HK1126282B - Microscope coverslip and uses thereof - Google Patents

Description

Microscope coverslip and uses thereof

Background

Coverslips are commonly used in the prior art to permanently cover biological specimens attached to microscope slides. The cover slip may be glass or plastic but always transparent to enable viewing of the biological sample. The coverslip is affixed or mounted to the microscope slide by a mounting medium. The mounting medium is applied on top of the biological sample and the coverslip is placed on the mounting medium and any bubbles that form are pushed to the edge of the coverslip to form a sealed coverslip. The type of mounting medium is well known in the art. These potting media are collectively referred to as "potting tablets (mountants)". An early form of mounting agent was prepared from the Canadian fir tree (Canadian fir)Balsam fir) Made and referred to as canadian balsam. This natural medium turns yellow over time and thus hinders the observation of the biological sample. More recent advances have resulted in the production of synthetic mounting tablets that produce high quality, clear, and non-yellowing cover slip mounting media. One of these high quality caplets is commercially available from Richard-Allen scientificThe resulting Cytoseal^TM XYL。

Coverslips having the feature of a solvent activated adhesive on one side of the coverslip are also known in the art. U.S. patent No.6,759,011 discloses a solvent activated adhesive coverslip characterized by having projections on the surface of the coverslip opposite the adhesive side to facilitate separation of one coverslip from an adjacent coverslip. The projections having a height of at least 0.0005 inch are necessary to prevent adjacent lidding sheets from sticking together during the encapsulation process. The projections form air gaps between adjacent lidding sheets and thus prevent the adhesive from sticking to the other lidding sheet.

Another proprietary adhesive coverslip available commercially is available from Richard-Allen scientificAnd (4) manufacturing. Product name is E-Z Slips^TM. These adhesive patches require the use of a specialized and proprietary adhesive activator solution known as E-zsip Act ivator^TMAnd E-Z Slip Act ivator-A^TM。

However, there remains a need for a solvent activated dry film adhesive coverslip that can utilize common laboratory solvents such as xylene, toluene, acetone, and water without the need for a dedicated proprietary activation solution. Further, there is a need for a solvent activated dry film adhesive coverslip that does not require the presence of raised "bumps" on the surface of the coverslip to separate each individual coverslip to prevent the coverslips from sticking together. It is an object of the present invention to eliminate these cumbersome manufacturing problems and reduce the need for specialized activating solvents to benefit from drying film adhesive coverslips.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention includes a microscope coverslip comprising a glass or plastic plate having an indicium thereon which can be used to uniquely or non-uniquely identify and/or provide information for the coverslip or microscope slide to which the coverslip is attached. The indicia, such as a bar code, is preferably machine readable. In another preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a microscope coverslip comprising a glass or plastic plate having an adherent surface having a solvent activated dry adhesive film (adhesive coating) attached thereto and having an indicium thereon to indicate the adherent side of the coverslip and a non-adherent surface. The dry adhesive film of the adhesive surface is non-tacky (non-tacky) in its stored state or in its pre-applied state. In use, the adhesive on the adhesive side may be activated by a solvent. The flaps are stacked or placed adjacent to each other in a container, such as a box, prior to use or sale. Because the dry adhesive film is dry and non-tacky, the coverslips can remain in intimate contact with each other and do not stick together and thus are easily separable during use. The dry adhesive film remains non-tacky, in both hot and cold storage (< 0 ℃ to > 100 ℃).

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of the coverslip of FIG. 9 taken along line 9-9;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of another alternative embodiment of a coverslip constructed in accordance with the present invention;

figure 12 is a side cross-sectional view of the coverslip of figure 11 taken along line 11-11.

Detailed Description

The present invention includes a microscope coverslip comprising a glass or plastic plate having an indicium thereon which can be used to uniquely or non-uniquely identify the coverslip or microscope slide to which it is attached. The indicia, such as a bar code, is preferably machine readable.

In another preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a microscope coverslip comprising a glass or plastic plate having an adherent surface having a solvent activated dry adhesive film (adhesive coating) attached thereto and having an indicium thereon to indicate the adherent side of the coverslip and a non-adherent surface. The dry adhesive film of the adhesive surface is non-tacky (non-tacky) in its pre-storage or pre-application state. The flaps are stacked or placed adjacent to each other in a container, such as a box, prior to use or sale. Because the dry adhesive film is dry and non-tacky, the coverslips can remain in intimate contact with each other and do not stick together and thus are easily separable during use. The dry adhesive film remains non-tacky, in both hot and cold storage (< 0 ℃ to > 100 ℃). The dry adhesive film may be applied to the entire bonding surface of the coverslip or to only a portion of the bonding surface.

