Automatic microscope slide
First Claim
1. A bio-medical microscope specimen slide positioning apparatus adapted for use in automatic sequential examination of a group of microscope specimen slides and comprising:
- a storage magazine for storing a plurality of said microscope specimen slides;
means for said magazine operable for indexing a specimen slide to a specimen slide exit or entry position;
specimen slide transfer means positioned relative to said storage magazine for removing and transporting from said magazine said specimen slide located in said magazine and positioned at said specimen slide exit or entry position;
a microscope specimen slide stage for receiving a specimen slide from said magazine;
means for positioning and retaining said specimen slide on said specimen slide stage;
translation means for moving and positioning said stage with a specimen slide supported thereon in a geometric plane; and
means for mounting to the apparatus a microscope optical viewing system in a disposition adjacent to said retained specimen slide such that by operation of said translation means said specimen slide can be moved about and positioned in the optical axis of said optical viewing system for optically examining the specimen on said specimen slide;
said specimen slide transfer means including means positioned relative to said stage for removing said specimen slide from said stage after microscope examination.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An automated microscope specimen slide examination system processes a plurality of microscope specimen slides one at a time for microscopic examination. A specimen slide storage magazine is indexed to position each specimen slide for access by a horizontal feed mechanism which transfers the specimen slide onto a microscope stage which has controllable X, Y and Z axis positioning to move the specimen slide into the optical viewing field of the microscope, focus the image and conduct systematic examination over the desired area of the specimen by X-Y axis incremental motion. At the end of the examination the specimen slide is returned to the magazine and the procedure is repeated for the next specimen slide. Previously examined specimen slides that have been returned to the storage magazine may be automatically returned to the microscope stage for reexamination.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A bio-medical microscope specimen slide positioning apparatus adapted for use in automatic sequential examination of a group of microscope specimen slides and comprising:
a storage magazine for storing a plurality of said microscope specimen slides;
means for said magazine operable for indexing a specimen slide to a specimen slide exit or entry position;
specimen slide transfer means positioned relative to said storage magazine for removing and transporting from said magazine said specimen slide located in said magazine and positioned at said specimen slide exit or entry position;
a microscope specimen slide stage for receiving a specimen slide from said magazine;
means for positioning and retaining said specimen slide on said specimen slide stage;
translation means for moving and positioning said stage with a specimen slide supported thereon in a geometric plane; and
means for mounting to the apparatus a microscope optical viewing system in a disposition adjacent to said retained specimen slide such that by operation of said translation means said specimen slide can be moved about and positioned in the optical axis of said optical viewing system for optically examining the specimen on said specimen slide;
said specimen slide transfer means including means positioned relative to said stage for removing said specimen slide from said stage after microscope examination.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
Specification