WO2008049172A1

WO2008049172A1 - A method and apparatus for dispensing substrates

Info

Publication number: WO2008049172A1
Application number: PCT/AU2007/001634
Authority: WO
Inventors: Phillip Clyse Robert Gurney; Andrew Watkins; Stephen Bagnato
Original assignee: Vision Biosystems Ltd
Current assignee: Leica Biosystems Melbourne Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2006-10-27
Filing date: 2007-10-26
Publication date: 2008-05-02
Anticipated expiration: 2009-04-27

Abstract

A substrate dispenser cartridge (80) comprising a container having an aperture (90), a plurality of substrates (82), such as microscope slides, and a carrier tape (86) connected to each substrate (82). Preferably, all the substrates(82) are connected on the same side of the carrier tape (86).

Description

A Method and Apparatus for Dispensing Substrates

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from Australian Patent Application Number 2006906002 and United States Patent Application Number 60/863231, both filed 27 October 2006, the contents of which are incorporated herein in entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing objects, such as microscope slides. In one form the -present invention also relates to a method of printing and applying slide labels to slides.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

In histology, tissue samples are carried in a variety of substrates. During tissue processing, where the tissue sample is embedded with a material such as paraffin wax, the tissue is carried in a tissue cassette. To identify the tissue sample in the cassette, the cassette usually has a unique identifier printed on an outside surface.

After processing, the tissue may be sectioned using a microtome and placed onto a microscope slide for later staining and examination. The slide will have a label identifying the slide or sample, and perhaps other information as well. Given that tissue samples are used for disease diagnosis, it is extremely important that the tissue sample is correctly labelled so any diagnosis can be attributed to the correct patient. For this reason sample identification is an important aspect of histology.

After staining a tissue sample, a coverslip is usually applied. Coverslips protect the sample and are glued in place on the slide.

Dispensing and handling articles used in histology can be a problem, particularly when attempting to automate the dispensing and handling procedures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one aspect of the invention, an apparatus and method for dispensing substrates is provided. In one form there is provided a cartridge having a plurality of substrates, comprising: a plurality of substrates a tape having a number of attachment regions, each attachment region corresponding to an attachment region on a substrate; wherein pulling an end of the tape from the cartridge causes one of the plurality of substrates to be dispensed from the cartridge.

In one form the tape is detachably attached to the substrates. In one form the attachment point has an adhesive material for attaching the substrate to the tape.

In another form, a carrier tape is provided having a number of substrates disposed along its length, the substrates having a higher rigidity than the carrier tape.

In another form, a plurality of substrates is provided, each having a first and second surface, and a carrier tape, where the carrier tape is releasably attached to at least a portion of the first surface of one of the plurality of substrates, and is in contact with at least a portion of the second surface of an adjacent substrate.

A substrate having a first surface and being releasably attached to a flexible carrier tape wherein the carrier tape is disposed along the length of the substrate, and releasably attached to a portion of the first surface, the carrier tape being folded back on itself. In one form the invention comprises a substrate dispenser cartridge comprising: a container having an aperture a plurality of substrates a carrier tape releasably connected to each substrate.

Using this arrangement it is possible to dispense substrates from the container through the aperture by pulling the carrier tape.

In one form the carrier tape is releasably attached to each substrate. In one form the substrates are spaced along the carrier tape at a distance greater than the length of the substrate.

In one form the carrier tape is arranged in a fan fold arrangement within the container. A fan fold arrangement allows the carrier tape to be pulled to dispense the substrates one after the other.

In one form a substrate is located within one of the folds of the carrier tape.

In one form the carrier tape has one end located within the cartridge, and a second end located outside the cartridge.

In another form the invention comprises a cartridge having a carrier tape formed in a zig-zag pattern, the carrier tape having a plurality of folded ends and a plurality of corresponding open ends forming a plurality of pockets facing a first direction interspersed with a plurality of pockets facing a second direction, wherein the substrates are all located within the plurality of pockets facing the first direction.

In one form the plurality of pockets facing a first direction face towards an aperture in the cartridge.

This arrangement allows a number of substrates to be arranged within a cartridge and upon pulling the carrier tape to which the substrates are attached the substrates are dispensed,

In one form the aperture is of sufficient dimension to allow only one substrate through at once. This ensures that the substrates are dispensed one at a time in a controlled fashion.

In another form the invention comprises a cartridge having a carrier tape, a plurality of substrates having a flexural stiffness higher than the carrier tape, and an adhesive locating the substrate to the carrier tape.

In another form the invention comprises a system for dispensing a substrate from a pack of substrates including: a cartridge having a carrier tape, a plurality of substrates having a flexural stiffness higher than the carrier tape, and an adhesive locating the substrate to the carrier tape; a peeler directing the carrier tape in angle from the alignment of the carrier tape attached to the substrate.

This arrangement allows the carrier tape to be peeled from the substrate to dispense the substrate without the carrier tape attached. In one form the adhesive is of sufficient shear strength to ensure the substrate moves with the carrier tape as the carrier tape is pulled from the cartridge, but is sufficiently weak in tension given the strength of the flexural stiffness of the substrate, to allow the substrate to separate from the carrier tape by peeling when the carrier tape passes the peeler.

In one form the invention comprises a carrier tape having a plurality of substrates arranged along its length, each substrate attached to the carrier tape by an adhesive covering a portion of the substrate, and a label affixed to the carrier tape for each substrate.

