Disposable microscope slide dispenser

• US 6,135,314 A
• Filed: 01/26/1999
• Issued: 10/24/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cesar Menes
• Original Assignee: Cesar Menes
• Inventors: Menes, Cesar
• Primary Examiner(s): Noland, Kenneth W.
• Application Number:
  US09/236,913
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 221/232, 221/268, 221/226, 221/279, 221/259, 221/178, 221/190, 221/258, 221/281
• US Class Current: 221/232
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 1/06 for separation from bottom of pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/42322 from bottom of the pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2403/941 Manually powered handling device
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/24 by pushers engaging the edges of the articles

Abstract

A microscope slide dispenser is formed with a slide case dispensing attachment having a slide dispensing mechanism and a disposable, plastic slide case that is removably coupled to the dispensing attachment. Positioning members on the dispensing attachment interact with corresponding members on the case to properly position the slide relative to a seating platform or slide case seat. A slide carrier has a finger that projects outwardly from the dispensing attachment and toward the slide case to engage the rear edge of the closest of a plurality of microscope slides stacked within the case. The case is provided with a carrier finger opening and a slide dispensing slot. Operation of the dispensing mechanism engages the carrier finger behind the slide closest to the end wall at which the dispensing attachment is located. The carrier finger pushes the microscope slide closest to the end wall at which the dispensing attachment is located out of the slide case through the slide dispensing slot. The carrier may be spring-biased so that the slide-engaging finger returns to a slide-engaging position behind the next slide, which moves into place once the slide aligned with the slide ejection slot has been ejected. Once all slides have been ejected from the case, the case is discarded.

Claims

1. A microscope slide dispenser comprising:

a hollow slide case dispensing attachment including a flat slide case contact plate that defines an elongated carrier finger opening therein, a slide case seat, and at least one dispenser actuator slot extending parallel to said elongated carrier finger opening;

a slide carrier mounted within said slide case dispensing attachment having a slide-engaging finger projecting through said carrier finger opening in said attachment and having at least one actuator handle projecting through said at least one dispenser actuator slot, whereby said slide carrier is mounted for reciprocal movement relative to said slide case dispensing attachment so that said slide-engaging finger travels in a prescribed path between a slide-engaging position and a slide ejection position within the limits of said elongated carrier finger opening in said attachment and said carrier is advanced by manually forcing said at least one actuator handle relative to said at least one dispenser actuator slot;

a disposable slide case having first and second pairs of mutually perpendicular side walls, and a pair of end walls oriented perpendicular to both of said pairs of side walls, all of said walls being permanently fastened to each other to form a hollow slide cavity therewithin shaped as a rectangular prism, and wherein an actuator access opening is defined in a first one of said slide case end walls, and wherein a slide ejection slot is defined in one of said side walls in said first pair of side walls immediately adjacent to said first one of said slide case end walls, and wherein said slide case is removably positionable on said slide case seat such that said actuator access opening in said first one of said slide case end walls overlies said carrier finger opening in said slide case dispensing attachment and such that said carrier finger projects through said first one of said slide case end walls and into said slide cavity; and

a plurality of flat, microscope slides of uniform dimensions stacked within said slide storage cavity and removable therefrom only through said slide ejection slot by advancement of said carrier.

2. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 1 further comprising a track mechanism in said slide case dispensing attachment to limit said carrier finger to a fixed distance of projection beyond said flat plate and into said hollow slide cavity, and said fixed distance of projection is no greater than the thickness of each of said microscope slides as said carrier finger travels in said prescribed path.

3. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 2 wherein said slide case dispensing attachment includes a dispenser base having a floor, base sides projecting upwardly from said floor, and a platform into which said elongated carrier finger opening is defined and atop which said slide case seat is defined, and said first end wall of said slide case forms a floor thereof, and wherein said carrier finger opening and said actuator access opening are rectangular openings elongated in a direction parallel to said second pair of side walls and the width of said walls in said second pair of side walls is more than twice the width of said walls in said first pair of side walls, and further comprising at least one vertically oriented slide case divider located proximate to the other side wall in said first pair of side walls, whereby said at least one divider divides said slide cavity into a slide storage compartment that overlies only a portion of said actuator access opening in said slide case floor and only a portion of said carrier finger opening in said platform, and a carrier return compartment that overlies the remaining portions of said actuator access opening and said carrier finger opening, whereby said divider provides clearance above said actuator access opening for said slide-engaging finger to travel the entire length of said prescribed path between said slide-engaging position and said slide ejection position.

4. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 3 wherein said at least one divider includes a flat, vertical partition that extends between said side walls in said second pair of sidewalls and terminates above the level of said slide-engaging finger when said slide case is seated atop said platform.

5. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 4 further comprising a flat, horizontal shelf secured to said base sides beneath said platform and in spaced separation therefrom, and said carrier is further comprised of an upper arm having a forward end and an opposite, rearward end that terminates in said carrier finger, and a lower arm having a forward end and a rearward end, and said arms are joined together at their forward ends in front of said shelf, whereby said arms extend rearwardly in mutually parallel and horizontal alignment above and beneath said shelf, so that said arms of said carrier and said shelf together form said track mechanism, and said carrier is further comprised of a pair of actuator handles as aforesaid and said base is formed with a pair of dispenser actuator slots as aforesaid, and said actuator handles extend transversely from said first ends of said arms and perpendicular to said arms through said dispenser actuator slots on opposite sides of said base.

6. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 5 further comprising a resilient spacer located in said slide storage cavity between said microscope slides and said end wall opposite said first end wall.

7. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 3 further comprising a spring housed within said base and acting between said carrier and said base to bias said slide-engaging finger to said slide-engaging position which is remote from said slide ejection slot.

8. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said slide case seat includes positioning devices projecting from said flat slide case contact plate that interact with said slide case to seat said slide case relative to said slide case dispensing attachment and restrain said slide case from movement in a direction parallel to said flat slide case contact plate wherein said seating devices are formed as restraining members that project from said flat slide case contact plate to snugly embrace said second pair of case side walls therewithin.

9. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 8 wherein at least some of said restraining members and said second pair of side walls of said case are formed with interengageable ribs and grooves oriented perpendicular to said flat slide case contact plate whereby said restraining members permit relative movement between said slide case and said slide case seat perpendicular to said flat slide case contact plate and prohibit relative longitudinal and transverse movement therebetween parallel to said flat slice case contact plate.

10. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said slide case is formed as a disposable plastic slide shipment and storage box.

11. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 10 wherein said end walls, and all but a single one of said slide case side walls are formed as a unitary, molded structure, and said single one of said slide case side walls is permanently secured to said end walls, and to said other slide case side wall once said microscope slides are stacked in said slide storage cavity.

12. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 1 wherein said slide case dispensing attachment is mounted atop said slide case with said flat contact plate thereof resting atop said first one of said slide case end walls, and further comprising a biasing spring located between said plurality of flat, microscopic slides and the other of said end walls opposite said first one of said end walls, and wherein said first one of said end walls forms a roof of said disposable slide case, and said slide case dispensing attachment is further comprised of a flat retaining plate into which said dispenser actuator slot is defined and said retaining plate is mounted atop said flat slide case contact plate in parallel orientation relative thereto with said slide carrier entrapped and reciprocally movable between said flat slide case contact plate and said flat retaining plate in a direction parallel to said elongated carrier finger opening and said dispenser actuator slot.

13. In a microscope slide dispenser having a slide case dispensing attachment with a dispensing mechanism including a slide-engaging finger that projects out from said slide case dispensing attachment and which is movable relative thereto along a slide ejection path, a slide case seated in contact with said slide case dispensing attachment, and a plurality of smooth, flat microscope slides stacked within said slide case, the improvement wherein said slide case is disposable and seats against and is removable from said seating attachment and is formed with a pair of confining end wall members and side wall members oriented perpendicular to said end wall members and all of said wall members are permanently sealed together to encapsulate said slides within said slide case with one of said flat slides in contact with a first one of said slide case end wall members, and said first one of said slide case end wall members has an actuator access opening therein to receive said slide-engaging finger in its movement along said slide ejection path, and a slide ejection slot is defined within one of said side wall members immediately adjacent to said first one of said slide case end wall members and lying in alignment with said slide ejection path, whereby said slide-engaging finger is engageable with said the one of said slides closest to said first one of said slide case end wall members to eject it from said case through said slide ejection slot as said slide-engaging finger moves along said slide ejection path toward said slide ejection slot.

14. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 13 wherein said slide case encloses a slide cavity and is provided with a divider that extends parallel to and is located remote from said slide wall member in which said slide ejection slot is formed to delineate said slide cavity into a slide storage compartment bounded on one side by said slide wall in which said slide ejection slot is formed and a return compartment remote from said slide wall in which said slide ejection slot is formed.

15. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 14 further comprising a spring biasing said slide-engaging finger to a position on said slide ejection path remote from said slide ejection slot and within said return compartment of said slide case.

16. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 13 further comprising case retaining members projecting outwardly from said slide case dispensing attachment alongside said slide case, and said case retaining members seat said slide case in a predetermined position relative to said slide-engaging finger and restrain said slide case from movement relative to said slide case dispensing attachment in a direction parallel to said first one of said slide case end walls, when said slide case is seated in contact with said slide case dispensing attachment.

17. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 13 wherein said slide case is formed as a disposable plastic slide shipment and storage box.

18. In a combination, a microscope slide dispenser attachment defining a flat, contact seating plate having an elongated carrier finger opening therein, a dispenser mechanism mounted relative to said flat contact seating plate and including a carrier that has a slide-engaging finger that projects outwardly from said slide dispenser attachment through said carrier finger opening in said flat contact seating plate and is movable in longitudinal reciprocation along a linear slide ejection path, a plurality of smooth, flat microscope slides vertically stacked one atop another, and a disposable slide case having side walls, and a pair of end walls perpendicular to said side walls and defining a slide storage cavity within which said stacked, flat slides are encapsulated, with one of said slides residing in contact with a first of said end walls of said case, and wherein said first of said end walls of said case has an actuator access opening defined therein and one of said side walls has a slide ejection slot defined therein adjacent to said first of said end walls, and said case is positionable against said flat contact seating plate and said carrier finger engages said one of said slides and said slide ejection slot is linearly aligned with said slide ejection path, and said case is removable from said slide dispenser attachment.

19. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 18 wherein said flat contact seating plate is provided with case locator members that guide said slide case into a predetermined seating position in which said one of said slides is located between said slide ejection slot and said carrier finger.

20. A microscope slide dispenser according to claim 18 wherein said slide dispenser attachment is seated atop said disposable slide case with said flat contact seating plate facing said first one of said end walls, and further comprising a flat, carrier retaining plate located atop said flat contact seating plate and having a dispenser actuator slot defined therein that is oriented parallel to said elongated carrier finger opening, and said dispenser mechanism includes a dispenser actuator projecting through said dispenser actuator slot.