In a preferred embodiment, the coverslip is stored at a temperature in the range of 0 ℃ to 70 ℃ and more preferably 20 ℃ to 30 ℃. In a preferred embodiment, the dry adhesive film of the bonding surface is an alkyd-based (oil-based) or aqueous-based (water-based) acrylic polymer adhesive, including, but not limited to, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate/ethyl methacrylate copolymer, butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, acrylate copolymers, cyanoacrylate adhesives, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, vinyl acetate, alkyd-based acrylates, water-based acrylates, polyethylene and epoxy polymers, and polyvinyl acetate. One aqueous solution based binder is AquaPerm, commercially available from Thermo electron corp. The adhesive may be applied by any means known in the art for applying adhesives. Curing of the adhesive may be accomplished by air drying, including forced air and heated air, conductive heat, and ultraviolet curing.

The dried adhesive film becomes adhesive when activated by solvents including, but not limited to, xylene, toluene, acetone, other organic and inorganic solvents, or aqueous solvents including water, ethanol, methanol, or other alcohols. Upon contact with the activating solvent, the dried adhesive film becomes soft and tacky and then ready to be placed on top of a sample on a microscope slide or another plate. When the activated (tacky) adhesive of the adhesive surface is placed in contact with the specimen and the microscope slide, the adhesive layer on the coverslip hardens and permanently seals the coverslip to the microscope slide, thereby encapsulating the specimen between the coverslip and the microscope slide or other plate. In a preferred embodiment, the time required for the adhesive to change from a viscous state to a dry (hardened) state is less than 1 minute.

In another alternative embodiment, the dry adhesive film is an aqueous based resin that is activated by an aqueous solvent (e.g., water) to prevent leaching of the chemical dye impregnated into the sample due to fuel incompatible solvents (e.g., certain organic solvents). The dry adhesive film on the adhesive side of the coverslip is preferably in the thickness range of less than 0.001 μm to more than 100 μm. The thickness of the dry adhesive film is preferably in the range of 20 to 60 μm.

The dry adhesive films of the present invention have a hard and brittle consistency or characteristic when in the dry state. To activate the hard dry adhesive film of the adhesive surface to a soft tacky state, a solvent is placed in contact with the dry adhesive film and preferably includes the step of applying pressure to the non-adhesive (opposite uncoated) side of the coverslip to cause the solvent to penetrate into the dry adhesive film to soften it into a tacky adhesive state. The pressure applied to the coverslip is preferably between 0.01-10 psig. The pressure applied is preferably in the range of 0.01-2 psig. This pressure not only facilitates the penetration of solvent into the dry adhesive film to activate it into a tacky adhesive state, but also pushes any residual solvent out of the adhesive to leave the solvent and adhesive present in a stoichiometric ratio, resulting in a consistent softening of the dry adhesive that is repeatable and consistent for each application. In another alternative embodiment, the dry adhesive film is patterned when applied to the coverslip to indicate the adherent side of the coverslip.

A problem arises if the user of the dry adhesive film coverslip inadvertently fails to determine which side of the coverslip the dry adhesive film is present on. For example, if the cover sheet is dropped on a table or the ground, the orientation of the cover sheet may be changed, resulting in distraction and loss of time and expense for the technician. In this case, the technician must determine which side of the coverslip has the dry adhesive film thereon. Since the dry adhesive film may be substantially optically clear, it may be difficult for the technician to determine which side of the coverslip is which side. If the exact orientation of the coating cannot be quickly determined, the technician will seal the wrong side of the coverslip (i.e., the side without the coating) to the slide. In this case, the coverslip will not adhere to the slide and the dry adhesive film of the coverslip will be damaged and the coverslip will have to be discarded, and further, the sample on the slide may be damaged or lost.

To solve or avoid this problem, the present invention envisions marking the coverslip with an indicium so that the orientation of the coverslip (i.e., the location of the dried adhesive film on the coverslip) is apparent and obvious.

For example, in embodiments of the present invention, the coverslip has a visually or machine-identifiable indicium located thereon (on the adhesive or non-adhesive side).

