PRINTER FOR PRINTING HISTOLOGY LABORATORY CONSUMABLE ARTICLES

Abstract

A printer for printing on unused histology-laboratory consumable articles including an optical reading apparatus which reads an image pattern of a histology-laboratory consumable article to be printed on, generates analog or digital image signals relating to the image pattern that has been read, and transfers the image signals to a control apparatus of the printer which evaluates the received image signals and as a function of the evaluation result establishes at least one processing step for the further processing of the histology-laboratory consumable article with regard to the quality of the impression to be printed.

Claims

1. A printer for printing on unused histology-laboratory consumable articles (16), comprising an optical reading apparatus (13) which reads an image pattern of the histology-laboratory consumable article (16) to be printed on, generates analog or digital image signals relating to the image pattern (18) that has been read, and transfers the image signals to a control apparatus (8) of the printer which evaluates the received image signals and as a function of the evaluation result establishes at least one processing step for the further processing of the histology-laboratory consumable article (16) with regard to the quality of the impression to be printed.

2. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein an assignment of different image patterns to the information as to whether or not a sufficiently high-quality impression is possible is saved in a memory device of the control apparatus.

3. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the processing steps involves requesting an input by a user.

4. The printer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control apparatus (8) evaluates the input, and as a function of the input, deletes an already established processing step and/or establishes at least one further processing step for the further processing of the histology-laboratory consumable article (16).

5. The printer as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control apparatus (8) stops the processing of a histology-laboratory consumable article (16), in relation to which an input is expected, until the input arrives, and instead begins or continues the processing of at least one other histology-laboratory consumable article (16).

6. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the processing steps involves outputting a message to a user.

7. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the processing steps involves printing on the histology-laboratory consumable article (16).

8. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the processing steps involves discarding the histology-laboratory consumable article (16) without printing on it.

9. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the processing steps involves saving the image signals of the image pattern (18) that has been read and/or saving information determined by the control apparatus (8) about the histology-laboratory consumable article (16).

10. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in order to evaluate the received image signals, the control apparatus (8) compares the image signals received from the optical reading apparatus (13) with the image signals of at least one reference image pattern.

11. The printer as claimed in claim 10, wherein a memory apparatus in which image signals of at least one reference image pattern are saved or can be saved is provided.

12. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control apparatus (8) determines where a printing field is located on the histology-laboratory consumable article (16) on the basis of the image signals.

13. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control apparatus (8) establishes at least one printing parameter to be adjusted as a function of the image signals of the image pattern (18) that has been read.

14. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical reading apparatus (13) is configured and arranged to read an image pattern (18) configured as a barcode or as a QR code or as a logo or as text.

15. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer comprises a compartment for a multiplicity of histology-laboratory consumable articles (16) to be printed on, from which a transport apparatus individually takes the histology-laboratory consumable articles (16) to be printed on and transports them further and in that the optical reading apparatus (13) reads the image pattern (18) respectively during the transport of a histology-laboratory consumable article (16) to be printed on.

16. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control apparatus (8) continuously keeps a log.

17. The printer as claimed in claim 16, wherein the control apparatus (8) saves log data in a memory and/or outputs them via an interface and/or displays them on an output device.

18. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer is configured as an inkjet printer or as a laser printer.

19. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer is configured as a cassette printer and/or as a slide printer and/or as a label printer.

20. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the histology-laboratory consumable article (16) is a cassette or a slide.

21. A histology laboratory system which comprises a printer as claimed in claim 1 and a superordinate computer, which receives log data from the printer.

22. The histology laboratory system as claimed in claim 21, wherein: a. the superordinate computer receives further log data of other printers and/or other laboratory equipment, or b. the superordinate computer receives further log data of other printers and/or other laboratory equipment and respectively saves and/or further processes the log data and the further log data, which relate to the same sample, while being assigned to one another and together.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING VIEWS

[0043] The subject-matter of the invention is represented by way of example and schematically in the drawing and will be described below with the aid of the figures, elements which are the same or have the same effect also usually being provided with the same references in the various exemplary embodiments.

[0044] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a printer according to the invention,

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a second exemplary embodiment of a printer according to the invention,

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a detail of a third exemplary embodiment of a printer according to the invention, and

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a detail of a fourth exemplary embodiment of a printer according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a printer according to the invention, which comprises a material supply 1. The material supply 1 contains a plurality of stack magazines 2 for histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 (not visible in this figure) to be printed on, for example cassettes 17 or slides 19. The material supply 1 is assigned a transport apparatus 3 which respectively transports a histology-laboratory consumable article 16 in succession from the material supply 1 to a printing device 4. The printing device 4 may, for example, contain an inkjet printer. The histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 that have been printed on are conveyed by the transport apparatus 3 to a warm-air drying apparatus 5 and predried there. The histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 are then conveyed to a flash device 6 which ensures full drying of the ink by supplying heat with infrared radiation and/or UV radiation. The histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 processed in this way are subsequently forwarded to a removal device 7.

[0049] The printer comprises an optical reading apparatus 13 (not visible in FIG. 1), which reads an image pattern 18 (not visible in FIG. 1) of a histology-laboratory consumable article 16 to be printed on and generates analog or digital image signals relating to the image pattern 18 that has been read. The image signals are transferred to a control apparatus 8 of the printer. The control apparatus 8 comprises an interface 9 for connecting the printer to a computer network or for direct connection to a computer.

