SLIDE DISPENSER

• US 3,589,557 A
• Filed: 04/03/1969
• Issued: 06/29/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Johnson Leighton Clifford
• Original Assignee: Johnson Leighton Clifford
• Inventors: JOHNSON LEIGHTON CLIFFORD
• Application Number:
  US04/813,063
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• US Class Current: 221/95
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/34 Microscope slides, e.g. mounting specimens on microscope slides

Abstract

Apparatus is provided for dispensing rectangular platelike objects, such as microscope slides, one at a time. This dispenser also provides means for producing desirable liquid smears on microscope slides. A supporting track is located along the top of the dispenser for supporting a slide having a blood drop, for example, on its lower face. A stored slide protrudes from a storage magazine and forms an acute angle with the plane of the supporting track. The leading edge of the protruding slide projects slightly above the plane of the supporting tract and is capable of being depressed so as to be in the same plane as the supporting tract. The slide having the blood drop is moved in one direction along the track in depressing engagement with the leading edge of the protruding slide until the blood drop on its under side contacts said protruding slide and forms a liquid capillary meniscus in the acute angular space between the two slides. The slide having the blood drop is then moved along the supporting track in the opposite direction to spread out the liquid along the lower surface of such slide and form a desired liquid smear.

Claims

1. Apparatus for storing and dispensing rectangular platelike objects, such as slides, having substantially flat upper and lower surfaces and substantially straight end edges, which apparatus comprises a magazine having a boxlike cavity capable of storing a plurality of such objects in stacked relation, means in said cavity biasing the topmost object stacked therein to a predetermined position, said magazine also having an opening positioned to permit said topmost object to be withdrawn from said cavity by endwise movement, means for preventing more than said topmost object from being withdrawn from said cavity when said topmost object is withdrawn through said opening, supporting track means adjacent said opening adapted to receive and support one of said objects for longitudinal movement therealong, said track means and cavity being positioned such that one of said objects when placed flat against said track means has its lower surface engaged by an end edge portion of the topmost of any objects stacked in said cavity and forms an acute angle with the upper surface of said topmost object.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said end edge portion of said topmost object normally projects slightly above the plane of said track means and is depressable against said biasing means into said plane by slight downward pressure on said object on said track means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the acute angle between the upper surface of the topmost object in the cavity and the lower surface of an object placed flat along said supporting track means is from about 10* to about 20*.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the acute angle is about 15*.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the means for preventing withdrawal of more than the topmost object from said cavity is adjustable to compensate for variations in object thickness.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said cavity is defined by a bottom plate portion, a top plate portion, and two substantially parallel end wall portions which have planes which are substantially normal to the planes of the bottom and top plate portions, and said biasing means comprises a pressure plate having a substantially flat upper surface and which is capable of sliding movement along and between said end wall portions and a compression spring located between said bottom plate portion of said cavity and the pressure plate, the objects stored in said cavity being located between the substantially flat upper surface of the pressure plate and the top plate portion of the cavity, the pressure of said compression spring against the pressure plate being operable to force the topmost stored object against said top plate portion and position said end edge of said topmost stored object slightly above the plane of the supporting track means.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the cavity has an open side for insertion of objects into said cavity and wherein there is releasable retention means for retaining the pressure plate in a position in which the compression spring is substantially fully compressed to thereby facilitate insertion of objects into said cavity.