In one form the invention comprises a method of dispensing substrates from a cartridge comprising: arranging a plurality of substrates along the length of a carrier tape, forming the carrier tape into a zig-zag arrangement, the substrates interspersed within folds of the carrier tape pulling an end of the carrier tape from an aperture in the cartridge to dispense one substrate at a time.

In one form an apparatus is provided for printing an identifier on a substrate, including a printer; a label having a first surface and a second surface, and an adhesive, wherein the label is printed on the surface in contact with the adhesive attaching the label to the slide.

In one form of the apparatus the substrate and label are attached to a carrier tape.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure Ia shows a perspective view of a microscope slide having a label and an identifier;

Figure Ib shows a perspective view of a tissue cassette having an identifier; Figure 2 shows a schematic cross section of a first embodiment of a substrate dispensing cartridge;

Figure 3 shows a schematic cross section of a second embodiment of a substrate- dispensing cartridge;

Figure 4 shows a schematic cross section of a third embodiment of a substrate- dispensing cartridge; Figure 5 shows a schematic cross section of a fourth embodiment of a substrate- dispensing cartridge; Figure 6 shows a schematic cross section of an embodiment of a substrate- dispensing cartridge and an embodiment of a printing assembly;

Figure 7 shows a schematic cross section of a portion of the print assembly of figure 6; Figures 8 and 9 show a schematic cross section of an embodiment of a print system for a slide;

Figure 10 shows a schematic cross section of a fifth embodiment of a substrate dispenser cartridge;

Figure 11 shows a schematic representation of substrates attached to a carrier; Figure 12 shows a schematic cross section view of a sixth embodiment of a substrate-dispensing cartridge incorporating a ratchet component;

Figure 13 shows a schematic semi-transparent isometric view of a sixth embodiment of a substrate-dispensing cartridge incorporating a ratchet component;

Figure 14 shows a schematic semi-transparent front view of a sixth embodiment of a substrate-dispensing cartridge incorporating a ratchet component; and

Figure 15 shows an isometric view of a printed label and an adhesive layer.

Detailed Description

Substrates such as slides and tissue cassettes are commonly used to hold tissue samples from patients. The tissue samples must be identified, and the carriers therefore have some identification associated with the sample. The identification may be associated with the carrier, such as microscope slide 10 shown in figure Ia. A tissue cassette 20 may also have an identifier 22 as shown in figure Ib.

In figure Ia, a slide 10 is shown holding a sample 12, a label 14 attached to the slide 10 by adhesive 16, and an identifier 18. In this example, the identifier is printed onto the bottom side of the label 14, that is, the identifier is printed onto the side of the label that is in contact with the adhesive 16. Typically the identifier 18 will be created using an ink, and the chemicals used during processing or staining the slide, such as xylene, water or acids, may damage the ink and make the slide unable to be associated with a patient or test. The advantage of the system shown in Figure Ia is that the identifier 18 is sandwiched between the label and adhesive, and is thus protected from the chemicals that might otherwise damage it.

In another form the identifier may be applied directly to the slide, and an adhesive and label applied over the top, or the markings can be printed onto the adhesive, which is then adhered to the slide. In all cases the label would be sufficiently transparent to allow the identifier to be read. In the case of the identifying marks being printed on the adhesive, or the adhesive being applied over the identifier, the adhesive will also be sufficiently transparent to allow the identifier to be read.

A dispense pack such as cartridge 30 shown in figure 2, is designed such that a plurality of substrates, which may be microscope slides 32, coverslips, tissue cassettes, or any similar hard substrate, are separated by a tape material 34 which is arranged in a z-fold shape. The tape 34 is attached at one end (attachment may be to a movable spacer, fixed point or to the final substrate, or it may be free floating), and at the other ("dispense") end it is attached to a means of pulling, which may be a roller or some other means. The cartridge has an exit 35 in the form of an aperture on one side through which the substrates may be dispensed. The height of this aperture is designed to allow only a single substrate to exit the cartridge at a time, or alternately if the cartridge is to be used in a dispensing mechanism, then the aperture in the cartridge may be of any suitable size, and the dispensing mechanism may include an aperture of sufficient size to allow only a single substrate to be ejected. For transportation this aperture may be sealed, and this seal may be supplied in the form of a pull-off tab, lift-up flap or some other means. The cartridge can easily be made into a disposable item.

Figures 2 and 3 show important aspects of two possible variants of the dispense cartridge. A dispensing tape 34 is folded around and between subsequent substrates such as slides 32 arranged in a stack, such that between the substrates the tape folds back on itself in a z-fold configuration. For illustration purposes a gap is shown between the folds of the tape, and between the ends of the substrate and the folded tape. In most applications the substrates will be stacked one on top of each other, such that there are no, or minimal gaps between tape and substrate. A singulation exit in the form of an aperture 35 is arranged to be between the base 40 and wall of the cartridge. The height of this exit is arranged to singulate the substrates, i.e. the height of the exit is greater than the height of one substrate and less than the height of two substrates. The tape in this embodiment is also shown passing through the singulation exit. In other embodiments the tape may exit the cartridge from a different exit than the substrate, or may be retained within the cartridge.

In Figure 2 the tape 34 is shown folded so that it winds around the substrate to be ejected. It can be seen that when the tape is pulled to the left, the section of the tape wrapped around the lowest substrate in the stack applies a force to the substrate that will cause the substrate to move to the left, exiting the cartridge in the direction of the arrow. Assuming the stack is arranged vertically, then as the first substrate exits the stack, the stack will drop under the force of gravity, and pulling the tape further will cause the ejection of the next and subsequent substrates from the stack until the stack is completely depleted.

