Specimen preparation apparatus, specimen preparation/analysis system and specimen plate

• US 8,221,683 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Nakaya, Masanori, Higuchi, Hideyuki, Hyousa, Yoshihiro, Kitagawa, Shigeru, Kobayashi, Eisuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Nagpaul, Jyoti
• Application Number:
  US12/728,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20100178695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 422 63- 65, 422/67, 359/391, 359/396
• US Class Current: 422/65
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/312 for samples mounted on planar substrates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/00752 bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00732 Identification of carriers, materials or components in automatic analysers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/112499 with sample on test slide
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/113332 with conveyance of sample along a test line in a container or rack
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/114165 with step of insertion or removal from test line
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 436/114998 with treatment or replacement of aspirator element [e.g., cleaning, etc.]

Abstract

Provided is a specimen preparation apparatus capable of supplying a specimen from the specimen preparation apparatus to a specimen analyzer without burdening an operator. This specimen preparation apparatus comprises a stained specimen preparation part for preparing a specimen on a slide glass and staining the specimen, a keeping part for storing the stained specimen slide glass prepared in the stained specimen preparation part and a control part for deciding whether to supply the stained specimen slide glass to the keeping part or to the external apparatus.

Claims

1. A specimen plate comprising:

a rectangular slide glass;

a specimen preparation area formed on one side of the slide grass and used to prepare a stained specimen;

an information display area on which specimen-related information is recordable, the information display area being formed on the one side of the slide glass next to the specimen preparation area; and

a resin coating applied to cover the information display area, the resin coating being made of a material durable against organic solvent used when the specimen is stained, wherein

the information display area comprises a first display area in which at least some of the specimen-related information is thermally printed and formed with ink durable against the organic solvent used when the specimen is stained, on the resin coating in a substantially square shape and a format which is machine-readable bidirectionally in respective two orthogonal directions and a second display area which is divided into a plurality of sub-display areas in each of which at least some of the specimen-related information is thermally printed and formed with the ink, on the resin coating in a human-readable format, and

the information display area is arranged closer to one longitudinal end of the specimen plate, and the first display area and the second display area are arranged adjacent to each other along a width of the specimen plate.

2. The specimen plate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sub-display areas are arranged adjacent to each other along the length of the specimen plate.

3. The specimen plate according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of sub-display areas each extend along the width of the specimen plate.

4. The specimen plate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sub-display areas each carry text data.

5. The specimen plate according to claim 1, wherein the first display area and the second display area are substantially equally extensive along the length of the specimen plate.

6. The specimen plate according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sub-display areas carry different types of specimen-related information.

7. The specimen plate according to claim 1, wherein the specimen preparation area and the information display area are arranged adjacent to each other along the length of the specimen plate, and the resin coating is formed to extend from the information display area along the length of said specimen plate so as to surround the specimen preparation area.