Microtome with micro-plane and electric contact reference
AssigneeThe Government of the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Dept. of Health & Human Services
InventorsStephen B. Leighton, Alan M. Kuzirian
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microtome for cutting thin sample sections utilizes an electrical contact or sole plate for guiding the section cutting knife during sectioning. The sole plate floats across the surface of the sample thereby ensuring that uniformly thin sections are cut regardless of movement of the sample or expansion or contraction thereof. An electrical contact may be used to detect and reference contact between the sample surface and the section cutting knife. After contact between the sample surface and section cutting knife is referenced, the relative position between the sample surface and section cutting knife may be adjusted to achieve a desired section thinness.
Claims17
In a microtome including a sample supported in a sample support and a section cutting knife, the improvement comprising an electrical contact detection means for referencing a position of a surface of the sample with respect to said section cutting knife, including conductive contacting surfaces on the sample and said section cutting knife and an electrical circuit for detecting contact between the sample and said section cutting knife.
A microtome for cutting thin sections from a sample to be sectioned which comprises means to support a sample to be sectioned and means to contact and thereby reference a position of a surface of a sample located on said sample support means with respect to a section cutting knife, which surface position referencing means comprises means to contact the surface of the sample located on said sample support means, wherein said sample surface contacting means comprises a section cutting knife/sole plate assembly including a sole plate, said section cutting knife and means to support said section cutting knife.
A method of cutting thin sections from a biological sample which comprises contacting a surface of a biological sample with a knife of a microtome to establish a reference position with respect to said surface of said sample and thereafter sectioning said sample at a predetermined thickness utilizing said microtome.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.