In one embodiment, the indicia may be marked by a laser, such as a laser used to cut coated glass or plastic sheets into usable coverslip sizes. Initially, for example, a laser can etch glass or plastic at a precise location at a specific location on each coverslip, either before or after final cutting of the coverslip.

For example, an indicium (e.g., a dot, mark, code, bar code, label, or other feature indicated therein) can be etched into a corner of the non-adhesive side of the coverslip (e.g., the lower left corner) such that the dry adhesive film is on the side of the coverslip opposite the side of the coverslip having the indicium. If the technician is unable to determine the adherent side of the coverslip, all the technician needs to do is pick up the coverslip, identify the indicium on the coverslip, and orient the coverslip correctly with the adherent side facing down, then place the coverslip on the microscope slide in the normal manner. These markings may be dots, marks, symbols, letters, numbers, lines, shapes, or any identifying symbol or other suitable or feasible marking that can be read and/or recognized by a machine or human eye. The coverslip may have rounded, notched, or notched, abraded, or colored edges or corners or recessed depressions or holes in the coverslip to indicate the adherent side of the coverslip. In another embodiment, the rough or abraded surface of the dry adhesive film of the coverslip may itself comprise an indicium.

For use with automated coverslipping instruments, the coverslips are preferably marked with at least one machine-readable indicium to identify the coverslip and/or to identify the adherent side of the coverslip. If the instrument determines that the orientation of the coverslip is incorrect, the technician will notice that the coverslip is being rearranged into the correct orientation to continue the automatic coverslipping process.

As noted above, each coverslip preferably has at least one indicium, and one adhesive side having a film of solvent activated dry adhesive thereon may be present on either surface (or edge) of the coverslip. These indicia may be the same for each coverslip in a batch, or may be unique such that each coverslip is distinguishable from all other coverslips in the batch, or may be universally unique. These unique identifying indicia can be used to secondarily identify the patient's unique primary indicia (e.g., a unique bar code) that is present elsewhere on the microscope slide that was present prior to testing and thus identifies each unique slide for a particular patient.

In this embodiment, the indicium of the present invention (e.g., a two-dimensional bar code), also referred to herein as an informational indicium, provides additional identification at the end of the test at which the biological sample is permanently preserved by the sealed unique coverslip and the testing process has been completed. The machine-readable indicium present on the coverslip on the now completed and saved microscope slide may be scanned to further identify the patient's test data by saving the indicium information and associating it with the initial identifying indicia present prior to the start of the test. The laboratory's LIS (laboratory information system) can be programmed to receive the unique indicium by scanning the unique indicium, thereby electronically associating the indicium with the patient's initial identification information.

A further value of the unique indicium present on the coverslip is the use of the unique indicium in the event that the initial identifying mark of the slide is separated from the portion of the slide bearing the biological specimen (e.g., due to the initial identifying mark being split or peeled away from the microscope slide). In this case, the coverslip indicium may then serve as an identifier for the slide. When the coverslip is applied, the area of the slide surrounding the biological specimen is now thicker than the rest of the microscope slide (due to the two layers of slide and coverslip) and the adhesive layer of the coverslip is positioned over the biological specimen, which prevents the specimen from breaking and completely separating. Even if most microscope slides are discarded, lost or separated from the biological specimen, the unique indicium present on the coverslip can still be used to identify the biological specimen.

As described above, in another preferred embodiment of the present invention, even though there is no dry adhesive film on the coverslip, the coverslip may have a non-unique or unique orientation indicium thereon for secondary identification of the patient's biological sample. Thus, a unique indicium may be applied to the cover sheet for orienting the dry adhesive film ("adhesive" side) and/or for identifying the patient.

The indicia may be placed on the coverslip by laser engraving or by overlaying the indicia within a plastic or glass coverslip. When the coverslip has an adherent side, the indicium may be on the adherent side of the coverslip or on the non-adherent side of the coverslip. The indicium is preferably on the non-adherent (upper) side of the coverslip, although it may alternatively be on the adherent (lower) side of the coverslip.

