Histological Sample Detachment via Liquid Level Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Histological samples often adhere to each other or to the cassette after infiltration with embedding medium, making it difficult to separate them without causing disruption or contamination during the microtoming preparation process.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a sample receiving chamber filled with liquid, such as paraffin, where the liquid level is controlled to detach samples by elevating it under open- or closed-loop control, allowing samples to be separated without moving the cassette into the liquid, thus minimizing disruption and avoiding contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cassette is introduced into a paraffin bath to melt paraffin and separate samples, then sample detachment is achieved, but unintentional jolting and disruption occur
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of moving the cassette into the liquid paraffin bath, the invention inverts the approach by keeping the cassette stationary and moving the liquid paraffin towards the cassette. This eliminates the jolting and disruption caused by inserting the cassette into the bath, while still achieving sample detachment through controlled liquid level elevation.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid paraffin acts as an intermediary medium that transfers the detaching action from the cassette to the samples. By elevating the liquid level to contact and surround the samples, the paraffin mediates the detachment process without requiring mechanical insertion of the cassette into the bath.
2Reliability
If the cassette is moved into liquid paraffin for sample separation, then adhesion is overcome, but contamination and functional impairment occur
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid paraffin serves as a controlled intermediary that can be precisely managed in terms of level and contact. By using liquid level control instead of submerging the entire cassette, the harmful contamination effects are minimized while the beneficial sample separation effect is maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter of liquid paraffin contact by controlling the liquid level rather than submerging the cassette. This parameter change allows for controlled interaction between the paraffin and samples, achieving separation while reducing contamination risks associated with full immersion.
3Ease of operation
If manual handling is used to separate adhering samples, then detachment is possible, but disruption and time loss occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables the samples to detach themselves from the cassette and from each other through the controlled elevation of liquid paraffin. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for time-consuming manual manipulation, allowing samples to separate automatically under the controlled liquid environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces manual mechanical handling with a controlled liquid level system. Instead of using hands or tools to manually separate adhering samples, the system uses controlled liquid paraffin elevation to achieve automatic separation, reducing both time loss and disruption.
4Reliability
If the cassette is inserted into a paraffin bath, then sample isolation is achieved, but device complexity and maintenance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of sample isolation from the complex operation of inserting cassettes into baths. By separating the sample isolation function from the mechanical insertion process and implementing it through controlled liquid level elevation, the apparatus complexity is reduced while maintaining isolation effectiveness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables precise and disruption-free detachment of samples from the cassette, preventing unintentional jolting and maintaining a clean environment, suitable for automated processing and reducing maintenance needs.
Implementation Method 1
the sample is immobilized in a sample receiving chamber above a first fill level of a liquid, in particular liquid paraffin, that is suitable for counteracting the adhesion; and that the fill level of the liquid is then elevated
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus for treating histological samples, in particular for detaching and/or isolating a histological sample that, in particular after an infiltration operation, is adhering to another sample and/or to the inside of a cassette (1), having a sample receiving chamber (2) which is embodied and intended to be filled at least partly with a liquid (3), in particular with liquid paraffin. The apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that an apparatus is provided that is introducible into the liquid (3), in particular under open- and/or closed-loop control, in order to elevate the fill level height (6) of the liquid (3), and/or that an apparatus is provided whose volume is increasable, in particular under open- and/or closed-loop control, in order to elevate the fill level height.