Flexible Patents (Class 291/44)
  • Patent number: 11592113
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes one or more embodiments of a device for localized flow control. The device includes a plunger configured to slide along a longitudinal axis; a gate connecting to a proximal end of the plunger and configured to slide with the plunger; a spacer disposed along the longitudinal axis and on a same side with the gate relative to the plunger; a soft tube disposed in a gap between the spacer and a proximal end of the gate; and a plunger controller configured to slide the plunger between a closed position and an open position. In response to the plunger at the open position, the device is at an open state configured to allow a flow in the soft tube, and in response to the plunger at the closed position, the device is at a closed state configured to cut off the flow in the soft tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
    Inventors: Yang Zhang, Long Zhou