Leica Biosystems Nussloch Gmbh

Leica Biosystems Imaging, Inc.

Markus Wittmann

Markus Sharpe

Benjamin Siehl

Nicholas Newberg

Bernhard Neef

A power off delay system and method is configured to delay termination of electrical power to a digital pathology device in a power off condition. If the apparatus includes a UPS, the power off delay system and method delays termination of electrical power when a power switch is turned off and when a catastrophic power failure occurs. During the delay of the termination of electrical power, the digital pathology device is configured to control the scanning stage system and the glass slide conveyor system and the slide rack conveyor system to place each of these systems into a known state and position all glass slides into a known position prior to the termination of electrical power to the digital pathology device. This allows the digital pathology device to resume normal operation upon power up.

Power off delay system and method

A system having a first automatic machine () for processing or investigating biological samples and a second automatic machine () for processing or investigating biological samples. The first machine () and the second machine () are electrically connected to an electrical power grid in order to be supplied with electrical energy as an electrical load. The first machine () has a first control apparatus () and the second machine () has a second control apparatus (), which detect disruptions in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and, in the event of a disruption, switch over to a withdrawal of electrical energy from a first energy reservoir () or a second energy reservoir (). The first machine () and the second machine () are also electrically connected to each other, such that the electrical energy is transferrable from an energy store of one of the automatic machines to the other automatic machine.

Coverslipping machine

A coverslipping machine () is embodied to be connected to an electrical power grid in order to be supplied with electrical energy as an electrical load; and removes specimen slides (), having samples present thereon, from a specimen slide magazine () and respectively carries out a coverslipping process in which a mounting medium () and then a coverslip () are applied onto each specimen slide (); and deposits the coverslipped specimen slides () in the specimen slide magazine () or in a further specimen slide magazine (). The coverslipping machine () has an electrical energy reservoir () and an electronic control apparatus (). The electronic control apparatus () detects disruptions in the supply of electrical energy from the power grid and, in the event of a disruption, switches over to a withdrawal of electrical energy from the electrical energy reservoir (), and carries out a safety routine that includes at least the safety steps of completing the coverslipping of specimen slides () already equipped with the mounting medium (), and then depositing them in the specimen slide magazine () or in the further specimen slide magazine ().

A treatment device () for treating histological or cytological samples has a plurality of containers () for different treatment agents and a detection apparatus () for detecting a code which unequivocally identifies a type of a treatment agent or a type of a group of treatment agents from a package or replacement container of a treatment agent or group of treatment agents. The device furthermore has an evaluation apparatus () that, based on a detected code, ascertains which of the containers is or are to be replenished or replaced, and an indicating apparatus () which communicates to a user the ascertained container () or containers () that is or are to be replenished or replaced. The indicating apparatus may include a display () presenting a schematic image of the plurality of containers () with image(s) of each ascertained container being marked, and/or a light source () that illuminates each ascertained container.

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Heidelberg, Germany

Markus Wittmann