Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-10
2001-05-22
Barlow, John (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S020000, C347S044000, C347S094000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06234609
ABSTRACT:
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not applicable.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of inkjet printing and, in particular, discloses a High Young's Modulus Thermoelastic Inkjet Printer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many different types of printing have been invented, a large number of which are presently in use. The known forms of print have a variety of methods for marking the print media with a relevant marking media. Commonly used forms of printing include offset printing, laser printing and copying devices, dot matrix type impact printers, thermal paper printers, film recorders, thermal wax printers, dye sublimation printers and ink jet printers both of the drop on demand and continuous flow type. Each type of printer has its own advantages and problems when considering cost, speed, quality, reliability, simplicity of construction and operation etc.
In recent years, the field of ink jet printing, wherein each individual pixel of ink is derived from one or more ink nozzles has become increasingly popular primarily due to its inexpensive and versatile nature.
Many different techniques on ink jet printing have been invented. For a survey of the field, reference is made to an article by J Moore, “Non-Impact Printing: Introduction and Historical Perspective”, Output Hard Copy Devices, Editors R Dubeck and S Sherr, pages 207-220 (1988).
Ink Jet printers themselves come in many different types. The utilisation of a continuous stream of ink in ink jet printing appears to date back to at least 1929 wherein U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,001 by Hansell discloses a simple form of continuous stream electro-static ink jet printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,275 by Sweet also discloses a process of a continuous ink jet printing including the step wherein the ink jet stream is modulated by a high frequency electro-static field so as to cause drop separation. This technique is still utilized by several manufacturers including Elmjet and Scitex (see also U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,437 by Sweet et al)
Piezo-electric ink jet printers are also one form of commonly utilized ink jet printing device. Piezo-electric systems are disclosed by Kyser et. al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 (1970) which utilizes a diaphragm mode of operation, by Zolten in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,212 (1970) which discloses a squeeze mode of operation of a piezo electric crystal, Stemme in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,120 (1972) discloses a bend mode of piezo-electric operation, Howkins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,601 discloses a Piezo electric push mode actuation of the ink jet stream and Fischbeck in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590 which discloses a shear mode type of piezo-electric transducer element.
Recently, thermal ink jet printing has become an extremely popular form of ink jet printing. The ink jet printing techniques include those disclosed by Endo et al in GB 2007162 (1979) and Vaught et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,728. Both the aforementioned references disclose ink jet printing techniques which rely upon the activation of an electrothermal actuator which results in the creation of a bubble in a constricted space, such as a nozzle, which thereby causes the ejection of ink from an aperture connected to the confined space onto a relevant print media. Printing devices utilizing the electro-thermal actuator are manufactured by manufacturers such as Canon and Hewlett Packard.
As can be seen from the foregoing, many different types of printing technologies are available. Ideally, a printing technology should have a number of desirable attributes. These include inexpensive construction and operation, high speed operation, safe and continuous long term operation etc. Each technology may have its own advantages and disadvantages in the areas of cost, speed, quality, reliability, power usage, simplicity of construction, operation, durability and consumables.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide for an alternative form of inkjet printer device which includes a High Young's modulus actuation mechanism so as to provide enhanced performance.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ink jet nozzle arrangement for the ejection of ink from a nozzle chamber including a nozzle chamber interconnected to an ink supply and having an ink ejection port in one wall thereof; an ejection paddle for the ejection of ink from the ink ejection port; a thermal actuator mechanism attached to an ejection paddle for the actuation of the ejection paddle causing the ejection of ink; wherein the thermal actuator comprises materials having a high young's modulus which produces a bending motion upon heating thereby causing the ejection paddle to eject ink from the ink ejection port.
The thermal actuator can be pivoted so as to increase the degree of travel of the ejection paddle upon actuation of the thermal actuator and can be of a horseshoe shaped form and pivoted substantially around a midpoint. The pivot point can be constructed on a wall of the chamber by means of a thinned membrane, thereby allowing the thermal actuator to operate in the ambient atmosphere. The nozzle chamber is constructed on a silicon wafer and the ink is supplied through the silicon wafer.
The thermal actuator can be constructed from a thin conductive section having a high young's modulus and a substantially thicker non conductive portion. The thin conductive portion can comprise titanium diboride and the thicker portion can comprise glass.
The nozzle chamber walls can include a number of small sacrificial etchant holes for utilization in construction of the arrangement, the holes being of sufficiently small diameter so as to prevent the ejection of ink therefrom. The arrangement can be constructed using micro-electro mechanical systems techniques including a sacrificial etch and the ejection paddle is released in the sacrificial etch to be in a prefiring position.
REFERENCES:
patent: 404001051 (1992-01-01), None
“An ink-jet HeadUsing Diaphragm Microactuator” by Hirata et al from Sharp Corporation, Jun. 1996, pp. 418-423.*
“Micro Electro Mechanical Systems” by Egawa et al, IEEE catalog No. 90CH2832-4, Feb. 1990, pp. 166-171.
Barlow John
Do An H.
Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
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