Claims
- 1. A method of processing samples mounted on microscope slides comprising:placing two or more microscope slides on a platform; providing heating elements capable of heating said slides, said heating elements being under independent electronic control and thereby capable of heating some slides to a different temperature than other slides; moving the platform and a liquid dispenser relative to each other; dispensing liquid from the dispenser onto the slides; and on the platform, heating one slide to a different temperature than a second slide.
- 2. A method of processing samples mounted on microscope slides as claimed in claim 1, wherein each heating element heats only one slide.
- 3. A method of processing samples mounted on microscope slides as claimed in claim 1, wherein the platform is a moving platform capable of indexing slides adjacent to a stationary liquid dispensing location.
- 4. A method of processing samples mounted on microscope slides as claimed in claim 3 further comprising:communicating data from a computer not located on the moving platform to electronic circuitry mounted on the moving-platform; and processing the data in the electronic circuitry on the moving platform and supplying, from the electronic circuitry on the moving platform, amounts of electrical power to the heating elements dependent on the data, to heat one of the slides to a different temperature than a second one of the slides.
- 5. A method of processing samples mounted on microscope slides as claimed in claim 4, wherein each heating element heats only one slide.
- 6. A method of processing samples mounted on microscope slides as claimed in claim 3 further comprising;providing a computer comprising a user interface through which a desired temperature for each microscope slide is specified, said user interface being mounted off of the moving platform; sending data from the computer to the electronic circuitry on the moving platform over a group of conductors, the number of conductors in said group of conductors being less than the number of heating elements controllable to individual temperatures; and processing the data in the electronic circuitry on the moving platform, and supplying electrical power to the heating elements from the electronic circuitry-on the moving platform.
- 7. A method of processing samples mounted on microscope slides as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heating elements are mounted on said moving platform.
RELATED APPLICATION(S)
This application is a Divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/032,676, filed Feb. 27, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,183,693 the entire teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (36)
Foreign Referenced Citations (2)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 201 780 |
Nov 1986 |
EP |
WO 9309486 |
May 1993 |
WO |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry |
Stross, W.P., et al., “Automation of APAAP Immunocytochemical Technique,” J. Clin. Pathol., 42:106-112 (1989). |
Stark, E., et al., “An Automated Device for Immunocytochemistry,”, Journal of Immunological Methods, 107:89-92 (1988). |
MaWhinney, W.H.B., et al., “Automated Immunochemistry,” J. Clin. Pathol., 43(7):591-596 (1990). |