US 12,078,255 B2
Actuator
Barry Lillis, London (GB); Steven Green, Oxford (GB); and Damian Holland, Witney (GB)
Assigned to Osler Diagnostics Limited, Oxford (GB)
Appl. No. 17/916,004
Filed by Osler Diagnostics Limited, Oxford (GB)
PCT Filed Mar. 30, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/058364
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 29, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/198297, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 7, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2004720 (GB), filed on Mar. 31, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0147534 A1, May 11, 2023
Int. Cl. F16K 11/16 (2006.01); B01L 3/00 (2006.01); F16K 31/524 (2006.01); F16K 99/00 (2006.01)
CPC F16K 11/165 (2013.01) [B01L 3/502715 (2013.01); B01L 3/502738 (2013.01); F16K 31/52491 (2013.01); F16K 99/0026 (2013.01); F16K 99/0028 (2013.01); F16K 99/0042 (2013.01); B01L 2200/025 (2013.01); B01L 2300/0887 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0655 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An actuator comprising:
a plurality of independently operable actuation elements, each actuation element having an actuation surface; and
an operator having an operator surface,
wherein the operator is driveable to move the operator surface along a path to selectively engage with the respective actuation surface of each actuation element to actuate the actuation element, and
wherein the actuator is configured such that the operator surface cannot engage with the actuation surfaces of the actuation elements as the operator surface moves along the path in one direction, and such that the operator surface can engage with the actuation surfaces of the actuation elements as the operator surface moves along the path in the opposite direction.