The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 24, 1987
Filed:
Dec. 03, 1986
John G Linner, The Woodlands, TX (US);
Stephen Livesey, The Woodlands, TX (US);
The Board of Regents, The University of Texas, Austin, TX (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for ultrarapid cooling of tissue samples against a chilled cryogenic surface. The cryogenic surface is enclosed in an ultra-high hydrocarbon free vacuum chamber during cooling of the cryogenic surface by a helium cryopump or multiple-stage refrigerator. Dry helium gas is introduced from an external source to raise the chamber pressure just prior to slamming or plunging a sample against the cryogenic surface. The cryogenic surface is heated for regeneration or cleaning purposes between each successive sample. During heating and cleaning of the cryogenic surface, an evacuated thermal break functionally separates the surface from the helium cryopump or multiple-stage refrigerator used to cool the surface. After regeneration or cleaning the cryogenic surfce, dry helium gas is reintroduced into the thermal break from an external source, thereby enabling the helium cryopump or multiple-stage refrigerator to rapidly recool the cryogenic surface and repeat the cycle for sequential samples with minimal regeneration time between each sample.