WO2010151760A2

WO2010151760A2 - Apparatus for printing onto items such as microscope slides or specimen cassettes for histological preparations

Info

Publication number: WO2010151760A2
Application number: PCT/US2010/039983
Authority: WO
Inventors: Todd Hoffman
Original assignee: Cim Software Corporation
Priority date: 2009-06-26
Filing date: 2010-06-25
Publication date: 2010-12-29
Also published as: WO2010151760A3

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a printer including a stackable item loading station, a stackable item printing station, a stackable item curing station, and a stackable item eject station. The printer also includes a carrier arrangement for moving stackable items between the stackable item loading station, the stackable item printing station, the microscope slide curing station and the microscope slide eject station. The carrier arrangement includes a carrier member for receiving and moving the microscope slides. The carrier member is linearly movable along a conveyance axis.

Description

APPARATUS FOR PRINTING ONTO ITEMS SUCH AS MICROSCOPE SLIDES OR SPECIMEN CASSETTES FOR HISTOLOGICAL

PREPARATIONS

This application is being filed on 25 June 2010, as a PCT International Patent application in the name of CIM Software Corporation, a U.S. national corporation, applicant for the designation of all countries except the US, and Todd Hoffman, a citizen of the U.S., applicant for the designation of the US only, and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/220,816, filed June 26, 2009, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/220,841, filed June 26, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/258,931, filed November 6, 2009, which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to printers. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to printers for printing onto microscope slides or specimen cassettes used in histological preparations.

BACKGROUND

Histology involves the microscopic analysis of the structure of tissue. A histological preparation starts with a specimen desired to be analyzed being acquired and placed into a specimen cassette. The specimen cassette can be provided with an identifying label or marking to identify and distinguish the specimen cassette from other specimen cassettes. Information pertaining to the specimen in the cassette is typically maintained either in a database or on a piece of paper that travels with the cassette. This information is used for varying reasons not the least of which is to identify the point of origin of the specimen. To analyze the specimen, it is typically sliced into relatively thin pieces with each piece being placed on a microscope slide. A microscope slide is generally made of glass or other transparent material having a uniform transparent surface suitable for holding the specimen so it can be analyzed by a microscope. Standard microscope slides have a nominal size that is about three inches long, one inch wide and one millimeter thick. Prior to placing the piece of specimen on the microscope slide, the microscope slide is marked with an indicia (e.g., a number, name or other type of indicating information) that links or ties the microscope slide to a corresponding specimen within a cassette. The indicia can be marked on the microscope slide manually or through the use of a printer. The microscope slide is then typically matched to the corresponding cassette by a human and distributed to a histology technician. The histology technician places a slice of specimen on each slide and forwards the prepared slides to a pathologist for microscopic analysis, hi smaller labs, the pathologist may perform the slide preparation as well as the microscopic analysis. Traditionally, microscope slide printers have been used in a batch mode whereby a multitude of microscope slides for specimens from a number of patients are printed at the same microscope slide printer. The microscope slides are then sorted and manually matched to the correct specimens. For the correct diagnosis to be meaningful, it is important that the microscope slide be matched to the correct cassette containing the specimen that corresponds to the indicia on the microscope slide. To reduce the likelihood of a microscope slide being mismatched to an incorrect specimen, it is desirable for a microscope slide printer to be small enough such that its use can be dedicated to a single lab analyzer and used at the lab analyzer's workspace. It is also desirable for the microscope slide printer to be easy to operate and maintain.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer that is relatively small and that can be dedicated to a single lab analyzer at the lab analyzer's workspace, hi one embodiment, the printer has a footprint less than seventy square inches.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer that pre-heats the slide or cassette prior to printing.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer having a carrier that can move a microscope slide or specimen cassette bi-directionally along a conveyance axis, hi one embodiment, the printer also is capable of moving a print head laterally relative to the conveyance axis along a transverse axis that is perpendicular relative to the conveyance axis, hi another embodiment, the printer is capable of printing on a microscope slide or specimen cassette while the carrier moves the microscope slide or specimen cassette in a first direction along the conveyance axis and is also capable of printing on the microscope slide or specimen cassette when the carrier moves the microscope slide or specimen cassette in an opposite second direction along the conveyance axis (i.e., the print head is capable of bi-directional printing).

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer having a carrier configured to carry a microscope slide or specimen cassette. The carrier has a slide or cassette supporting bed having a length that is shorter than the length of the microscope slide or cassette such that end portions of the microscope slide or cassette overhang lateral edges of the supporting bed. The printer also includes an eject element having eject arms that lift the microscope slide or cassette from the carrier and eject the microscope slide or cassette from the printer. The eject arms are configured to engage the end portions of the microscope slide or cassette that overhang the carrier bed to lift the microscope slide or cassette from the carrier to eject the slide or cassette from the printer. The eject element includes an open region located between the eject arms for receiving the carrier.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer having a heating station including an air moving device and a heating component. The air moving device causes air to move across a top surface of the microscope slide or specimen cassette while the top surface of the microscope slide or specimen cassette is being heated by the heating component. In one embodiment, the heating component includes a halogen bulb and the air moving device includes a fan. Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer having at least one bin holder for receiving a bin containing a stack of microscope slides or specimen cassettes. The printer also includes a bin lift for selectively lifting the bin within the bin holder. In one embodiment, the printer can include one or more pairs of bin holders and a dual cam arrangement corresponding to each pair of bin holders for selectively raising and lowering the bins within the corresponding pair of bin holders.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer having a print head and a mechanism for selectively capping and wiping the print head. Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer including a slide or cassette carrier that is moved back and forth along a conveyance axis. The printer can include a controller and a rotary optical encoder that are used to monitor and control the position of the carrier along the conveyance axis.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer that utilizes replaceable ink cartridges with integral or self-contained ink jet nozzles carried by the cartridges. In one embodiment, the ink cartridges can have an integrated configuration in which an ink dispenser as well as all the constituents expended in the printing process (e.g., pigments, dyes, solvents) are carried with the replaceable ink cartridge.

Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a microscope slide or specimen cassette printer that uses an ink that does not require a separate source of solvent needed to be handled by the printer operator and also does not need further coatings applied over the ink after the ink has been printed on a microscope slide or a specimen cassette.

A variety of additional aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The aspects can relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad concepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The descriptions below have been made from the perspective/frame of reference of the components being described.

Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a microscope slide printer in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a front, top, right side perspective view of a microscope slide printer in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; Figure 4 is a front, top, right side perspective view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 with a top bonnet exploded upwardly from a remainder of the printer housing;

Figure 5 is a front, top, right side perspective view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 with the housing components exploded outwardly to expose the interior of the microscope slide printer;

Figure 6 is a front, top, right side view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 with the outer housing removed;

Figure 7 is a front, top, left side view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 with the housing removed;

Figure 8 is a top view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 with the housing removed;

Figure 9 is a front, top, right side view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 with the outer housing removed and a primary frame member of the microscope slide printer exploded above the remainder of the printer components;

Figure 10 is a rear, top, left side view of the primary frame member of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3;

Figure 11 is a front, top, left side view of the primary frame member of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3; Figure 12 is a front view of the primary frame member of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3;

Figure 13 is a rear, bottom, right side view of the printer of Figure 3 with the outer housing and other components removed to more clearly show a slide conveyance arrangement of the microscope slide printer; Figure 14 is a rear, bottom, right side view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 with the outer housing and other components removed to more clearly show the microscope slide conveyance arrangement of the microscope slide printer;

Figure 15 is a bottom view of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 with the outer housing and various other components removed to more clearly show the slide conveyance arrangement of the microscope slide printer;

