US5997263A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Micromachined filter for a micropump
Assignee: Debiotech SA
•
Filing: 1997-02-10
•
Granted: 1999-12-07
•
Expires: 2017-02-10
Abstract
Abstract The micropump (11) has at least two first plate-forming means (10, 12) together defining a pump chamber (9), and the filter comprises liquid feed means, liquid collection means, second plate-forming means (10), and silicon plate-forming means (12; 15), said second plate-forming means (10) and said silicon plate-forming means (12; 15) facing each other and forming between them a cavity (13) for receiving a liquid, the cavity being partially closed by at least one transverse partition (20; 20') whose height is less than the depth of the cavity (13) and which separates it into an upstream portion and a downstream portion. Said silicon plate-forming means (12; 15) are fixed at least partially in leakproof manner to said second plate-forming means (10), the downstream portion of the cavity (13) communicates with said pump chamber (9), and the assembly comprising all of the plate-forming means (10, 12) constitutes a sandwich structure.
Inventors
- 👤 Harald van Lintel
- 👤 Yit Shun Leungki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 03:09
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01D; B01D35/00; B01D35/26; F; F04; F04B; F04B19/00; F04B19/006; F04B43/00; F04B43/02; F04B43/04; F04B43/043
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
160 words
A micropump comprising a micro-machined filter and at least two first plate-forming means defining a pump chamber, said filter comprising liquid feed means, liquid collection means, second plate-forming means and silicon plate-forming means, said second plate-forming means and said silicon plate-forming means facing each other and forming, between them, a cavity designed to receive a liquid, said cavity being partially closed by at least one transverse partition that is of a height smaller than a depth of said cavity, that separates said cavity into an upstream portion and a downstream portion relative to said partition, and that extends in a continuous manner between side walls of said cavity, said silicon plate-forming means being fixed at least in part in a leakproof manner on said second plate-forming means, said downstream portion of said cavity communicating with said pump chamber, an assembly comprising both of said first plate-forming means, said silicon plate-forming means, and said second plate-forming means, forming a sandwich structure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
160 words
A micropump comprising a micro-machined filter and at least two first plate-forming means defining a pump chamber, said filter comprising liquid feed means, liquid collection means, second plate-forming means and silicon plate-forming means, said second plate-forming means and said silicon plate-forming means facing each other and forming, between them, a cavity designed to receive a liquid, said cavity being partially closed by at least one transverse partition that is of a height smaller than a depth of said cavity, that separates said cavity into an upstream portion and a downstream portion relative to said partition, and that extends in a continuous manner between side walls of said cavity, said silicon plate-forming means being fixed at least in part in a leakproof manner on said second plate-forming means, said downstream portion of said cavity communicating with said pump chamber, an assembly comprising both of said first plate-forming means, said silicon plate-forming means, and said second plate-forming means, forming a sandwich structure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
A micropump according to claim 1, wherein said partition passes through said cavity where it is folded in a hairpin-bend configuration.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
34 words
A micropump according to claim 2, wherein an attachment between said two first plate-forming means defining said pump chamber and said silicon plate-forming means and said second plate-forming means is performed by anode welding.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A micropump according to claim 3, further comprising at least one liquid inlet control member situated downstream from said cavity and upstream from said pump chamber.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
A micropump according to claim 4, wherein one of said first plate-forming means and said silicon plate-forming means constitutes a same plate of silicon and an other of said first plate-forming means and said second plate-forming means constitutes a same glass plate.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
A micropump according to claim 1, wherein said partition and said cavity are made by machining a surface of the silicon plate-forming means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
A micropump according to claim 1, wherein said partition possesses side walls that are inclined in a chamfer relative to a direction orthogonal to plane faces of said silicon plate-forming means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
49 words
A micropump according to claim 1, wherein at least two partitions are placed in parallel in said cavity to form at least two filter units, and wherein said filter further comprises liquid feed means for each filter unit and liquid collection means at the outlet from each filter unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
44 words
A micropump according to claim 1, wherein said liquid feed means and said liquid collection means comprise respectively an inlet channel and an outlet channel of the filter, bottom levels of said inlet and outlet channels being lower than a base of said partition.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
A micropump according to claim 8, wherein said liquid feed means and said liquid collection means further comprise liquid distribution means designed to enable liquid to be distributed uniformly between various filter units.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
36 words
A micropump according to claim 10, wherein said distribution means comprise a deep groove whose bottom is at a level that is lower than that of all portions of the filter that can receive the liquid.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
22 words
A micropump according to claim 8, wherein said filter further comprises separation means preventing liquid from passing directly between two filter units.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
A micropump according to claim 1, wherein said partition comprises attachment means designed to connect said partition to said plate-forming means facing said plate-forming means and carrying a base of said partition with constant spacing.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
19 words
A micropump according to claim 2, wherein a width (L) of the hairpin-bend configuration is less than 1 mm.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A micropump according to claim 2, wherein said partition folded into a hairpin-bend configuration extends over a length (D) of at least 1 mm.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
29 words
A micropump according to claim 2, wherein a width (d) between two adjacent portions of the hairpin-bend configuration lies in the range of between 20 μm to 200 μm.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
A micropump according to claim 1, wherein a width at a top (.right brkt-top.) of said partition lies in the range of between 1 μm to 20 μm.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
A micropump according to claim 1, wherein said second plate-forming means are made of glass.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
36 words
A micropump according to claim 13, wherein at least some of said attachment means are of a width greater than a width at a top of said partition and project on either side of said partition.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
25 words
A micropump according to claim 2, wherein over at least a portion of a length of said partition, a surface of said partition is hydrophobic.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
56 words
A micropump according to claim 2, wherein said partition is dimensioned in such a manner that an inside of each fold of a hairpin-bend of said partition, on the upstream portion of the cavity is filled completely with liquid before a slot portion situated facing a top portion of said partition adjacent thereto is itself filled.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
A micropump according to claim 2, wherein at least a portion of a length of each hairpin-bend of said partition is of a zigzag configuration.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4797211A
Cited
US4895562A
Cited
US5085562A
Cited
GB2248891A
Cited
EP0587912A1
Cited
WO1995019502A1
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-12-06 | 2003-06-07 | 2003-12-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-12-06 | 2007-06-07 | 2007-12-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-12-06 | 2011-06-07 | 2011-12-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |