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US 9,011,797 B2Granted
Microfluidic system including a bubble valve for regulating fluid flow through a microchannel
AssigneeCytonome/St, LLC
InventorsJohn R. Gilbert, Sebastian Böhm, Manish Deshpande
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A microfluidic system includes a bubble valve for regulating fluid flow through a microchannel. The bubble valve includes a fluid meniscus interfacing the microchannel interior and an actuator for deflecting the membrane into the microchannel interior to regulate fluid flow. The actuator generates a gas bubble in a liquid in the microchannel when a sufficient pressure is generated on the membrane.
Claims19
A method for facilitating analysis or processing of a sample, the method comprising:
- flowing a sample through a microfluidic flow channel formed in a substrate;
- propagating a pressure pulse across the microfluidic flow channel in a crosswise direction;
- and
- dampening or absorbing the pressure pulse using a first reservoir in fluid communication with the microfluidic flow channel,
- wherein the pressure pulse is used to sort one or more particles suspended within the sample.
2 more elements
A microfluidic device adapted to facilitate analysis or processing of a sample, the microfluidic device comprising:
- a microfluidic flow channel formed in a substrate, the flow channel having a width and a length that exceeds the width;
- and
- a first reservoir in fluid communication with the flow channel adapted for dampening or absorbing a pressure pulse propagated across the width of the flow channel, wherein the first reservoir is otherwise sealed from an exterior environment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.