Staining and Sticking System

• US 20090098646A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sakura Finetek Japan Co., Ltd., Sakura Seiki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sakura Finetek Japan Co., Ltd., Sakura Seiki Company Limited
• Inventors: Ito, Atsuo, Tofukuji, Tadashi, Takizawa, Seiichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,017,077 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/309.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/312 for samples mounted on planar substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/36 Embedding or analogous mounting of samples
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00584 Control arrangements for automatic analysers

Abstract

The staining and sticking system is composed of a staining device and a sticking device, which is provided separately from the staining device, is capable of lightening the staining and sticking work and can be downsized. The staining and sticking system comprises the staining device 10 for staining a specimen in a predetermined color by dipping a basket containing a glass slide with the specimen in a plurality of tubs sequentially and a sticking device 12 for sticking a cover film piece onto the stained specimen on the glass slide, which has been taken out of the basket transferred from the staining device 10 by transfer means, and the system is characterized in that a staining control unit 10A of the staining device 10 and a sticking control unit 12A of the sticking device 12 are interconnected so as to communicate with each other, and in that sticking condition data, which relate to the basket fed from the staining device, out of staining condition data and sticking condition data inputted to the staining control unit 10A correspondingly to baskets are sent from the staining control unit 10A to the sticking control unit 12A, and then the sticking device 12 sticks the cover film piece.

Claims

1. A staining and sticking system comprising:

a staining device for staining a sliced specimen in a predetermined color by sequentially dipping a basket, which contains one or a plurality of glass slides with the specimens, in a plurality of tubs, in which liquids for staining the specimen are stored; and

a sticking device for sticking a cover film piece or a cover glass onto the stained specimen on the glass slide, which has been taken out of the basket transferred from the staining device by transfer means,

wherein a staining control unit of the staining device and a sticking control unit of the sticking device are interconnected so as to communicate with each other,

staining condition data and sticking condition data for each of baskets fed to the staining device are inputted to the staining control unit, the staining device sequentially dips the fed basket into the tubs on the basis of the staining condition data relating to the fed basket, and

the sticking device sticks the cover film piece or the cover glass onto the stained specimen on the glass slide, which has been contained in the fed basket, on the basis of the sticking condition data, which relate to the basket fed from the staining device and which has been sent from the staining control unit to the sticking control unit.

2. The staining and sticking system according to claim 1, wherein the staining condition data and the sticking condition data are inputted to the staining control unit before starting the staining work.

3. The staining and sticking system according to claim 1, wherein the sticking condition data of the basket fed from the staining device are sent from the staining control unit to the sticking control unit by the time of firstly taking out the glass slide from the fed basket.

4. The staining and sticking system according to claim 1, wherein at least parts of casings of the staining device and the sticking device contact each other.

5. The staining and sticking system according to claim 1, wherein the transfer means transfers the basket, which contains the glass slide with the stained specimen, in a state of being dipped in a protective solution for protecting the specimen.

6. The staining and sticking system according to claim 1, wherein the basket, which contains the glass slide with the stained specimen, is inserted in a movable tub, in which a protective solution for protecting the specimen is stored, and transferred together with the movable tub.

7. The staining and sticking system according to claim 1, wherein a main part of the transfer means, which transfers the basket from the inside of the staining device to the inside of the sticking device, is provided in the sticking device.