The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 23, 1999
Filed:
Aug. 22, 1997
Satoshi Ozawa, Musashino, JP;
Kootaroo Yamashita, Hachiouji, JP;
Yuji Miyahara, Kodaira, JP;
Toshiyuki Ikeda, Hitachinaka, JP;
Hitachi, Ltd., Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An automatic processing system and method which has high flexibility, extendibility and failure resistance. An automatic processing system and method that provides for the decentralized control of processings of plural samples. The invention combines a plurality of processing instruments and makes use of sample containers for each sample. Each sample container includes an information processing mechanism, a memory mechanism and a communication mechanism. The sample container has stored therein an abstract processing procedure, and determines, based on information concerning the processing instruments obtained from the processing instruments and the abstract processing procedure, a processing procedure for processing the sample. Thereafter, the processing instruments process the sample based on the processing procedure determined by the sample container. The processing procedure of each sample container can allow for performing priority, and cooperative and concerted operations among the processing instruments and the sample containers.