Apparatus for printing plastic cassettes for histopathological inclusion

Abstract

The invention is directed to a printer suitable for printing histological cassettes, which is equipped with a handling system allowing the collection and release of the cassettes themselves, The printer is characterized by the fact that it comprises a motor which allows the feeding, release and sorting of the cassettes along a single handling axis wherein feeding and release takes place in one direction while sorting takes place in the opposite direction. In one preferred embodiment, the printer comprises a monolithic body which subsets the following: a container (01) called stacker suitable for storing the histological cassettes to be printed; a system (02) for printing cassettes, the system comprising: a printing head, preferably a laser printing head; one or more electronic boards preferably located in the lower-rear part of the system (02); and a cassette handling system comprising: an apparatus (12) which moves between three positions: two end positions (13 and 15) and a middle position of printing (14), the apparatus being able to move the cassettes from the initial position (13), preferably corresponding to the position of the container (01) from which the cassettes are taken, to the printing position (14), and from the printing position (14) to the output position (15); a plane (26) which supports the cassettes in their movement from position (13) to position (14), and wherein, at the position (14), the plane (26) has a window (25) having a width slightly greater than the width of a cassette, causing the cassette to fall on an inclined plane (04) whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the axis of movement; wherein the inclined plane (04) comprises a window (24) at position (15), the window being suitable for dropping printed cassettes on a horizontal sorting plane (23), and wherein the handling system comprises a second horizontal plane (05) connected to the sorting plane (23) by means of a step (20); and the movable apparatus (12) comprises a finger (16) which allows the movement of the cassettes on plane (23) in the opposite direction to that produced on plane (26).

Description

Apparatus for printing plastic cassettes for histopathological inclusionTechnical field of invention

[0001] . The present invention concerns the field of printing plastic cassettes for histopathological inclusion and specifically an innovative system for handling the cassettes during the process of printing them.Background of the invention

[0002] . Traditionally, histopathological cassettes were printed using thermal ink transfer printers. These printers have the defect of not providing a lasting print. More recently, laser printers have been developed which are able to print histopathological cassettes effectively. However, the use of laser printers is still limited because of the price which is significantly higher than ink transfer printers. For both thermal ink transfer and laser printers, cassette handling systems which require the use of a variety of motors are normally used.

[0003] . For example, US 2018 / 326736 discloses a printer for histological cassettes in which the cassettes are moved thanks to the use of at least three motors: a first motor for the extraction of the cassettes from the warehouses; a second motor for transporting the cassettes from the warehouses to the press position; a third motor for collecting the printed cassettes.

[0004] . CN 210234378U discloses a printing apparatus for histological cassettes, which comprises a first motor moving cassettes along one direction to the printing spot; the cassette is then released and sorted in the opposite direction of movement thanks to a second motor.

[0005] . However, the presence of a large number of motors has several negative implications. On the one hand, it increases the cost and size of the printer itself. Furthermore, the presence of a large number of motors implies the presence of complex cranks which are subject to wear and tear and which can cause the printer to jam due to malfunction of one of the cranks.

[0006] . There is therefore a need to develop cassette printers which have a simpler cassette handling system than the currently known printers, allowing savings in the cost of the printer itself, as well as a smaller footprint and easier maintenance of the same.Short description of the invention

[0007] . The present invention is therefore directed to a printer suitable for printing histological cassettes, which printer is equipped with a handling system that allows collection and release of the cassettes themselves, where the printer includes a motor which allows both feed and release of the cassettes along one handling axis.Brief description of figures

[0008] . Figure l is a perspective view of a printer according to the invention.

[0009] . Figure 2 shows the histopathological cassette handling system.

[0010] . Figure 3 shows a detail of the handling system, i.e. of the apparatus 12 which during its movement takes the cassette from the warehouse to the printing point.Detailed description of the invention

[0011] . The apparatus according to the invention is preferably composed of a single monolithic body which combines the sub-assemblies described below.

[0012] . At least one container 01 (stacker) wherein cassettes are stacked, preferably having a vertical development, in quantities up to 80 cassettes; the stacker can be quickly and easily removed and replaced by another "stacker" already pre-loaded with cassettes, possibly of different color; in a preferred mode of construction, the support surface of container 01 is horizontal.

[0013] . System 02 is housed in the upper part of the monolithic body for cassette printing, preferably a laser marking system. An interactive LCD touch screen display 03 is installed on the front wall, displaying functional keys and system status messages.

[0014] . The cassette handling system is located below the printing head and comprises a horizontal plane 26, whose longitudinal axis corresponds to the cassette handling axis. An inclined plane 04 is present below plane 26 and incident to it; its longitudinal axis is also parallel to the axis of handling of the cassettes

[0015] . The handling system further includes electromechanical assembly 12 for handling and presenting the coded cassette at the exit, which electromechanical system 12 moves between a horizontal plane 26 and an inclined plane 04, and it is depicted in Figures 2 and 3.

[0016] . The single linear axis of electro-mechanical movement is achieved, for example but not only, by means of a guide with conjugated sliding pad 08, a toothed belt 09 tensioned between two toothed sprockets, of which one is motorized 10 with an electric motor 11, allows the movement of a device 12 moving between three positions: two end positions (13 and 15) and an intermediate position 14.

[0017] . The movement of apparatus 12 is controlled by means of an electronic programmed controller.

