# US 2025/0093239 A1 · Pathology slide automation system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2025/0093239 A1 - Document ID: US20250093239A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 18/902,201 - Filed: 2024-09-30 - Published: 2025-03-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-04-05 - Applicants: Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. - Inventors: Megan E. Creasey; Christian Davila Peralta; Matthew D. Mette; Michael Otter; James E. Phillips-Portillo; Clayton Reynolds; Curtis C. Rose; Franklin R. Ventura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250093239A1 ## CPC - G01N 35/00029: {provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides (G01N35/028 takes precedence)} - B01L 9/52: {Supports specially adapted for flat sample carriers, e.g. for plates, slides, chips} - B25J 15/0033: {with gripping surfaces having special shapes} - G01N 1/30: Staining; Impregnating {; Fixation; Dehydration; Multistep processes for preparing samples of tissue, cell or nucleic acid material and the like for analysis} - G01N 1/31: Apparatus therefor - G01N 35/0099: {comprising robots or similar manipulators (robots per se B25J)} - B01L 2200/18: Transport of container or devices - B01L 2300/021: Identification, e.g. bar codes - B01L 2300/023: Sending and receiving of information, e.g. using Bluetooth® - B01L 2300/0822: Slides - G01N 2035/00039: {Transport arrangements specific to flat sample substrates, e.g. pusher blade} - G01N 2035/00138: {Slides} - G01N 2035/00168: {Manufacturing or preparing test elements} - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - B01L: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract A slide carrier includes: a base support; and a slide platform having a surface that is parallel to a first plane defined by a first vector and a second vector, wherein a vector extending in a direction opposite to the direction of gravity is normal with respect to a second plane defined by a third vector and a fourth vector, an angle between the first vector and the third vector is greater than zero degrees and less than 90 degrees, and an angle between the second vector and the fourth vector is greater than zero degrees and less than 90 degrees. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of manufacturing a pathology slide in a slide processing system, the slide processing system comprising: a mechanical arm; and a gripper connected to the mechanical arm; and a slide carrier cassette within reaching proximity of the gripper, the method comprising: gripping a slide with the gripper; inserting, with the gripper, the slide into a slot of the slide carrier cassette; placing, with the gripper, the slide carrier cassette into a queue having a cavity corresponding to a shape of the slide carrier cassette; removing, with the gripper, the slide from the slide carrier cassette; and placing, with the gripper, the slide into a component of the slide processing system to enable a slide manufacturing operation to be performed on the slide. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the slide carrier cassette comprises: a main body; and a plurality of slots in the main body and aligned along an alignment direction, wherein each slot has an opening at a top side of the main body and is configured to receive a slide, and each slot is at an angle less than 90 degrees and greater than 0 degrees relative to the alignment direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein each slot comprises a first portion having a thickness corresponding to a thickness of the slide, and a second portion having a thickness that is greater than the thickness of the first portion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the slide carrier cassette further includes a spring at an exterior side of the main body and configured to engage with a cavity of a slide carrier cassette queue to retain the slide carrier cassette in the cavity. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the queue has a cylindrical shape having a plurality of cavities and the cavities are arranged around a central axis. ### Claim 6 A slide processing system comprising: a mechanical arm; a slide portal comprising a plurality of portal slots; a processor in communication with the mechanical arm and the slide portal; a memory in communication with the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive slide information regarding a slide; identify a portal slot from among the portal slots for receiving slides corresponding to the slide information; transmit a signal to the mechanical arm to insert a carriage into the portal slot, wherein the carriage has an internal cavity that corresponds to the slide information; transmit a signal to the mechanical arm to retrieve the carriage from the portal slot; and transmit a signal to the mechanical arm to remove the slides from the carriage and store the slides in a storage location. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The slide processing system of claim 6, wherein the slide information comprises information indicating whether the slide is located in a slide tray or a slide rack and information indicating a form factor of the slide tray or slide rack. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The slide processing system of claim 6, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit a signal indicating a slide tray or slide rack is inserted into the carriage prior to transmission of the signal to the mechanical arm to retrieve the carriage from the portal slot. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The slide processing system of claim 6, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to transmit a signal to the mechanical arm to transfer the slide to a slide carrier cassette and to transfer the slide carrier cassette to a slide carrier queue as the storage location. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The slide processing system of claim 6, wherein the slide processing system further comprises a slide position sensor, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to: transmit a signal to the slide position sensor to detect a slide position of the slide before removing the slide from the carriage; transmit a signal to the slide position sensor to initiate slide position detection; transmit a signal to the slide position sensor to capture one or more images; identify a position of the slide based on the one or more images; and transmit a signal to the mechanical arm to remove the slide after the position of the slide is identified. ### Claim 11 A method of processing slides comprising: receiving, by a processor, slide information; identifying, by the processor, a portal slot from among the portal slots for receiving a slide corresponding to the slide information; transmitting, by the processor, a signal to a mechanical arm to insert a carriage into the portal slot, wherein the carriage has an internal cavity that corresponds to the slide information; transmitting, by the processor, a signal to the mechanical arm to retrieve the carriage from the portal slot; and transmitting, by the processor, a signal to the mechanical arm to remove the slides from the carriage and store the slides in a storage location. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the slide information comprises information indicating whether the slide is located in a slide tray or a slide rack and information indicating a form factor of the slide tray or slide rack. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by the processor, a signal indicating a slide tray or slide rack is inserted into the carriage prior to transmission of the signal to the mechanical arm to retrieve the carriage from the portal slot. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by the processor, a signal to the mechanical arm to transfer the slide to a slide carrier cassette and to transfer the slide carrier cassette to a slide carrier queue as the storage location. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by the processor, a signal to the mechanical arm to return the carriage to the portal slot after a plurality of slides including the slide are removed. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, further comprising: transmitting, by the processor, a signal to a slide position sensor to detect a slide position of the slide before removing the slide from the carriage. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising: transmitting, by the processor, a signal to the slide position sensor to initiate slide position detection; transmitting, by the processor, a signal to the slide position sensor to capture one or more images; identifying, by the processor, a position of a slide from among the slides based on the one or more images; and transmitting, by the processor, a signal to the mechanical arm to remove the slide after the position of the slide is identified.