Patent ID: 7271006

Claim:
A coverglass selector apparatus comprising in combination: at least one coverslip; a coverslip gripper comprising a flexible backing plate and a sealing member, the flexible backing plate having a bottom and a hole, the sealing member being connected to or integral with the bottom of the flexible backing plate, the sealing member being proximal to edges of the bottom of the flexible backing plate; a vacuum source and a gas-tight conduit, the conduit being connected to the hole in the bottom of the flexible backing plate and to the vacuum source, thereby communicating a vacuum to the flexible backing plate; a support block, the support block having a bottom which is connected to the flexible backing plate, wherein the bottom is curved; and means for moving the flexible backing plate and/or stack of coverglasses relative to one another so that the sealing member contacts said coverglass, thereby forming a vacuum-tight seal between the scaling member and the coverglass.