초록 ▼

Tissue cassette apparatus includes a removable, hinged cover separate from the cassette base wherein the cover is easily attachable and detachable from the base without being frangible. The removable cover includes a hinge member portion mateable with a cooperable hinge member portion on the cassett

Tissue cassette apparatus includes a removable, hinged cover separate from the cassette base wherein the cover is easily attachable and detachable from the base without being frangible. The removable cover includes a hinge member portion mateable with a cooperable hinge member portion on the cassette base structurally formed so that the hinge member portions cannot be separated when the cover member is closed on the base, but easily can be separated when the cover member is in a predetermined, opened position. The cover member is rotatable about the hinge member to an open position permitting placement of a specimen within the cassette base and to a closed position containing a specimen within the cassette base such that the cover member can be removed from the cassette base by elastic flexing of the hinge member without substantial damage to the hinge member.

대표청구항 ▼

1. Apparatus for containing a tissue specimen during contact of said tissue specimen with a processing liquid comprising; a liquid-penetrable receptacle having one or more wall members defining an open area adapted to receive a tissue specimen and adapted to support a liquid-penetrable cover membe

1. Apparatus for containing a tissue specimen during contact of said tissue specimen with a processing liquid comprising; a liquid-penetrable receptacle having one or more wall members defining an open area adapted to receive a tissue specimen and adapted to support a liquid-penetrable cover member; a separate liquid-penetrable cover member adapted to be supported on said receptacle to cover said open area in a closed position to prevent said tissue specimen from inadvertent removal from said receptacle with the cover member disposed to cover said open area; said cover member being attachable to and detachable from said receptacle through a flexible, elastic hinge member such that when the cover member is attached to the receptacle at the hinge member, the cover member is rotatable about said hinge member to an open position permitting placement of a specimen within the receptacle and to a closed position containing a specimen within the receptacle for liquid processing and after liquid processing, the cover member can be removed from the receptacle by elastic flexing of the hinge member without substantial damage to said hinge member. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cover member includes one or more detent members interengageable with a first wall member of the receptacle to aid in maintaining the cover member in a closed position during liquid processing. 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the receptacle includes a second wall member disposed opposite said first wall member and wherein said hinge member includes at least one flexible, elastic hinge pin socket member extending from said second wall member, at least a portion of said hinge pin socket member including a resilient wall elastically flexible to removably receive a hinge pin therein and disposed to maintain the hinge pin within the socket member to prevent inadvertent removal of the hinge pin from the socket member. 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the receptacle is rectangularly shaped including a bottom wall; two generally parallel, spaced side walls; and two generally parallel end walls defining the tissue-receiving receptacle; wherein the cover member is shaped to overlie an upper surface of the side walls and the end walls to cover the receptacle; and wherein the hinge member includes an elongated generally C-shaped flexible, elastic socket member integral with and extending from one of the end walls and adapted to receive a cover member hinge pin; and wherein the cover member is substantially rectangularly shaped having two generally parallel longitudinal side walls and front and rear generally parallel transverse end walls and includes an integral hinge pin extending from the rear end wall such that the cover member hinge pin can be forcibly inserted into the receptacle socket member and forcibly removed therefrom by elastic flexing of said socket member. 5. In a tissue cassette apparatus for containing a tissue specimen during contact of the tissue specimen with a processing liquid including a liquid penetrable tissue cassette base forming an open receptacle for a tissue specimen and a separate, liquid-penetrable cassette cover member adapted to cover said cassette base in a closed position to contain said tissue specimen within said cassette base, the improvement comprising: a first hinge portion formed integrally with the cassette base and a second cooperable hinge member portion formed integrally with the cassette cover member, said first and second hinge member portions cooperably formed for hinged attachment and detachment without substantial damage to said first or second hinge member portions such that when the cassette cover member is hingedly attached to the cassette base at the first and second hinge member portions, the cover member is rotatable at said