Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-15
2003-07-22
Gordon, Raquel Yvette (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S061000, C347S056000, C347S054000, C347S055000, C347S020000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06595626
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART
The present invention relates to a liquid ejecting head for ejecting desired liquid using generation of a bubble by applying thermal energy to the liquid, a head cartridge using the liquid ejecting head, a liquid ejecting device using the same, a manufacturing method for the liquid ejecting head, a liquid ejecting method, a recording method, and a print provided using the liquid ejecting method. It further relates to an ink jet head kit containing the liquid ejection head.
More particularly, it relates to a liquid ejecting head having a movable member movable by generation of a bubble, and a head cartridge using the liquid ejecting head, and liquid ejecting device using the same. It further relates to a liquid ejecting method and recording method for ejection the liquid by moving the movable member using the generation of the bubble.
The present invention is applicable to equipment such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine having a communication system, a word processor having a printer portion or the like, and an industrial recording device combined with various processing device or processing devices, in which the recording is effected on a recording material such as paper, thread, fiber, textile, leather, metal, plastic resin material, glass, wood, ceramic and so on.
In this specification, “recording” means not only forming an image of letter, figure or the like having specific meanings, but also includes forming an image of a pattern not having a specific meaning.
An ink jet recording method of so-called bubble jet type is known in which an instantaneous state change resulting in an instantaneous volume change (bubble generation) is caused by application of energy such as heat to the ink, so as to eject the ink through the ejection outlet by the force resulted from the state change by which the ink is ejected to and deposited on the recording material to form an image formation. As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129, a recording device using the bubble jet recording method comprises an ejection outlet for ejecting the ink, an ink flow path in fluid communication with the ejection outlet, and an electrothermal transducer as energy generating means disposed in the ink flow path.
With such a recording method is advantageous in that, a high quality image, can be recorded at high speed and with low noise, and a plurality of such election outlets can be posited at high density, and therefore, small size recording apparatus capable of providing a high resolution can be provided, and color images can be easily formed. Therefore, the bubble let recording method is now widely used in printers, copying machines, facsimile machines or another office equipment, and for industrial systems such as textile printing device or the like.
With the increase of the wide needs for the bubble jet technique, various demands are imposed thereon, recently.
For example, an improvement in energy use efficiency is demanded. To meet the demand, the optimization of the heat generating element such as adjustment of the thickness of the protecting film is investigated. This method is effective in that a propagation efficiency of the generated heat to the liquid is improved.
In order to provide high image quality images, driving conditions have been proposed by which the ink ejection speed is increased, and/or the bubble generation is stabilized to accomplish better ink ejection. As another example, from the standpoint of increasing the recording speed, flow passage configuration improvements have been proposed by which the speed of liquid filling (refilling) into the liquid flow path is increased.
Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. SHO-63-199972 propose flow passage structures as disclosed in
FIG. 1
, (
a
) and (
b
), for example.
The liquid path or passage structure of a manufacturing method therefor are proposed from the standpoint of the back wave toward the liquid chamber. This back wave is considered as energy loss since it does not contribute to the liquid ejection. It proposes a valve
10
disposed upstream of the heat generating element
2
with respect to the direction of general flow of the liquid, and is mounted on the ceiling of the passage. It takes an initial position wherein it extends along the ceiling. Upon bubble generation, it takes the position wherein it extends downwardly, thus suppressing a part of the back wave by the valve
10
. When the valve is generated in the path
3
, the suppression of the back wave is not practically significant. The back wave is not directly contributable to the election of the liquid. Upon the back wave occurs in the path, the pressure for directly ejecting the liquid already makes the liquid electable from the passage.
On the other hand, in the bubble jet recording method, the heating is repeated with the heat generating element contacted with the ink, and therefore, a burnt material is deposited on the surface of the heat generating element due to kogation of the ink. However, the amount of the deposition may be large depending on the materials of the ink. If this occurs, the ink ejection becomes unstable. Additionally, even when the liquid to be ejected is the one easily deteriorated by heat or even when the liquid is the one with which the bubble generation is not sufficient, the liquid is desired to be ejected in good order without property change.
Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. SHO-61-69467. Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. SHO-55-81172 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,480,259 disclose that different liquids are used for the liquid generating the bubble by the heat (bubble generating liquid) and for the liquid to be ejected (ejection liquid). In these publications, the ink as the ejection liquid and the bubble generation liquid are completely separated by a flexible film of silicone rubber or the like so as to prevent direct contact of the ejection liquid to the heat generating element while propagating the pressure resulting from the bubble generation of the bubble generation liquid to the ejection liquid by the deformation of the flexible film. The prevention of the deposition of the material on the surface of the heat generating element and the increase of the selection latitude of the ejection liquid are accomplished, by such a structure.
However, with this structure in which the ejection liquid and the bubble generation liquid are completely separated, the pressure by the bubble generation is propagated to the ejection liquid through the expansion-contraction deformation of the flexible film, and therefore, the pressure is absorbed by the flexible film to a quite high degree. In addition, the deformation of the flexible film is not so large, and therefore, the energy use efficiency and the election force are deteriorated although the some effect is provided by the provision between the ejection liquid and the bubble generation liquid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a structure for a movable member in a liquid ejection using the movable member.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejection principle with which the generated bubble is controlled in a novel manner.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejecting method, liquid ejecting head and so on wherein heat accumulation in the liquid on the heat generating element is significantly reduced, and the residual bubble on the heat generating element is reduced, while improving the ejection efficiency and the ejection pressure.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid ejecting head and so on wherein inertia force in a direction against liquid supply direction due to back wave is suppressed, and simultaneously, a degree of retraction of a meniscus is reduction by a valve function of a movable member by which the refilling frequency is increased, thus permitting high speed printing.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a liquid electing head and so on wherei
Ikeda Masami
Kashino Toshio
Kimura Makiko
Kudo Kiyomitsu
Nakata Yoshie
Gordon Raquel Yvette
Stewart Jr. Charles W.
LandOfFree
Liquid ejecting head, liquid ejecting device and liquid... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Liquid ejecting head, liquid ejecting device and liquid..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Liquid ejecting head, liquid ejecting device and liquid... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3029464