Figure 16 is a top, front, right side perspective view of a microscope slide carrier that is a component of the slide conveyance arrangement of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3; Figure 17 is a top, rear, right perspective view of the microscope slide carrier of Figure 16;

Figure 18 is a right end view of the microscope slide carrier of Figure 16; Figure 19 is a front view of the microscope slide carrier of Figure 16;

Figure 20 is a right, front, top perspective view of a microscope slide loading station of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3;

Figure 21 is a front view of the microscope slide loading station of Figure 20; Figure 22 is a rear view of the microscope slide loading station of

Figure 20;

Figure 23 is a left side view of the microscope slide loading station of Figure 20;

Figure 24 is a bottom view of the microscope slide loading unit of Figure 20;

Figure 25 is a top view of the microscope slide loading unit of Figure 20;

Figure 26 is a front, left, top side perspective view of a loading bin and bin holder of the microscope slide loading unit of Figure 20; Figure 27 is a front, right, top view of the bin and bin holder of

Figure 26 with the bin exploded above the bin holder;

Figure 28 is a rear, bottom, right side perspective view of the bin and bin holder of Figure 26 with the bin exploded above the bin holder;

Figure 29 is a front view of the bin and bin holder of Figure 26 with the bin exploded above the bin holder;

Figure 30 is a left, rear, top perspective view of a bin lifting arrangement of the microscope slide loading unit of Figure 20;

Figure 31 is a left side view of the bin lifting arrangement of Figure 30; Figure 32 is a front, bottom, right side perspective view of the bin lifting arrangement of Figure 30 with the frame removed to better show the internal components;

Figure 33 is a rear, left side perspective view of a cam and lift arrangement of the bin lifting arrangement of Figure 30; Figure 34 is a rear view of the cam and lift arrangement of Figure 33;

Figure 35 is a front view of the cam and lift arrangement of Figure 33;

Figure 36 is a front, bottom, right side perspective view of a print station of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3 ;

Figure 37 is a front, top, left side perspective view of the printer station of Figure 36;

Figure 38 is a front, top, right side exploded perspective view of the print station of Figure 36; Figure 39 is front, top, left side exploded perspective view of the print station of Figure 36;

Figure 40 is a front, right side perspective view of a capping and wiping assembly of the printer of Figure 3;

Figure 41 is a rear, left side perspective view of the capping and wiping assembly of Figure 40 ;

Figure 42 is a rear, right side perspective view of the capping and wiping assembly of Figure 40;

Figure 43 is a front, left side perspective view of the capping and wiping assembly of Figure 40; Figure 44 is a right side view of the capping and wiping assembly of

Figure 40;

Figure 45 is a rear, bottom, right side perspective view of the capping and wiping assembly of Figure 40;

Figure 46 is a rear view of the capping and wiping assembly of Figure 40;

Figure 47 is a front, right side view of a fan mounting bracket of the printer of Figure 3;

Figure 48 is a back, right side view of the fan mounting bracket of Figure 47; Figure 49 is a top, rear, right side perspective view of a heating bulb microscope slide printer of Figure 3;

Figure 50 is a front, bottom left side perspective view of the heating bulb arrangement of Figure 49; Figure 51 is a front, top, right side perspective view of an ejecting station of the microscope slide printer of Figure 3;

Figure 52 is a left, front, top side perspective view of the microscope slide eject station of Figure 51; Figure 53 is a top, rear, right side perspective view of the microscope slide eject station of Figure 51;

Figure 54 is a rear, bottom, left side perspective view of the microscope slide eject station of Figure 51;

Figure 55 is a front, top, right side exploded perspective view of the microscope slide ej ect station of Figure 51 ;

Figure 56 is a top, rear, left side exploded perspective view of the microscope slide eject station of Figure 51;

Figure 57 is an exploded top view of the microscope slide eject station of Figure 51; Figure 58 shows a first example lay out for a controller of the printer of Figure 1;

Figure 59 shows a second example layout for a controller of the printer of Figure 1;

Figure 60 shows the printer of Figure 1 with one of the loading stations converted to a manual feed station; and

Figure 61 is a schematic view of another printer in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present disclosure relates to a printer for dispensing, conveying and printing upon stackable items that are generally rigid (i.e., self-supporting, stiff). Example stackable items having a rigid construction include microscope slides and specimen cassettes used in histological preparations. It will be appreciated that much of the following detailed description as well as the Figures of the present disclosure are directed toward microscope slide printer embodiments. However, it will also be appreciated that the various aspects disclosed herein are also applicable to printers for dispensing, conveying and printing upon other types of stackable items (e.g., specimen cassettes). I. General System Overview

Figures 1 and 2 schematically show a microscope slide printer 20 in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The microscope slide printer 20 includes a loading station 22, a print station 24, a heating station 26 or other type of curing station, and an eject station 28. The microscope slide printer 20 also includes a microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30 for moving microscope slides 19 (shown schematically at Figures 1 and 2) between the various stations of the microscope slide printer 20. More detailed views of the loading station 22, the print station 24, the heating station 26 and the eject station 28 are shown at Figures 6-8.

Referring to Figure 1, the microscope slide printer 20 includes a front end 32 and a back end 34. The eject station 28 is positioned adjacent the front end 32 while the loading station 22 is positioned adjacent the back end 34. The heating station 26 is positioned between the print station 24 and the eject station 28 and the print station 24 is positioned between the loading station 22 and the heating station 26. The microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30 moves microscope slides along a slide conveyance axis 36 that extends longitudinally between the front and back ends 32, 34 of the microscope slide printer 20.

The microscope slide printer 20 also includes a control system including a controller 31 and plurality of sensors. The controller interfaces with the sensors and the active components of the microscope slide printer 20 and coordinates the operation of the various stations and the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30 of the microscope slide printer 20. hi use of the microscope slide printer 20, one or more microscope slides are loaded into the microscope slide printer 20 at the loading station 22 so that the slides are available for printing. To initiate a print sequence, information desired to be printed onto microscope slides can be input to the controller 31. After the information desired to be printed has been received by the controller 31, a microscope slide is dispensed from the loading station 22 to the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30. The microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30 then conveys the microscope slide in a forward direction along the slide conveyance axis 36 from the loading station 22 to the heating station 26. At the heating station 26, the slide is preheated. Once the slide has been preheated, the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30 moves the preheated slide in a rearward direction along the slide conveyance axis 36 from the heating station 26 to the print station 24. At the print station 24, the information or indicia desired to be printed on the microscope slide is printed on the microscope slide. After printing has been completed, the slide conveyance arrangement 30 moves the slide in a forward direction along the slide conveyance axis 36 from the print station 24 back to the heating station 26. At the heating station, the microscope slide is further heated to dry the printing on the microscope slide. After the printing has been dried, the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30 moves the slide in a forward direction along the slide conveyance axis 36 from the heating station 26 to the eject station 28. At the ejection station 28, the printed microscope slide is discharged from an interior of the microscope slide printer 20 and is dispensed to a slide collection bin 38 located outside the interior of the microscope slide printer 20.

II. Printer Housing Figures 3-5 show various more detailed views of the microscope slide printer 20 that is schematically depicted in Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figures 3- 5, the microscope slide printer 20 includes a protective outer enclosure 90 that covers and protects the active components of the microscope slide printer 20. The outer enclosure 90 includes a main housing 92 and a protective bonnet 94. The main housing 92 includes a first housing component 96 including a bottom wall 98 integrally connected to a rear wall 100. The main housing 92 also includes a second housing component 102 including opposing, spaced-apart left and right side walls 104, 106 that are interconnected by a top wall 108. The top wall 108 defines an access opening 110 for providing access to the loading station 22 (e.g., for loading microscope slides into the loading station) and for providing access to the print station 24 (e.g., for replacing ink cartridges). The second housing component 102 also includes a front opening 112 for providing access to the ejection station 28. The first and second housing components 96, 102 can be fastened together by conventional techniques such as fasteners, and the second housing component 102 can be removed from the first housing component 96 to provide further access to the various internal components of the microscope slide printer 20.

