US 12174107

Here's a concise summary of US patent 12174107:

US Patent 12174107

• Title: Flow cytometer
• Assignee: Beckman Coulter Inc [cite: Original Assignee, Current Assignee]
• Inventor: Yong Qin Chen [cite: Inventor]
• Filing Date: September 3, 2024 [cite: Filing date]
• Issue Date: December 24, 2024 [cite: Publication date, Application granted]
• Abstract: A flow cytometer featuring a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) that includes an extended light source forming an object. A collimating optical element captures light from this source, projecting a magnified image as a first light beam. A first focusing optical element then concentrates this first light beam to a size smaller than the original object, directing it to a first semiconductor detector. [cite: Abstract]

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a flow cytometer system. It includes a laser diode (LD) optical system for shining light into a viewing area where sample particles flow, encased by a sheath fluid. It also has a special microscope objective to image light scattered and fluoresced by particles, a fluid system to provide a pulsation-free sheath fluid, a peristaltic pump for the sample liquid, and a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) to separate the light emitted from the viewing zone into different colors.
• Claim 16: This claim outlines a method for creating an elliptical laser beam for a flow cytometer. The steps involve: emitting a diverging elliptical beam from an LD, collimating it so its minor axis is parallel to the particle flow, reducing the beam's size so its major axis (perpendicular to flow) is narrower than the sheath flow, and using a cylindrical lens near the viewing zone with its axis perpendicular to the flow.
• Claim 26: This claim details a method for analyzing microscopic species using a specialized microscope objective. The objective has a concave mirror and an aberration corrector plate (an aspheric lens with distinct optical powers in different zones) with the viewing zone in between. The method involves forming an optical image of the viewing zone outside this device.
• Claim 35: This claim defines a fluidic subsystem designed to deliver a liquid flow without pulsations. It includes a liquid pump drawing from a reservoir and a T-coupling. A first portion of the liquid from the pump goes through a bypass back to the reservoir, while a second portion flows through a particle filter to the flow cytometer's viewing zone.
• Claim 42: This claim describes a method for operating the pulsation-free fluidic subsystem of Claim 35. It involves pumping liquid, splitting it at a T-coupling, directing one fraction back to the reservoir via a bypass, and sending another fraction through a particle filter to the viewing zone.
• Claim 48: This claim describes a peristaltic pump designed to minimize pulsations. It includes a pump housing with a curved track, rollers on a rotor, and a compressible tube. The track has an exit section and at least one pumping section, where the tube expands at the exit and is fully compressed by rollers in the pumping sections.
• Claim 55: This claim describes a method for operating the peristaltic pump of Claim 48. It involves rotating rollers within a curved track to compress a tube, where the tube expands at an exit section and is fully compressed by rollers in pumping sections.
• Claim 62: This claim defines a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM). It includes a collimating optical element that creates a magnified image, at least one dichroic filter between the element and its image to split light into two color branches, a focusing element in one branch to focus light to a spot less than 1.0 mm, and an image relay element in the other branch to create a unit-magnification image.
• Claim 68: This claim describes a method for separating light into colored bands using the WDM of Claim 62. The method involves magnifying light to create an image, using a dichroic filter to split the light into two color branches, focusing one branch to a small spot, and relaying the image of the collimating element in the other branch with unit magnification.
• Claim 74: This claim broadly covers a flow cytometer incorporating a specific wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) system. The WDM includes an extended light source, a collimating optical element to project a magnified light beam, and a focusing element to direct this beam to a semiconductor detector at a size smaller than the original object.
• Claim 75: This claim describes a flow cytometer that has a viewing zone for illuminating particles and a composite microscope objective. The objective includes a concave mirror to gather light scattered or fluoresced by the particle and reflect it, and an aberration corrector plate to minimize optical distortions in that reflected light.
• Claim 77: This claim describes a flow cytometer with a fluidic system comprising a liquid pump and a T-coupling. The liquid from the pump is split: one fraction bypasses back to the reservoir, and the other passes through a particle filter to the fluidic system's outlet.
• Claim 78: This claim defines a flow cytometer incorporating a peristaltic pump. The pump has a housing with a curved track, rollers on a rotor, and a compressible tube. It specifically features a recess section between pumping sections where the tube is not fully closed.
• Claim 82: This claim describes a flow cytometer featuring a laser diode (LD) system. This system includes an LD emitting a diverging elliptical beam, a collimating lens to make it a collimated elliptical beam (minor axis parallel to particle flow), a beam compressing element to make the major axis narrower than the sheath flow, and a cylindrical focusing element positioned adjacent to the viewing zone with its axis perpendicular to the particle flow direction.

Litigation Information:
As of April 26, 2026, the patent family for US12174107B1 is involved in litigation. A PTAB case, PGR2025-00088, has been filed but was not instituted on procedural grounds. Additionally, a US case, 1:24-cv-00945, has been filed in the Delaware District Court. [cite: Family has litigation, First worldwide family litigation filed, PTAB case PGR2025-00088 filed (Not Instituted - Procedural), US case filed in Delaware District Court] No specific dockets related to US12174107B1 were found in CAFC 2026 searches, suggesting any appeals related to this patent have not yet reached the Federal Circuit.