In Figure 2 the tape that forms the z-fold between substrates is shown to extend further than the full length of the substrate to form a tape protrusion 37. This allows for a stack of substrates that remains substantially horizontal. It is possible for the z-fold of tape between the substrates to take any length down to only half the length of the substrate, reducing the amount of tape required. Such arrangement may be undesirable, however, as it may lead to a stack that is taller on the right than it is on the left, and that has no tape between substrates at the point that they exit the stack.

With the configuration of the z-fold shown in Figure 2 adhesion between tape and substrate is not required, as the tape wraps around the substrate and will apply a force to the substrate during dispensation regardless of any adhesion. Figure 2 is drawn to show an adhesion layer 36 between the base of the substrate and tape. This configuration may be preferable to prevent the tape from slipping between the substrates, and also for some applications where the tape is to be used as a transport mechanism for the substrates after they exit the dispense cartridge.

The adhesion (where used) between the substrate and the tape may be formed by any means that can allow the tape and substrate to be separated, two examples being the use of static cling between the tape and substrate, and the use of an adhesive layer applied to the substrate or the tape and designed to peel as necessary. As an example of an adhesive, the tape may be coated with a layer of heat-activated EVA adhesive which when heated forms a bond to the substrate that is easily broken by peeling. Adhesion may be used to link the top, bottom, sides or any combination of surfaces of the substrate to the tape, and may be formed by attaching full surfaces, part surfaces or by point attachment. If an adhesive layer is used, it may be designed to remain with the tape, or may be designed to adhere to the substrate after peeling from the tape, and as will be shown later, there may be advantages in combining both modes in one cartridge.

In Figure 2, the tape is shown as being arranged to pass over a peel roller 38 and passing to a point below the peel roller. This simple configuration can be used to break the adhesion between the substrate and the tape, allowing dispensing of singulated substrates removed from the dispensing tape backing. The roller helps to peel the tape from the substrate, and the waste tape passing over the roller is prevented from fouling the substrate to be ejected. While a roller is shown, any surface smooth enough to not break the tape, and with a sufficiently small bend radius to peel the tape from the substrate may be used. If desired the waste tape may be arranged to fold over a peel bar and fold completely back on itself. It is a feature of this embodiment that the peeling is enabled by the substrate being sufficiently stiff that during a change of direction of the tape, for example over a roller, the substrate separates from the tape at one end, peeling from the tape. In this regard the substrate may be stiffer than the tape. The method of adhering the substrate to the tape should also be sufficiently week to separate at a point to allow peeling of the tape from the substrate, given the substrate's relative stiffness.

In Figure 3 an alternative configuration of the z-fold is shown. Here, the tape does not wrap around the far end of the substrate to be ejected. In this configuration therefore, some form of adhesion may be required between the tape and the top of the substrate to be ejected. As before, adhesion may be of any appropriate form - Figure 3 shows an adhesive layer 41 between substrate and tape formed part of the way along the substrate. Provided that the adhesive is sufficiently thin it will not impart much tilt to the stack. Alternately, to prevent any tilt an adhesive such as a heat-activated adhesive may be coated onto the whole tape, and the adhesive may be activated in selected areas as necessary. As a further alternative, the frictional force between the surface of the tape in contact with the substrate may be arranged to be greater that the frictional force between the substrate and the base of the cartridge, in which case the frictional force may be sufficient to dispense the substrates and adhesion may not be required.

In Figure 3 the tape is again arranged to pass over a roller 42 to peel the tape from the substrate. In this configuration, it is advantageous to remove the tape vertically, at right-angles to the direction of motion of the substrate and with the roller or peel bar located as close as possible to the edge of the stack of substrates, as this prevents a loop of tape from the z-fold from pulling out of the singulation port along with the desired substrate.

With the arrangement of Figure 3, after the substrate is removed from the cartridge the excess tape in the z-fold must be pulled through before the next substrate begins to move. This can be advantageous where the pulling action is not precisely controlled, for example where the tape is being pulled by means of hand or via a dc motor, as less precision is required when pulling the tape to prevent the next substrate from starting to exit the cartridge. The tape and substrate arrangements shown in Figures 2 and 3 are designed to eject substrates from the base of the cartridge. While two variants of the z-fold arrangement shown are shown for illustration purposes, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that other z-fold arrangements can be designed that will eject substrates from the top of the cartridge. Further, an arrangement can be made by interweaving substrates and tape where substrates are ejected from both sides of the cartridge, where one substrate exits from the left and the next from the right. Other embodiments shown in figures 4, 5, 6 and 10 show different configurations for dispensing a substrate.

