Patent ID: 7588703

Claim:
A method of fabricating and processing at least one microcapsule, comprising: dispensing at least one microparticle-sized droplet comprising a material; introducing the at least one droplet directly into a bath of solution; forming an immiscible outer membrane around the at least one droplet such that at least one microcapsule is formed; producing a continuous flow of the microcapsules within the bath of solution; passing the continuous flow of microcapsules from the bath directly into a washing solution; analyzing the microcapsules with a flow sensor, said step of analyzing the microcapsules comprising the act of transmitting light through the microcapsules, the act of measuring the intensity of light transmitted through the microcapsules, and the act of acquiring sequential images of the microcapsules as the microcapsules move in the washing solution so as to provide information about the microcapsules after the microcapsules have been formed; and using the information obtained by said step of analyzing the microcapsules as feedback for simultaneously controlling the steps of dispensing the at least one droplet and of passing the continuous flow of microcapsules into a washing solution so as to process the microcapsules in a continuous manner.