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US 12,758,930 B2Granted
Apparatus and methods for synthesizing compounds
AssigneeUniversity of South Florida
InventorsJonna Ocampo, Daniel Luis Morejon, Abraham Sanchez-Rodriguez, Stephanie Lutton Carey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed are devices and methods for synthesizing products. The disclosed devices and methods may be used to synthesize products, e.g., pharmaceutical or therapeutic compounds (i.e., drugs), ceramics, catalysts, biological polymers (i.e., proteins, enzymes), cells, tissues, or combinations thereof. The devices and methods may be operated in a microgravity environment.
Claims16
A device comprising:
- a housing comprising at least a first stage and a second stage, wherein a top end of the second stage is connected to a bottom end of the first stage, and
- wherein the first stage includes
- a divider plate that extends between opposing interior surfaces of the first stage, the divider plate having at least one opening,
- a holding chamber configured to receive raw materials to be used to synthesize a product, the holding chamber including a holding chamber wall that extends from the at least one opening to a holding chamber base wall in a hollow interior space, the holding chamber having an exit port that allows passage of the raw material from the first stage to the second stage, and
- wherein the second stage includes
- a mixing chamber in which the raw materials can be received from the holding chamber and mixed together to synthesize the product;
- and
- a mixing element that extends through a supplemental opening in the divider plate in the first stage to the mixing chamber, wherein the mixing element is configured to mix or grind raw materials and the synthesized product in the mixing chamber;
- and
- wherein the second stage comprises a second mixing chamber positioned on the bottom of the second stage, the second mixing chamber extending from a mixing element receiving end to a base engagement end that is connected to a base of the second stage, the second mixing chamber defining a hollow internal section that extends from an opening in the mixing element receiving end to an exit port positioned in the base of the second stage, the hollow internal section sized to receive a distal end of the mixing element, and wherein the second mixing chamber includes at least one opening that allows the passage of raw material from the mixing chamber into the hollow internal section of the second mixing chamber.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.