The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 24, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 01, 2000
Bernhard H. Weigl, Seattle, WA (US);
Paul Yager, Seattle, WA (US);
James P. Brody, Pasadena, CA (US);
Mark R. Holl, Shoreline, WA (US);
Fred K. Forster, Seattle, WA (US);
Eric Altendorf, Edmonds, WA (US);
Paul C. Galambos, Albuquerque, NM (US);
Margaret Kenny, Edmonds, WA (US);
David Schutte, Auburn, WA (US);
Gregory Hixson, Bothell, WA (US);
Diane Zebert, Seattle, WA (US);
Andrew Kamholz, Seattle, WA (US);
Caicai Wu, Seattle, WA (US);
University of Washington, Seattle, WA (US);
Abstract
This invention provides microfabricated systems for extraction of desired particles from a sample stream containing desired and undesired particles. The sample stream is placed in laminar flow contact with an extraction stream under conditions in which inertial effects are negligible. The contact between the two streams is maintained for a sufficient period of time to allow differential transport of the desired particles from the sample stream into the extraction stream. In a preferred embodiment the differential transport mechanism is diffusion. The extraction system of this invention coupled to a microfabricated diffusion-based mixing device and/or sensing means allows picoliter quantities of fluid to be processed or analyzed on devices no larger than silicon wafers. Such diffusion-based mixing or sensing devices are preferably channel cell systems for detecting the presence and/or measuring the quantity of analyte particles in a sample stream.