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. 12, 1996
Filed:
May. 11, 1994
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
An apparatus for counting microorganism colonies on at least one disposable microorganism culturing medium having a substantially planar substrate. The apparatus is adapted to interact with a cassette holding a number of similar substrates at once. The apparatus includes an imaging device capable of detecting colonies on the substantially planar substrate, a cassette positioning device for moving the cassette so that the substrates supported within the cassette are moved sequentially into a predetermined position relative to the imaging device, and an ejecting device for ejecting a substantially planar substrate in turn from the cassette when that substrate is in the predetermined position from the cassette and into an imaging position adjacent the imaging device. Suitable cassettes and a method for counting colonies on substrates supported within a cassette are also disclosed.