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Temperature controlled culture dish apparatus

  • US 5,552,321 A
  • Filed: 08/24/1993
  • Issued: 09/03/1996
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1993
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for viewing a biological specimen through a microscope with precise control of specimen temperature, comprising:

  • (a) a culture dish assembly consisting of;

    (i) a dish bottom of glass with high optical transmissivity;

    (ii) a transparent electrically conductive coating material on the underside of the dish bottom;

    (iii) electrically conductive bus bars attached to the transparent electrically conductive coating material at a plurality of locations;

    (iv) a molded ring mount attached to the dish bottom the sides of which molded ring mount cause the culture dish assembly to take the form of a cylinder and defines an optical aperture of the dish bottom;

    (b) a stage insert assembly consisting of;

    (i) a stage insert containing a recess dimensioned to accept the culture dish assembly;

    (ii) a circular cutout in the stage insert to permit unobstructed microscopic viewing through the optical aperture existing at the culture dish bottom;

    (iii) power wires on the recess in the stage insert which power wires come into contact with the bus bars on the transparent electrically conducive coating material on the culture dish bottom;

    (iv) a thermistor on the recess in the stage insert which comes into contact with the transparent electrically conductive coating material on the culture dish bottom and which measures the temperature of the culture dish bottom and communicates that temperature to a temperature controlling means;

    (c) temperature controlling means which regulates the electrical voltage placed on the power wires, thereby regulating the heat given off by the transparent electrically conductive coating material, and thereby regulating the temperature of the biological specimen on the surface of the culture dish bottom.

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