[0050] The control apparatus 8 furthermore comprises a display 10, by means of which messages can be output to a user. In particular, the display 10 may also be used to request inputs by a user, which the user may input via an input apparatus 11, which may for example be a keypad. The display 10 may, for example, also be used to continuously display information about the image patterns 18 that have been recognized by means of the optical reading apparatus and/or the evaluation results relating to the image patterns that have been read.

[0051] The control apparatus 8 contains a memory apparatus 12 in which image signals of reference image patterns can be saved and/or in which information relating to the image patterns that have been read optically and/or the evaluation results and/or relating to the impression and/or the data relating to the image patterns that have been read in each case and/or relating to the processing steps carried out or to be carried out can be saved. In particular, a log, which may be forwarded via the interface 9 to a connected computer and/or which may be represented on the display 10, may advantageously be saved in the memory apparatus 12.

[0052] FIG. 2 schematically shows a second exemplary embodiment of a printer according to the invention.

[0053] The printer comprises a material supply 1, in which histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 to be printed on, for example cassettes 17 or slides 19, can be stored.

[0054] The printer furthermore comprises a transport apparatus 3, which respectively transports a histology-laboratory consumable article 16 in succession from the material supply 1 to a printing device 4. The transport apparatus 3 furthermore transports the histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 that have been printed on by the printing device 4 to a removal device 7, from which the histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 that have been printed on can then be removed.

[0055] The printer furthermore comprises an optical reading apparatus 13, which reads an image pattern 18 of a histology-laboratory consumable article 16 to be printed on, generates analog or digital image signals relating to the image pattern 18 that has been read and transfers the image signals to a control apparatus 8 of the printer.

[0056] The control apparatus 8 comprises an interface 9 for connecting the printer to a computer network, a superordinate computer or for direct connection to a computer.

[0057] The control apparatus 8 is connected by means of data cables 14 to the optical reading apparatus 13, to the material supply 1, the transport apparatus 3 and the printing device 4, in order to receive data and/or output control instructions.

[0058] The control apparatus 8 evaluates the image-pattern image signals received from the optical reading apparatus 13 and establishes at least one processing step for the further processing of the histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 as a function of the evaluation result. During the evaluation, the control apparatus 8 compares the image signals received from the optical reading device 13 with the image signals of at least one reference image pattern.

[0059] If the control apparatus 8 has recognized the histology-laboratory consumable article 16 to be printed on and has established that a high-quality impression is possible, the control apparatus 8 outputs the message that everything is in order. At the same time, the control apparatus 8 establishes as a further processing step that an impression as intended should be carried out.

[0060] If the evaluation reveals that a sufficiently high-quality impression is not possible, or if the control apparatus 8 has not been able to assign a manufacturer and/or a product series to the detected image pattern 18 during the evaluation, a warning is output. In particular, in this case an impression may not be carried out until after confirmation by the laboratory staff that printing is still desired.

[0061] FIG. 3 shows a detail of a third exemplary embodiment of a printer according to the invention, which transports further a transport device 3 for transporting histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 coming from a material supply 1 (not represented in this figure).

[0062] The printer contains an optical reading apparatus 13, which may for example be configured as a digital camera. The optical reading apparatus 13 is connected via a data cable 14 to a control apparatus 8 (not represented in this figure). The optical reading apparatus 13 forwards analog or digital image signals relating to the image pattern 18 that has respectively been read via the data cable 14 to the control apparatus 8.

[0063] The transport device 3 comprises a conveyor belt 15 on which histology-laboratory consumable articles 16, namely cassettes 17, are transported. The optical reading apparatus 13 reads an image pattern 18 of each histology-laboratory consumable article 16 passing it and forwards image signals relating to the image pattern 18 that has been read to the control apparatus 8 (not represented in this figure).

[0064] FIG. 4 shows a detail of a fourth exemplary embodiment of a printer according to the invention, which transports further a transport device 3 for transporting histology-laboratory consumable articles 16 coming from a material supply 1 (not represented in this figure).

[0065] The printer contains an optical reading apparatus 13, which may for example be configured as a digital camera. The optical reading apparatus 13 is connected via a data cable 14 to a control apparatus 8 (not represented in this figure). The optical reading apparatus 13 forwards analog or digital image signals relating to the image pattern 18 that has respectively been read via the data cable 14 to the control apparatus 8.

[0066] The transport device 3 comprises a conveyor belt 15 on which histology-laboratory consumable articles 16, namely slides 19, are transported. The optical reading apparatus 13 reads an image pattern 18 of each histology-laboratory consumable article 16 passing it and forwards image signals relating to the image pattern 18 that has been read to the control apparatus 8 (not represented in this figure).

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0067] 1 material supply

[0068] 2 stack magazine

[0069] 3 transport apparatus

[0070] 4 printing device

[0071] 5 warm-air drying apparatus

[0072] 6 flash device

[0073] 7 removal device

[0074] 8 control apparatus

[0075] 9 interface

[0076] 10 display

[0077] 11 input apparatus

[0078] 12 memory apparatus

[0079] 13 optical reading apparatus

[0080] 14 data cable

[0081] 15 conveyor belt

[0082] 16 histology-laboratory consumable article

[0083] 17 cassette

[0084] 18 image pattern

[0085] 19 slide