Patent ID: 8662818

Claim:
An apparatus for turning racks ( 1 ) for specimen slides ( 4 ), for use in systems for preparing tissue samples for histological investigations, comprising: a rack ( 1 ) including a rack bail and a rack basket carrying specimen slides ( 4 ) suspended from the rack bail; a rack receptacle ( 13 ) configured to insertably receive a portion of the rack basket such that a longitudinal axis ( 5 ) of the rack ( 1 ) is disposed within said rack receptacle ( 13 ), the longitudinal axis ( 5 ) of the rack ( 1 ) being oriented horizontally in a first position and the specimen slides ( 4 ) in the rack ( 1 ) being arranged vertically next to one another relative to said longitudinal axis ( 5 ) of the rack ( 1 ), and the rack receptacle being pivotable around a rotation axis ( 8 ) into a second position in which the longitudinal axis ( 5 ) of the rack ( 1 ) is oriented vertically such that the specimen slides ( 4 ) are arranged horizontally next to one another relative to said longitudinal axis ( 5 ) and arranged such that the specimen slides ( 4 ) can be positioned to receive coverslips; wherein the rotation axis ( 8 ) extends obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis ( 5 ) of the horizontally oriented rack ( 1 ), so that, the rack ( 1 ) can be pivoted back and forth between the first and the second position by means of a 180-degree rotation around the rotation axis ( 8 ); wherein in the first position, the specimen slides ( 4 ) are slidably removable vertically relative to the longitudinal axis ( 5 ), and in the second position, the specimen slides ( 4 ) are slidably removable in a horizontal direction relative to the longitudinal axis ( 5 ).