While one purpose of the tape material is to form a simple means of ejecting substrates from the cartridge, it may act to keep substrates clean and free from contamination, prevent substrates from sticking to each other even in humid environments, and provides a mechanical barrier that protects substrates from damage in storage, transport and during use of the dispense cartridge. This ability to keep substrates separated, clean and free of contamination is of particular importance when the substrates to be dispensed are microscope slides. It is of further importance when the microscope slides in the cartridge hold pre-applied samples such as cell cultures, peptide dots or thinly cut materials such as histologically prepared tissues. This may be the case when the tissues, cultures or peptide dots are to be used for control or calibration purposes for tests such as immunohistochemical analysis. By using a tape thicker than the samples depth, and which does not physically contact the samples (such as a tape with cut-out sections around the samples, a web, or two strands of tape that pass either side of the sample), the tape will act not only as a means of dispensing the substrate, but also as a means of protecting the samples from damage and contamination. In other embodiments, the control slides may have an additional cover applied to the samples, so that the tape contacts the cover rather than the samples directly. In such a case the standard tape could be used without cutouts and of a thinner thickness. In one simple design, the dispense end of the tape material may be attached to the material of the pull-off tab, which forms a convenient way of grasping the material. In another design, the tape is contained within the cartridge, and the dispense end of the tape is attached to a roller, or pinched between one roller and either a second roller or a feature on the cartridge (where the rollers are contained inside the cartridge). When the roller is rotated, it winds on the tape, causing the substrates to be ejected.

Figure 4 shows an illustration of a more sophisticated design for a slide dispenser cartridge 130 designed to retain the dispense tape, and suitable for use in an automated slide dispensing system. In this example the dispense end of the tape 34 is wound onto take-up roller 142 contained wholly within a dispenser cartridge 130. The take-up roller should be located at a position so as to provide a gap between the substrates and the roller sufficient for the take-up of the tape onto the roller. To improve packing density it is possible to arrange the thickness of the substrate, the thickness of the adhesive (if any), and the diameter of the take-up roller such that ejection of a substrate from the cartridge will provide the additional space required for the take-up of tape onto the roller. In such a design the roller is allowed to drop with the stack of substrates, and as the tape winds on to the take-up roller, its diameter increases less than the increase in the available space.

Figure 4 shows a stack of substrates (102) attached via an adhesive layer (103) to a z-folded tape (34) within the dispense cartridge (130). The substrates in this case rest on the base of the cartridge, which is designed to be smooth to allow the substrates to be dragged across it. At the top of the stack of substrates an optional spacer (140) is shown - this spacer is used to assist in the dispensing of the final substrate in the cartridge, and is thicker than the height of the singulation exit (104) such that it is retained within the cartridge. When the substrates are light, the spacer can be designed to be heavier, to ensure that the stack of substrates drops evenly as substrates are removed. Alternatively, a mechanism such as a spring or ratchet mechanism (not shown) may be used to provide pressure on the spacer to keep the substrates aligned during dispense.

The dispense tape (34) runs from the spacer, via a z-fold arrangement, to the lowest substrate in the stack. The tape then runs along between the outside of a separator layer (141) and the dispenser cartridge wall, all the way through to the tape take-up roller (142). A driven roller 60, separate from the take-up roller 142, is used to pull the tape through the cartridge. The roller 60, may be connected to an external power source, such as a motor, to wind the roller and pull the tape towards the take up roller, thereby causing substrates to be dispensed. The roller may be supplied with a feature (such as a notch 105), which enables the roller 60 to be rotated by a mechanism external to the cartridge.

The arrangement of driven roller 60 and pinch roller 145 allows for a simple linear relationship between the number of turns of the driven roller and the length of tape pulled through the system (and hence the number of substrates dispensed). In the Figure, peel 144 and pinch 145 rollers are used in the tape path, although these functions may alternately be provided by smooth features on the cartridge walls. A slip gearing (not shown) between the driven roller and the take-up roller may be used to ensure that the tape remains tightly wound around the take-up roller.

Figure 5 shows a further variant of substrate dispense cartridge 131. In this design, substrates are ejected from the top of the dispense cartridge 131, with the tape 34 wrapped in such a way around the stack of substrates that it acts both to dispense substrates 102, and to pull the substrates vertically upwards against the pull of gravity. For illustration purposes, this design is shown using a more complex roller arrangement, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a variety of roller and pulley mechanisms may be used to provide a similar function.

As illustrated, this system uses a modified version of the drive technique from Figure 4, where the driven roller 60 and take-up roller 142 are separate. One end of the tape is attached to a spacer 140, designed to be thicker than the singulation exit 104 and whose lower and side surface are smooth to allow the flow of tape. Above this support, a stack of substrates 102 is attached via an adhesion layer 103 to a z-folded tape 34 within the dispense cartridge 131 (as with the tape configuration of Figure 2, the adhesion layer is optional in this design). The tape runs around a peel roller 144 at the top of the cartridge, which acts to separate the tape and substrates. Pulling the tape around this peel roller therefore has the effect of ejecting substrates from the top of the cartridge, in the direction of the arrow.

The tape continues on from the peel roller (144), wrapping around a glide roller (151) and the base of the spacer (140), before being wound between the driven roller (60) and pinch roller (145), and finally attaching to the take-up roller (142). It can be seen that when the driven roller is rotated, it pulls the tape such that the substrates are lifted as they are dispensed. A slip gearing may again be provided between the driven roller and the take-up roller, and furthermore a ratchet may be used on the take-up roller to ensure the tape does not slip back.

The tape in this design is held in tension by the pinch and drive rollers, which enables the tape wrapped around the support to lift the stack of substrates. If the tension provided by the pinch roller is sufficient, there is no need for a take-up roller, although providing a take-up roller with a ratchet preventing it from uncoiling can provide extra support. As the take up of the spacer in this design keeps the spacer aligned to the orientation of the substrates, it can be seen that this cartridge design will function equally well in any orientation, horizontal or vertical. As with all designs illustrated, this design is scalable to any number of substrates.

