Valves and pumps for microfluidic systems and method for making microfluidic systems
First Claim
1. A microfluidic system comprising:
- a fluid path;
an inlet to the fluid path;
an outlet to the fluid path;
a first closing member disposed along the fluid path between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the first closing member comprises a check valve;
a second closing member disposed along the fluid path between the inlet and the outlet; and
a reservoir disposed along the fluid path between the first closing member and the second closing member,wherein the fluid path has a cross-sectional dimension of less than about 500 μ
m, andwherein the fluid path is formed in a polymeric material.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to microfluidic systems, including valves and pumps for microfluidic systems. The valves of the invention include check valves such as diaphragm valves and flap valves. Other valves of the invention include one-use valves. The pumps of the present invention include a reservoir and at least two check valves. The reservoir may be of variable volume. The present invention also relates to a flexible microfluidic system. The present invention additionally relates to a method of making microfluidic systems including those of the present invention. The method includes forming a microfluidic system on a master, connecting a support to the microfluidic system and removing the microfluidic system from the master. The support may remain connected to the microfluidic system or the microfluidic system may be transferred to another substrate. The present invention further relates to a method of manipulating a flow of a fluid in a microfluidic system. This method includes initiating fluid flow in a first direction and inhibiting fluid flow in a second direction and may be practiced with the valves of the present invention.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A microfluidic system comprising:
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a fluid path; an inlet to the fluid path; an outlet to the fluid path; a first closing member disposed along the fluid path between the inlet and the outlet, wherein the first closing member comprises a check valve; a second closing member disposed along the fluid path between the inlet and the outlet; and a reservoir disposed along the fluid path between the first closing member and the second closing member, wherein the fluid path has a cross-sectional dimension of less than about 500 μ
m, andwherein the fluid path is formed in a polymeric material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification