| US 7,482,577 B2 | ||
| System and method of sorting materials using holographic laser steering | ||
| Lewis Gruber, Chicago, Ill. (US); Kenneth Bradley, Chicago, Ill. (US); Ward Lopes, Chicago, Ill. (US); Robert Lancelot, Chicago, Ill. (US); Joseph Plewa, Chicago, Ill. (US); and David Grier, Chicago, Ill. (US) | ||
| Assigned to Arryx, Inc., Chicago, Ill. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jun. 12, 2007, as Appl. No. 11/808,677. | ||
| Application 11/808677 is a division of application No. 10/630904, filed on Jul. 31, 2003, granted, now 7,241,988. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/399386, filed on Jul. 31, 2002. | ||
| Claims priority of provisional application 60/435541, filed on Dec. 20, 2002. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2007/0235640 A1, Oct. 11, 2007 | ||
| Int. Cl. H01S 1/00 (2006.01); B01D 21/01 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 250—251 [210/800; 210/802; 210/732; 435/173.1] | 14 Claims |
| 1. A method of sorting objects comprising:
introducing the objects into an input channel at a predetermined flow rate;
providing a pattern of relatively low intensity optical traps established by a set of holograms using a beam steering apparatus,
said optical traps which are of changeable intensity and position with time, to disturb a flow of massed objects in said input
channel and to allow individual objects to funnel through said input channel;
funneling the objects into a laminar flow, using said beam steering apparatus which provides a pattern of relatively low intensity
optical traps of fixed intensity and position, to maintain separation between the objects;
evaluating the objects to determine which meet a predetermined criteria; and
sorting the objects which meet said criteria from objects which do not meet said criteria, by utilizing said optical traps
to move the sorted objects from said input channel to one of a plurality of output channels.
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