A further variant on the dispense cartridge 210 is shown in Figures 12, 13, and 14. Here the tape initially follows a similar z-fold path to that shown in figure 4, but the dispense end of the tape 213 is routed so that it wraps fully around the stack of substrates 215, passing over a ratchet feature 211 located above the top substrate and then passing down behind the stack to a dispense roller 212 located at the bottom of the cartridge. As the dispense roller is turned, the bottom substrate 214 in the stack is dispensed, and the tape 213 passing over the ratchet feature 211 applies a downward force on the ratchet. The ratchet feature is thus pulled down along with the substrates in the cartridge when the dispense roller 212 is turned. This ratchet 211 mechanism allows for the design of a cartridge, suitable for automated dispensing, that can be placed on its side without the stack of substrates 215 moving out of alignment.

A small loop of tape 216 can be allowed to overhang at the far end of the substrates, as shown at 34 in Fig 3. This loop of tape 216 will fold down over the edges of the substrates as the tape wrapping around the substrates passes over the substrates in the cartridge. In this way, the tape wrapping around the cartridge is provided at all points with a protection from contact with the potentially sharp edges of the substrates.

In one form a cartridge may have a floor, supporting a substrate, wherein the floor has accommodation for additional support or supports. The additional support may be in the form of a plurality of projections that engage the lowermost substrate and push it away from the floor of the cartridge. The cartridge may also have a biasing mechanism, such as an elastic element biasing the substrates away from a top of the interior of the cartridge, thereby biasing the substrates to be located against the floor. An aperture slightly larger in height than a substrate is located adjacent, but slightly above the floor of the cartridge, to allow a single cartridge to be dispensed at a time. However, as the aperture is slightly above the floor, there is a lip that prevents the lowermost slide from being dispensed when the substrate is in contact with the floor of the cartridge. The lowermost substrate will be in contact with the floor of the cartridge and therefore cannot be accidentally dispensed until elevated slightly by the additional support or supports. As the aperture is only slightly higher than the height of the substrate to be dispensed, the substrate located on top of the lowermost substrate cannot exit the aperture either. The aperture is at least slightly wider than the width of the substrate. Thus, until the lowermost substrate is raised against the biasing mechanism, substrates will not be dispensed from the cartridge. This is to prevent accidental dispensation of the substrates prior to the cartridge, for example, being coupled to a dispensing mechanism or cartridge locator.

In one form the additional support may be in the form of one or more cylinders or rods that lie along the length of the support, and correspond to apertures in the cartridge adapted to allow the supports to project up from the floor, for example, when a cartridge is placed into a cartridge locator, prior to dispensing of the substrates. When in the cartridge locator, a locking mechanism may be used to hold the cartridge in place, such that the supports project up from the floor of the cartridge, lifting the substrate from the floor a sufficient distance to clear the lip of the cartridge wall below the aperture, and thus aligning the substrate with the aperture. Dispensing methods and apparatuses as herein described may then be used to dispense substrates from the cartridge one at a time.

In one form two supports are used under the substrate to ensure that the substrate is lifted uniformly to align with the aperture for dispensing slides. In other forms the support may be wide enough to support the substrate in alignment with the aperture. The support or supports need not extend to the whole width or length of the floor of the cartridge. Further, a support may be located within the cartridge, for example under the lowermost substrate, whereupon placing the cartridge into a locator causes the support to protrude above the level of the floor of the cartridge and align the lowermost substrate with the aperture.

In a specific embodiment of the feature described above, a dispense cartridge shown in figure 14 has at least one location feature 217 included into the region of the cartridge on which the slides normally sit. Locating pins (not shown) can be positioned into these locating features, which serve the joint purpose of positioning the cartridge accurately into a dispensing mechanism (not shown), and raising the substrates slightly above the base or floor of the cartridge. By raising the substrates on a feature located in the dispensing mechanism, the substrate being dispensed can be precisely aligned to the dispensing mechanism without the need for precise dimensional control of the substrate cartridge, allowing for cheaper manufacturing processes to be used for the cartridge. Raising the substrates on locating pins can also reduce the frictional force required to dispense a substrate from the cartridge, as the substrate is not now being dragged across the base of the cartridge.

The precise alignment of substrates to the dispense mechanism is vital if the singulation exit (which needs to be accurately dimensioned) is to be a part of the dispensing mechanism and not the cartridge. In this arrangement, there is a reduced requirement for precise dimensional control for the aperture exit of the dispense cartridge, which allows for cheaper manufacturing of the cartridge, and also allows the exit aperture on the cartridge to be larger than that required to dispense a single substrate. Further, the locating features mean that the cartridge aperture need not be precisely aligned to the base of the cartridge - it may, for example, be offset from the base of the cartridge by half the thickness of a substrate. This would help prevent substrates from accidentally falling from the cartridge while handling the cartridge after the aperture has been opened. To enable these features to be used to locate the substrates within the cartridge to the dispensing mechanism, the ratchet mechanism must allow for a small amount of flexing. This methodology is independent of whether substrates are dispensed via tape or other means.

