, which can be equipped with a gearing.
• the automatic blood sample tube collecting and labelling system 9 is arranged to be able to collect the right types and number of blood sample tubes and label them individually according to instructions from the electronic controller (not shown) of the queuing system 8.
• a similar system handling urine sample tubes or other containers for biological samples can replace or supplement the blood sample tube collecting and labelling system 9.
• Fig. 6 is a rear view of the modular queuing system 8 shown in Fig. 5, in which the dispensing chutes 5 have been omitted.
• Fig. 7 is a side view of the same modular queuing system 8, in which a part of the operator terminal I is shown in a cross-sectional view.
• a typical functional cycle at a queuing system 8 according to the invention can be performed as follows:
• identification data through scanning a physical data carrier, such as for instance a health insurance card, or by entering the required data manually using a keypad on the operator terminal 1.
• a physical data carrier such as for instance a health insurance card
• the entered data is sent to the electronic controller of the queuing system 8 along with data identifying the operator terminal 1, from which the data is sent.
• the electronic controller communicates with a booking system and/or an information system to establish whether one or more samples are requested to be collected from the person identified by the personal identification data received from the operator terminal
• a message is sent to the relevant operator terminal 1 requesting the person waiting there to ask a staff member for further assistance.
• the electronic controller allocates a queue number to the person waiting at the operator terminal 1 and sends this queue number to the automatic sample container collecting and labelling system 9 along with information on the number and types of sample containers to be collected and the different texts, with which the individual containers must be labelled.
• the automatic sample container collecting and labelling system 9 collects and labels the relevant sample containers, gathers them in a closed packing, such as for instance a plastic bag, together with instructions for the medical laboratory assistant, who is going to collect the samples.
• the closed packing is labelled with the name of the person, from whom the samples are to be collected, a list of the sample containers within the closed packing and the queue number. In cases where many sample containers are to be used, they may be arranged in two or more closed packings.
• the automatic sample container collecting and labelling system 9 sends information to the electronic controller that the closed packing is ready, and the electronic controller sends the proper instaictions to the mechanical conveyor (10-12) to make sure that the packing is transported from the outlet of the automatic sample container collecting and labelling system 9 to the dispensing chute 5 of the relevant operator terminal 1.
• the person waiting there collects the closed packing from the dispensing opening 6 and waits in a waiting room until the queue number is called out.
• the person, from whom the samples are to be collected brings the closed packing to the sample collection room and hands it over to the medical laboratory assistant, who is going to collect the samples. List of reference numbers

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Tourism & Hospitality (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
• Biochemistry (AREA)
• Strategic Management (AREA)
• Marketing (AREA)
• General Business, Economics & Management (AREA)
• Human Resources & Organizations (AREA)
• Economics (AREA)
• Pathology (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
• Primary Health Care (AREA)
• Immunology (AREA)
• Child & Adolescent Psychology (AREA)
• Development Economics (AREA)
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation (AREA)
• Operations Research (AREA)
• Quality & Reliability (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Automatic Analysis And Handling Materials Therefor (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=62624770

Family Applications (1)

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• 2016
  • 2016-12-21 DK DKPA201671014A patent/DK179450B1/en active IP Right Grant
• 2017
  • 2017-12-19 EP EP17818044.4A patent/EP3559676A1/de not_active Ceased
  • 2017-12-19 RU RU2019122825A patent/RU2019122825A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2017-12-19 WO PCT/DK2017/050444 patent/WO2018113886A1/en unknown

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