Leica Biosystems Nussloch Gmbh

Leica Microsystems Nussloch Gmbh

Roland Walter

Andreas Laudat

Rolf Metzner

Christoph Schmitt

Holger Metzner

Manfred Biehl

Stefan Thiem

Uwe Kiene

Peter Scheck

Bernd Guenther

Bernd G&uuml;nther

Markus Berberich

Markus Wittman

Siegbert Holterm&uuml;ller

Juergen Vierling

Annett Leonhardt

Siegbert Holtermueller

J&uuml;rgen Vierling

A method of producing thin sections using a microtome is disclosed. A hand wheel () is manually driven for producing a first thin section, and wherein the rotational movement of the hand wheel () is detected by an encoder (), and a profile of the rotational movement is determined. The determined profile is stored and selected for production of at least a second thin section. A motor () is driven for generating a cutting movement between a cutting unit () and a sample holder () in accordance with the respective stored profile selected for producing the second thin section. A microtome () to carry out this method is also disclosed.

Method and microtome for producing thin sections with a section profile recording mode

The present invention relates to a microtome () for cutting thin sections, including a sample holder (), a cutting unit (), and a drive unit () for producing a feed movement between the sample holder () and the cutting unit () for setting the thickness of the sample sections. The drive unit () includes a piezoelectric linear actuator () for producing the feed movement.

Microtome having a piezoelectric linear actuator

The invention relates to a knife holder () having a blade changing apparatus (). The knife holder has a first blade receptacle () defining a cutting position, a securing device () for securing a blade () received in the first blade receptacle (), a second blade receptacle () defining an output position, and an ejection device () for ejecting a blade () received in the first blade receptacle () out of the first blade receptacle (). The first and the second blade receptacles are arranged in the knife holder in such a way that a blade ejected from the first blade receptacle () can travel by gravity into the second blade receptacle ().

Knife holder having a blade changing apparatus

A blade dispenser () has a blade supply container (), a blade disposal container (), and a detachable and reconnectable connecting means () that is embodied to connect the blade supply container () and blade disposal container () detachably to one another. The blade supply container () has a blade supply container upper side and a blade supply container underside, and is embodied to receive a blade stack () made up of multiple mutually abutting blades (). The blade supply container () also has a removal opening () through which at least one blade () of the blade stack () is removable from the blade supply container (). The blade disposal container () has a blade disposal container upper side and a blade disposal container underside, and is embodied to receive blades () to be disposed of.

Blade dispenser

The present invention relates to a microtome () including a sample holder () a cutting unit (), and a drive unit () capable of producing a relative movement between the sample holder () and the cutting unit () for cutting the sample. In addition, the microtome () has a handwheel () and an encoder (). A control unit () controls the drive unit () as a function of the rotational movement of the handwheel () detected by the encoder () and in such a way that, in a first operating mode, the relative movement produced between the sample holder () and the cutting element () by the drive unit () when the handwheel () is rotated through a full revolution has a maximum first stroke length and that, in a second operating mode, the relative movement has a preset second stroke length shorter than the maximum first stroke length.

Microtome having an auto-rocking mode

A method and a device for producing thin sections of a sample by means of a microtome is described, in which a camera acquires at least one image of a surface generated by sectioning of the sample. With the aid of an evaluation device, the image of the surface is evaluated in terms of predefined characteristic values of a section quality. As a function of the characteristic values that are identified, a decision is then made as to whether the section of the sample is accepted or not.

Method and device for producing thin sections of a sample by means of an image recognition system

A method of cutting at least one thin section from a sample block that is arranged in a cassette and tagging at least one specimen slide such that it can be allocated to the specific sample block from which the thin section has been cut. The method includes removing a cassette from a cassette magazine; reading the machine-readable coded information of the cassette identifier; generating by at least one tagging unit a specimen slide identifier that interrelates to the cassette identifier read by the reading unit; inserting the cassette into a microtome; transferring data from the microtome to a tagging unit via a data transfer path while the cassette is inserted into the microtome; enabling tagging of the specimen slide; tagging the specimen slide by the tagging unit; and cutting the thin section and transferring it onto the specimen slide that was tagged by the tagging unit.

Method of cutting at least one thin section and tagging at least one specimen slide

An apparatus and method for tagging a specimen slide are described. The apparatus comprises a receiving region for receiving at least one cassette magazine, a reading unit for reading the machine-readable coded information of a cassette identifier of a cassette, and a tagging unit for generating a machine-readable coded information for tagging the specimen slide with a specimen slide identifier that depends on the cassette identifier. Data are transferred from the microtome to the apparatus via the data transfer path as soon as the cassette is inserted into the microtome, and only then can the machine-readable coded information for tagging the specimen slide be applied onto the specimen slide by the tagging unit.

