Method for treating thin samples on a surface employing capillary flow
AssigneeFisher Scientific Company
InventorDavid J. Brigati
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Liquid is applied to a thin sample on a first surface (e.g., a specimen on a microscope slide) by maintaining a second surface parallel to the first to provide a gap therebetween and contacting an edge of the gap with a discrete aliquot of liquid. The liquid can migrate by capillary action into contact with the thin sample, preferably upward from horizontally extending linear edges of the surfaces. Liquid can also be removed by contacting the gap edges with absorbent material. Also disclosed are apparatus for holding a plurality of such surfaces in a vertically extending array and apparatus for holding a plurality of liquid droplets beneath the array. One apparatus can be moved relative to the other to contact the lower gap edges with droplets.
Claims36
A method for applying liquid to a thin sample on a first surface which comprises the steps:
- (a) providing a thin sample on a first surface,
- (b) maintaining a second surface substantially parallel to and space by a first distance from the first surface, thereby providing a gap between the first and second surfaces,
- (c) contacting a single edge of the gap with a discrete aliquot of liquid, the first surface, second surface and gap extending in a substantially vertical direction and the single edge being a lower edge,
- the first distance being sufficiently small to cause liquid to migrate by capillary action within the gap and
- (d) drawing liquid upwardly by capillary action within the gap from the single lower edge of the gap into contact with the sample.
A method for treating a thin sample on a first surface with a series of treating liquids which comprises the steps:
- (a) providing a thing sample on a first surface and a second surface of a facing element,
- (b) drawing a first treating liquid by capillary flow in a gap between the sample-bearing first surface and the second surface to at least the position of the sample immobilized on the sample-bearing first surface,
- (c) retaining the first treating liquid by capillary action in the gap in contact with the sample,
- (d) removing the first treating liquid from the gap by capillary flow, and
- (e) drawing a second treating liquid by capillary flow in the gap to at least the position of the sample.
A method for applying liquid to thin samples on first surface which comprises the steps:
- (a) providing a first plurality of thin samples on a first plurality of vertically extending first surfaces,
- (b) maintaining a second surface substantially parallel to and spaced by a first distance from each first surface, thereby providing a gap between each pair of first and second surfaces,
- (c) contacting a lower edge of each gap between the vertically disposed first and second surfaces with a discrete aliquot of liquid, the aliquots of liquid being provide as a second plurality of droplets in a horizontal array, each droplet contacting a single lower edge of a single gap, and
- (d) drawing liquid upwardly by capillary action within each gap from the lower edge of the gap into contact with the thin sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.