first and second hinge member portions to an open position permitting placement of a tissue specimen within the tissue cassette base and to a closed position containing a tissue specimen within the cassette base for liquid processing and, after liquid processing, the first and second hinge member portions can be separated easily for removal of the cover member from the cassette base. 6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the cassette base includes two longitudinal side walls and front and rear transverse end walls and wherein the cassette cover includes two longitudinal side walls and front and rear transverse end walls, wherein the first hinge member portion is integral with the rear transverse end wall of the cassette base and the second hinge member portion is integral with the rear transverse end wall of the cassette cover, and wherein the rear transverse end wall of the cassette base and the rear transverse end wall of the cassette cover include cooperable stop means for restricting the separation of the cassette cover member from the cassette base to predetermined relative rotational positions of the cassette cover member with respect to the cassette base member. 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the stop means includes a wall member integral with the rear transverse end wall of the cassette base having a cylindrically shaped surface and a wall portion integral with the rear transverse end wall of the cassette cover disposed adjacent to the cylindrically shaped cassette base wall member, when the cassette cover is hingedly connected to the cassette base, such that at predetermined rotational positions of the cassette cover member with respect to the cassette base said cassette cover wall portion overlies the cylindrically shaped cassette base wall portion in close proximity thereto such that force applied to the cassette cover member when at said predetermined rotational positions in an attempt to separate the first and second hinge member portions will cause said cassette cover member wall portion to come in contact with the cylindrically shaped surface before the first and second hinge member portions separate to prevent said separation, except when the cassette cover member is at other predetermined rotational positions with respect to the cassette base. 8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein one of said hinge member portions includes an elongated, flexible, elastic hinge pin socket and the other of said hinge member portions includes an elongated hinge pin and wherein a hinge pin socket portion is capable of being forcibly, temporarily flexed to expand a pin-receiving socket opening therein and said socket portion is sufficiently elastic to return to its preforced position to contain the hinge pin within the hinge pin socket during liquid processing of the tissue specimen. 9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the hinge pin socket is C-shaped and wherein the diameter of the hinge pin is greater than the dimension of the opening of the C-shaped socket such that force applied by the hinge pin against the socket opening will cause the socket opening to temporarily expand and then return to the original socket dimensions upon hinge attachment and detachment. 10. A tissue cassette base having a front end and a rear end and adapted to receive a tissue specimen and a separate cover member during processing of said tissue specimen with a processing liquid comprising: a liquid-penetrable generally planar lower wall integral with two longitudinal side walls and front and rear transverse end walls; means operatively associated with the front end of the cassette base for receiving a cover spring latch member for retaining the cover over the side walls and end walls of the cassette base to retain the tissue specimen therein during liquid processing; the rear transverse end wall of the cassette base including a pair of upstanding spring latch-receiving transverse wall portions in longitudinal alignment with each other, each having a cylindrically shaped upper surface and a generally planar ledge wall disposed under the cylindrically shaped upper surface; the rear transverse end wall further including a centrally disposed transverse wall portion disposed between the spring latch receiving wall portions having a generally planar upper surface lying generally in the same plane as the uppermost portions of the cylindrically shaped upper surfaces of the pair of spring latch receiving transverse wall portions, said ledge walls adapted to receive a pair of cover member spring latches to retain the tissue specimen within the cassette base during liquid processing. 11. The tissue cassette base of claim 10 wherein said centrally disposed transverse wall portion is longitudinally spaced from the pair of spring latch receiving wall portions and wherein the centrally disposed transverse wall portion includes a rearwardly extending hinge pin-receiving socket member including an elastic flexible socket adapted to receive and removably retain a cover member hinge pin. 12. The tissue cassette base of claim 11 wherein the centrally disposed transverse wall portion extends rearwardly sufficiently to longitudinally align the hinge pin-receiving socket member with longitudinal axes of the cylindrically shaped spring latch receiving transverse wall portions. 