Back to results
US 5,678,465 AGranted
Tissue slice thickness measuring apparatus and method
OwnerCarlos Krumdieckinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
OwnerCarlos Krumdieckinventor
Estimating the term…
A measuring apparatus for measuring the thickness of slices taken from biological tissue samples by a microtome. The apparatus integrates a digital micrometer, a drive motor, sensing and control circuitry, and a mounting plate, and is designed to be attached to the top of a Krumdieck or similarly designed microtome for measuring the thickness of slices produced. The apparatus is designed so that the spindle of the micrometer is positioned in vertical alignment with the tissue well and plunger of the microtome. The user initiates downward movement of the spindle by depressing a down switch and control circuitry actuates the drive motor to advance the spindle of the micrometer down toward the top of the plunger until the bottom surface of the spindle contacts the plunger. The bottom surface of the spindle is electrically connected to a power source, and the plunger is electrically connected to the control circuitry. Upon contact of the spindle with the plunger, an electrical signal is sent to the control circuitry which instantly disconnects the power to the drive motor and short circuits its leads to create an electro-dynamic brake so that any downward momentum of the spindle and motor are abated. After the spindle is arrested, the user resets the micrometer display to zero. The microtome is then activated to slice away a portion of the tissue sample. The user repeats downward movement procedure of the spindle until again contacting the plunger. After the spindle stops, the micrometer display shows the displacement of the spindle which corresponds to the slice thickness.
A measuring apparatus used in combination with a microtome for iteratively slicing a tissue sample into a plurality of uniform tissue slices, said microtome having a slicing plate, a reciprocally movable blade assembly mounted at a predetermined height above said slicing plate, a tissue carrier assembly mounted for iterative movement across said blade assembly, said tissue carrier assembly including a receptacle for holding said tissue sample, and plunger means carried within said receptacle for biasing said tissue sample against said slicing plate, in combination with a micrometer including a variable height spindle having a bottom surface and a human sensible display for showing displacement of said spindle, comprising:
A measuring apparatus used in combination with a microtome for iteratively slicing a tissue sample into a plurality of uniform tissue slices, said microtome including tissue carrier means for holding said tissue sample, a slicing plane, slicing means for slicing away a portion of said tissue sample, said slicing means positioned at a predetermined distance away from said slicing plane, and biasing means for biasing said tissue sample against said slicing plane, in combination with a micrometer including a variable height spindle having a bottom surface and a human sensible display for showing displacement of said spindle, comprising:
A method for measuring the thickness of a tissue sample slice used in combination with a microtome for iteratively slicing a tissue sample into a plurality of uniform tissue slices, said microtome having a slicing plate, a reciprocally movable blade assembly mounted at a predetermined height above said slicing plate, a tissue carrier assembly mounted for iterative movement across said blade assembly, said tissue carrier assembly including a receptacle for holding said tissue sample, and plunger means carried within said receptacle for biasing said tissue sample against said slicing plate, in combination with a micrometer including a variable height spindle having a bottom surface and a human sensible display for showing displacement of said spindle, the steps comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.