Apparatus and method for identifying at least one specimen slide

The present invention relates to a device for braking or locking a shaft () of a microtome (). The microtome () comprises the shaft (), an actuating element (), a movement mechanism () and a housing (). With the movement mechanism () an object to be cut can be moved relative to a knife blade. The actuating element () can be manually actuated by an operator. As a result thereof, the shaft () can be rotated. Via the shaft (), the movement mechanism () for performing the relative motion between the object and the knife blade can be driven. Further, the present invention relates to a method for operating a device for braking a shaft () of a microtome (). So that the device can be used in a mechanically formed movement mechanism (), the inventive device is characterized by an actuator and a braking unit (). The braking unit () is connected in a rotatably fixed manner to the shaft (). With the actuator, the braking unit () can be automatically placed in a brake position in which the shaft () can be connected in a rotatably fixed manner to the housing ().

Device and method for braking a shaft of a microtome

The present invention relates to a device for controlling a brake of a microtome. The microtome () has an actuating element (), a movement mechanism () and a brake. With the aid of the movement mechanism (), an object to be cut can be moved relative to a knife blade. The actuating element () can be manually actuated by an operator and, as a result thereof, the relative motion between the object and the knife blade can be performed with the movement mechanism (). The relative motion can be locked with the aid of the brake. So that the relative motion between the object and the knife blade can be used in a mechanically designed movement mechanism () and/or the relative motion can be locked without an additional hand movement of the operator, the inventive device is characterized by at least one sensor unit (). The sensor unit () is provided on the actuating element () or adjacent to the actuating element (). With the aid of the sensor unit () a contact by the operator can be determined. The device is further characterized by a control of the brake depending on a contact by the operator determined or not determined by the at least one sensor unit ().

Device and method for controlling a brake of a microtome

A device for applying a histological section to a slide is described. The histological section is generated by a cutting action performed by a blade of a microtome. The device comprises a positioning device having a component that is rotatably mounted to a bearing and has a receptacle for receiving and holding the slide, wherein the positioning device is designed such that the slide received in the receptacle can be rotated about an axis of rotation of the rotatably mounted component.

Device with which a histological section generated on a blade of a microtome can be applied to a slide

An apparatus for cooling cassette magazines containing tissue samples is described. The apparatus comprises a housing, a cooling device, and a transport apparatus for transporting one or more cassette magazines within the housing. The cassette magazines are introduced into the apparatus via an input chute and can be removed via an output chute.

Apparatus for cooling cassette magazines containing tissue samples

A method for the automatic and contact-free relative approach between a specimen () and a knife () of a microtome (). A first light beam bundle (') forms a detector-side zero point and a last light beam bundle (&#x2033;) forms a detector-side end point of a light band (), the light band () being arranged perpendicular to the second spatial direction (Y) and in the direction thereof spaced from the knife, a zero point (X) being assigned to a reference position of the knife blade (X). The specimen () is guided through the light band () by way of a cutting movement. The position of the highest point of the specimen (X) in the first spatial direction (X) is determined from the number of shaded light beam bundles ().

Method for automatically feeding a specimen to be thinly cut to the knife of a microtome

An apparatus for storing at least one specimen slide and at least one cassette comprising a sample that is embedded in a sample block and that is to be processed, a microtome comprising this apparatus, and a method for handling multiple cassettes and multiple specimen slides are described. A cassette magazine receives at least one cassette having at least one sample block. A slide magazine receives at least one specimen slide. At least one connecting element for connecting the cassette magazine and the slide magazine mechanically with each other is provided. This allows handling at least one cassette and at least one specimen slide together in a simple and efficient manner.

Apparatus and method for storing at least one specimen slide and at least one cassette

An apparatus and a method for filtering sectioning wastes of a microtome that are present in an air stream are described. The apparatus has an aspiration device with which sectioning waste can be aspirated from a blade region of the microtome with an air stream. A main filter and a prefilter are provided. A valve is provided for opening and closing an opening so that the air stream so that if desired an air stream can be directed through a filter insert in the prefilter for emptying the prefilter into the main filter. According to the method, an air stream that is used for aspirating sectioning waste from a blade region of the microtome is shut off immediately before emptying the prefilter.

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Reilingen, Germany

Roland Walter