PATENT CLAIM ANALYSIS

Application Number: 15911744
Application Type: Utility
Filing Date: 2018-03
Publication Date: 2019-09
Patent Classification: ["438", "028000"]

Abstract:
A micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) array system is configured to apply suction forces for the manipulation of objects. The MEMS system includes includes a two-dimensional MEMS array of a plurality of individual MEMS elements. Each MEMS element comprises: a casing structure; a flexible membrane attached to the casing structure; and an electrode structure, wherein a voltage applied to the electrode structure actuates the MEMS element to cause the flexible membrane to flex relative to the casing structure. The flexible membrane and the casing structure define a gap into which the flexible membrane may flex, and a foot extends from the flexible membrane in a direction away from the casing structure, wherein the foot and the flexible membrane define a clearance region on an opposite side of the flexible membrane from the gap. When the MEMS element interacts with an object to be manipulated the foot spaces the membrane apart from the object. The MEMS array system further includes a control circuit that selectively actuates one or more of the MEMS elements of the MEMS array.

Claim (Index 13):
A method of manipulating one or more objects using a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) array system comprising the steps of:\n providing a two-dimensional MEMS array of a plurality of individual MEMS elements arranged in an array of N rows and M columns, with N and M being integers greater than or equal to one; wherein each MEMS element comprises: a casing structure; a flexible membrane attached to the casing structure; and an electrode structure, wherein a voltage applied to the electrode structure actuates the MEMS element to cause the flexible membrane to flex relative to the casing structure; wherein the flexible membrane and the casing structure define a gap into which the flexible membrane may flex; and a foot extending from the flexible membrane in a direction away from the casing structure, wherein the foot and the flexible membrane define a clearance region on an opposite side of the flexible membrane from the gap, and when the MEMS element interacts with an object to be manipulated the foot spaces the membrane apart from the object; placing the MEMS array against the one or more objects to be manipulated; providing a control circuit and electronically selecting with the control circuit one or more of the MEMS elements for actuation; applying a voltage to the electrode structure of the selected MEMS elements to place the selected MEMS elements in an on state in which the flexible membranes of the selected MEMS elements flex from an initial position to a flexed position relative to the casing structure, whereby the selected MEMS elements generate a suction force against the one or more objects by the flexing of the flexible membranes; and retaining the one or more objects to the MEMS array by operation of the suction forces to perform a manipulation of the one or more objects.

Metadata:
- Claim Count in Document: 4.0
- Percentile: 90.0
- Lexical Diversity: 2.35
- Patent Class: 438.0
- Transitional Phrase Type: open
- Component Type: 1
- Foreign Priority: False
- Related Applications: ['12574504', '15839824', '15351235', '11462333', '15453230']

Analysis Scores:
- 35 USC 101 Eligibility (BERT): 0.8508668679127128
- 35 USC 102 Novelty (BERT): 0.4674323950308334
- Combined Prediction Score: 0.8125234206245249
- Mean Citation Score: 169.30021599999995
- Max Citation Score: 177.82333
- Similarity Product: 141.86144378338338

Labels:
- Claim Label 101: 1
- Claim Label 102: 1
- Claim Label 103: 1
- Claim Label 112: 1
- Combined Label: 1
- Label 101 Adjusted: 1

Dataset: test