Apparatus for handling biopsy specimens, and method for using it
AssigneeLeica Mikrosysteme GmbH
InventorDaniel Studer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for handling biopsy specimens comprises a transfer part, a slide displaceable in a groove of said transfer part, preparation plates for the reception of biopsy specimens, and a shifter part that serves to introduce the biopsy specimens into the preparation plates. The empty preparation plates are positioned at a predetermined point in the groove of the transfer part, and the shifter part is placed onto the transfer part above the preparation plates. The biopsy specimens are then introduced into the specimen well of a preparation plate by manually actuated instruments or by means of a stream of fluid. The filled preparation plate is displaced back in the groove of the transfer part using the slide, and is transferred into a specimen holder prepared for it.
Claims21
An apparatus for handling biopsy specimens, the biopsy specimens being removed from the tissue by means of a microbiopsy needle known per se and being transferred into a specimen holder known per se,
- wherein it comprises
- a) a transfer part (15);
- b) a slide (21), displaceable and exchangeable on transfer part (15), for transporting flat preparation plates (5);
- c) preparation plates (5), exchangeable on said slide (21), for receiving biopsy specimens (3);
- and
- d) a shifter part, displaceable and exchangeable on said transfer part (15), having at least one vertically extending channel for introduction of the apparatuses for the transfer of biopsy specimens (3) out of an opening (2) of biopsy needle (1) known per se into the specimen well (4) of a preparation plate (5).
The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the contour of the preparation plates (5) has at least one corner which fit into [? into which fit—cf. Claim 10] corresponding corners of a recess (22) of a slide (21), as well as at least one cavity (4) for the reception of biopsy specimens.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.