Abstract:
A printing device transfers slide dependent information onto glass surfaces such as a glass slide for holding a medical specimen. A single slide is transferred from a storage section, passing under a thermal print head. The thermal print head defines and transfers an image from an ink media onto the slide as the slide passes across the print head. The print head utilizes pixel like heating elements to apply the desired image. The ink media moves in tandem with the motion of the slide, presenting a continuously fresh section of ink between the print head and the slide throughout the printing process. The information on the slide should be both human and machine readable to reduce any chances of misidentification of the specimen as to the patient. The ink media is endures any chemical processes and handling encountered throughout the expected life of the slide.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This Non-Provisional Utility application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/035,016, filed on Mar. 9, 2008, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to the attachment of information to objects, and, in particular, to the attachment of medical information to objects used in testing of specimens, and, in greater particularity, to a device and method of attaching medical information to glass surfaces such glass slides during the processing of these slides. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In the field of medical diagnostic testing, it is critically important to ensure that testing results are matched with the correct patient; otherwise, in the worst case, patients may die, and providers of services could be and are faced with substantial damage claims and awards. 
     This is not usually a problem when an x-ray or MRI or other testing is done, where the patient&#39;s information may be permanently printed directly onto the x-ray sheet by the testing machine, for example, as the testing is being prepared for or done or thereafter. The potential for error here is minimal, since only one patient is typically being tested at a time, and the operator/technician of the machine is either in the room or in an adjacent room where viewing of the patient is possible. The patients are normally scheduled in advance and the patients typically wear hospital provided identification bracelets for ease of verification at the point of testing. Further, the patient is able to view his/her own testing results, i.e., by examining the x-ray sheet. This clearly does not prevent incorrect evaluations. 
     The problem of matching the patient information to a particular specimen slide becomes much more of an issue in a diagnostic testing laboratory where hundreds, if not thousands, of slides are processed daily. In such an environment, there are many distractions such as, for example, background noise, talking, and cell phones ringing. Additionally, errors may result from operator skill level limitations, workstation clutter, etc. 
     It is thus important to be able to provide a human and machine readable identification exactly at the point the specimen is being attached to the slide. It is further desirable to have a machine that provides this ability situated directly at the workstation of the technician. It is further necessary to have a device capable of applying patient information to the slide in a manner that is durable and not distorted by chemical and/or mechanical processing involved in modern clinical diagnostic laboratories. This device should not interfere ergonomically with other equipment at the workstation or audibly/visually interfere with the technician&#39;s environment. 
     Presently, there are devices and methods for marking slides which do not include the beneficial features of the present invention; namely, printed labels that are applied to the slides by hand or machine, ink jet printers that apply printed information onto the slide with special ink, laser marking of the slide, and diamond scribing of the slide. These machines are typically large, heavy, complex, and expensive. Laboratories using these techniques use a “batch-mode” where the slides are marked and then later matched up with their appropriate specimens. A further disadvantage is the cost of operating these machines, especially the labeling and ink jet machines. Some of the current machines are the Leica IPS Ink Jet Slide printer, the Thermo Scientific Shandon Laser MicroWriter, the Thermo Scientific Shandon Microwriter, and the General Data StainerShield Slide Labeler Printer Applicator. 
     There are known systems, devices and processes, for placing patient information on slides. For instance, one such system provides a workstation for examining previously marked slides fed from a carousel. Information regarding the examination is placed on the printing area of the slide by means of an ink jet printer. There is no ability therein to verify that the initial slide information is correct. Another system provides a storage device having a plurality of slides which are fed out onto a belt where there is a printing station using an ink jet printer. A special ink composition is used, further increasing the cost. Another method employs the use of a laser beam to etch or burn away a coating on the slide to produce a bar code pattern for example. This process produces dust byproduct, as well as a potentially hazardous laser beam. 
     Accordingly, there is an established need for a printing device using an economical method that very accurately matches and places patient information on patient specimen slides, which provides these features with a maximum of flexibility for use in a diagnostic laboratory. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is provides a device and method of printing medical information on glass specimen slides. 