The protective bonnet 94 mounts over the second housing component 102 includes an opening 111 that aligns with the top access opening 110 to allow slides to be loaded into the loading station while the bonnet 94 remains closed. In one embodiment, the protective bonnet 94 is pivotally connected to the second housing component 102 and is moveable between a printing position (i.e., a closed position, see Figure 3), and an access position (i.e., an open position) where interior components of the printer can be more easily accessed (e.g., for maintenance, repair, ink cartridge replacement, etc.). The protective bonnet 94 includes a top portion 114 that covers the top of the second housing component 102 and a front portion 116 that covers the front of the second housing component 102. The top portion 114 includes a recessed portion 118 adjacent to the loading station 22 and a tower portion 120 that projects upwardly from the recessed portion 118 and covers the print station 24. The front portion 116 of the protective bonnet 94 defines a front opening 122 through which the slide collection bin 38 of the eject station 28 projects when the protective bonnet 94 is pivoted to the closed position of Fig. 3.

The microscope slide printer 20 preferably has a relatively small footprint so that it can readily be used at a technician's workstation. In one embodiment, the microscope slide printer 20 has a footprint less than seventy square inches.

III. Printer Frame

Referring to Figures 6-12, the microscope slide printer 20 includes a primary frame member 126 to which the internal components of the microscope slide printer 20 are attached or otherwise supported. The primary frame member 126 includes opposing, spaced-apart left and right side walls 128, 130 having base ends that attach to the bottom wall 98 of the main housing 92. The primary frame member 126 also includes a top wall 132 that extends between and interconnects the left and right side walls 128, 130. The top wall 132 and the left and right side walls 128, 130 extend generally from the front end 32 to the back end 34 of the microscope slide printer 20. The top wall 132 defines a carriage slot 134 that aligns along the slide conveyance axis 36 and has a length that extends between the front and back ends 32, 34 of the microscope slide printer 20. The carriage slot 134 is positioned between left and right portions 136, 138 of the top wall 132. Front and rear flanges 139 are positioned at opposite ends of the carriage slot 134. The flanges 139 extend between the left and right portions 136, 138 of the top wall 132. IV. Slide Conveyance Arrangement

Referring to Figure 1, the slide conveyance arrangement 30 of the microscope slide printer 20 includes a carriage 140 for carrying the microscope slides from station to station during the printing process. The carriage 140 is shown slidably mounted on one or more guides 142 (e.g., rods, rails, tracks, etc.) that extend along the slide conveyance axis 36 between the front and back ends 32, 34 of the microscope slide printer 20. As shown at Figures 13-15, the guides 142 have end portions secured to the flanges 139 of the primary frame member 126. The microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30 further includes a slide conveyance drive 144 for moving the carriage 140 linearly along the guides 142. As shown at Figure 1, the slide conveyance drive 144 includes a carriage drive member 146 (e.g., a belt or chain) arranged in a continuous loop. For clarity of view, the carriage drive member 146 is only shown at Figure 1 and has been omitted form the remainder of the Figures. The carriage 140 is coupled to the carriage drive member 146 and the carriage drive member 146 is looped around rotatable end members 148, 149 (e.g., gears, sheaves, rollers, etc.). The end members 148, 149 are rotatable about central axes 150, 151 and are rotatably mounted to the primary frame member 126 of the microscope slide printer 20 by structures such as bearings and shafts (e.g., see shafts 127, 129 at Figures 13-15). The end member 149 is a driven member and is rotated about its respective central axis 151 by a drive motor 152 (e.g., a stepper motor, DC motor or other motor). Torque can be transferred from the drive motor 152 to the end member 149 via torque transferring components such as gears 153, 155 (see Figure 14) and/or other structures such sheaves, belts, drive shafts, etc. Rotation of the driven end member 149 causes movement of the carriage drive member 146 along an upper portion or segment of a loop that extends around the end members 148, 149. When the carriage drive member 146 is moved in a counterclockwise direction around the loop, the carriage 140 is moved in a rearward direction along the slide conveyance axis 36. In contrast, when the carriage drive member 146 is moved in a clockwise direction around the loop, the carriage 140 is moved in a forward direction along the slide conveyance axis 36. Thus, by selectively moving the carriage drive member 146 in clockwise and counterclockwise directions about the loop, the carriage 140 can be selectively shuttled rearwardly and forwardly along the slide conveyance axis 36. Figures 16-19 show an example configuration for the carriage 140. The depicted carriage 140 has a generally rectangular, block-shaped configuration having a top side 154 positioned opposite from a bottom side 156, a front side 158 positioned opposite from a back side 160, and a left side 162 positioned opposite from a right side 164. A pair of guide receiving holes 166 extend through the carriage 140 from the front side 158 to the back side 160. The guide receiving holes 166 are adapted to slidably receive the guides 142 that are attached to the frame 126 of the microscope slide printer 20. By slidably receiving the guides 142, the guide receiving holes 166 allow the carriage 140 to be reciprocated forwardly and backwardly along the slide conveyance axis 36 by the slide conveyance drive 144. The top side 154 of the carriage 140 forms a platform or bed 168 for receiving a microscope slide desired to be printed. The bed 168 has a width Wl that generally corresponds to the width of a conventional microscope slide, and a length Ll that is shorter than the length L (see Figure 2) of a conventional microscope slide. In one embodiment, the width Wl is slightly larger than one inch and the length Ll is less than three inches, or less than or equal to two and half inches, or less than or equal to about two inches. Retention rails or ridges 170 are positioned at forward and rearward edges of the bed 168 and are configured for preventing a microscope slide from being displaced forwardly or rearwardly from the bed 68. The carriage 40 further includes left and right notched regions 172, 174 positioned respectively at the upper left and right corners of the carriage 140. Notched regions 172, 174 extend from the front side 158 to the back side 160 of the carriage 140. The notched regions 172, 174 respectively provide top surfaces 176, 178 that are recessed below the bed 168 of the carriage 140. When the carriage 140 is mounted within the microscope slide printer 20, the bed 168 fits within the carriage slot 134 of the primary frame structure 126. Also, the top surfaces 176, 178 of the carriage 140 respectively fit beneath the left and right portions 136, 138 of the top wall 132 of the mainframe 126. The bed 168 is elevated relative to the top surfaces 176, 178 and is recessed relative to the slide retention ridges 170. V. Loading Station

The loading station 22 preferably includes at least one two automatic slide delivery locations 200. Referring to Figures 1 and 6-8, the printer is shown having two of the automatic slide delivery stations 200. The automatic slide delivery locations 200 allow stacks of microscope slides to be loaded into the microscope slide printer 20 and to be automatically dispensed individually from the bottoms of the stacks to the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30 during printing operations. Referring still to Figures 1 and 20-25, the automatic slide delivery locations 200 each include a bin holder 204 that receives a bin 206. Referring to Figures 26-29, one of the bins 206 and its corresponding bin holder 204 are shown in isolation from the remainder of the microscope slide printer 20. The depicted bin 206 is configured to slide vertically up and down within the bin holder 204. Figures 30-35 show a bin lifting arrangement 250 for raising and lowering the bins 206 within the bin holders 204.

