US3765745A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Microscope stage
Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG
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Filing: 1972-04-10
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Granted: 1973-10-16
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Expires: 1992-04-10
Abstract
Abstract The invention contemplates a microscope including a stage for supporting a slide for selective positioning in liquid-immersed contact with part of an optical system, such as a fieldilluminating condenser element. The arrangement is such that the plane of liquid contact is offset from the adjacent plane of the stage platform and so that selective positioning of the slide cannot result in liquid contact with the stage or with any slidesupporting element.
Inventors
- 👤 H Burboeck
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 06:56
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B21/00; G02B21/24; G02B21/26
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
353 words
In a microscope, a frame, a stage comprising a platform having a flat upper surface and carried by said frame, said platform having a central opening, optical means carried by said frame beneath said stage and including an element on an axis projecting upwardly through said opening and to an elevation above said upper surface, said element including a flat optical surface at an elevation offset above said upper surface of said platform, slide-holder means including a flat plate slidable on the upper surface of said platform, said plate being centrally open over an area greater than the central opening of said platform, selectively operable positioning means coacting between said platform and said slide-holder means for selectively positioning the opening of said plate with respect to the axis of said projecting element, said slide-holder meanS including margin-locating abutment means for a specimen slide carried by said plate, said abutment means comprising at least two generally opposed abutment elements which are set back from the adjacent edge of the open area of said plate, whereby the specimen area of translucent specimen slide may be supported by and located on said plate in the span between said generally opposed abutments, said optical surface being in such close adjacency to the plane of the upper surface of said plate that said optical surface and the underside of the microscope slide may be in liquid-immersed contact, the thickness of said plate substantially exceeding the axial offset of said optical flat surface from the slidesupporting surface of said plate, said positioning means including a rectilinear-guide and margin-limiting abutment means limiting the range of displacement of the rectilinear center of said plate within a predetermined amount on each side of the optical axis, said amount being less than one half the difference between the rectilinear extent of the plate opening and the rectilinear extent of the optical surface, all said rectilinear quantities being taken along an axis in the plane of microscopeslide support and through the optical axis, whereby immersion liquid is kept from contact with said plate at even the marginal limits of operation of said positioning means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
353 words
In a microscope, a frame, a stage comprising a platform having a flat upper surface and carried by said frame, said platform having a central opening, optical means carried by said frame beneath said stage and including an element on an axis projecting upwardly through said opening and to an elevation above said upper surface, said element including a flat optical surface at an elevation offset above said upper surface of said platform, slide-holder means including a flat plate slidable on the upper surface of said platform, said plate being centrally open over an area greater than the central opening of said platform, selectively operable positioning means coacting between said platform and said slide-holder means for selectively positioning the opening of said plate with respect to the axis of said projecting element, said slide-holder meanS including margin-locating abutment means for a specimen slide carried by said plate, said abutment means comprising at least two generally opposed abutment elements which are set back from the adjacent edge of the open area of said plate, whereby the specimen area of translucent specimen slide may be supported by and located on said plate in the span between said generally opposed abutments, said optical surface being in such close adjacency to the plane of the upper surface of said plate that said optical surface and the underside of the microscope slide may be in liquid-immersed contact, the thickness of said plate substantially exceeding the axial offset of said optical flat surface from the slidesupporting surface of said plate, said positioning means including a rectilinear-guide and margin-limiting abutment means limiting the range of displacement of the rectilinear center of said plate within a predetermined amount on each side of the optical axis, said amount being less than one half the difference between the rectilinear extent of the plate opening and the rectilinear extent of the optical surface, all said rectilinear quantities being taken along an axis in the plane of microscopeslide support and through the optical axis, whereby immersion liquid is kept from contact with said plate at even the marginal limits of operation of said positioning means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
A microscope according to claim 1, in which said positioning means comprises two orthogonally related positioning systems for selective two-component positioning of the microscope slide with respect to said optical surface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
39 words
A microscope according to claim 2, in which said optical element is circular at the plane of the optical surface, and in which said plate opening is generally rectangular with sides parallel to the respective orthogonally related positioning systems.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
108 words
A microscope according to claim 3, in which each positioning system includes a rectilinear guide and abutment means limiting the range of displacement of the rectilinear center of the opening of said plate to a predetermined amount on each side of the optical axis, said amount being less than one half the difference between the rectilinear extent of the plate opening and the effective diameter of said optical element, the rectilinear quantities for one positioning system being taken parallel to the axis of one of the orthogonal guides and the rectilinear quantities for the other positioning system being taken parallel to the axis of the other orthogonal guide.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
A microscope according to claim 1, in which the underside of said plate is marginally relieved.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
A microscope according to claim 1, in which said optical means is part of a stage illuminator.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
312 words
