US 12,005,436 B2
Devices and methods for separating particles from a liquid
Eric Jervis, Vancouver (CA); and Tom Glawdel, Toronto (CA)
Assigned to StemCell Technologies Inc., Vancouver (CA)
Appl. No. 16/615,877
Filed by Stemcell Technologies Inc., Vancouver (CA)
PCT Filed May 25, 2018, PCT No. PCT/CA2018/050615
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 22, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/213935, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 29, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/511,503, filed on May 26, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0114345 A1, Apr. 16, 2020
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/502 (2013.01) [B01L 3/5082 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0858 (2013.01); B01L 2400/086 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for separating particles from a bulk liquid, the apparatus comprising:
a container having:
a surface to be contacted by a particle-containing bulk liquid,
a plurality of ribs on the surface, each rib of the plurality of ribs being positioned between and spaced apart from two adjacent ribs on the surface by a substantially uniform pitch distance; and
a space between each rib and each of the two adjacent ribs being dimensioned to capillarily retain therebetween a portion of the bulk liquid and at least a portion of the particles entrained therein when the liquid contacting the surface is removed away from the surface,
wherein the surface is an inner sidewall of the container extending from an upper end having an opening to a bottom wall opposed to the opening, and the plurality of ribs extend away from the inner sidewall toward an interior of the container, and
wherein the container is a tube, and
wherein the plurality of ribs extend in a direction between the opening and the opposed bottom wall along the inner sidewall and are distributed around an inner perimeter of the sidewall of the tube and the pitch distance is less than about 1 mm.