Referring back to Figures 26-29, the depicted bin holder 204 includes opposing, spaced-apart left and right side walls 208, 210 interconnected by a front wall 212. The bin holder 204 is attached to the top wall 132 of the primary frame member 126 by mounting feet 214 located at bottom ends of the left and right side walls 208, 210. The mounting feet 214 can be fastened to the top wall 132. The bin holder 204 includes an open back side 216, an open top 218 and an open bottom 220. The front wall 212 encloses a front side of the bin holder 204. A microscope slide metering slot 222 is defined in part by a bottom edge 224 of the front wall 212. The metering slot 222 has a length L2 slightly larger than the length of a microscope slide and a height Hl only slightly larger than the thickness of a microscope slide. Preferably, the height Hl of the metering slot 222 is less than two times the thickness of a microscope slide. The bottom edge 224 of the front wall 212 is spaced upwardly from bottom surfaces 226 of the mounting feet 214. The height Hl of the metering slot 222 is the distance between the bottom surfaces 226 of the mounting feet 214 and the bottom edge 224 of the front wall 212.

Referring still to Figures 26-29, the depicted bin 206 includes a left side wall 230 spaced-apart from an opposing right side wall 232. The left and right side walls 230, 232 are interconnected by a rear wall 234. A length L3 between the left and right side walls 230, 232 is slightly larger than the length of a conventional microscope slide such that microscope slides can be stacked within the bin 206. A height H2 of the left and right side walls 230, 232 is preferably sufficiently large to accommodate a plurality of microscope slides. In one embodiment, the bin 206 can hold at least 80 microscope slides.

Referring to Figures 24, 25 and 27-29, each of the bins 206 includes slide retention lips or flanges 236 that project inwardly from bottom edges of the left and right side walls 230, 232. loner edges of the slide retention flanges 236 define a length L4 that is less than the length of a standard microscope slide. When microscope slides are loaded into the bins 206, outer end portions of the bottommost slides of the stacks rest on the slide retention flanges 236. hi this manner, the slide retention flanges 236 retain the stack of microscope slides within the bins 206 and prevent the stacks of microscope slides from falling through the bottoms of the bins 206. The bins 206 each have an open top side, an open front side and a partially open bottom side. The rear walls 234 of the bin 206 can include bottom notched regions 238. The length L4 is preferably larger than the length Ll of the bed 168 of the carriage 140 so that the bed 168 of the carriage 140 can fit between the slide retention flanges 236 when a microscope slide is being transferred from the bin 206 to the carriage 140. The bottom notched region 238 has a length L5 that corresponds to the length L4 and assists in providing further clearance for the carriage 140 when the bed 168 of the carriage 140 is positioned between the slide retention flanges 236.

To load slides into the microscope slide printer 20, the bins 206 are removed from the bin holders 204 and stacks of microscope slides are loaded into the bins 206. The bins 206 are then inserted back into the bin holders 204. The bins 206 are inserted with the rear walls 234 of the bins 206 spaced from the front walls 212 of the bin holders 204 such that the stacks of microscope slides held by the bins 206 are captured between the front walls 212 of the bin holders 204 and the rear walls 234 of the bins 206. The bins 206 are held within the bin holders 204 by gravity. To dispense a microscope slide from one of the bins 206 to the carriage 140 of the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30, the bin holders 204 are initially moved to elevated or raised positions relative to the to top wall of the primary frame member 126. The carriage 140 is then moved beneath the bin 206 from which it is desired to dispense a microscope slide. The bin 206 is then lowered such that the bottommost microscope slide rests on the bed 168 of the carriage 140 and the slide retention flanges 236 are positioned lower than the bed 168 of the carriage 140. The carriage 140 is then moved in a forward direction along the slide conveyance axis 36 to remove the bottommost microscope slide from the stack of microscope slides within the selected bin 206. As the carriage 140 moves in the forward direction, the slide retention ridges 170 of the carriage 140 as well as the microscope slide held between the slide retention ridges 170 on the bed 168 of the carriage 140 move through the metering slot 222 of the bin holder 204. Engagement between the front wall 212 of the bin holder 204 and the remainder of the microscope slides in the stack of microscope slides prevents more than one microscope slide from being dispensed from the bin 206 at a given time.

Figures 1, 20-25 and 30-35, show the bin lifting arrangement 250 for selectively raising and lowering the bins 206 relative to the bin holders 204. The bin lifting arrangement 250 includes a bin lift mounting bracket 282 having opposing front and rear legs 284, 286 interconnected by a top piece 288. Bottom ends of the legs 284, 286 are attached to the primary frame member 126. The bin lifting arrangement 250 also includes a dual cam structure 260 mounted on a camshaft 252. The dual cam structure 260 is non-rotatably mounted on the camshaft 252 and is positioned between the front and rear legs 284, 286 of the bin lift mounting bracket 282. The camshaft 252 is rotatably mounted relative to the front and rear legs 284, 286 and is rotated about its central axis 257 by a drive motor 254. Torque is transferred from the drive motor 254 to the camshaft 252 by torque transferring structures such as gears 259, 263 and 265.

The dual cam structure 260 of the bin lifting arrangement 250 includes a front cam 256 and a rear cam 258. The front and rear cams 256, 258 are eccentric relative to the axis of rotation of the camshaft 252. The front and rear cams 256, 258 each include a region of maximum offset 261 from the axis 257 and a region of minimum offset 262 from the axis 257. The region of maximum offset 261 of the rear cam 258 is rotationally offset with respect to the region of maximum offset 261 of the front cam 256. Similarly, the region of minimum offset 262 of the rear cam 258 is rotationally offset relative to the region of minimum offset 262 of the front cam 256. In the depicted embodiment, the offset angle about the axis 257 is about 180 degrees. The front and rear cams 256, 258 of the dual cam structure 260 respectively engage front and rear cam followers 264, 266 that are pivotally mounted on a pivot shaft 268 secured between the front and rear legs 284, 286 of the bin lift mounting bracket 282. The cam followers 264, 266 have right ends 270 that engage their respective front and rear cams 256, 258 and left ends 272 that engage their respective front and rear bins 206. The pivot shaft 268 passes through the cam followers 264, 266 at locations between the right and left ends 270, 272 of the cam followers 264, 266. Clearance notches 274 are provided in the right side walls 210 of the bin holders 204 for allowing the left ends 272 of the cam followers 264, 266 to pass through the bin holders 204 and engage their respective bins 206.

By rotating the dual cam structure 260 about the axis 257 of the camshaft 252, the front and rear bins 206 can be selectively raised and lowered within their respective bin holders 204. When the dual cam structure 260 is in a first rotational position shown in Figures 20-25 and 30-35, the front bin 206 is in a raised vertical position and the rear bin 206 is in a lowered vertical position (i.e., a position where the bottom of the rear bin 206 is positioned at least as low as the bed of the carriage 140). In the first rotational position, the maximum offset of the front cam 256 is down and the maximum offset of the rear cam 258 is up. By rotating the cam shaft 252 clockwise about 90 degrees around the axis 257 from the first rotational position of the cam shaft 252, the dual cam structure 260 is moved to a second rotational position where the maximum offsets of the front and rear cams 256, 258 are generally aligned in a horizontal plane. In the second rotational position, the bins 206 are held at an intermediate vertical position in which the bottoms of the bins 206 are held above the height of the carriage 140 such that the carriage can freely move beneath the bins 206. By rotating the cam shaft 252 clockwise another 90 degrees about the axis 257, the cam shaft 252 is moved from the second rotational position to a third rotational position. In the third rotational position, the maximum offset of the front cam 256 is up and the maximum offset of the rear cam 258 is down. In the third rotational position, the front bin is in the lowered vertical position and the rear bin is in the raised vertical position, hi use, the cam shaft is typically maintained in the second rotational position where the bins are held at the intermediate vertical positions, and the cam shaft rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise from the second position to move to the first rotational position where the rear bin is lowered or the third rotational position where the front bin is lowered.

