Microtome blade guard with integrated blade alignment device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11898945-B2
Application number	US-202017025937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2020
Priority date	Sep 18, 2020
Publication date	Feb 13, 2024
Grant date	Feb 13, 2024

Abstract

A microtome blade guard including a first arm operable to be coupled to a first side of a cutting mechanism of a microtome; a second arm operable to be coupled to a second side of a cutting mechanism; a lateral support member disposed between the first arm and the second arm; and a staff coupled to the lateral support member and operable to extend therefrom to engage a blade positioned in the blade slot. A microtome including a blade guard and a method including placing a blade in a blade slot of a blade block of a microtome; engaging the blade with a staff coupled to a blade guard that is coupled to the blade block; and moving the blade with the staff.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microtome blade guard comprising:
a first arm operable to be coupled to a first side of a cutting mechanism of a microtome;
a second arm operable to be coupled to a second side of a cutting mechanism;
a lateral support member disposed between the first arm and the second arm such that when the blade guard is coupled to a cutting mechanism, the lateral support member is operable to be positioned adjacent a blade slot of the cutting mechanism; and
a staff comprising a head and an end, a distance between the head and the end defining a length coupled to the lateral support member between the first arm and the second arm and oriented with a length of the staff perpendicular to a length of the lateral support, the staff comprising a retracted position where the head of the staff is separated from the lateral support member by a first distance and being operable to be moved in a length direction from the retracted position to an engagement position where the head of the staff is separated from the lateral support member by a second distance that is less than the first distance by an application of a force to the head of the staff, wherein the staff is biased to the retracted position.

2. The microtome of claim 1 , wherein the staff is biased to the retracted position by a spring.

3. The microtome blade guard of claim 1 , wherein the staff comprises a portion that produces a magnetic field and wherein the engagement of the blade is through a magnetic attraction.

4. The microtome blade guard of claim 1 , wherein the staff is operable to move laterally along a length portion of the lateral support member.

5. The microtome blade guard of claim 1 , wherein the lateral support member comprises a rod.

6. The microtome blade of claim 5 , wherein the rod comprises a first rod coupled to the first arm and a second rod coupled to the first rod and to the second arm, wherein the staff is slidable along the second rod.

7. The microtome blade guard of claim 6 , wherein the second rod comprises two parallel and spaced rod portions and the staff is operable to project through a space defined by the two rod portions.

8. The microtome blade guard of claim 6 , wherein the first rod has a length that is longer than the second rod.

9. A microtome comprising:
a blade block comprising a first side and an opposite second side and defining a blade slot between the first side and the second side that is operable to support a blade;
a sample holder that is operable to hold a sample to be sliced by the blade;
a drive system coupled to one of the blade block and the sample holder to drive a vertical movement of the one of the blade block and the sample holder relative to the other; and
a blade guard comprising a first arm pivotally coupled to the first side of the blade block and a second arm pivotally coupled to the second side of the blade block and a lateral support member disposed between the first arm and the second arm and positioned such that the first side of the blade block is between the lateral support member and the second side of the blade block, the blade guard comprising a staff comprising a head and an end, a distance between the head and the end defining a length, wherein the staff is coupled to the lateral support member between the first arm and the second arm, the staff comprising a retracted position where the head of the staff is separated from the lateral support member by a first distance and being operable to be moved from the retracted position toward the blade slot to an engagement position where the head of the staff is separated from the lateral support member by a second distance that is less than the first distance by an application of a force to the head of the staff to engage a blade positioned in the blade slot at a point between the first side of the blade block and the second side of the blade block, wherein the staff is biased to the retracted position.

10. The microtome of claim 9 , wherein the staff is biased to the retracted position by a spring.

11. The microtome of claim 9 , wherein the staff comprises a portion that produces a magnetic field and wherein the engagement of the blade is through a magnetic attraction.

12. The microtome of claim 9 , wherein the staff is operable to move laterally along a length portion of the lateral support member.

13. The microtome of claim 9 , wherein the lateral support member comprises a rod.

14. The microtome of claim 13 , wherein the rod comprises a first rod coupled to the first arm and a second rod coupled to the first rod and to the second arm, wherein the staff is slidable along the second rod.

15. The microtome of claim 14 , wherein the second rod comprises two parallel and spaced rod portions and the staff projects through a space defined by the two rod portions.

16. The microtome of claim 14 , wherein the first rod has a length that is longer than the second rod.

Assignees

• Sakura Finetek Usa Inc

Inventors

• Dirks Lawrence H

Classifications

• G01N1/06 Primary

  providing a thin slice, e.g. microtome · CPC title

• A61B10/0266 Primary

  means for severing sample · CPC title

• B26D5/086

  Electric, magnetic, piezoelectric, electro-magnetic means · CPC title

• G01N2001/061

  Blade details · CPC title

• G01N2001/065

  Drive details · CPC title