     Additionally, means are provided for transferring information onto glass surfaces, such as a glass medical slide for holding a medical specimen. A person or an input device inputs the medical information into a processor that prepares a rasterized image to be printed and stores this image in a memory of the processor. A single slide is removed from a slide storage section, indexed in a slide carrier to initialize the printing and transports this slide under a print heading to an initial printing position. An ink media tape roll acting through a driven feeder provides, in a controlled manner, a coated tape between a print head and the slide. The print head and slide are pushed together so that the pixel-like heating elements engage the tape to transfer, by a direct contact thermal process, an inked media onto a slide surface defined by the stored image. The printing device then advances the tape and indexes the slide to the next print row and repeats the transfer processes. This process is repeated until the desired information is transferred to the slide. After printing the last row of data, the print head and slide move to a non-contact position, and the slide transport moves the carrier with the completed slide to an output section, where the slide is mechanically removed into the output section. This process is repeated as many times as necessary as determined by the operator. The information on the slide should be both human and machine readable to reduce any chances of misidentification of the specimen, particularly vis-à-vis the patient. The ink media on the slide must be permanent regardless of the chemical and mechanical processes to which the specimen is subjected. The printing device is hand portable and is placed in close proximity to the laboratory technician placing the specimen on the slide. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a means to very accurately match patient identification to the patient&#39;s specimens. This is further ensured by having the printed information both human and machine readable at the point where the specimen is attached to the slide. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a small printing device that may be easily positioned at the technician&#39;s workstation without interfering ergonomically with other equipment located thereat and by also minimizing audible and visual effects. 
     It is a further object of the present invention to provide printed information on the slide surface that will withstand the chemical and mechanical processing involved for that particular slide, particularly in a modern clinical diagnostic laboratory environment. 
     It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a printing device and method capable of processing thousands of slides per day. 
     It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a printing device sufficiently flexible in design to be able to receive single slides by hand, stacked slides, slides held in a carousel, and slides supplied by a conveyor system. 
     While yet another object of the present invention is the ability to print specific information onto a slide upon demand. 
     These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawings and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The preferred embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not to limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1A  is a front side perspective view, from the output side, of the printing device of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 1B  is a rear side perspective view, from the output side, of the printing device as shown in  FIG. 1A  of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front side perspective view, being at a different angle and closer, of the printing device as shown in  FIG. 1A  of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a front side view partially showing the bottom of the slide storage section, slide shuttle thereunder, and the output section, of the printing device as shown in  FIG. 1A  of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a front side view partially showing the printing section with the slide shuttle thereunder of the printing device as shown in  FIG. 1A  of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 5A ,  5 B, and  5 C is front side view of the slide supports of the carrier of the printing device as shown in  FIG. 1A  of the present invention, showing the slide releasing process; 
     
    
    
     Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention is directed at a printing device that transfers information onto glass surfaces, particularly, glass medical slides for holding medical specimens. 
     In pathology laboratories, tissue samples are embedded into wax cassettes and then sliced into 3 to 5 micron layers, and these layers are attached to glass microscope slides. At this point, the slides must be correlated with the cassette (patient) identification and further identified to differentiate slides of the same specimen from one another. The processing of the slides involves many chemical dyes and “rinses,” which, in some instances, comprise heavy solvents such as xylene. The printing on the slides requires survivability and readability, as this is critical to accurate patient test analysis. The information on the slides can include information from the identification on the cassette, as well as information pertaining to the Laboratory Information System (LIS), for example. At a minimum, the information on a slide typically includes the patient name, additional patient identifier(s), bar-coding (e.g., type/no. of characters unknown), slide number, and the total quantity of slides from that specimen, for example. Typically, one to eight slides are created from each cassette, and, on average, three; however, the operator can determine the quantity of slides to be created/identified. Further, a damaged slide must be replaced with identical information. 
     In light of the working environment of the laboratory, the printing device of the present invention should be small and be able to fit upon a small shelf or on top of a microtome. The consumables of the device should be minimized and, preferably, should require only standard commercially available products during use. The operations of the printing device should be as simple as possible and minimize operator intervention, such as, for example, that required during single slide loading methods. 
     The specifications for such a printing device are important for its marketability and use. It should accept bulk slides that range in size, optimally 25×75 millimeters. Conventionally, slides have a thickness of 1 millimeter. One end of the slide may be frosted or colored (approximately a ¾ inch portion), providing the printable area. Slides may have rounded corners or square corners. The printing device should output approximately one slide every four seconds. Preferably, the printing on the slide should be at least about 600 dpi resolution. The printing may include ID barcode data, 2-D barcode data, and normal legible text. Registration of the print should be +/− 0.2 millimeters. The printing device should operate from a standard A/C wall outlet. The output section of the printing device should hold at least 10 slides and it should be easy to remove the slides therefrom. Preferably, the device should have a maximum size of about 8.5 inches wide by 11.0 inches deep by 7.0 inches tall. The printing device should have a cover that is easily cleaned and also a user interface that is adjustable in direction to accommodate different operating locations and different operator heights. The printing device may interface with external equipment via an Ethernet network that is connected to the LIS, for example. When the operator scans the cassette, the LIS may generate print data and output the data to the printing device which, in turn, prints on identified slides. Alternatively, the interface via the Ethernet network can connect to the LIS and, when the operator scans the cassette, the LIS communicates commands and ASCII information to the printing device, which generates print data and outputs appropriately identified slides. Additionally, the printing device may interface with a 2-D barcode scanner. When the operator scans the cassette, the device generates print data and output slides based on the cassette information and the slide number. 
