Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Fluid pattern dispersing device making – e.g. – ink jet
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-30
2002-03-19
Vo, Peter (Department: 3728)
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet
C029S025350, C029SDIG001, C156S293000, C156S305000, C156S321000, C347S048000, C347S068000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06357115
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fluid injecting apparatus which can suitably inject a solvent for forming an image to an image recording material such as a light-sensitive material, an image receiving material and the like and a method of manufacturing a fluid injecting apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus for performing an image recording operation by using two kinds of image recording materials, for example, a light-sensitive material and an image receiving material is known.
A solvent application portion for forming an image having a tank storing a solvent for forming an image which is used for application to the light-sensitive material is disposed within this kind of image forming apparatus, and further a heat developing and transferring portion comprising a heating drum and an endless pressing belt pressed into contact with the outside of the heating drum and rotating with the heating drum is disposed within the image forming apparatus.
A light-sensitive material on which the image is exposed while being held and conveyed within the image forming apparatus is soaked in the tank in which water acting as the image forming solvent is stored at the image forming solvent application portion, and is fed to the heat developing and transferring portion after the water is applied thereon. On the other hand, the image receiving material is fed to the heat developing and transferring portion in the same manner as the light-sensitive material.
In the heat developing and transferring portion, the light-sensitive material after the water is applied thereon is put over the image receiving material and in this state wound around the outer periphery of the heating drum while in close contact thereto. Further, both materials are transferred between the heating drum and the endless pressing belt while being held therebetween, and the image is transferred to the image receiving material at the same time as the light-sensitive material is heat developed, so that a predetermined image is formed (recorded) on the image receiving material.
However, in the case where the light-sensitive material is soaked in the tank in which the water acting as the image forming solvent is stored, once the water comes into contact with the light-sensitive material, it becomes constantly stored in the tank. As a result, bacteria using traces of organic material released from the light-sensitive material as a nutrition source grow in the tank so that the water is made dirty. There is thus a risk of the image forming apparatus itself deteriorating and the image quality dropping.
Accordingly, a method in which the water supply side, such as the tank, is not in contact with the light-sensitive material, and a nozzle plate disposing a plurality of nozzles in a line is vibrated by an actuator so that small water drops are injected from a fluid injecting apparatus corresponding to an atomizer to the light-sensitive material and is applied thereto has been thought of.
Then, when mounting the actuator to the fluid injecting apparatus, the idea of pressing the actuator into the gap within the fluid injecting apparatus so as to be mounted has been thought of.
However, when the fluid injecting apparatus is filled with water, bubbles tend to adhere to the inner wall, and bubbles entering from the nozzles along with injected water drops adhere to the inner wall of the fluid injecting apparatus and remain there. Accordingly, there is a risk of pressure loss through bubbles and deterioration of atomization is generated during the atomizing operation of the fluid injecting apparatus, causing blocking of nozzles.
Because of this, portions free of water appear on the light-sensitive material, so that uniform coating of the light-sensitive material is difficult.
Further, in the case where the structure that the nozzle plate having the nozzle holes is disposed between a pair of lever mechanisms in such a manner as to extend thereover and water drops are injected by displacing the nozzle plate by means of an actuator, a space for freely swinging the lever mechanism is required in the fluid injecting apparatus. As a result of this, unevenness exists on the inner wall surface of the fluid injecting apparatus and bubbles adhere easily to the inner wall surface, so that the deterioration in atomization occurs even more easily during the atomizing operation of the fluid injecting apparatus.
On the other hand, the bubbles can be inhibited from adhering to the inside of the fluid injecting apparatus by making the cross sectional shape of the inner space of the fluid injecting apparatus close to that of a cylindrical and circular tube shape. However, in the case where the inner wall surface which makes the inner space of the fluid injecting apparatus a sealed structure is formed smoothly and made so that the cross sectional shape is similar to a circular tube, it is hard to increase the surface characteristics in places where bonding between the elements constituting the fluid injecting apparatus, for example, a portion connecting the lever mechanism and the fixed wall portion and a portion connecting the lever mechanism and the nozzle plate.
On the other hand, since it is necessary to control the temperature of the fluid injecting apparatus with a heater in order to adjust the water within the fluid injecting apparatus at predetermined temperatures so as to stabilize the image quality, the fluid injecting apparatus itself is thermally expanded in correspondence to the temperature control, so that the sizes of places where the actuator is pressed change such that they are different from the sizes at the time at which the actuator is mounted. As a result, the displacement amount which is transmitted to the nozzle plate from the actuator is changed. This is a problem; the total displacement amount of the nozzle holes which is necessary for injecting the fluid cannot be obtained.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Taking the above described facts into consideration, the first object of the present invention is to obtain a fluid injecting apparatus which can uniformly apply an image forming solvent to an image recording material and a method of manufacturing a fluid injecting apparatus. Further, the second object of the present invention is to obtain a fluid injecting apparatus which can secure the displacement amount of nozzle holes necessary for injection even when the temperature is controlled and a method of manufacturing a fluid injecting apparatus.
In accordance with the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a fluid injecting apparatus comprising an injecting tank disposed in opposition to the transfer path of an image recording material and storing an image forming solvent;
a filler filled within the injecting tank and forming an inner wall surface of the injecting tank with a smoothly curved surface;
a nozzle plate disposed in the injecting tank as a part of a wall surface of the injecting tank in opposition to the transfer path of the image recording material, having a plurality of nozzle holes for injecting the image forming solvent and injecting the image forming solvent from the plurality of nozzle holes through movement of the holes back and forth; and
a spacer member disposed at the back surface end of the filler and constituting a part of the injecting tank in opposition to the plurality of nozzle holes.
With the above image forming apparatus, the following functions can be achieved.
The inner wall surface of the injecting tank is formed by the smoothly curved surface of the filler and the spacer member disposed at the back surface end of the filler constitutes the part of the injecting tank in opposition to the plurality of nozzle holes. Then, the image forming solvent is stored within the injecting tank and the injecting tank is disposed in opposition to the transfer path of the image recording material.
Further, the nozzle plate in which the plurality of nozzle holes for injecting the image forming solvent are disposed is provi
Sanada Kazuo
Takatsuka Tsutomu
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Tugbang Dexter
Vo Peter
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