Patent ID: 8633955

Claim:
A liquid dispensing system comprising: a downwardly inclined slide surface; a carrier liquid dispensing channel including an outlet that exits onto the downwardly inclined slide surface; a source of carrier liquid that provides a carrier liquid that flows continuously through the carrier liquid dispensing channel, through the outlet of the carrier liquid dispensing channel and down the downwardly inclined slide surface; a liquid dispenser array structure comprising: a plurality of functional liquid dispensers located on a substrate that is common to the plurality of functional liquid dispensers, the plurality of functional liquid dispensers including: a functional liquid supply channel; a source of functional liquid that provides a functional liquid to the plurality of functional liquid dispensers through the functional liquid supply channel; and a drop formation device associated with each of the plurality of functional liquid dispensers at an interface of the functional liquid supply channel and the downwardly inclined slide surface, the drop formation device being selectively actuated to form sequences of one or more discrete drops of the functional liquid in the carrier liquid flowing down the downwardly inclined slide surface, the functional liquid being immiscible in the carrier liquid.