Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-02
2001-10-23
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S054000, C347S065000, C347S067000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305783
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid discharge method, a liquid discharge head, a manufacturing method of the head, a head cartridge, and a liquid discharge device used in a printer, a video printer or the like, as an output terminal of a copying machine, a facsimile, a word processor, a host computer or the like. In particular, it relates to a liquid discharge method, a liquid discharge head, a manufacturing method of the head, a head cartridge and a liquid discharge device, wherein a base body on which an electricity-heat conversion element generating thermal energy utilized as energy for recording is provided, and recording is performed by discharging a liquid (ink or the like) for recording from a discharge port (orifice) as flying droplets, and making them adhere to a recording medium.
Note that the present invention is an invention capable of applying to a device such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile having a communication system, a word processor having a printer part or the like, wherein recording is performed to media to be recorded, such as papers, yarns, fibers, dishcloths, hides, metals, plastics, glasses, woods, ceramics or the like, and further, a recording device for industry combined with various processors in a complex manner. Here, “recording” in the present invention means not only to give an image having a meaning, such as a character, a figure or the like, to a medium to be recorded, but also to give an image having no meaning, such as a pattern or the like.
2. Related Background Art
An ink jet recording method, so-called bubble jet recording method, wherein, by giving an ink thermal energy, a change in state with a rapid change in volume is produced in the ink, the ink is discharged from a discharge port by an action force based on this change in state of the ink, and it is made to adhere to a medium to be recorded to perform an image formation, has been hitherto known. A recording device using this bubble jet recording method is representatively disclosed in U.S. Pat. No 4,723,129 specification.
Further, as an improvement invention of this bubble jet recording method, a device in which a movable member is opposite to a heating body as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-24577, has been proposed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one of the objects of the present invention to raise the discharge characteristic of a device in which an air bubble, particularly, an air bubble attendant upon film boiling is generated in a liquid flow passage and a liquid is discharged, to a higher level.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid discharge method, a liquid discharge head, a head cartridge, and a liquid discharge device wherein the discharge characteristics are stable and high reliability is obtained.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method of a liquid discharge head capable of manufacturing a movable member of a liquid discharge head in high density with high accuracy.
It is further another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge method which comprises
a displacement step where a movable member is displaced by generating an electrostatic force between a substrate having a thermal energy generating element for generating thermal energy which is utilized to discharge a liquid through a discharge port and the movable member disposed opposite to the thermal energy generating element and having a free end on a downstream side in the flow direction of the liquid to thereby displace a liquid surface at the discharge port to an upstream side in the flow direction of the liquid, and
a discharge step where the movable member is displaced owing to a bubble formed by the thermal energy generated by the thermal energy generating element to discharge the liquid through the discharge port.
It is further another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head which comprises
a substrate having a thermal energy generating element for generating thermal energy which is utilized to discharge a liquid through a discharge port, and
a movable member which is disposed opposite to the thermal energy generating element and which has a free end on a downstream side in the flow direction of the liquid and which is equipped with a movable member side electrode for generating an electrostatic force between the electrode itself and the substrate,
the movable member being displaced owing to a bubble formed by the thermal energy generated by the thermal energy generating element to discharge the liquid through the discharge port.
It is further another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method of a liquid discharge head comprising a substrate having a thermal energy generating element for generating thermal energy which is utilized to discharge a liquid through a discharge port, and a movable member which is disposed opposite to the thermal energy generating element and which has a free end on a downstream side in the flow direction of the liquid and which is equipped with a movable member side electrode for generating an electrostatic force between the electrode itself and the substrate, the manufacturing method comprising:
a step of forming a first inorganic material film on the substrate, and patterning the first inorganic material film into a predetermined shape,
a step of forming a second inorganic film on the substrate and the first inorganic material film, and patterning the second inorganic material film into a predetermined shape,
a step of forming the movable member side electrode on the second inorganic material film,
a step of forming, on the movable member side electrode and the second inorganic material film, a wiring layer for connecting the movable member side electrode to a drive circuit disposed on the substrate,
a step of forming a third inorganic material film on the wiring layer, and
a step of removing the first inorganic material film to thereby form the movable member.
It is further another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge head manufactured by the manufacturing method described above.
It is further another object of the present invention is to provide a head cartridge which integrally comprises
a liquid discharge head described above, and
a liquid container for accommodating a liquid which is supplied to the liquid discharge head.
It is further another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge device which comprises
a liquid discharge head described above, and
supply means for giving a drive signal for discharging a liquid from the liquid discharge head.
It is further another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid discharge device which comprises
a liquid discharge head described above, and
carrier means for carrying a record medium to be recorded with the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge head.
In the present invention, since a liquid discharge action is performed after a liquid having protruded from a discharge port is retreated into a liquid flow passage, the droplet quantity being discharged can be stabilized. Consequently, the quality of a recorded image can be improved.
Besides, in the present invention, since the moment a droplet separates from a liquid surface in a discharge port, the liquid surface is displaced to the upstream side in the flow direction of a liquid, it becomes possible to make the quantity of the liquid drawn back into a liquid flow passage uniform each discharge action, and it becomes possible to reduce or prevent the phenomenon that the liquid near the discharge port becomes a trailing shape so as to follow a flying droplet, and the phenomenon that small droplets, which are satellite droplets, fly after a main droplet. Consequently, the quality of a recorded image can be improved.
Further, in the present invention, because the time since a movable member is displaced upward to the maximum till it is displaced downward becomes short,
Kubota Masahiko
Tsuruoka Yuji
Barlow John
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Stephens Juanita
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