Patent ID: 8162140

Claim:
A tissue specimen container for analyzing a tissue, comprising: a closeable container including a body and a lid, and further comprising an interior chamber between the lid and the body when the container is in a closed position; wherein the lid comprises a top surface and a first edge; wherein the body comprises a top surface having a second edge, walls, and a bottom surface; and wherein the bottom surface is defined by a substantially concave depression; and lower and upper retainers configured and dimensioned to retain different types and sizes of tissue specimens within the chamber in a known, fixed orientation without substantially deforming the tissue specimens; wherein the lower retainer is configured to be positioned adjacent the bottom surface of the body, wherein a top surface of the lower retainer defines a shape that substantially assumes a shape of the bottom surface of the body when positioned adjacent the bottom surface of the body and a specimen is placed thereon; wherein the upper retainer has a width greater than a width of the interior chamber and is structured to provide an interference fit in the chamber wherein the interference fit comprises a press fit of sides of the retainer against interior portions of the walls, wherein the upper retainer is capable of being continuously moveable between the second edge and the bottom surface and being securely positioned at any of a plurality of possible positions therebetween by a securing mechanism consisting of the interference fit, wherein a gap between the lower retainer positioned adjacent the bottom surface of the body and the upper retainer forms a specimen space, wherein size of the specimen space is continuously adjustable by virtue of secure positioning of the upper retainer between the second edge and the lower retainer resulting from the interference fit, wherein the upper retainer is capable of exerting a continuously adjustable pressure on a specimen disposed between the upper retainer and the lower retainer by virtue of continuously adjustable positioning between the second edge and the lower retainer, and wherein the upper and lower retainers are removable from the closeable container.