As shown at Figure 32, a sensor arrangement 290 can be mounted to (i.e., carried by) at least one of the cam followers 264, 266. The sensor arrangement 290 can detect sensing locations 291, 293 indicative of a rotational position of the cam shaft 252.

In other embodiments, more than one pair of the bin holders 204 and corresponding bins 206 may be provided. For such embodiments, separate lift arrangements 250 can be provided for each pair of bin holders and their corresponding bins.

VI. Print Station

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the print station 24 includes an ink cartridge receiver 302 including a pocket or receptacle for receiving a replaceable ink cartridge 306. The ink cartridge 306 includes a housing 308 defining an internal reservoir 310 in which ink is contained. The ink cartridge 306 also includes a print head 312 (e.g., an ink jet nozzle) that is integral with (i.e., carried by) the housing 308 of the ink cartridge 306 such that the ink housing 308 and the print head 312 are inserted into the receptacle as a unit when ink reservoir 310 contains ink and are also removed from the receptacle as a unit after all of the ink has been dispensed from the ink reservoir 310. In one embodiment, the ink cartridge has an integrated configuration in which an ink dispenser as well as all the constituents expended in the printing process (e.g., pigments, dyes, solvents) are carried with the replaceable ink cartridge. In one embodiment, the ink cartridge 306 and the ink cartridge receiver 302 are not moveable in a direction along the slide conveyance axis 36 during printing. Instead, printing is achieved by moving the slides desired to be printed relative to the print head 312. Movement of the microscope slide being printed is preferably along the slide conveyance axis 36 with movement of the slide being provided by the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30. As the microscope slide is moved by the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30, the print head 312 prints on the microscope slide. Control firmware/ software for the printing operations preferably allows printing to take place when the microscope slide is moved in a forward direction relative to the print head 312 and/or when the microscope slide is moved in a rearward direction relative to the print head 312. As indicated above, forward and rearward movement of the microscope slide is along the slide conveyance axis 36. Thus, the print station 24 has bi-directional printing capabilities. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the ink cartridge receiver 302 is moveable along a print head conveyance axis 314 that extends across or is orthogonal to the slide conveyance axis 36. A motor 316 can be used to move the ink cartridge receiver 302 and the ink cartridge 306 held therein back and forth along the print head conveyance axis 314. Movement of the print head 312 along the print head conveyance axis 314 allows printing to be provided at different positions along the length of the microscope slide desired to be printed. Additionally, movement of the print head 312 along the print head conveyance axis 314 allows a wider band of printing to be provided along the length of the microscope slide desired to be printed. As depicted herein, the ink cartridge receiver 302 and the ink cartridge 306 are shown schematically, hi one embodiment, the ink cartridge is a Hewlett Packard HP45 style cartridge (Model No. HP 51645A) that is compatible with a HP 45 cartridge receiver sold by Hewlett Packard, Inc.

To promote ease of use, certain embodiments of the present disclosure use replaceable ink cartridges having integral print heads, and do not have separate sources of ink and solvent. Instead, all printing constituents can be contained within the reservoir 310. hi certain embodiments, ink is applied without requiring a separate source of solvent that is post-applied or otherwise incorporated into the printing process. The solvents may be water based or non-water based, and the inks may include pigments or dyes. One example ink includes SHARK TSK- 1948 ink sold by Collins Ink Corporation of Cincinnati Ohio. Another example ink includes IQ2392 ink sold by General Company Limited of Osaka, Japan. The ink may include a solvent that is premixed and self-contained within the reservoir 310 so that no separate mixing or handling of the solvent is required. In certain embodiments, inks dispensed by the print head 312 can be dried or otherwise set without the need for exposure to an ultraviolet light source. As used herein, "pigments" are solid particles that are generally not miscible in the continuous phase. Pigments can include inorganic pigments and organic pigments. Referring to Figures 36-39, more detailed views of various components of the print station 24 are depicted. For example, these figures show the print station 24 including a print station main bracket 318 having upright left and right side walls 320, 322. The left and right side walls 320, 322 oppose one another and are separated by a spacing. The print station main bracket 318 also includes an upright front wall 324 that extends between and interconnects the left and right side walls 320, 322. Lower ends of the left and right side walls 320, 322 are adapted to be fastened to the left and right walls 128, 130 of the primary frame member 126. When the print station main bracket 318 is mounted to the primary frame member 126, the print station main bracket 318 straddles the slide conveyance axis 36 with the left and right side walls 320, 322 located on opposite sides of the slide conveyance axis 36 and the front wall 324 extending over the top of the slide conveyance axis 36.

Referring still to Figures 36-39, the print station 24 also includes various components for mounting the ink cartridge receiver 302 to the print station main bracket 318. These components include an ink cartridge receiver bracket 326, an ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 and a slide shaft 330. The slide shaft 330 has ends secured to the left and right side walls 320, 322 of the print station main bracket 318 and aligns generally parallel to the print head conveyance axis 314. The slide shaft 330 extends through an opening 332 in the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 such that the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 can slide back and forth along the length of the slide shaft 330. The ink cartridge receiver 302 is coupled to the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 by the ink cartridge receiver bracket 326. The ink cartridge receiver bracket 326 has a generally Z-shaped configuration and includes an upright wall 334 having a back side that opposes and abuts against a front side of the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 and a front side that opposes and abuts against a back side of the ink cartridge receiver 302. The ink cartridge receiver bracket 326 also includes a rear flange 336 that projects rearwardly from a top end of the upright wall 334 and is attached to a top side of the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 and a front flange 338 that projects forwardly from a bottom end of the upright wall 334 and is attached to a bottom side of the ink cartridge receiver 302. The ink cartridge receiver 302 is supported on the front flange 338 and the front flange 338 defines an opening 340 through which the print head 312 of the ink cartridge 306 projects when the ink cartridge 306 is mounted in the ink cartridge receiver 302.

Referring still to Figures 36-39, the motor 316 for moving the ink cartridge receiver 302 along the print conveyance axis 314 is mounted to the left side wall 320 of the print station main bracket 318. hi one embodiment, the motor 316 can rotate a screw drive 317 that engages the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 such that when the screw drive 317 is rotated in a first direction about its central axis, the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 is driven in a leftward direction along the print head conveyance axis 314 and when the screw drive is rotated in a second direction about its central axis, the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 is driven in a rightward direction along the print head conveyance axis 314. In an example embodiment, the screw drive can include a threaded shaft driven by motor 316 that passes through an internally threaded opening 342 defined through the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328. The opening 342 can be parallel to the slide shaft 330 and a right end of the threaded drive shaft can be supported at the right side wall 322 of the print station main bracket 318. hi alternative embodiments, rather than providing threads within the opening 342, the threaded drive shaft can pass through a nut secured to the ink cartridge receiver mounting block 328 in coaxial alignment with the opening 342. The ink cartridge also typically includes a plurality of electrical contacts that engage corresponding contacts in the ink cartridge receiver when the ink cartridge is inserted within the receptacle of the ink cartridge receiver. The contacts can be used to provide a connection between the print head and the system controller 31. In this way, a signal path is provided that extends from the system controller to the print head for allowing the system controller 31 to communicate with and control operation of the print head.