The coverslip of the present invention may have any size known in the art of coverslips. Examples of preferred coversheet thicknesses include, but are not limited to, industry standard dimensions 1, 1.5 or 2 having a thickness of 0.09mm to about 0.32mm, and preferably a thickness of 0.152 to 0.19 mm. Examples of widths include, but are not limited to, industry standard sizes of 18 x 18mm, 22 x 22mm, 24 x 30mm, 24 x 50mm, 25 x 25mm, 11 x 22mm, 48 x 60mm, or circular cover slips such as those having standard diameters of, for example, 12mm and 18mm may also be utilized. The cover sheet of the present invention may be made of plastic or glass.

In one embodiment, the non-unique indicium may be one or more letters disposed at an asymmetric location on the coverslip to distinguish the adherent side from the non-adherent side of the coverslip, e.g., the indicium may be located in the lower left hand corner of the non-adherent side of a particular batch of coverslips. The user will know, for example, that when the indicium is in the lower left position, the bonded side is facing downward. These letters may, for example, represent the presence of different types of adhesive on the coverslip. For example, the letter "XL" may indicate that the solvent required to activate the binder is "xylene". Another example is the letter "AQ" which indicates the need to use an aqueous based solvent to activate the binder. Various dry adhesive film thicknesses can be identified by letters or numbers, e.g., "CY" is used for cytological samples that require a dry adhesive film layer of, for example, 50 μm on a coverslip. These letters can be placed anywhere on the flap and in an asymmetric position, enabling the technician to efficiently and accurately orient the flap for use.

Indicia, as used herein, is defined as any marking produced in or on the surface of the coverslip by laser or other glass or plastic etching or printing means or manufacturing means that can be recognized by the human eye or machine readable instrument and may include, but is not limited to, identification symbols, numbers, codes, bar codes (including one and two dimensional bar codes), symbols, other machine and eye readable patterns, letters, lines, or shapes or other markings described elsewhere herein.

Examples of barcodes envisioned for use in the present invention include, but are not limited to, symbologies having square, rectangular, circular, or irregular shapes, and more particularly, the barcodes may include symbologies referred to as EAN-13, EAN-8, EAN-128, UPC-A, UPC-E, Code 11, Code 39, Code 93, Code 25, Code 128, Codabar (Codabar), MSI, Jan 13, Jan 8, Plessey, Telepan, Interleaved 2 of 5, Discrete 2 of 5, two-dimensional and RSS barcodes including DataMatrix, PDF417, Maxicode, Aztec Code, Phaqr, MicroPDF 417, Samsung PDF417, datacode, Code 49, 16K, RSS14, lissided, SExpanded, 2D rma Code, Glaxone, Hirti, Klimsh, Klrma, Kurarn, Kucran, and Pnarta. Such dimensions of the bar code indicium on the coverslip may be in the range of, for example, 1mm to 3mm high and 1mm to 50mm long (preferably 1-2mm high and 2-15mm long) when the bar code indicium has a rectangular shape, and 3 to 6mm (preferably 4-5mm) when the bar code indicium is square.

When an indicium is defined herein as an informational indicium, the indicium preferably comprises one or more letters, numbers, symbols, characters, and/or patterns that represent information, data, or a message, and wherein the informational indicium may or may not be used to identify the adherent side of the coverslip. For example, the coverslip may include an indicium for identifying the adherent side of the coverslip and an indicium for representing information. Alternatively, the coverslip may include an indicium for indicating only the adhesive side or may include only an informational indicium.

In one embodiment, the laser or other etching means creates the indicium by removing a portion of the surface of the coverslip, and therefore, the level of the indicium is lower than the original coverslip surface. The indicia produced by the laser may appear engraved below the surface or have a coated appearance. The laser-produced indicia may be colored by any means known in the art of coloring or filling engraved surfaces in order to increase the visibility of the indicia. Such filling or coloring may be of any color known in the art utilizing colored inks or color enhancement treatments.

As described above, the indicium can be placed on the coverslip to locate the adherent side of the coverslip for mounting the biological sample. These indicia may be placed on either side or any edge of the coverslip and at least partially localized at these locations.

In a preferred embodiment, the indicia may have a visible substance that is soluble in the solvent that activates the dry adhesive film. In this embodiment, the solubilized indicium, which is preferably a removable or disappearing ink, is present on the coverslip (on either side or edge of the cover glass, i.e., on any surface) in an asymmetric manner. Before use, the indicium is dry, tacky, and visible on at least one area at a symmetrical location on at least a portion of the coverslip. The indicium may be colored or otherwise visible to indicate its location on the coverslip. The indicium can be seen by the technician and the technician can quickly identify the adherent side because the indicium is present at an asymmetric location on the coverslip. Once the coverslip is mounted on the microscope slide, the indicium in this embodiment is rendered invisible or colorless because the solubility of the indicium or the chemical reactivity of the indicium causes the indicium to become invisible by the activating solvent that activates the dry adhesive film. The indicium may be rendered invisible by the solvent alone or may be wiped from the coverslip by wiping the melted solvent with residual solvent present around the coverslip or with added solvent. The melted visible indicium may be wiped away, rendering it less visible, completely invisible, at least partially removed from the cover sheet, or completely removed from the cover sheet. It will be appreciated that the indicium is a visible mark placed at an asymmetric location on the coverslip to discern the location of the adherent side (the bottom side toward the microscope glass) of the coverslip relative to the non-adherent side (the upper side facing away from the microscope slide) thereby enabling the coverslip to be positioned in the correct position for mounting on the slide.

In other alternative embodiments, the indicia may be opaque, colored transparent or non-colored transparent, or colored translucent or non-colored translucent. The mark may have a mark size of 10 or less^-10Inch, 10^-9Inch, 10^-8Inch, 10^-7Inch, 10^-6Inch, 10^-5Inches, or 10^-4In inches in thickness (i.e., height above the surface), or may have a thickness of 10 inches^-10Inch, 10^-9Inch, 10^-8Inch, 10^-7Inch, 10^-6Inch, 10^-5Inches, or 10^-4Inches deep (below the surface). When the mark is higher than the surface, its thickness is preferably less than or equal to 0.0001 (10)^-4) Inches (2.54 x 10)^-3mm). The indicium may be different from the other three corners or edges of the coverslipThe varying corners or edges of the cover sheet, the other three corners or edges being identical to each other. For example, the variable corner markings may be rounded corners or angled (truncated) corners. The indicia may be a bar code, symbol, code, number or identification symbol, or any other indicia described herein, and may be etched (e.g., by laser) or printed onto the cover sheet or produced by other means known in the art. The indicium may be machine readable and may be unique for each coverslip or each batch of coverslips. The indicium of a coverslip in a particular batch may be a continuous series of indicia to enable a unique identification of the slide on which the coverslip is placed. The indicia may be permanent or removable (e.g., by a solvent used to activate the dry adhesive film). The indicium may be an asymmetrical change in the coverslip structure, such as having a notch, indentation, hole, cut, or laterally extending edge projection, or other physical change.

The indicium may be, for example, at least one dot, circle, mark, code, bar code (including one-dimensional and two-dimensional bar codes described elsewhere herein), label, character, shape, symbol, letter, number, line, identification symbol, physical change produced by the coverslip, pattern, color, holographic image, or retro-reflective image, any of which may be machine readable, and any of which may be elevated above or etched below one or both surfaces of the coverslip. The marking may be printed by ink and preferably has a thickness of less than 10^-4Inches or less than 10^-5A thickness of inches (or less as described above). When printed on the cover sheet, the ink may be applied by screen printing, pad printing, lithography, laser ink jetting, offset printing, rotary printing, roll printing, or stamping, or any other technique known to those skilled in the art. Curing of the ink can be achieved by air drying, including forced air and heated air, conductive heat, and uv curing. The ink preferably comprises a pigment (opaque, transparent or translucent), with or without the presence of pigmentA silane coupling component or a curing catalyst. The ink may be any ink known in the art to produce a visual contrast with a glass or plastic panel, and having a thickness of less than 0.0001 inches after curing. The thickness of the ink is preferably less than 0.00001 inch. Ink types such as epoxy and acrylic are well known and may be used in the present invention.

The indicium may be a descriptive or structural change produced by the coverslip which includes removed corner portions such as rounded or truncated corners. The removed portions may be lines, notches and/or cuts in the coverslip. Structural variations are variations obtained by removing or asymmetrically modifying the structure of other standard square, rectangular or circularly symmetric commercially available coverslips. In those embodiments of the present coverslip in which the indicium is a structural deletion from the plate (e.g., a rounded corner, a notched corner, a hole, a cut corner), the automated coverslipping instrument may have a complementary magazine or container to hold and store the coverslip. The hopper or container preferably has a member, such as a complementarily shaped surface, for engaging a token (e.g., an angled token) or a rod for engaging a token hole.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown an embodiment of a coverslip of the present invention showing the various indicia that may be utilized. Fig. 1 shows a cover sheet 10 constructed of a glass or plastic sheet, as described elsewhere herein. The cover sheet 10 has an upper surface 12 and corners 14. Coverslip 10 has a bar code indicium 16 located in corner 14. The barcode 16 may be any barcode envisioned or described herein. Figure 2 shows another embodiment of a coverslip comprising a coverslip 20 having an upper surface 22, a corner 24 and an indicium 26. Indicia 26 may comprise printed dots, etched dots, or depressions and may be colored or have any shape other than dots or circles. Fig. 3 shows a coverslip 30 having an upper surface 32, corners 34 and an indicium 36, which in this example is a letter and/or numerical symbol, such as a letter. Figure 4 shows a coverslip 40 having an upper surface 42. In this embodiment of the invention, the coverslip 40 has an indicium 44 which comprises a truncated corner so as to have an angled edge which is distinguishable from all other corners of the coverslip 40. Fig. 5 is a coverslip 50 having an upper surface 52 and an indicium 54 which is a convex curved corner. Fig. 6 is a coverslip 60 having an upper surface 62, a corner 64 and an indicium 66 comprising a hole or depression in the coverslip 60. Fig. 7 is a coverslip 70 having an upper surface 72 and an indicium 74 which comprises inwardly curved (recessed) notches in the corners of the coverslip 70. Fig. 8 is a coverslip 80 having an upper surface 82, a corner 84 and an indicium 86 comprising a notch in the edge of the coverslip 80 proximate the corner 84. Fig. 9 and 10 show a coverslip 90 having an upper surface 92, a lower surface 94, and an edge 96 and indicium 98. The marking 98 is a color (e.g., without limitation, white, black, red, blue, green, orange, or yellow) applied to at least a portion of the edge 96. Fig. 11 and 12 show a coverslip 100 having an upper surface 102, a lower surface 104, an edge 106 and an indicium 108 comprising an abraded or coated surface of the edge 106.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 9 and 10, the indicium 98 may be a color that is coded such that the color of the coverslip 90 indicates whether the coverslip 90 is to be activated by an organic solvent or an aqueous solvent. Further, the color of the indicium 98 may be such that when a plurality of coverslips 90 are stacked together, the intensity of the color is enhanced.

The dry adhesive film cover sheets of the present invention may be used manually or may be used in an automated cover sheet apparatus. Automated coverslipping instruments known in the art can be readily modified by replacing the coverslipping agents typically dispensed onto the microscope slides with solvents that activate the dry adhesive film, thus eliminating the inconsistencies that occur with coverslipping agents dispensed onto microscope slides prior to placement of prior art coverslips. For example, there are a number of known inconsistencies when dispensing the caplets in an automatic coverslipper. One major inconsistency is to maintain the viscosity of the mounting tablet, which changes day by day due to evaporation of the solvent over time, wherein the mounting tablet becomes more viscous. This increase in viscosity of the mounting plate causes the dispensing nozzle of the automatic mounting plate to become clogged and subsequently inconsistent with the dispensing of the mounting plate onto the microscope slide. If the solvent is dispensed only onto the microscope slide or onto the adhesive side of the coverslip of the present invention, then no viscosity problems will occur because any excess solvent will evaporate and each activated adhesive coverslip will have the same consistent adhesive layer to cover and seal the biological sample on the microscope slide.

In another embodiment, the present invention is a self-adhesive coverslip comprised of an acrylic material which is dissolvable by an organic solvent such as xylene. The acrylic material may be, for example, ethyl methacrylate or methyl methacrylate. In such embodiments, the coverslip is constructed without glass or without an additional plastic layer. The self-adhesive coverslip is exposed to an activating solvent and then applied to a microscope and mounted therein.