13. The tissue cassette base of claim 12 wherein the hinge pin-receiving socket member is a generally C-shaped flexible elastic socket integral with the rearwardly extending, centrally disposed transverse end wall portion. 14. The tissue cassette base of claim 10 further including a spring latch receiving slot defined by surrounding interior wall portions of the front transverse end wall. 15. The tissue cassette base of claim 10 wherein the liquid-penetrable lower wall includes a pair of intersecting, generally perpendicular strength ribs, one extending between the longitudinal side walls and the other extending between the front and rear transverse end walls to divide the lower wall into four, generally equal liquid-penetrable segments. 16. Apparatus for containing a tissue specimen during contact of said tissue specimen with a processing liquid comprising: (i) a tissue cassette base having a front end and a rear end and adapted to receive a tissue specimen and a separate cover member during processing of said tissue specimen with a processing liquid, said base including a liquid-penetrable generally planar lower wall integral with two longitudinal side walls and front and rear transverse end walls; means operatively associated with the front end of the cassette base for receiving a cover tongue member; the rear transverse end wall of the cassette base including an upstanding spring latch-receiving transverse wall portion having a cylindrically shaped upper surface and a generally planar ledge wall disposed under the cylindrically shaped upper surface; the rear transverse end wall further including a centrally disposed transverse wall portion disposed between the spring latch-receiving wall portions having a generally planar upper surface lying generally in the same plane as the uppermost portions of the cylindrically shaped upper surfaces of the pair of spring latch receiving transverse wall portions, said ledge walls adapted to receive a pair of cover member spring latches to retain the tissue specimen within the cassette base during liquid processing; and (ii) a removable separate cover member including a liquid-penetrable generally planar major wall having a tongue portion extending downwardly from a front edge thereof and a cover spring latch member extending downwardly from a rear edge thereof, said tongue portion adapted to be received by said cassette base and said latch member adapted to be received by the latch-receiving wall portions of said cassette base. 17. Apparatus for containing a tissue specimen during contact of said tissue specimen with a processing liquid comprising: (i) a tissue cassette base having a front end and a rear end and adapted to receive a tissue specimen and a separate cover member during processing of said tissue specimen with a processing liquid, said base including a liquid-penetrable generally planar lower wall integral with two longitudinal side walls and front and rear transverse end walls; means operatively associated with the front end of the cassette base for receiving a cover tongue member; the rear transverse end wall of the cassette base including an upstanding spring latch-receiving transverse wall portion each having a cylindrically shaped upper surface and a generally planar ledge wall disposed under the cylindrically shaped upper surface; the rear transverse end wall further including a centrally disposed transverse wall portion disposed between the spring latch receiving wall portions having a generally planar upper surface lying generally in the same plane as the uppermost portions of the cylindrically shaped upper surfaces of the pair of spring latch receiving transverse wall portions, said ledge walls adapted to receive a pair of cover member spring latches to retain the tissue specimen within the cassette base during liquid processing; and (ii) a removable cover for said tissue cassette base, said removable cover formed of a perforated rectangular flat plate with a tongue portion extending downwardly and outwardly from the mid portion of one transverse edge of said plate, a tab extending from the mid portion of the opposing transverse edge of said plate coplanar with said plate, and a spring latch member located at the side of said tab and extending downwardly from said transverse edge of said plate, said cover capable of being removably attached to said tissue cassette base with the tongue portion of said cover inserted through a transverse slot in said cassette base and the spring latch member of said cover placed over the cylindrically shaped transverse wall portions of the base, said apparatus providing a fluid-permeable capsule in which a biological specimen can be treated with selected fluid, said lower wall of the cassette base and said removable cover both having a plurality of perforations the cross-sectional dimensions of which are smaller than any corresponding dimensions of a specimen to be processed in said apparatus. 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the rear transverse end wall of the cassette base includes a pair of upstanding spring latch-receiving transverse wall portions in longitudinal alignment with each other and wherein the cover member includes a pair of spring latches adapted to be received under said ledge walls.