In a microscope, a frame, a stage comprising a platform having a flat upper surface and carried by said frame, said platform having a central opening, optical means carried by said frame beneath said stage and including an element on an axis projecting upwardly through said opening and to an elevation above said upper surface, said element including a flat optical surface at an elevation offset above said upper surface of said platform, slide-holder means including a flat plate carrying a layer of self-lubricating material on its lower surface and slidable on the upper surface of said platform, said plate being centrally open over an area greater than the central opening of said platform, selectively operable positioning means coacting between said platform and said slide-holder means for selectively positioning the opening of said plate with respect to the axis of said projecting element, said slide-holder means including margin-locating abutment means for a specimen slide carried by said plate, said abutment means comprising at least two generally opposed abutment elements which are set back from the adjacent edge of the open area of said plate, whereby the specimen area of a translucent specimen slide may be supported by and located on said plate in the span between said genErally opposed abutments, said optical surface being in such close adjacency to the plane of the upper surface of said plate that said optical surface and the underside of the microscope slide may be in liquid-immersed contact, and margin-limiting means operative to confine positioning movement of said slide-holder means to an extent that said optical means can never contact any part of the edge of the centrally open area of said plate, whereby immersion liquid may be in continuous contact with any specimen-slide area of currently positioned interest to permit specimen scanning without danger of immersion-liquid contact with said plate or with the self-lubricating layer.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
312 words
In a microscope, a frame, a stage comprising a platform having a flat upper surface and carried by said frame, said platform having a central opening, optical means carried by said frame beneath said stage and including an element on an axis projecting upwardly through said opening and to an elevation above said upper surface, said element including a flat optical surface at an elevation offset above said upper surface of said platform, slide-holder means including a flat plate carrying a layer of self-lubricating material on its lower surface and slidable on the upper surface of said platform, said plate being centrally open over an area greater than the central opening of said platform, selectively operable positioning means coacting between said platform and said slide-holder means for selectively positioning the opening of said plate with respect to the axis of said projecting element, said slide-holder means including margin-locating abutment means for a specimen slide carried by said plate, said abutment means comprising at least two generally opposed abutment elements which are set back from the adjacent edge of the open area of said plate, whereby the specimen area of a translucent specimen slide may be supported by and located on said plate in the span between said genErally opposed abutments, said optical surface being in such close adjacency to the plane of the upper surface of said plate that said optical surface and the underside of the microscope slide may be in liquid-immersed contact, and margin-limiting means operative to confine positioning movement of said slide-holder means to an extent that said optical means can never contact any part of the edge of the centrally open area of said plate, whereby immersion liquid may be in continuous contact with any specimen-slide area of currently positioned interest to permit specimen scanning without danger of immersion-liquid contact with said plate or with the self-lubricating layer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
12 words
The microscope of claim 7, in which said self-lubricating layer includes polytetrafluoroethylene.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
285 words
In a microscope, a frame, a stage comprising a platform having a flat upper surface and carried by said frame, said platform having a central opening, optical means carried by said frame beneath said stage and including an element on an axis projecting upwardly through said opening and to an elevation above said upper surface, said element including a flat optical surface at an elevation offset above said upper surface of said platform; and a unit-handling slide-holder assembly including a flat slide-holder plate slidable on the upper surface of said platform, said plate being centrally open over an area greater than the central opening of said platform, selectively operable positioning means including a mounting element securable to a part carried by said platform and coacting between said platform and said slide-holder plate for selectively positioning the opening of said plate with respect to the axis of said projecting element, said slide-holder means including margin-locating abutment means for a specimen slide carried by said plate, said abutment means comprising at least two generally opposed abutment elements which are set back from the adjacent edge of the open area of said plate, whereby the specimen area of a translucent specimen slide may be supported by and located on said plate in the span between said generally opposed abutments, said optical surface being in such close adjacency to the plane of the upper surface of said plate that said optical surface and the underside of the microscope slide may be in liquid-immersed contact, and margin-limiting means operative to confine positioning movement of said slide-holder plate to an extent that said optical means can never contact any part of the edge of the centrally open area of said plate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
285 words
In a microscope, a frame, a stage comprising a platform having a flat upper surface and carried by said frame, said platform having a central opening, optical means carried by said frame beneath said stage and including an element on an axis projecting upwardly through said opening and to an elevation above said upper surface, said element including a flat optical surface at an elevation offset above said upper surface of said platform; and a unit-handling slide-holder assembly including a flat slide-holder plate slidable on the upper surface of said platform, said plate being centrally open over an area greater than the central opening of said platform, selectively operable positioning means including a mounting element securable to a part carried by said platform and coacting between said platform and said slide-holder plate for selectively positioning the opening of said plate with respect to the axis of said projecting element, said slide-holder means including margin-locating abutment means for a specimen slide carried by said plate, said abutment means comprising at least two generally opposed abutment elements which are set back from the adjacent edge of the open area of said plate, whereby the specimen area of a translucent specimen slide may be supported by and located on said plate in the span between said generally opposed abutments, said optical surface being in such close adjacency to the plane of the upper surface of said plate that said optical surface and the underside of the microscope slide may be in liquid-immersed contact, and margin-limiting means operative to confine positioning movement of said slide-holder plate to an extent that said optical means can never contact any part of the edge of the centrally open area of said plate.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-15 | 1977-04-16 | 1977-10-16 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-15 | 1981-04-16 | 1981-10-16 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-15 | 1985-04-16 | 1985-10-16 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |