Apparatus and method for facilitating manual sorting of slides
First Claim
1. An apparatus for facilitating manual sorting of slides, the apparatus comprising:
- a horizontal display surface;
a camera;
a light source; and
a controller;
wherein the horizontal display surface can be selectively illuminated by the light source and is adapted for receiving a plurality of slides and a plurality of folders into which the slides are to be sorted, wherein each of the plurality of slides comprises a machine readable identification tag;
wherein the controller is configured to;
(i) illuminate the horizontal display surface with the light source to indicate a folder location on the horizontal display surface to which each of the plurality of folders is to be moved;
(ii) determine the number of folders stacked at the folder location;
(ii) read the identification tag on each of the plurality of slides to retrieve identification information; and
(iii) independently illuminate each of the slides on the display surface by the light source based on its identification information and indicate a slide location in one of the plurality of folders to which each illuminated slide is to be moved.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention includes an apparatus and method that facilitates the manual sorting of slides into slide folders. The apparatus includes a horizontal display surface and a controller configured to receive slides and folders into which the slides are to be placed (or sorted). The controller operates components of the apparatus to selectively illuminate the display surface to guide a user in placing folders at multiple folder locations and in sorting the slides into the folders. In one aspect of the invention, the apparatus is configured to allow multiple folders to be stacked at a folder location during the slide sorting process. In these aspects, the apparatus is configured to determine number of folders stacked at each folder location.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for facilitating manual sorting of slides, the apparatus comprising:
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a horizontal display surface; a camera; a light source; and a controller; wherein the horizontal display surface can be selectively illuminated by the light source and is adapted for receiving a plurality of slides and a plurality of folders into which the slides are to be sorted, wherein each of the plurality of slides comprises a machine readable identification tag; wherein the controller is configured to; (i) illuminate the horizontal display surface with the light source to indicate a folder location on the horizontal display surface to which each of the plurality of folders is to be moved; (ii) determine the number of folders stacked at the folder location; (ii) read the identification tag on each of the plurality of slides to retrieve identification information; and (iii) independently illuminate each of the slides on the display surface by the light source based on its identification information and indicate a slide location in one of the plurality of folders to which each illuminated slide is to be moved. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification