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US 12,258,952 B2Granted
Leak-free, diffusion-blocking check valve, pump and method
AssigneeRochester Institute of Technology
InventorsDavid A. Borkholder, Farzad Forouzandeh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A closed leak-free, diffusion-blocking one-way check valve is composed of a substrate having a flow passage through the substrate, the flow passage has a sealing surface between the substrate and a membrane preventing flow through the flow passage. A thin film having internal stress is disposed on the membrane which induces deformation of the membrane biasing the membrane resulting in the sealing surface in a closed orientation. A method for fabrication and pump utilizing the check valve are disclosed.
Claims14
A closed diffusion-blocking one-way flow check valve, comprising:
- a flow passage in a one-way direction through the check valve from an inlet to an outlet;
- a handle comprising the inlet on one side of the handle and a valve seat disposed on a side of the handle opposite the inlet side along the flow passage;
- a membrane comprising a flap tethered to the membrane by a plurality of tethers and the outlet comprising an opening adjacent the plurality of tethers between the membrane and the flap, wherein the flap comprises a valve seat contacting area on one side of the flap and an intrinsically stressed biasing element disposed on a side of the flap opposite the valve seat contacting area;
- and
- a spacer layer disposed between the handle and the membrane creating a portion of the flow channel between the handle valve seat and the flap valve seat contacting area, wherein the biasing element forces the valve seat contacting area of the flap against the valve seat of the handle biasing the check valve in a closed position relative to the flow passage.
2 more elements
A pump comprising:
- a pump actuation membrane connected to an electrically operated heater disposed in a pump chamber of a flow channel between an inlet check valve comprising:
- a flow passage in a one-way direction through the check valve from an inlet to an outlet;
- a handle comprising the inlet on one side of the handle and a valve seat disposed on a side of the handle opposite the inlet side along the flow passage;
- a membrane comprising a flap tethered to the membrane by a plurality of tethers and the outlet comprising an opening adjacent the plurality of tethers between the membrane and the flap, wherein the flap comprises a valve seat contacting area on one side of the flap and an intrinsically stressed biasing element disposed on a side of the flap opposite the valve seat contacting area;
- and
- a spacer layer disposed between the handle and the membrane creating a portion of the flow channel between the handle valve seat and the flap valve seat contacting area, wherein the biasing element forces the valve seat contacting area of the flap against the valve seat of the handle biasing the check valve in a closed position relative to the flow passage
- and an outlet check valve comprising:
- a flow passage in a one-way direction through the check valve from an inlet to an outlet;
- a handle comprising the inlet on one side of the handle and a valve seat disposed on a side of the handle opposite the inlet side along the flow passage;
- a membrane comprising a flap tethered to the membrane by a plurality of tethers and the outlet comprising an opening adjacent the plurality of tethers between the membrane and the flap, wherein the flap comprises a valve seat contacting area on one side of the flap and an intrinsically stressed biasing element disposed on a side of the flap opposite the valve seat contacting area;
- and
- a spacer layer disposed between the handle and the membrane creating a portion of the flow channel between the handle valve seat and the flap valve seat contacting area, wherein the biasing element forces the valve seat contacting area of the flap against the valve seat of the handle biasing the check valve in a closed position relative to the flow passage, wherein the pump is disposed in a cylinder.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.