[0018] . In one preferred mode of implementation, apparatus 12, when moving from position 13 to position 14, pulls a cassette out of stacker 01 which contains cassettes stacked vertically, The cassette is driven by a tooth 17 having an inclined plane that can push it only in one direction of movement, while in the opposite direction it can be pushed under due to its wedged shape. This wedge-shaped tooth 17 can be part of the mobile device 12, or it can be hinged to the device 12 andwith a spring mechanism retracts when it passes under the stack of cassette of warehouse 01 and then reposition to push the last cassette, as a harpoon would.

[0019] . Once the apparatus 12 has reached intermediate position 14, the cassette, pushed by tooth 17, loses its horizontal support, thanks to an opening 25 in the horizontal sliding plane and settles in support on an inclined plane 04 below, being held sideways by the two triangular faces of apparatus 12; the inclination of the inclined plane is preferably equal to the angle of inclination of the cassette face. Once this quiet position has been reached, the face of the cassette to be marked is perpendicular to the printing axis, for example the laser lens axis, so that the coding marking can be carried out.

[0020] . After the coding operation, apparatus 12 makes a new linear displacement to position 15, dragging with it the cassette which slides on the inclined plane up to window 24 which opens on the inclined plane itself and let the cassette drop on plane 23 which is preferably again parallel to the plane 26 above that houses stacker 01.

[0021] . In one embodiment, the handling system comprises not only horizontal plane 23, on which the printed cassette falls by means of window 24 through device 18 that guides the cassette into position below window 24, but also second horizontal plane 05 connected to horizontal plane 23 by step 20. The width of plane 23 is approximately equal to the lenght of the cassette. In this preferred embodiment, the movable apparatus 12 includes a finger 16 which allows the movement of the cassette on plane 23 in the opposite direction with respect to the direction of movement on plane 26. While apparatus 12 begins its return to starting position 13, finger 16 exerts a push on the cassette only for a length equivalent to its width, because, after this stroke, the cassette is lowered by step 20 in such a way that its lower level removes the cassette from interference with finger 16, which continues its run running through slot 19 until starting position 13, without any further pushing of the cassettes laying on plane 05 by passing over them. It is therefore preferable that the height of the finger 16 from plane 23 be less than or equal to 6 mm, while the height of the finger 16 from plane 05 is preferably greater than or equal to 8 mm. In addition, to avoid overlapping between the cassettes, it is preferable that step 20 has a height of less than or equal to 6 mm. Plan 05, called sorter, can accommodate a minimum of 4 coded cassettes.

[0022] . The coded cassettes are then pushed in a single row by the movement of the last coded cassette, with an advance equal to the width of a cassette, feeding the row of boxes waiting to be picked up by the operator along lane 05 called "sorter".

[0023] . The bottom-back of the monolithic body includes the volume occupied by electronic boards 06.

[0024] . In one preferred embodiment, the printer comprises a single motor, which is able not only to feed the print position and remove the cassette from the print position towards the sorter, butalso to take the cassette out of container 01. However, in case the printer includes more than one container 01 present simultaneously in the printer, it is possible the presence of a second motor for the removal of the cassettes from two or more containers, as disclosed for example in US2018 / 326736, incorporated herein by reference.

[0025] . The system for handling cassettes according to the present invention not only simplifies the use of a histological cassette printer but also, thanks to the way in which the cassette is handled, to use various types of histological cassettes that are not normally compatible on the same printer, such as "standard" cassettes, so-called Lid cassettes and Sakura cassettes. All these types of cassettes are moved by the system of the present invention without the need to change parts of the system itself.

Claims

Claims1. A printer suitable for printing histological cassettes, the printer being equipped with a handling system allowing the collection and release of the cassettes, the printer being characterized by the fact that it comprises only one motor which allows feeding, release and sorting of the cassettes along a single axis, wherein feeding and release takes place in one direction, while sorting takes place in the opposite direction.

2. The printer according to claim 1, where the printer comprises a monolithic body that comprises the following: a container (01) called stacker suitable for storing the histological cassettes to be printed; a system (02) for printing cassettes, the system comprising: a printing head, preferably a laser printing head; one or more electronic boards preferably located in the lower-rear part of the system (02); and a cassette handling system comprising: an apparatus (12) which moves between three positions: two end positions (13 and 15) and a middle position of printing (14), the apparatus being able to move the cassettes from the initial position (13), preferably corresponding to the position of the container (01) from which the cassettes are taken, to the printing position (14), and from the printing position (14) to the output position (15); a plane (26) which supports the cassettes in their movement from position (13) to position (14), and wherein, at the position (14), the plane (26) has a window (25) having a width slightly greater than the width of a cassette, causing the cassette to fall on an inclined plane (04) whose longitudinal direction is parallel to the axis of movement; wherein the inclined plane (04) comprises a window (24) at position (15), the window being suitable for dropping printed cassettes on a horizontal sorting plane (23), and wherein the handling system comprises a second horizontal plane (05) connected to the sorting plane (23) by means of a step (20); and movable apparatus (12) comprises a finger (16) which allows the movement of the cassettes on plane (23) in the opposite direction to that produced on plane (26).

3. The printer according to any of claims 1 or 2, where the apparatus (12) also comprises a tooth (17) with an inclined plane which only in the direction of movement from position (13) to position (14) is able to push the box out of the container (01), while in the opposite direction it passes under by lifting it, due to its wedge shape.

4. The printer according to claim 2, wherein step (20) has a height of less than or equal to 6 mm.

5. The printer according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the height of the finger (16) with respect to the surface (23) is equal to or less than 6 mm.

6. The printer according to any of claims 2 to 5, where the height of the finger (16) with respect to the surface (05) is greater than or equal to 8 mm.

7. The printer according to any of claims 1 to 2 and 4 to 6, comprising two or more containers (01) and a second motor for taking the cassettes from the two or more containers (01).

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