Patent ID: 8087906

Claim:
A fluid pump comprising: a drive unit, said drive unit comprising a housing, a drive membrane and at least one drive device configured to move said drive membrane between at least a first and a second position; a driven unit, said driven unit comprising a housing, a fluid path leading from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet, and at least one driven membrane, said driven membrane defining at least a portion of said fluid path, said driven unit configured to be selectively coupled to said drive unit so that said driven membrane is in gapless contact with said drive membrane, whereby movement of said drive membrane effectuates movement of said driven membrane, causing fluid to be pumped through said driven unit from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet; and a vacuum source coupled to at least one point adjacent an interface of said drive membrane and said driven membrane when said drive unit is coupled to said driven unit, wherein said vacuum source is configured to operate so as to maintain a determined level of vacuum between the drive membrane and the driven membrane; wherein the drive membrane contacts the driven membrane without a gap as a result of the vacuum there between.