Patent ID: 11898945
Assignee: SAKURA FINETEK U.S.A., INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  A  B | IPC A  B  G

Claim 8:
9. A microtome comprising:
a blade block comprising a first side and an opposite second side and defining a blade slot between the first side and the second side that is operable to support a blade;
a sample holder that is operable to hold a sample to be sliced by the blade;
a drive system coupled to one of the blade block and the sample holder to drive a vertical movement of the one of the blade block and the sample holder relative to the other; and
a blade guard comprising a first arm pivotally coupled to the first side of the blade block and a second arm pivotally coupled to the second side of the blade block and a lateral support member disposed between the first arm and the second arm and positioned such that the first side of the blade block is between the lateral support member and the second side of the blade block, the blade guard comprising a staff comprising a head and an end, a distance between the head and the end defining a length, wherein the staff is coupled to the lateral support member between the first arm and the second arm, the staff comprising a retracted position where the head of the staff is separated from the lateral support member by a first distance and being operable to be moved from the retracted position toward the blade slot to an engagement position where the head of the staff is separated from the lateral support member by a second distance that is less than the first distance by an application of a force to the head of the staff to engage a blade positioned in the blade slot at a point between the first side of the blade block and the second side of the blade block, wherein the staff is biased to the retracted position.