     In general, a person or an input device inputs the medical information into a processor, such as by means described above, which prepares a rasterized image to be printed and stores this image in a memory of the processor. A single slide is removed from a slide storage section, indexed in a carrier to initialize the printing, and transported to a print head to an initial printing position. An ink media tape roll acting through a driven feeder provides a coated tape between the print head and the slide. Pixel-like heating elements transfer, by a thermal process, an inked media by direct contact onto the slide as determined by the stored image. The printing device then advances the tape and indexes the slide to the next print row and repeats the transfer processes. This process is repeated until the desired information is transferred to the slide. After printing the last row of data, the print head moves to a non-contact position, and the slide transport moves the carrier with the completed slide to an output section, where the slide is mechanically removed into the output section. This process is repeated as many times as necessary as determined by the operator. The information on the slide should be both human readable and machine readable, to minimize potential for misidentification of the specimen vis-à-vis the patient. The ink media on the slide must be permanent; regardless any chemical processes used upon the specimen and any mechanical/handling requirements. The printing device is portable and is placed in close proximity to the laboratory technician placing the specimen on the slide, thereby minimizing any misidentification. 
     Turning to the drawings, wherein like components are designated by like reference numerals throughout the various figures, attention is initially directed to  FIG. 1 , which illustrates a front perspective view of a slide printing device constructed according to the present invention. It should be understood that although the present invention primarily relates to printing on glass slides, contemplated modifications thereto will enable adaptation to print on a variety of objects having a variety of geometries, including, for example, plastic slides, glass or plastic test tubes, and cassettes, to name just a few. 
     As best shown in  FIG. 1A , the slide printing device  100  includes a slide storage section  102 , a slide transport section  108 , a slide output section  104 , a printing section  106 , and a user interface section  110 . Additionally, these sections are mounted to a frame  112  having a plurality of supports  114 . It should be further understood that a removable cover, not shown, encloses these items as necessary. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates by a perspective front view, an enlarged view of  FIG. 1A . A plurality of slides, not shown, is loaded into the slide storage section  102  between six vertically positioned rods  116  held in position by four brackets  118 , two per three rods. The lower two brackets  120  are U-shaped, facing each other, and have a rectangle void  124  therebetween, for closely holding the slides. A bottom slide, not shown, is seated, or rests, upon a small shelf bracket, not shown, on the frame  112 , which prevents the slides from falling from the storage section  102 . A rear vertical rod  126 , has a bottom part (not shown) removed, which slightly thicker than a slide, so that the bottom slide may be removed from the stacked slides by a pushing action from a slide carrier  128  (advancing to the right in  FIG. 3 ). 
     In  FIG. 3 , the slide output section  104  includes a tapered ramp  130  sloping downward toward the left side of the printing device  100 . The top section of the ramp  130  is located under the slide storage section  102  to catch slides falling from a slide carrier  128 . This glass slide having the printed information disposed thereon slides down the ramp  130  and comes to rest against a stop  134 . Each subsequent glass slide is stacked upon the top of the previously printed slide. Approximately ten slides may be held thereon, but modifications thereto may allow additional slides or other devices to remove the slides therefrom for further processing. 
     The slide transport section  108  is further illustrated in both  FIGS. 3 and 4 .  FIG. 3  illustrates the carrier  128  under the slide storage section  102  and  FIG. 4  illustrates the slide carrier  128  under the printing section  106 . As seen therein, the slide carrier  128  includes a left slide support jaw  136  and a right slide support jaw  138  (hereinafter “left jaw” and “right jaw”) that precisely hold a slide  140  therebetween. The slide support jaws  136  and  138  are mounted on supports  142  and  144 , respectively. These supports are slidably mounted to a pair of guide shafts  148  and through a belt  190  and are translated back and forth thereon by a stepper motor  152  ( FIGS. 1A and 1B ). 
     In order to initially remove the slide from the slide storage section  102 , the left jaw  136  is provided. As the slide shuttle  154  moves to the right, the left jaw  136  has a projecting lip  156  ( FIG. 5A ) that abuts the front end  157  of the slide  140 , and pushes it from the bottom of the stack. The rear end of the slide  140  falls into the right jaw  138 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The slide shuttle  154  with the slide  140  therein, then moves to the right until the desired section of the slide  140  is under a print head  162 . 
     After the printing of the patient information on the slide  140 , further described below, the slide shuttle  154  moves to the right to eject the slide into the output tray  192 . The slide transport section  108  consists of multiple components as presented in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The slide removal process is detailed in  FIGS. 5   a  through  5   c . The slide  140  is supported with the front slide end  157  residing against a left jaw projecting lip  156  and a rear slide end  159  residing against a right jaw projecting lip  158 . The drive guide  146  engages with the drive system located in the rear of the machine, with the left jaw support  142  and the right jaw support  144  being held to the drive guide  146  via springs (not shown). As the drive guide  146  moves towards the right and once the left jaw  136  passes the print head  162  area, the left jaw support  142  engages with a stop (not shown), causing the left jaw  136  to stop. The right jaw  138  is coupled to the right jaw support  144 , which continues to move, creating a gap between the left and right jaws. The gap is large enough for the slide  140  to drop into the output tray  192 . This transfer is assisted by an actuator arm  194  as it rotates counterclockwise, passing through a left jaw slot  137  and moving the slide  140  towards the right side. The left jaw slot  137  is a clearance slot that is laterally located along the upper section of the left jaw  136 . The rotational motion of the left slide actuator arm  194  is provided via an ejector hub  198 , which is actuated by a radial linkage and the drive guide  146 . When the drive guide  146  approaches the end of the stroke, a stationary right slide ejector  196  passes through a right jaw slot  139  of the right jaw  138  ensuring the slide is transferred onto the output tray  192  by applying a force (not shown) to the rear slide end  159  of the slide  140 , causing the slide  140  to drop onto the output tray  192 . The right jaw slot  139  is a clearance slot that is laterally located along the upper section of the right jaw  138 . The motion then is reversed with the components of the slide transport section  108  moving towards the left, registering with the slide storage section  102  ( FIG. 3 ) to acquire another slide and repeat the printing process. During this leftward motion, the right jaw guide  144  engages with and transports the ejected slide  140  to the output section of the output tray  134 . 
     Referring particularly to  FIGS. 1A and 2 , the printing section  106  includes a printing head assembly  166  with a print head  162 , a take-up reel  168 , an ink tape roll  170 , a tension roller  172 , a driven roller  174 , a support roller  176 . The printing head  166  is connected to a motor  178  attached to the backside, as shown in  FIG. 1B . During printing, the motor  178  moves the print head  162  into contact with a tape  180  and pushes the tape into contact with the slide  140  ( FIG. 4 ). During printing, the slide carrier  128  is moved to the left, incrementally, per print row, while in contact with the tape  180 . This action draws the tape from the print role  170 , such that an unprinted section of the tape  180  is interposed between the next print row beneath the print head  162 . This incremental movement is continued until the printed information is attached to the slide  140 . Subsequently, the printing head  166  is moved away from the slide  140  so that the slide carrier  108  can move the completed slide to the output section  104 . The tape has a coated side that is placed in contact with the slide. The coated side has a composition of wax, a wax-resin, or other appropriate composition to be activated by heat and be retained on the slide. The print head  162  has a row of pixel-like heating elements embedded in a ceramic material, not shown, which elements are controlled by a processor (not shown). Based upon the image stored in the processor, the pixel-like elements are appropriately energized to heat to a given temperature to melt the ink composition on the tape. 
     A user interface section  110  can comprise any of myriad different possible configurations. As shown in the exemplary embodiment in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , a control panel and display  182  are used to initiate and control the operation of the printing device  110 . As noted previously, the printing information is input into the processor, which transforms the information into a format that is used to drive the heating pixels appropriately. Although a row of pixels is noted, other configurations are clearly possible including, for example, multiple rows of heating pixel elements. 
     The slide printing device  100  provides the ability to print any specific information onto a slide  140  upon request. The information can be manually entered for each slide or series of slides, downloaded from a database, scanned in via a bar code scanner, and the like. Alternately, the information can be obtained directly from the microtome. The ability to print upon demand helps ensure the printed information matches the desired information respective to the material deposited upon the slide. 
     Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.