1. A device for collection of a fluid sample, comprising a barrel having an opening at one end thereof, a plunger operable axially within the barrel, said barrel and said plunger defining a fluid chamber having a volume which varies on axial movement of the plunger within the barrel, and a flexible, hollow, elongate catheter extending from the fluid chamber through said opening in the barrel, said catheter being sufficiently flexible so as to be adapted to bend and follow the conformation of an internal cavity upon encountering walls of said cavity during insertion into said cavity without damaging tissue of said cavity, said catheter further being in operative engagement with said plunger for axial movement to extend and retract the catheter within respect to the barrel on axial movement of the plunger, and said catheter being in fluid communication with the fluid chamber so as to provide fluid flow to and from the fluid chamber through the catheter during extending and retracting, respectively, of the catheter.
2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said catheter extends into a chamber in the plunger which is in fluid communication with said fluid chamber.
3. A device according to claim 1, wherein one end of said catheter is attached to said plunger and said catheter is provided with perforations in the wall thereof at or near the end thereof attached to the plunger for fluid communication with said fluid chamber.
4. A device according to claim 1, wherein one end of said catheter is attached to said plunger and the end of said catheter remote from the plunger is sealed, and the catheter is provided with perforations in the wall thereof at or near the sealed end for passage of fluid in and out of the hollow catheter.
5. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a filter located in the fluid flow path to and from the fluid chamber through the hollow catheter.
6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the filter is adapted to substantially remove cells and cellular debris from a fluid in said fluid flow path.
7. A device according to claim 5, wherein the filter is located in the hollow catheter.
8. A device according to claim 5, wherein the filter is located in the plunger.
9. A device according to claim 5, wherein the filter is located in the barrel.
10. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a return device located between the barrel and the plunger of the device.
11. A device according to claim 1, further comprising means for rotating the plunger on axial movement of the plunger within the barrel of the device.
12. A device according to claim 11, wherein said means for rotating is adapted to rotate the plunger from 90\xb0 to 360\xb0 on full axial movement of the plunger within the barrel.
13. A device according to claim 1, further comprising means for collecting a sample of cells or cellular debris, said means being located on said barrel at or adjacent to said opening at one end thereof.
14. A device according to claim 13 wherein said means for collecting a sample of cells or cellular debris comprises a brush or brush-like device.
15. A method for collection of a fluid sample from an internal cavity of a mammal, said method comprising:
(i) locating a distal end of a flexible, hollow, elongate catheter at an opening of the internal cavity;
(ii) penetrating into the internal cavity by moving the catheter into the cavity while simultaneously passing wash fluid through the hollow catheter to wash at least a portion of the surface of the internal cavity during said penetrating; and
(iii) subsequently retracting the catheter from the cavity while simultaneously collecting a fluid sample by aspirating the wash fluid through the hollow catheter during said retracting.
16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the mammal is a human.
17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the internal cavity is the uterus of a human female, and the fluid sample is a uterine wash sample.
18. A method according to claim 15, comprising the further step of filtering the fluid sample to substantially remove cells and cellular debris from the fluid sample.
19. A method according to claim 15, wherein a sample of cells or cellular debris is simultaneously collected at the opening of the internal cavity.
20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the sample is a sample of at least one of ectocervical or endocervical cells.
21. A method for collection of a fluid sample from an internal cavity of a mammal utilizing a fluid collection device, said method comprising:
(i) providing a fluid collection device comprising a barrel having an opening at one end thereof, a plunger operable axially within the barrel, said barrel and said plunger defining a fluid chamber having a volume which varies on axial movement of the plunger within the barrel, and a flexible, hollow, elongate catheter extending from the fluid chamber through said opening in the barrel, said catheter being in operative engagement with said plunger for axial movement to extend and retract the catheter within respect to the barrel on axial movement of the plunger, and said catheter being in fluid communication with the fluid chamber to provide a fluid flow path to and from the fluid chamber through the hollow catheter;
(ii) locating a distal end of said catheter at the opening of the internal cavity;
(iii) moving said plunger to cause said catheter to penetrate the internal cavity while simultaneously passing wash fluid from said fluid chamber out through the hollow catheter to wash at least a portion of the surface of the internal cavity during said penetrating; and
(iv) subsequently moving said plunger to cause said catheter to retract from the cavity while simultaneously collecting a fluid sample by aspirating the wash fluid through the hollow catheter during said retracting.
