Patent ID: 11925931
Assignee: MITEGEN, LLC
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B  G

Claim 10:
11. A humidified sample preparation station for a microscopic sample, the station comprising:
an enclosure having an interior surface, an exterior surface, an opening, and an optically clear surface to allow observation of the microscopic sample;
a humidification system configured to generate and measure relative humidities at an ambient temperature between about 95% and 100% relative humidity (r.h.), wherein the humidification system is in communication with the interior surface of the enclosure;
an optically clear window formed through the interior and exterior surfaces of the enclosure;
a heating element attached to the optically clear window and configured to raise a temperature of the window to eliminate fogging of the window without appreciably raising a temperature of a humidified gas within the enclosure;
a microscope head above the optically clear window for microscopically observing the microscopic sample; and
an illuminator configured to provide a transmitted-light illumination, wherein the illuminator is located on the exterior surface of the enclosure, wherein the illuminator includes a light source mounted to a bottom exterior of the enclosure and a reflector mounted on a rotatable shaft that directs the light upward through a second optically clear window and through the microscopic sample.