Biological tissue slicer
OwnerCarlos Krumdieckinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tissue slicer having a reciprocating tissue holding blade. A mechanically activated pumping system for flushing liquid medium past a cutting blade into a collection trap. The cutting blade is moved by a reciprocation drive system adjacent and above the cutting blade. The entire slicing assembly is fully autoclavable.
Claims20
In a tissue slicer for use in preparing tissue samples for medical research, including a base plate, a reciprocally movable blade assembly mounted thereon, a variable height reference plate adjacent said blade assembly defining an opening through said base plate intermediate said blade assembly and said reference plate, and a tissue carrier cooperatively positioned to move a block of tissue relative to said blade assembly and said reference plate to create a slice of tissue having a predetermined thickness, all mounted within a reservoir containing a buffer medium, the improvement comprising:
- (a) means mounted externally of an separable from said reservoir for reciprocally driving said blade assembly detachably connected thereto by a drive linkage extending above said buffer medium and externally of said reservoir and,
- (b) means mounted externally of and separable from said reservoir for iteratively urging said tissue carrier transversely of said blade assembly, detachably connected thereto by a reciprocating linkage extending above said medium and externally of said reservoir.
In a tissue slicer for use in preparing tissue samples for medical research, including a base plate, a reciprocally movable blade assembly mounted thereon, a variable height reference plate adjacent said blade assembly defining an opening through said base plate intermediate said blade assembly and said reference plate a reservoir of buffer medium, and a tissue carrier cooperatively positioned to move a block of tissue relative to said blade assembly and said reference plate to create a slice of tissue having a predetermined thickness, the improvement comprising:
- (a) means for reciprocally driving said blade assembly from eternally of said reservoir of buffer medium;
- (b) means for iteratively urging said tissue carrier transversely of said blade assembly, detachably connected thereto by a reciprocating linkage extending above said medium and externally of said reservoir;
- (c) means for positioning said tissue carrier for iterative angular motion about a predetermined reference in a predetermined plane;
- and,
- (d) means for expelling a quantity of said buffer medium intermediate said blade holder assembly and said reference plate responsive to movement of said tissue holder relative thereto comprising:
- a chamber formed within said tissue carrier, a first conduit extending from said reservoir to said chamber for providing fluid communication from said reservoir to said chamber for said buffer media, a second conduit extending from said chamber to a surface of said tissue chamber proximal said reference plate;
- a piston mounted for reciprocal movement within said chamber;
- resilient means for biasing said piston toward said second conduit;
- means for urging said piston to a charged position proximal said first conduit as said carrier traverses said blade assembly toward said reference plate;
- and means for releasing said piston from said charged position to expel fluids from said second conduit responsive to movement of said tissue carrier from said reference plate across said blade assembly.
An improvement to a biological tissue slicer for producing uniform tissue slices of a defined thickness from a tissue sample, usable in tissue culture experiments, having a base including a reference plate, variable in height relative to an upper surface of said base with a reference edge of said plate parallel an upwardly opening cavity, there being received within said cavity a blade mounted on a blade holder which moves reciprocally within a rectangular groove formed in said base within said cavity, wherein the improvement comprises:
- (a) a tissue holding carrier which moves reciprocally about a pivot point in a horizontal plane over said blade holder and said blade, said carrier having internal means for flushing said tissues slices past said blade into a collection trap beneath said base and said carrier;
- and
- (b) means detachably affixed to said blade holder for reciprocating said blade holder from a position above said blade holder, wherein said blade holder and said carrier are at least partially submerged in a buffer fluid within a reservoir and said reciprocating means are mounted externally of said reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.