Patent ID: 6989272
Filing Date: 2006-01-24
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A device for analyzing liquid body-specimens, the device comprising: at least one specimen handling station for obtaining a preparation containing a body-specimen on a carrying media, said carrying media comprising a plate member having a surface; a mixing station for smearing the body-specimen on said surface; an imaging station fitted with an optical image capturing device for analyzing the preparation; a carriage fitted with a carrying media receptacle adapted for retaining therein the carrying media and being displaceable at least between a loading position, in which said carrying media receptacle engages the specimen handling station, a mixing position in which carrying media receptacle is located at said mixing station, an imaging position in which said carrying media receptacle is located at said imaging station, and an unloading position, in which said carrying media receptacle disengages the specimen handling station; a programmable controller; and an incremental displacement mechanism configured for effecting relative displacement between said carrying media receptacle and the image capturing device while said carrying media receptacle is located at said imaging station, said relative displacement being such as to permit said optical image capturing device to selectively obtain consecutive images of two or more different locations of said preparation on said surface, the locations being defined by said relative displacement.