In this embodiment, the coverslip may be made entirely of one or more polymers such as, but not limited to, ethyl methacrylate/methyl methacrylate copolymer, ethyl methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, butyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, acrylate copolymer, cyanoacrylate adhesive, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, vinyl acetate, alkyd based acrylate, water based acrylate, polyethylene, and epoxy polymer. Types of aqueous solution-based polymers include AquaPerm, commercially available from ThermoElectron Corp^TMAnd polyvinyl acetate. This embodiment is characterized by providing a coverslip with a chemical consisting of a polymer comprising up to 100% of a coverslip material which in use becomes soft and adhesive on the underside in contact with the solvent. Upon contact with the solvent, the lower portion of the polymer coverslip becomes soft and tacky and seals against the biological sample and dries to a hard polymer film on the biological sample. In the activation mechanism, the liquid is heated,the solvent softens the lower surface of the hard polymer coverslip and softens the coverslip before the solvent evaporates. Once the solvent evaporates, the lower softened slide of the coverslip becomes rigid again. This embodiment does not rely on an adhesive with a substrate (glass or plastic substrate), but the entire coversheet is a solubilized coversheet made up to 100% soluble polymer. Either side of the coverslip can be used to seal the biological sample because the entire coverslip is made of a soluble polymer. In this embodiment, only one side of the polymeric coverslip is softened by the solvent, while the top side remains hard. The softened side remains transparent once re-hardened, allowing the now sealed biological sample to be viewed under a microscope.

While the invention has been described herein in connection with specific embodiments so that aspects thereof may be more fully understood and appreciated, it is not intended to limit the invention to these specific embodiments. On the contrary, all other alternatives, modifications, and equivalents are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, the exemplifications set out herein, including the preferred embodiments, are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the invention, it being understood that the details illustrated are exemplary and are intended only for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the invention and that such details are set forth in order to provide the most useful and readily understood description of the procedures as well as of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. Changes may be made in the dosage forms of the various embodiments described herein or in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described and claimed herein.

Claims (48)

1. A microscope slide coverslip, said microscope slide coverslip comprising:

a glass or plastic sheet having a first surface with an adhesive coating disposed thereon forming an adherent side, a second surface without an adhesive coating forming a non-adherent side, and a peripheral edge, and wherein the adherent side has a dry, non-tacky state until the adherent side is activated by a solvent to form a tacky state, the glass or plastic sheet further comprising a second adhesive layer disposed on the second surface and the peripheral edgeAn indicium on a surface, the second surface, or the peripheral edge to distinguish the adherent side from the non-adherent side of the glass or plastic plate or to provide identification of the microscope slide coverslip, and wherein the indicium has a 2.54 x 10 when the indicium extends over the first surface or the second surface^-3A height of millimeters or less.

2. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 1 wherein the shorthand number is positioned on the non-adherent side of the glass or plastic plate.

3. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 1 wherein the indicium is positioned on the adherent side of the glass or plastic plate.

4. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 1 wherein said indicium is machine readable.

5. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 1 wherein said indicium is unique.

6. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 1 wherein said indicium is asymmetrically positioned on said glass or plastic plate.

7. The microscope slide coverslip of any one of claims 1-6 wherein said indicium comprises a physical change produced by said glass or plastic plate.

8. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 7 wherein the physical change produced by the glass or plastic plate comprises a notch, hole, depression, truncated corner, rounded corner, notch, or cut.

9. The microscope slide coverslip of any one of claims 1-6 wherein the indicium comprises a character.

10. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 9 wherein said characters comprise letters, numbers or symbols.

11. The microscope slide coverslip of any one of claims 1-6 wherein the indicium comprises a mark.

12. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 11 wherein said indicia comprises a code, barcode, label, identification symbol, or color.

13. The microscope slide coverslip of any one of claims 1-6 wherein the indicium comprises a shape.

14. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 13 wherein the shape comprises dots, circles, or lines.

15. The microscope slide coverslip of any one of claims 1-6 wherein the indicium comprises a pattern.

16. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 15 wherein said pattern comprises a holographic image or a retro-reflective image.

17. The microscope slide coverslip of any one of claims 1-6 wherein the indicium comprises a laterally extending protrusion.

18. A microscope slide coverslip assembly comprising the microscope slide coverslip of any one of claims 1-17 adhered to a microscope slide having a biological sample thereon.

