Patent ID: 7198250

Claim:
A fluid handling device which acts as both a pump and a valve, comprising: a body for at least partially defining a chamber, the chamber having an inlet port and an outlet port, one of the inlet port and the outlet port being a controlled port; at least one piezoelectric actuator provided in the chamber, the piezoelectric actuator comprising a piezoelectric element having a fluid-contacting layer adhered thereto; the piezoelectric actuator being operable by selective application of an electric field to a first state and a second state, in the first state the fluid-contacting layer of the piezoelectric actuator being positioned against a mouth of the controlled port to prevent transmission of fluid between the chamber and the controlled port, in the second state the piezoelectric actuator being displaced away from the controlled port, a thickness of the chamber being chosen whereby fluid is effectively drawn into the chamber through the inlet port by displacement of the piezoelectric actuator in the second state whereby the device is made self-priming by displacing the piezoelectric actuator.