Abstract:
The motorized specimen cutter has a replaceable rotary tubular cutting tip and a motor to rotate the cutting tip. Deflection caused by proper cutting force energizes the motor with enough energy to cut a specimen. A manually or automatically actuated ejector pin ejects the sample from the cutting tip.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE 
     This application relies upon Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/239,975, filed Oct. 16, 2000, for priority. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed to a hand-held motorized specimen cutter which is particularly useful in cutting and lifting specimens from FTA paper and lifting it off of the carrier medium. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A particular paper which is used to retain a biological specimen is called “FTA paper.” It is normally mounted upon a carrier which supports the FTA paper and protects the back of the FTA paper from contamination. When it is desired that the specimen be tested for particular biological materials, it is not usual to employ the, entire FTA paper, but cut a small sample therefrom. The cutting of such specimens is presently accomplished by using a cylindrical hollow tube cutter and manually rotating it against the paper. When the correct amount of force and rotation is employed, a disc of the FTA paper is cut and retained in the cutter tube. This cut is accomplished without cutting through the supporting and protecting backing layer. The proper manual technique is hard to learn and can only be learned through practice. Long-term manual rotation of the cutter by the technician is undesirable because it is potentially damaging to the hand, wrist and arm joints. A faster, less damaging and more reliable apparatus is required. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to aid in the understanding of this invention, it can be stated in summary form that it is directed to a specimen cutter which comprises a motor-rotated cylindrical tubular specimen cutter. The switch energizing the motor is preferably mounted such that the motor is only energized when the proper cutting force is achieved. The motor is only energized with sufficient energy to rotate the cutter enough to make a single cut. When the cutter is over-forced, it is deenergized. 
     It is, thus, a purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a specimen cutter which has a cylindrical tube rotating blade cutter which, on demand, is delivered just enough energy to cut a specimen without cutting into the backing layer. 
     It is a further purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a specimen cutter which is hand-held and which responds to force against the specimen sheet to start the cutting operation, and the cutting operation is provided only enough energy to cut through the specimen layer and not cut through the backing layer. 
     It is a further purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a specimen cutter which resiliently depresses when too much force is applied in the cutting direction. 
     It is a further purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a specimen cutter which will not cut through the backing layer when too much too much force is applied in the cutting direction. 
     It is a further purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a hand-held specimen cutter which is useful for application into an automatic specimen cutting machine so that specimens may be automatically cut and placed. 
     It is a further purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a hand-held specimen cutter which is controlled so that only the amount of energy is available to the motor to accomplish cutting out a specimen. 
     It is a further purpose and advantage of this invention to provide a specimen cutter which is adaptable to be used on a positioning machine so that the specimen cutter can semi-automatically cut and place specimens. 
    
    
     Other purposes and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following portion of the specification, the claims and the attached drawings. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side-elevational view of the specimen cutter, with the near half of some of the parts broken away and taken in section, shown in rest position. 
     FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the specimen cutter in the act of cutting a specimen. 
     FIG. 3 is a partial view of the structure of FIG. 1, with the top portion broken away, and showing the specimen cutter ejecting the previously cut specimen. 
     FIG. 4 is a simplified wiring diagram of the specimen cutter. 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged detailed drawing showing the cutting tip adjacent the specimen carrier as the specimen cutter approaches the specimen carrier prior to cutting. 
     FIG. 6 is a similar viewing the completion and cutting. 
     FIG. 7 is a similar view showing withdrawal of the specimen cutter carrying a specimen therewith. 
     FIG. 8 is a similar view showing ejection of the specimen. 
     FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a positioning machine which utilizes the specimen cutter of this invention to semi-automatically cut and place specimens in a specimen tray. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The specimen cutter of this invention is generally indicated at  10  in FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 . The specimen cutter  10  comprises a housing  12  which contains motor  14 . The motor  14  has a rotatable output shaft  16  which is connected to rotate drive tube  18 . Bushing  20  is secured in the lower end of the drive tube  18  and rotates therewith. Replaceable cutter head  22  is threaded into the bushing  20 . The cutting tip  24  is seen in FIGS. 5,  6 ,  7  and  8 . The motor  14  has a rotational axis on the axis of output shaft  16 . The drive tube is a cylindrical tube which is driven by the motor to rotate on that axis. Bushing  20  and cutter head  22  are thus rotatably driven around that axis of rotation. The cutting tip  24  is a truncated cone with a cylindrical interior surface  26  to define a sharp edge on the cutting tip. The cutter head  22  is easily replaced by screwing a new one into bushing  20 . 
     FIGS. 5,  6  and  7  show a specimen carrier  28  which is supported by a backing layer  30 . The specimen carrier is of a particular nature which stores biological samples, such as FTA paper, which is commonly used for blood samples. The backing layer  30  provides support for the specimen carrier layer and protects the under side of the specimen carrier layer from contamination. In the testing of biological specimens, only small portions of the sample are employed, so that repeat testing can be accomplished and some of the original material preserved. 