19. A method of applying a microscope slide coverslip to a microscope slide, the method comprising:

providing a microscope slide coverslip comprising a glass or plastic plate having a first surface, a second surface, and a peripheral edge, the first surface having an adhesive coating disposed thereon forming an adherent side and the second surface being free of the adhesive coating forming a non-adherent side, and wherein the adherent side has a dry, non-tacky state until the adherent side is activated by a solvent to form a tacky state, the glass or plastic plate further comprising an indicium on the first surface, the second surface, or the peripheral edge to provide identification of the microscope slide coverslip or to distinguish the adherent side from the non-adherent side of the glass or plastic plate, and wherein when the indicium extends over the first surface or the second surface, the mark has a size of 2.54 x 10^-3A height of millimeters or less;

providing a microscope slide having a sample located on an upper side thereof;

activating the adhesive coating on the adherent side of the microscope slide coverslip by exposing the adhesive coating to the solvent; and is

Placing the adhesive side of the microscope slide coverslip against the upper surface of the microscope slide to thereby affix the microscope slide coverslip to the microscope slide.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the indicium of the microscope slide coverslip is positioned on the non-adherent side of the glass or plastic plate.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the indicium of the microscope slide coverslip is positioned on the adherent side of the glass or plastic plate.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the indicium of the microscope slide coverslip is machine readable.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the indicium of the microscope slide coverslip is unique.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the indicium of the microscope slide coverslip is positioned asymmetrically on the glass or plastic plate.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the microscope slide coverslips are applied to the microscope slides by an automated coverslip application machine.

26. The method of any one of claims 18-25 wherein the indicium of the microscope slide coverslip comprises a physical change produced by the glass or plastic plate.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the physical change produced by the glass or plastic sheet comprises a notch, hole, depression, truncated corner, fillet, notch, or cut.

28. The method of any one of claims 18-25, wherein the indicium of the microscope slide coverslip comprises a character.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the character comprises a letter, a number, or a symbol.

30. The method of any of claims 18-25, wherein the indicia comprises a mark.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the indicia comprises a code, a barcode, a label, an identification symbol, or a color.

32. The method of any of claims 18-25, wherein the markings comprise shapes.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the shape comprises a dot, a circle, or a line.

34. The method of any of claims 18-25, wherein the indicia comprises a pattern.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the pattern comprises a holographic image or a retro-reflective image.

36. The method of any of claims 18-25, wherein the markings comprise laterally extending protrusions.

37. A microscope slide coverslip, said microscope slide coverslip comprising:

a glass or plastic plate having a first surface, a second surface, and a peripheral edge, the first surface having an adhesive coating disposed thereon to form an adherent side, and the second surface being free of the adhesive coating to form a non-adherent side, and wherein the adherent side has a dry, non-tacky state until the adherent side is activated by a solvent to form a tacky state, the glass or plastic plate further comprising indicia on the first surface, the second surface, or the peripheral edge to distinguish the adherent side from the non-adherent side of the glass or plastic plate or to provide identification of the microscope slide coverslip, and wherein the indicia is machine readable.

38. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 37 wherein said machine readable indicia comprises at least one of indicia, characters, shapes or patterns.

39. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 38 wherein said characters comprise letters, numbers or symbols.

40. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 38 wherein said indicia comprises a code, barcode, label, identification symbol, or color.

41. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 38, wherein the shape comprises dots, circles, or lines.

42. The microscope slide coverslip of claim 38 wherein the pattern comprises a holographic image or a retro-reflective image.

43. A method of applying a microscope slide coverslip to a microscope slide, the method comprising:

providing a microscope slide coverslip comprising a glass or plastic plate having a first surface, a second surface, and a peripheral edge, the first surface having an adhesive coating disposed thereon forming an adherent side and the second surface being free of the adhesive coating forming a non-adherent side, and wherein the adherent side has a dry, non-tacky state until the adherent side is activated by a solvent to form a tacky state, the glass or plastic plate further comprising an indicium on the first surface, the second surface, or the peripheral edge to provide identification of the microscope slide coverslip or to distinguish the adherent side of the glass or plastic plate from the non-adherent side, and wherein the indicium is machine readable;

providing a microscope slide having a sample located on an upper side thereof;

activating the adhesive coating on the adherent side of the microscope slide coverslip by exposing the adhesive coating to the solvent; and is

Placing the adhesive side of the microscope slide coverslip against the upper surface of the microscope slide to thereby affix the microscope slide coverslip to the microscope slide.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the machine-readable indicia comprises at least one of indicia, characters, shapes, or patterns.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the characters comprise letters, numbers, or symbols.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the indicia comprises a code, a barcode, a label, an identification symbol, or a color.

47. The method of claim 44, wherein the shape comprises a dot, a circle, or a line.

48. The method of claim 44, wherein the pattern comprises a holographic image or a retro-reflective image.