22. A device according to claim 10, wherein the return device is a coil spring located between the barrel and the plunger of the device.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for configuring a network device associated with a device-neutral configuration code, the method comprising:
identifying configuration schema material corresponding to the network device;
locating, using the identified configuration schema material, a first portion of device-neutral configuration code and a second portion of the device-neutral configuration code, wherein the first portion corresponds to a first device-specific command and the second portion corresponds to a second device-specific command;
assembling the first device-specific command from the first portion of the device-neutral configuration code;
assembling the second device-specific command from the second portion of the device-neutral configuration code;
arranging the first device-specific command and the second device-specific command in an order expected by the network device; and
providing the arranged first and second device-specific commands for delivery to the network device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the device-neutral configuration code is an original device-neutral configuration code, the method comprising:
generating a marked-up device-neutral configuration code from the original device-neutral configuration code; and
identifying the difference between the original device-neutral configuration code and the marked-up device-neutral configuration code;
wherein the assembled first device-specific command corresponds to at least a portion of the identified difference.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the locating includes locating a device-specific command boundary in the device-neutral configuration code using the identified configuration schema material, the device-specific command boundary indicating the boundary between a first portion of the device-neutral configuration code and a second portion of the device-neutral configuration code.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a change made to the device-neutral configuration code;
wherein the assembled first device-specific command corresponds to the identified change.
5. A method for configuring a network device associated with a device-neutral configuration code, the method comprising:
determining a characteristic for the network device;
identifying configuration schema material corresponding to the determined characteristic;
assembling a first and second device-specific commands corresponding to the device-neutral configuration code and corresponding to the identified configuration schema material;
arranging the first and second device-specific commands in an order expected by the network device; and
sending the first and second device-specific commands to the network device in the order expected by the network device.
6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
locating a device-specific command boundary in the device-neutral configuration code using the identified configuration schema material;
wherein assembling the first and second device-specific commands uses the located device-specific command boundary.
7. A method for configuring a network device associated with a device-neutral configuration code, the method comprising:
determining a characteristic for the network device;
identifying configuration schema material corresponding to the determined characteristic;
assembling at least a first device-specific command corresponding to the device-neutral configuration code and corresponding to the identified configuration schema material;
providing the assembled device-specific command for delivery to the network device; and
locating a device-specific command boundary in the device-neutral configuration code using the identified configuration schema material;
wherein assembling the at least a first device-specific command uses the located device-specific command boundary.
8. A method for configuring a network device associated with a device-neutral configuration code, the method comprising:
identifying configuration schema material corresponding to the network device;
locating a device-specific command boundary in the device-neutral configuration code using the identified configuration schema material, the device-specific command boundary indicating the boundary between a first portion of the device-neutral configuration code and a second portion of the device-neutral configuration code, wherein the first portion corresponds to a first device-specific command and the second portion corresponds to a second device-specific command;
assembling the first device-specific command from the first portion of the device-neutral configuration code;
assembling the second device-specific command from the second portion of the device-neutral configuration code; and
providing the assembled device-specific commands for delivery to the network device.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the device-neutral configuration code is an original device-neutral configuration code, the method comprising:
generating a marked-up device-neutral configuration code from the original device-neutral configuration code; and
identifying the difference between the original device-neutral configuration code and the marked-up device-neutral configuration code;
wherein the assembled first device-specific command corresponds to at least a portion of the identified difference.
10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
identifying a change made to the device-neutral configuration code;
wherein the assembled first device-specific command corresponds to the identified change.
11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
arranging the first device-specific command and the second device-specific command in an order expected by the network device.
12. A system for configuring a network device associated with a device-neutral configuration code, the system comprising:
at least a first processor;
at least a first memory device connected to the processor; and
a plurality of instruction stored on the at least a first memory device, the plurality of instructions configured to cause the at least a first processor to:
determine a characteristic for the network device;
identify configuration schema material corresponding to the determined characteristic;
assemble at least a first device-specific command corresponding to the device-neutral configuration code and corresponding to the identified configuration schema material; and
provide the assembled device-specific command for delivery to the network device.
14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of instructions are further configured to cause the at least a first processor to:
locate a device-specific command boundary in the device-neutral configuration code using the identified configuration schema material;
wherein assembling the at least a first device-specific command uses the located device-specific command boundary.
15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:
a device-neutral configuration storage device.
16. The system of claim 12, further comprising:
a schema corresponding to the network device, the schema being storable on the device-neutral configuration storage device.
17. The system of claim 12, further comprising:
a device-neutral configuration generator.
18. The system of claim 12, further comprising:
a graphical user interface for modifying the device-neutral configuration code.