Referring back to Figure 1, the print station 24 also includes a print head maintenance arrangement 350 mounted to the primary frame member 126 at a location directly below the print head 312. The print head maintenance arrangement 350 includes a capping member 352 and a wiping member 354. The capping member 352 can include a pad 356 adapted for capping the print head 312 when the print head is not in use, and the wiping member 354 can include a wiping pad 358 suitable for wiping dried ink or other debris from the print head 312. The print head maintenance arrangement 350 also includes an actuator such as a motor 360 for selectively moving the capping member 352 between a capping position and a non- capping position, and also for selectively moving the wiping member 354 between a wiping position and a non- wiping position. The motor 360 can be mechanically coupled to the capping member 352 and the wiping member 354 by torque transfer structures such as gears, shafts or other components. In normal use of the microscope slide printer 20, the capping member 352 is typically maintained in the non-capping position and the wiping member 354 is maintained in the non- wiping position. In certain embodiments, the capping member 352 can be moved from the non-capping position to the capping position between print operations or after the print head 312 has been inactive for a predetermined amount of time. The wiping member 354 can be moved from the non- wiping position to the wiping position after a predetermined amount of time or if printing quality is detected to be poor. By moving the wiping member 354 to the wiping position, and then moving the print head 312 along the print head conveying axis 314, the print head 312 is wiped laterally across the wiping member 354 and thereby wiped clean to improve poor printing performance caused by a dirty print head.

Referring to Figures 40-46, more detailed views of the print head maintenance arrangement 350 are provided. As shown in such figures, the motor 360 drives shaft 362 about a central axis to rotate a disc-shaped actuator member 364. The capping member 352 and the wiping member 354 are connected to the actuator member 364 and are angularly offset from one another about the central longitudinal axis of the shaft 362. These figures show the capping member 352 in an upright position corresponding to the capping position. By rotating the actuator member 364 in a counterclockwise direction, the capping member 352 is moved away from the capping position and the wiping member 354 is moved toward the wiping position. The wiping member 354 reaches the wiping position when the wiping member 354 is aligned in an upright position. A stop pin 366 is attached to the primary frame member 126 at a location beneath the print head 312. The capping member 352 engages a front side of the stop pin 366 when in the capping position and the wiping member 354 engages a back side of the stop pin 366 when in the wiping position. In certain embodiments, the capping and wiping members 352 and 354 include cam surfaces that ride on the stop pin 366 to assist in orienting the members 352, 354 in upright positions in which the members 352, 354 are pressed upwardly against the print head 312. When the capping member 352 and the wiping member 354 are not in use, the shaft 362 can be moved to a rotational orientation midway between the wiping position and the capping position, hi this mid-way position, both the capping member 352 and the wiping member 354 are positioned below the path of the carriage 140. The shaft 362 also drives a partial gear 370. The partial gear 370 includes two sensor components 372, 374 that either detect or are detected by detection locations 376, 378 to monitor the positions of the capping member 352 and the wiping member 354. Other sensor arrangements can also be used.

VII. Heating Station

The heating station 26 of the microscope slide printer 20 is used to preheat microscope slides prior to printing, and to dry ink on microscope slides after printing. The heating station 26 includes an air moving device 400 (e.g., an axial fan, a centrifugal fan, a mixed flow fan, or other type of blowing device) for moving air across the top sides of microscope slides being heated. As shown at Figure 1, the air moving device 400 is located between the print station 24 and a heating component 402. The air moving device 400 blows air in a forward direction toward the heating component 402 such that air is blown across a top side of a microscope slide positioned directly below the heating component 402. In a preferred embodiment, the heating component 402 includes a heating bulb such as a halogen bulb, hi other embodiments, the heating component 402 can include other structures such as an electric resistance heater or other type of bulb.

Referring to Figures 6, 7, 47 and 48, the air moving device 400 can be supported on a bracket 404 secured to the primary frame member 126. The bracket 404 holds the air moving component 400 at a location above the path of the carriage 140. The heating station 26 also includes a heating component bracket 406 (see Figures 6, 7, 49 and 50) attached to the primary frame member 126. The heating component bracket 406 holds the heating component 402 at a position directly above the path of the carriage 140. The depicted heating component bracket 406 is configured for holding a halogen bulb.

VIII. Eject Station

Referring to Figure 1, the ejection station 28 includes an eject member 500 that is typically moveable about a pivot axis 502 between a lowered non-eject position 504 and a raised eject position 506. When the eject member 500 is in the raised eject position 506, the eject member 500 is oriented at an oblique angle relative to the slide conveyance axis 36 and an upper portion of the eject member 500 is positioned higher than the bed 168 of the carriage 140. When the eject member 500 is in the non-eject position 504, the eject member 500 is generally horizontal and a slide lifting portion of the eject member 500 is positioned below the bed 168 of the carriage 140. After a microscope slide has been printed and dried, the carriage 140 carries the microscope slide to a position directly above the eject member 500 at a location rearward of the pivot axis 502. The eject member 500 is then moved from the non-eject position 504 to the eject position 506. As the eject member 500 moves from the non-eject position 504 to the eject position 506, the eject member 500 contacts outer end portions of the microscope slide being carried by the carriage 140 and lifts the microscope slide off of the bed 168. Once the eject member 500 reaches the eject position 506, gravity causes the microscope slide to slide downwardly along the eject member 500 to the slide collection bin or tray 38. Once the printed slide has been dispensed to the slide collection bin 38, the carriage 140 can move back to the loading station 22 and printing operations can be repeated for a subsequent microscope slide.

Referring to Figures 51-57, the eject station 28 includes a motor mount 507 having an upright left side wall 508 spaced from an upright right side wall 510. Upper ends of the left and right side walls 508, 510 are interconnected by an upper wall 512 that slopes upwardly as the upper wall extends in a front to rear direction. Lower ends of the left and right side walls 508, 510 are fastened to the left and right walls 128, 130 of the primary frame member 126. The eject member 500 is pivotally connected to the motor mount 507 by a pivot shaft 515 that is rotated about the pivot axis 502 by a motor 514 and gears 516, 518. The eject member 500 includes left and right side walls 520, 522 that are spaced apart and oppose one another. Lower ends of the left and right side walls 520, 522 are interconnected by a bottom wall 524. A rear portion of the bottom wall 524 defines a rectangular notch 526 having a length L6 that is preferably larger than the length Ll of the carriage bed 168 and smaller than the length of a microscope slide. The bottom wall 524 includes slide lifting surfaces 528 positioned on opposite sides of the notch 526. The region of the eject member 500 between the left and right side walls 520, 522 forms a trough for guiding a microscope slide as the microscope slide slides down the eject member 500 to the slide collection bin 38. A cover 530 can be mounted on the top side of the eject member 500. The cover 530 can provide a mounting location for a sensor 531 used to determine whether a microscope slide is present on the eject member 500. In certain embodiments, the sensor 531 detects if a microscope slide remains present on the eject member 500 even when the eject member is fully in the eject position 506. In such a situation, the eject member 500 can be moved back to the non-eject position and the ejection process can be repeated to encourage the microscope slide to slide down the eject member 500 to the slide collection bin 38. Referring still to Figures 51-57, the slide collection bin 38 is connected to the motor mount 507 by a pin 532.

To eject a printed microscope slide, the carriage 140 is moved to a position where the carriage is within the notch 526 of the ejection member 500 and the slide lifting surfaces 528 are positioned directly beneath the end portions of the microscope that projects outwardly beyond the ends of the bed 168 of the carriage 140. The eject member 500 is then pivoted from the non-eject position 504 to the eject position 506. As the eject member is pivoted, the slide lifting surfaces 528 contact the under sides of the end portions of the microscope slide causing the microscope slide to be lifted from the carriage 140 and raised upwardly. When the eject member 500 reaches the eject position 506, the microscope slide slides downwardly along the trough defined by the eject member 500, via gravity, to the slide collection bin 38.