     Switch housing  32  is mounted in the housing  12  and is held downwardly by spring  34 . Downward motion is limited by stop shoulder  33 . Switch actuator  36  extends from switch housing  32  and almost contacts motor  14 . Spring  38  holds the motor and the cutter head in a lower position against stop  39 , as shown in FIG.  1 . This is the approach position of the cutter head toward the specimen carrier  28 , as shown in FIG.  5 . In the preferred embodiment, the spring  38  is a light spring and represents the preferred force of the cutting tip against the specimen carrier. This spring compresses and the switch actuator  36  actuates switch  32  and the proper cutting force is achieved by the spring force. When switch  32  is actuated, the motor  14  is energized to rotate the cutter head  32  to cut out the specimen. This is seen in FIGS. 2 and 6. 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electric circuit  40  which supplies power and other functions to the specimen carrier  10 . DC voltage source  42  provides current through a limiting resistor  42  to line  45 . Line  45  is connected to line  46  through switch  72 . Switch blade  73  of switch  72  is in contact with the normally closed switch contact. Line  46  is connected to the normally closed contact  48  of switch  32 . The switch blade  50  of the switch  32  is connected to capacitor  52 , which has its other side connected to ground  54 . The capacitor  52  becomes charged from the power supply. The normally open contact  56  is connected through switch blade  51  against its normally closed contact and through the windings of motor  14  to ground  54 . Thus, when the rotating structure is pushed upward to move switch actuator  36  to move switchblade  50  in switch housing  32 , as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the capacitor  52  is discharged through the motor  14 . 
     The capacitor  52  has just enough energy in it to rotate the motor enough to do the proper cutting. Excess energy is not available so that the backing layer  30  is not cut through. This motor energisation is accomplished by the operator bringing the motorized specimen cutter  10  to the specimen carrier  28  and simply pressing it down. When the correct amount of force of the cutting tip against the specimen carrier  28  is achieved, the switch  32  is actuated and the correct amount of energy is supplied to the motor to do the cutting operation. If too much cutting force is applied, switch  32  moves upward against spring  34 . This causes switch actuator  35  to depress into the switch housing  32 . This action moves switchblade  51  away from its normally closed contact, see FIG. 4, which contact opening deenergizes motor  14  limiting the amount of force which can be applied to the cutting tip. 
     As the operator lifts the specimen cutter away, as seen in FIG. 7, it is necessary that he eject the specimen  62  from the tubular cutting tip. To accomplish this, magnetic: coil  64  is mounted within the housing  12  adjacent its lower end and surrounding drive tube  18 . Solenoid core  66  is mounted within the drive tube and is held upward by means of spring  68 , as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Ejector rod  70  is mounted on the core and extends downward within the tubular cutter head. When the solenoid is not actuated, the tip of the ejector rod is above the cutting tip  24 , as seen in FIGS. 5,  6 , and  7 . Energization of magnetic coil  64  and motion of the solenoid core and ejector rod is accomplished by manual operation of ejector switch  72 , which is mounted high on the housing (see FIGS.  1  and  2 ). 
     As seen in FIG. 4, switch  72  is normally closed but, when actuated, its switchblade  73  contacts normally open contact  74  to complete the circuit from the capacitor  52  to discharge the capacitor through the coil  64 . This causes energization of the ejector solenoid. The downward motion of the ejector rod causes ejection of the cut specimen  62 , as seen in FIG.  8 . The power supply  42  can either be separate or in a battery pack  76 , as shown in phantom lines in FIGS. 1 and 2. By this specimen cutter, manual skill and manual effort are replaced by the functions of the specimen cutter, which can be easily operated by lesser trained personnel. 
     The described motorized specimen cutter  20  is thus a suitable hand position motorized cutter. However, it is also feasible to use it as a portion of a semi-automated or fully automated specimen cutter system, such as the system  80  shown in FIG.  9 . The system  80  comprises the specimen cutter  10  mounted on positioner  82 . The positioner  82  has a frame  84  which carries a computer-positionable XY table  86 . The frame also carries vacuum table  88  on which can be placed specimen sheet  90 . The specimen sheet  90  comprises a backing layer  30  which may have one or more specimen coupons  62  thereon. The operator identifies the specimen coupon  62 , perhaps by scanning a bar code into the system computer. The computer controls the XY table and identifies into which pocket of the tray  92  the cut specimen coupon goes. In this way, a continuous record of the specimen is maintained. 
     The specimen cutter  10  is actuated by pressing it down on the specimen. Thereupon, the specimen cutter is raised and is moved from a position over the specimen carrier  28  to a position over the tray  92  for deposit of the cut specimen. As one example of the mechanism which can move the specimen cutter with respect to the specimen carrier and tray, carriage  94  carries the specimen cutter therein. The carriage moves along guide bars  96  and  98  and is driven to the selected position by a computer-controlled positioning motor which drives band  100 . Swing arms  102  and  104  are pivoted to rotate in the axis of pivot pin  106  and an aligned pivot pin on the left side of the frame. The rotation of the swing arms is controlled by eccentric  108 , which is positioned by a motor controlled by the computer which keeps the system coordinated. The eccentric raises guide bars  96  and  98 , which raise the specimen cutter  10 . The specimen cutter is moved to the left over one of the specimen carriers  28 , and the specimen cutter  10  is lowered to cut its specimen, as previously described. Thereupon, the specimen cutter  10  is raised and is moved over the tray  92 . The tray is moved on its XY table to a position where the correct tray pocket is under the specimen cutter so that the specimen can be discharged. If desired, at this position the specimen cutter can again be lowered for closer positioning with respect to the pockets in the specimen tray. When appropriate, the specimen tray is removed from the positioner  82  and processed to determine the biological significance of the sample. 
     This invention has been described in its preferred embodiment, and it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications and embodiments within the ability of those skilled in the art and within the scope of the following claims.