ISSYS Awarded Patent for Microfluidic Device Design

Michigan's Integrated Sensing Systems, Inc. (ISSYS) announced that the U.S. Patent Office has granted it a utility patent (US 7,568,399) titled "Microfluidic Device."

According to Doug Sparks, Executive VP of ISSYS, this patent describes new designs for microfluidic devices using resonating micromachined tubes. These sensor chips are used by ISSYS to produce Coriolis mass flow meters, density and chemical concentration sensors, drug infusion systems, fuel cell concentration sensors, and other devices. It complements other patents owned by ISSYS in the area of flow sensors and MEMS (MicroElectroMechanical Systems) devices. It provides new tube shapes that enable smaller chips size and hence lower cost product. This cost reduction in particular is of paramount importance for high-volume applications such as fuel cells, aviation fuel quality and drug delivery systems or any applications with disposable sensing parts. Also included in the claims are methods of combining active circuitry, often called ASICs – Application Specific Integrated Circuits- into the microfluidic chip via stacking or silicon MEMS integration.

Dr. Nader Najafi, ISSYS President and CEO, stated that, "This new patent and technology offers an improved fluidic sensor designs. The basic technology is already seeing use in industrial and biomedical devices, as well as fuel cell systems. This reinforces the other ISSYS' patents on the design, packaging, fabrication, and application of microtube-based sensors, giving ISSYS comprehensive IP protection and offering a competitive barrier to market entry."

http://www.mems-issys.com/