As can be seen in the above examples, a variety of dispense cartridges can be designed using the z-fold tape mechanism, and a variety of substrates (eg microscope slides, tissue cassettes, coverslips) can be dispensed from them. It will often be desirable to provide cartridges with indications of the number of substrates remaining in the cartridge. This can be done with markings on the tape, and such markings can be used also to assist in controlling dispense of slides from the cartridge. Alternately, in cartridges with internal or external rollers, it is possible to provide an indication of the number of substrates remaining in the cartridge using a mechanism connected to the roller that measures the take-up of the film. For example, a simple mechanism would be an indicator wheel attached via a gear system and visible through a small aperture in the cartridge (as with the date indicator on an analogue watch). This indicator may display a number, or a colour, or may be arranged to provide data in a machine-readable format.

Figure 6 illustrates the use of a substrate dispensing cartridge combined with a printing mechanism to deliver chemical and mechanical resistant printing on microscope slides. A dispense cartridge (130) in which microscope slides (165) are interspersed with z-folded tape (101) is combined with a transport assembly (160). The slides are coated at one end with an opaque adhesive (166), the area of the adhesive in this embodiment being equal to the area on which a printed label will be applied.

Rotation of the driven wheel (60) within the cartridge causes the microscope slides to be ejected from the cartridge, the transport assembly (160) then moves the slides to a defined position prior to a lamination roller (167). The slide transport system can be any suitable mechanism, such as a conveyor, or carriage on a rail. The transport system could even make use of the dispense tape from the cartridge - in this case the tape is threaded out of the cartridge and onto the take-up and peel rollers at the end of the transport mechanism, and slides are adhered to the tape on their base, for example by static cling. Extemal to the cartridge, a label dispensing mechanism (168) and print head (164) are arranged to print on the outside of a transparent label (161). The print head could be any suitable technology such as ink-jet, thermal transfer or direct thermal printing.

Furthermore, the labels may be supplied pre-printed, in which case there is no need to use a printhead.

In Figure 6, for illustration purposes a thermal-transfer system is shown. An ink ribbon (169) winds between two spools (170, 176) and around a printhead (164). As the label stock (161) passes the printhead, it is pressed onto the printhead by a roller (171), and printing is placed onto the outside of the transparent label. Printing on the label is done in reverse (mirror image) .

The label stock is then rotated such that the label (161) and adhesive area (166) of the slide (165) are in register, and then both pass under the lamination roller (167). Depending on the adhesive type used, the lamination roller may be heated (for heat- activated adhesives) or may be cold (for pressure-sensitive adhesives). The lamination process is shown in more detail in Figure 7. Here the transparent label (161), with printing (173) on the outside, is adhered to the label application tape (175) by an adhesive layer (174). The slide (165) and label (161) pass under the lamination roller (167), such that the printed area (173) of the label is pressed onto the adhesive on the slide, sandwiching the print between the adhesive (166) and the transparent label (161). The label and tape are separated by the bend radius of the roller, such that the label adheres to the slide, while the label adhesive (174) remains on the label application tape (175).

In another embodiment (not shown) a standard printing arrangement may be used where transparent or opaque labels may be used, and the ink may be printed on the external surface of the label before or after application of the label to the substrate.

As glass microscope slides are optically transparent, they are usually provided with an opaque, frosted area on which to make markings, and this frosting can be made in a variety of colours. By using coloured adhesives and transparent labels, the printing system described herein can use clear glass slides without any other form of frosting. Alternately, slides may be used with a coloured area onto which a clear adhesive and label is attached. A frosted or sandblasted area may be provided on the reverse of the slide, allowing for an attached label as illustrated in Figure Ia on one side, and hand written annotations on the other.

While the printer system here is shown illustrated as printing on microscope slides, it can be seen that this system is equally applicable to tissue cassettes. Figure 8 shows an alternative method of attaching the indicia to the slide. Here, a thermal re-transfer film of the type described in US patent 4,923,848 is used. The retransfer film, 201 is formed by a variety of layers, and one possible combination is shown including a backing layer 202, release layer 203, protection layer 204 and ink receptive layer 205. The film is used in a similar fashion to the label applicator of Figure 6. The film is shown after the markings 173 have been printed by the thermal transfer mechanism 164. The film is arranged to pass under roller 167, which applies pressure to the film, pressing it onto the slide 165 and adhesive layer 166.

Figure 9 shows the slide and film after the film has been peeled from the slide. It can be seen that the film has peeled at the peel layer, such that the protection layer and ink receptive layer are adhered to the slide over the adhesive layer. This maintains a protective layer between the slide and the environment, in the same way as applying a transparent label. Other formulations of retransfer film are possible. In particular, it is possible to have the adhesive layer as part of the retransfer film, with no adhesive layer on the slide. In this formulation of retransfer film, it is usual for the adhesive layer to be heat activated, and the roller 167 will therefore need to supply both heat and pressure, and be able to be retracted from the slide, such that only a small area of the slide is labelled.

A further alternative embodiment for printing on labels is shown in Figure 15. Here the label is formed by a transparent material such as PET 220, and a layer of adhesive such as a thermally activated EVA adhesive 221. The label is laminated (with the adhesive layer on the outside) to a backing layer 222 formed from a thin material such as PET or silicone coated paper. Preferably, lamination is done using a dry-peel adhesive 223 (such as a UV-cured varnish). This label construction can be made by any suitable technique, such as laminating the layers together, and then die-cutting through the label facestock material. Labels are printed on-demand, with the printed marks being made onto the adhesive using standard techniques such as ink-jet or thermal transfer printing. Thermal transfer printing can have an advantage in the case that thermally activated adhesives are used in this instance, in that the heat from printing will embed the ink into the thermally activated adhesive, enhancing the mechanical and chemical resistance of the printed markings. To apply the label to a substrate, the label is pressed into contact with the substrate and heated, and then the label is peeled from the backing material. It is simple to automate this process to provide sub-surface printed labels for, say, microscope slide, providing exceptional mechanical and chemical resistance for the printed markings.

Identification of microscope slides often includes colour coding the slide. To date, this is done using a coloured frosting area, as this provides adequate chemical resistance of the coloured area. Coloured inks are not generally used in printing slide labels, as inks suitable for print-on-demand applications do not generally survive the chemical and environmental regime that the slide is subjected to. A transparent label can allow for a cost-effective alternative to colour coding the frosting area of the slide, even when printing is only in black, as shown in Figure 16. Here, a label 230 is pre-printed with coloured areas as part of the label construction process - these areas are shown as X (which may be, for example, printed red), Y (which may be, for example, printed blue), and Z (which may be, for example, printed green), but any number of areas and colours could be used. The printing can be carried out during label construction, and may use UV-cured inks to provide strong chemical resistance. Further, by printing on the inside of the PET layer of the label, prior to application of the adhesive 231, additional chemical protection can be given to the coloured areas by the adhesive coating.

To provide colour coding, when a label is printed, a black area can be printed to mask out all coloured areas except the colour required - for example, in the label shown in Figure 16, to code a slide as "red" the areas Y and Z could be coloured black, leaving only the red patch X visible, or to code a slide "blue" the areas X and Z could be coloured black, leaving patch Y visible. When the label is sub-surface printed, with the coloured areas being above the black masking area, it may be preferable for the coloured areas to be stippled, which will allow for the black area beneath to be more visible.

As an alternative, the coloured patches may be provided on the slide frosting area rather than as part of a label to be applied to the slide. Colour coding can again be achieved by masking out the undesired colours areas, leaving only the desired area. This can be achieved by applying a transparent label over the multi-coloured frosting, with the unwanted coloured areas on the frosting being masked out by printing the corresponding areas on the label. Alternately, this colour coding scheme can be used even if printing is made directly onto the slide, with the colour coding being achieved by directly printing over all but the required coloured area of the frosting. In figure 10 a further embodiment of a cartridge 80 is shown. A plurality of substrates, 82, in this case microscope slides, are arranged within the cartridge 80, and may be dispensed by pulling tape 86. In this embodiment the tape 86 is wound around roller 88, thus dispensing a substrate and keeping the tape within the cartridge for ease of management. At the aperture 90, a labelled slide 82 is shown being dispensed. The labelled slide

82 has a transparent label 94 attached to the slide, and may have a printed identifier (not shown) on the label. Inside the cartridge, it can be seen that for each slide the tape has a label 94, and has a portion used for pulling the slides, which can be attached to the slide by an adhesive 99 or other method (such as friction or static cling). The label within the cartridge is positioned over the slide but may not be attached to the slide prior to the label reaching the dispensing roller 96. As the tape is wound around spool 88 the tape drags the slide towards the opening 90, while the tape passes over the roller 95 and moves towards dispensing roller 96.

When the portion of the tape having a label 94 attached passes over the dispensing roller 96, the label is pressed into contact with the portion of the slide to be labelled (the slide having been dragged into an appropriate position by the movement of the tape). The slide may have an adhesive area 99, or an adhesive can be on the side of the label in contact with the slide in the form of, for example, a thermally activated adhesive which is non-tacky when cool, and the dispensing roller 96 may be heated to activate the adhesive on the label. The movement of the dispensing roller in contact with slide 82 causes the label to be peeled from the tape and deposited onto the slide in the appropriate location. In this embodiment the location of the label on the tape and the length of the tape path is arranged to be such that the label is applied to the correct area of the slide to be labelled.

The optional adhesive 99 serves two purposes, firstly to releasably locate the tape to the slide prior and during dispensing, and once dispensed to attach the label to the slide. During the dispense operation the tape may pass a print head 97 which can place an identifier onto the label prior to attaching the label to the slide. In this case the label is reverse printed on the surface to be attached to a slide, keeping the identifier from direct contact with chemicals or mechanical abrasion. It is also possible for an alternate arrangement where the upper layer of the label is printed. In this embodiment the print head is not part of the cartridge, but fits into the cartridge when the cartridge is loaded into an instrument. The print head may receive information from a source so that the labels are uniquely printed with the correct identifier prior to the sample being attached, at, for example, a microtome station.

Figure 11 illustrates the unfolded tape used in the dispense cartridge of Figure 4. The tape (34) and substrate (102) are adhered together using an adhesive layer (103), shown here extending less than the full length of the substrate. To produce the z-fold arrangement, the tape is folded around the substrates along the fold lines (110). In this configuration, the length of the substrate, A, is slightly less than the length of the tape separating the substrates, B. The additional length (B-A) allows for the wrapping of the tape around the edge of the substrate. The length of the tape required for a dispense cartridge containing n substrates can therefore be seen to be at least n.(B+A), which is slightly greater than two times the long dimension of the substrate in the configuration shown.

The substrates in Figure 11 are shown in an arrangement where the exit from the cartridge will be along the narrow edge of the substrate, along the edge marked C. The tape can be of any width, and if desired can be formed by a number of strands of separate tape, or by a webbing of some form. Advantageously, the tape is chosen to be approximately equal to the width of the edge, C, of the substrate, to provide greatest mechanical protection while the tape is in the cartridge. It may be advantageous in some circumstances to arrange the substrates at right angles to that shown above, with the tape having a width of approximately A. This would mean that the substrates would exit the cartridge with their wider edge leading, and would allow for a shorter tape to be used. Care should be taken with this option, as it is more likely to lead to jamming of the substrates at the singulation exit unless tape is pulled evenly across its surface. Various techniques can be used to manufacture the tape shown in figure 11. In one form, an adhesive tape is supplied with two release liners. Adhesive patches of the same width dimensions as the substrate are positioned on the tape at approximately twice the length of a substrate apart (the orientation of the substrate can be chosen depending on the desired orientation of the exit from the slide cartridge). The first release liner is peeled back, and a slide is placed onto the tape with the desired portion of the slide located over the adhesive. The release liner is pulled off as the tape is folded in a z-fold, exposing the next adhesive patch. The process repeats until a stack of slides is assembled, and the tape then adhered to the spacer and cut. In an alternative method, the tape is coated with a heat- activated adhesive that is non-tacky when cool. The tape and slide can be attached using a heated roller or hot stamp, which allows the tape to be adhered to the whole slide or a portion of the slide defined by the heated area, and the level of adhesion between the tape and substrate can be varied by the level of applied heat and pressure and the duration of the heating. The tape can be z-folded using an appropriate method. In the embodiments described herein, the carrier tape may be constructed from an elongated paper strip coated on one or both sides, with for example a silicone material. Other forms of tape may be used including other forms of coated paper, or elongated strips of plastic or polymer material.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A substrate dispenser cartridge comprising: a container having an aperture; a plurality of substrates; and a carrier tape connected to each substrate.

2. The substrate dispenser of claim 1 where the carrier tape is attached to each substrate using an adhesive.

3. The substrate dispenser of claim 2 where the substrates are spaced along the carrier tape at a distance greater than the length of the substrate.

4. The substrate dispenser of claims 1 to 3 where the carrier tape is arranged in a fan fold arrangement within the container.

5. The substrate dispenser of claims 1 to 4 where the carrier tape has one end located within the cartridge, and a second end located outside the cartridge.

6. A cartridge having a carrier tape formed in a zig-zag pattern, the carrier tape having a plurality of folded ends and a plurality of corresponding open ends forming a plurality of pockets facing a first direction interspersed with a plurality of pockets facing a second direction, wherein the substrates are all located within the plurality of pockets facing the first direction and releasably attached to the carrier tape.

7. The cartridge of claim 6 wherein the plurality of pockets face a first direction towards an aperture in the cartridge.

8. The cartridge of claim 6 wherein the aperture is of sufficient dimension to allow only one substrate through at once.

9. A cartridge having a carrier tape, a plurality of substrates having a flexural stiffness higher than the carrier tape, and an adhesive locating the substrate to the carrier tape.

10. A cartridge having a plurality of substrates, each substrate having a control sample attached thereto, and a carrier tape attached to the substrates to allow dispensing of one of the substrates from the cartridge.

11. A system for dispensing a substrate from a pack of substrates including: a cartridge having a carrier tape, a plurality of substrates having a flexural stiffness higher than the carrier tape, and an adhesive locating the substrate to the carrier tape; and a peeler directing the carrier tape in angle from the alignment of the carrier tape attached to the substrate.

12. The system of claim 11 where the adhesive is of sufficient shear strength to ensure the substrate moves with the carrier tape as the carrier tape is pulled from the cartridge, but is sufficiently weak in tension given the strength of the flexural stiffness of the substrate, to allow the substrate to separate from the carrier tape by peeling when the carrier tape passes the peeler.

13. A carrier tape having a plurality of substrates arranged along its length, each substrate attached to the carrier tape by an adhesive covering a portion of the substrate, and a label affixed to the carrier tape for each substrate.

14. A carrier tape as claimed in claim 13, wherein the substrates are adapted to carry samples and the configuration of the tape and the substrates is such that connection of the tape to the substrates avoids contact between the samples and the tape.

15. A method of dispensing substrates from a cartridge comprising: arranging a plurality of substrates along the length of a carrier tape, forming the carrier tape into a zig-zag arrangement, the substrates interspersed within folds of the carrier tape, pulling an end of the carrier tape from an aperture in the cartridge to dispense one substrate at a time.

16. A cartridge comprising a plurality of substrates, walls and a base, one wall having an aperture located above the base by a distance less than the height of a substrate.

17. The cartridge of claim 16 where the base has an opening for a support, wherein the support engages a substrate to align it to the aperture to allow the substrate to be dispensed.

18. The cartridge of claim 16 where the base has a support that may be engaged from outside the cartridge to align a substrate to the aperture to allow the substrate to be dispensed.

19. A method of printing an identifier on a substrate, the method comprising printing an identifier on a first surface of a label and attaching the label to the substrate so that the first surface faces the substrate and is sandwiched between the substrate and the label.

20. A method of identifying substrates comprising the steps of: providing a substrate with a plurality of coloured regions, providing a label for application to the substrate, U2007/001634

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printing on at least a portion of the label to prevent one or more colours on the substrate being visible.

21. A substrate substantially as described with reference to the drawings and/or examples.

22. A cartridge substantially as described with reference to the drawings and/or examples.

23. A carrier tape substantially as described with reference to the drawings and/or examples.

24. A system substantially as described with reference to the drawings and/or examples.

25. A method substantially as described with reference to the drawings and/or examples.