Patent ID: 7300199

Claim:
A microfluidic device having a microchannel structure in which there are one or more inlet ports, one or more outlet ports, and a structural unit in communication with at least one of said ports, wherein the structural unit is a distribution manifold which enables partition of a larger portion of liquid into smaller aliquots which subsequently are introduced in parallel into downstream parts of separate microchannel structures, and which said manifold comprises (a) a continuous microconduit containing an upper part at each end and therebetween alternating lower and upper parts, the number of upper parts is n and the number of lower parts is n−1 where n is an integer ≧3; (b) a vent to ambient atmosphere and/or anti-wicking means in length-going edges delineating its lower wall(s) in each of the upper parts; (c) an emptying opening in each of the lower parts which opening in a downstream direction via a connecting microconduit communicates with the remaining substructure of the microchannel structure or with the corresponding substructure of another microchannel structure; (d) a valve in each of the connecting microconduits; (e) an inlet port which is connected to the continuous microconduit directly or indirectly at one of the upper parts; and (f) an outlet port which is connected to the continuous microconduit directly or indirectly at an upper part that is not connected to said inlet port.