IX. Control System

The controller 31 of the microscope slide printer 20 preferably interfaces with the various active components and sensors of the microscope slide printer 20 and has computing capabilities and firmware, software or hardware suitable for providing full coordination and control of the various components of the printer 20. In one embodiment, the control system includes a processor that interfaces with memory (e.g., read only memory and/or random access memory) and also interfaces with an input source (e.g., a touch screen, an LCD display with control buttons, a keyboard, a scanner for scanning bar code such as bar code provided on a specimen cassette, a keypad, a mouse, or other input device). In certain embodiments, the control system can include a computer motherboard within the enclosure of the microscope slide printer 20 that is capable of running operational software such as a Windows operating system. In other embodiments, the microscope slide printer 20 can include a processing unit within the housing of the microscope slide printer 20 that can interface with an external computer via a plug. In preferred embodiments, the control system coordinates and controls operation of the drive member 152 which drives the carriage 140, the drive motor 254 of the loading station 22, the print head 312 and the motor 316 of the print station 24, the air moving device 400 and the heating component 402 of the heating station 26 and the motor 514 of the eject station 28. The controller 31 and a system power source 640 can be mounted beneath the primary frame structure 126 adjacent the bottom wall of the printer housing (see Figure 9) .

Sensors can be provided throughout the system for use in monitoring and controlling the various operations. For example, the controller 31 can interface with an optical rotary encoder 620 (see Figures 1 and 7) corresponding to one of the end members (e.g., end member 149). The rotary encoder 620 can monitor rotational movement of the shaft coupled to the end member 149 and thereby monitor the position of the carriage 140 along the slide conveyance axis 36. A home sensor 621 (see Figure 1) can be positioned at an intermediate location along the slide conveyance axis 36 for detecting the presence of the carriage 140 and for resetting the count of the rotary encoder each time the carriage passes the home sensor 621. Front and rear travel limiting sensors 622, 624 (see Figure 1) can be provided at the front and rear ends of the slide conveyance axis 36 to stop the carriage 140 from moving too far in either a forward or rearward direction along the slide conveyance axis 36. The controller 31 can also interface with the sensor configurations of the bin lift arrangement, the wiping and capping arrangement, the print station and the eject station.

Figure 58 shows a first example lay-out for the controller 31. As shown at Figure 58, the controller 31 includes a print head control board 900 that interfaces with and controls the print head 312. The controller 31 also includes a separate mechanical control board 902 that interfaces with and/or controls operation of the various motors and sensors of the printer. Communication between the print head control board 900 and the mechanical control board is provided by a plurality of input/output lines 906. The controller 31 includes an outside interface such as a USB or Ethernet port/line for allowing the data (e.g., information to be printed) to be input to the controller 31 from an outside source (e.g., a computer). Figure 59 shows a second example lay-out for the controller 31. The lay-out of Figure 59 is the same as the lay-out of Figure 58 except an embedded personal computer board 908 has been incorporated into the controller 31 along with the print head control board 900 and the mechanical control board 902. The board 908 allows data from a source such as a scanner to be input directly to the controller 31 via an outside interface such as a USB port/line or an Ethernet port/line.

Figure 60 shows the printer of Figure 1 with the rearward autofeed location 200 converted to a manual feed location by inserting a manual feed bin 206' into the rearward bin holder 204. The manual feed bin 206' has the same configuration as the autofeed bin 206 except a chute 920 and rear opening have been provided in the rear wall of the bin 206'. The chute 920 and opening allow an operator to manually feed slides one at a time into the bin 206'. In this way, the manual feed bin 206' allows an operator to manually insert a specific microscope slide into the microscope slide printer at a given time to be dispensed to the microscope slide conveyance arrangement 30. In operating the microscope slide printer, the automatic slide delivery locations might typically be loaded with commonly used microscope slides, while custom or specialized microscope slides could be loaded through the manual feed bin 206'.

X. Alternative Printer

Figure 61 shows another printer 20' in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure. The printer 20' can have many of the same basic components as the printer 20. For example, the printer 20' can include the same conveyance arrangement 30, carriage 140, loading station 22, eject station 28 and control system as the printer 20. The printer 20' can also include a print station 24' that is the same as the printer station 24 except an ultraviolet light (UV) curable ink is provided in the replaceable ink cartridge 306. The printer can further include a UV curing station 26' in place of the heating station 26 of the printer 20.

In one embodiment, the printer 20' uses an ultraviolet (UV) curable ink contained in a self embodied ink cartridge for either a microscope glass slide or a specimen cassette printer, separately or a combination of the two.

In use of the microscope slide or specimen cassette printer 20', one or more microscope slides or specimen cassettes are loaded into the microscope slide or specimen cassette printer 20' at the loading station 22 so that the slides or specimen cassettes are available for printing. To initiate a print sequence, information desired to be printed onto microscope slides or specimen cassette can be input to the controller 31. After the information desired to be printed has been received by the controller 31, a microscope slide or specimen cassette is dispensed from the loading station 22 to the conveyance arrangement 30. The conveyance arrangement 30 moves the microscope slide or specimen cassette to the print station 24', the information or indicia desired to be printed on the microscope slide or specimen cassette is printed on the microscope slide or specimen cassette. After printing has been completed, the conveyance arrangement 30 moves the microscope slide or specimen cassette in a forward direction along the conveyance axis 36 from the print station 24 to the curing station 26'. At the curing station, the microscope slide or specimen cassette is positioned under a high emitting diode (LED) UV curing source to cure and dry the printing on the microscope slide or specimen cassette. The LED UV curing source provides ultraviolet light/radiation for curing the printed ink on the slide or cassette. The LED UV curing source can include a single LED or an array of LED's. After the printing has been dried and cured, the conveyance arrangement 30 moves the microscope slide or specimen cassette in a forward direction along the conveyance axis 36 from the curing station 26' to the eject station 28. At the ejection station 28, the printed microscope slide or specimen cassette is discharged from an interior of the microscope slide or specimen cassette printer 20' and is dispensed to the collection bin 38 located outside the interior of the microscope slide or specimen cassette printer 20'.

To promote ease of use, certain embodiments of the present disclosure use replaceable ink cartridges having integral print heads, and do not have separate sources of ink and solvent. Instead, all printing constituents (e.g., solvents, pigments, dyes) can be contained within the reservoir 310. In certain embodiments, ink is applied without requiring a separate source of solvent (i.e., a source of solvent outside the ink cartridge) that is post-applied or otherwise incorporated into the printing process. The solvents within the ink cartridges may be water based or non- water based, and the inks may include pigments or dyes. One example ink includes UV ink sold by EVITech of Corvallis, or which uses a UV source to cure the ink. The ink may include a solvent that is premixed and self-contained within the reservoir 310 so that no separate mixing or handling of the solvent is required. In certain embodiments, inks dispensed by the print head 312 can be dried or otherwise set with the need for exposure to an ultraviolet light source, particularly a LED UV or UV lamp source. As used herein, "pigments" are solid particles that are generally not miscible in the continuous phase. Pigments can include inorganic pigments and organic pigments. The present disclosure relates to a microscope slide printer including a microscope slide loading station. The microscope slide printer also includes a microscope slide printing station that includes a cartridge receiver. The microscope slide printer further includes a removable ink cartridge that fits within the cartridge receiver. The ink cartridge defines a reservoir in which ink is contained, and the ink within the reservoir includes a solvent. The ink cartridge also includes an integral print head. Additionally, the microscope slide printer includes a microscope slide heating station and a carrier arrangement for moving microscope slides between the microscope slide loading station, the microscope slide printing station and the microscope slide heating station. The present disclosure also relates to a microscope slide printer or specimen cassette printer that includes a microscope slide or specimen cassette loading station. The microscope slide printer or specimen cassette printer also has a microscope slide or specimen cassette printing station that includes a cartridge receiver. The microscope slide printer or specimen cassette printer also has a removable ink cartridge that fits within the cartridge receiver. The ink cartridge defines a reservoir in which ink is contained. The ink within the reservoir includes a solvent. The ink cartridge also includes an integral print head. The microscope slide printer or specimen cassette printer further includes a microscope slide or specimen cassette curing station that includes an LED UV light source. Additionally, the microscope slide printer or specimen cassette printer has a carrier arrangement for moving microscope slides or specimen cassette between the microscope slide or specimen cassette loading station, the microscope slide or specimen cassette printing station and the microscope slide or specimen cassette curing station. The preceding embodiments are intended to illustrate without limitation the utility and scope of the present disclosure. While the features of the present disclosure are designed for handing and printing microscope slides, it will be appreciated that features in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure can also be used to handle and print other items such as specimen cassettes or other stackable items. Certain embodiments in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure can be configured for handling and printing microscope slides, other embodiments in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure can be handling and printing specimen cassettes, and still other embodiments of the present disclosure can be configured for handling and printing both microscope slides and specimen cassettes. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A printer for printing upon stackable items selected from the group consisting of microscope slides and specimen cassettes, the printer comprising: a stackable item loading station at which stackable items can be stacked; a stackable item printing station; a stackable item curing station; a stackable item eject station; and a carrier arrangement for moving stackable items between the stackable item loading station, the stackable item printing station, the stackable item curing station and the stackable item eject station, the carrier arrangement including a carrier member for receiving and moving the stackable items, the carrier member being linearly movable along a conveyance axis and being slidably mounted on a linear guide that is parallel to the conveyance axis, the carrier arrangement also including a carrier member drive for moving the carrier member back and forth along the linear guide.

2. The printer of claim 1, wherein the stackable item printing station includes a print head that does not move along the conveyance axis during printing of a stackable item.

3. The printer of claim 2, wherein the print head is movable along an axis perpendicular to the conveyance axis.

4. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the stackable item printing station includes a print head, and wherein the stackable item printing station also includes a capping element for selectively capping the print head.

5. The printer of claim 4, wherein the stackable item printing station includes a wiping element for selectively wiping the print head.

6. The printer of claim 1, wherein the linear guide member includes a guide rod on which the carrier member is slidably mounted.

7. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the carrier member drive includes a drive member that is arranged in a continuous loop and wherein the carrier member is attached to an upper portion of the drive member.

8. The printer of claim 1 , further comprising a primary frame member having opposing side walls interconnected by a top wall, wherein the top wall defines a slot that is elongated in an orientation that extends along the conveyance axis, and wherein the carrier member is positioned at least partially within the slot and is moved along the slot as the carriage is moved along the conveyance axis.

9. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the carrier member includes a bed on which the stackable items are supported, and wherein the carrier member also includes first and second spaced-apart item retention ridges that project upwardly from the bed.

10. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the carrier member includes a bed on which stackable items are supported, the bed having a length that is shorter than lengths of the stackable items such that end portions of the stackable items overhang the bed.

11. The printer of claim 10, wherein the stackable item eject station includes an eject member pivotally movable between an eject position and a non-eject position, wherein the eject member includes item lift surfaces for engaging the end portions of the stackable items that overhang the bed of the carrier member, the item lift surfaces being separated by a notch sized for receiving the bed of the carrier member when the eject member is in the non-eject position, the item lift surfaces being positioned lower than the bed when the eject member is in the non-eject position and higher than the bed when in the eject member is in the eject position, wherein one of the stackable items can be lifted from the carrier member by moving the carrier member into the notch while the eject member is in the non-eject position, and then by pivoting the eject member from the non-eject position to the eject position such that the item lift surfaces engage the end portions of the stackable item and lift the stackable item from the bed.

12. The printer of claim 1, wherein an optical rotary encoder is used to determine a position of the carrier member along the conveyance axis.

13. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the stackable item loading station includes: a first bin for holding a first stack of items to be dispensed; a first bin holder that receives the first bin; a second bin for holding a second stack of items to be dispensed; a second bin holder that receives the second bin; a first lifter arm for raising and lowering the first bin within the first bin holder; a second lifter arm for raising and lowering the second bin within the second bin holder; a cam shaft having an axis of rotation; first and second cam elements for respectively actuating the first and second lifter arms, the first and second cam elements being rotated by the cam shaft about the axis of rotation and being rotationally offset from one another about the axis of rotation.

14. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the stackable item loading station includes: a bin for holding a stack of items to be dispensed; a bin holder that removably receives the bin such that the bin can be inserted into and removed from the bin holder; the bin having left and right side walls interconnected by a rear wall, the bin having an open front opposite the rear wall, an open top and a bottom including left and right item retention flanges, the left item retention flange projecting from a bottom edge of the left side wall of the bin toward the right side wall of the bin and the right item retention flange projecting from a bottom edge of the right side wall of the bin toward the left side wall of the bin, the left and right item retention flanges being separated by a distance less than lengths of the items stacked within the bin; the bin holder including left and right side walls connected by a front wall, the bin holder having an open top, an open bottom and an open back, the front wall having a lower edge at least partially defining a metering slot for metering a bottommost item of the stack of items from the bin.

15. A bin system for a printer comprising: a first bin for holding a first stack of items to be dispensed; a first bin holder that receives the first bin; a second bin for holding a second stack of items to be dispensed; a second bin holder that receives the second bin; a first lifter arm for raising and lowering the first bin within the first bin holder; a second lifter arm for raising and lowering the second bin within the second bin holder; a cam shaft having an axis of rotation; first and second cam elements for respectively actuating the first and second lifter arms, the first and second cam elements being rotated by the cam shaft about the axis of rotation and being rotationally offset from one another about the axis of rotation.

16. The printer of claim 15, wherein the first lifter arm extends through a first notch defined by the first bin holder and the second lifter arm extends through a notch defined by the second bin holder.

17. A dispensing apparatus for a printer comprising: a bin for holding a stack of items to be dispensed; a bin holder that removably receives the bin such that the bin can be inserted into and removed from the bin holder; the bin having left and right side walls interconnected by a rear wall, the bin having an open front opposite the rear wall, an open top and a bottom including left and right item retention flanges, the left item retention flange projecting from a bottom edge of the left side wall of the bin toward the right side wall of the bin and the right item retention flange projecting from a bottom edge of the right side wall of the bin toward the left side wall of the bin, the left and right item retention flanges being separated by a distance less than lengths of the items stacked within the bin; the bin holder including left and right side walls connected by a front wall, the bin holder having an open top, an open bottom and an open back, the front wall having a lower edge at least partially defining a metering slot for metering a bottommost item of the stack of items from the bin.

18. A printer for printing upon a stackable item selected from the group consisting of a microscope slide and a specimen cassette, the printer comprising: a stackable item loading station; a stackable item printing station; a stackable item heating station; a carrier arrangement for moving stackable items between the stackable item loading station, the stackable item printing station and the stackable item heating station; and a controller for controlling operation of the carrier arrangement, wherein the controller causes the carrier arrangement to move a stackable item from the stackable item loading station to the stackable item heating station for preheating before the stackable item is printed at the stackable item printing station.

19. The printer of claim 18, wherein the stackable item printing station is positioned between the stackable item loading station and the stackable item heating station.

20. The printer of claim 18, wherein the stackable item heating station includes a halogen bulb.