Patents Examined by K. Feggins
  • Patent number: 7862154
    Abstract: The liquid ejection method of ejecting liquid from a nozzle, includes the steps of: growing a column of the liquid from the nozzle; and injecting a bubble into a base of the column of the liquid during growth thereof from the nozzle, by using a bubble supply device which supplies a bubble.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventor: Sho Onozawa
  • Patent number: 7862156
    Abstract: Embodiments of a heating element of a fluid ejection device are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Bradley D. Chung, Bhavin Shah, Anthony M. Fuller, Ozgur Yildirim, Garrett E. Clark
  • Patent number: 7862160
    Abstract: A print head has an array of jets to dispense ink onto a printing surface, an array of actuators to cause the jets to dispense ink and an ink manifold to route ink to the array of jets, the ink manifold being formed of at least one polymer layers. A print manifold has an array of jets formed on a metal plate, at least one polymer layer mounted on the metal plate, the polymer layer including an array of manifolds corresponding to the array of jets and an electronic circuit board mounted on the polymer layer, the electronic circuit board having an array of holes corresponding to the array of manifolds. A print system includes at least one ink reservoir at least one umbilical to transport ink out of the ink reservoir and a print head as described above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Andrews, Chad J. Slenes
  • Patent number: 7857431
    Abstract: A piezoelectric substance element has a piezoelectric substance film and a pair of electrodes connected to the piezoelectric substance film on a substrate, and a main component of the piezoelectric substance film is Pb(Zr, Ti)O3, a composition ratio of Zr/(Zr+Ti) is over 0.4 but less than 0.7, the piezoelectric substance film is a film having at last a tetragonal crystal a-domain and a c-domain within a range of ±10° with respect to the surface of the substrate, and a volume rate of the c-domain to the total of the a-domain and the c-domain is equal to or larger than 20% and equal to or smaller than 60%.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Tetsuro Fukui, Kenichi Takeda, Toshihiro Ifuku, Hiroshi Funakubo, Shintaro Yokoyama, Yong Kwan Kim, Hiroshi Nakaki, Risako Ueno, Shoji Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7857430
    Abstract: An ink jet head includes an ejecting unit for ejecting ink droplets toward a recording medium and an ejection port substrate in which ejection ports from which ink droplets are ejected are opened, in which a surface of the ejection port substrate on a side from which the ink droplets are ejected is coated with a diamond like carbon layer. Alternatively, the ink jet head includes a head substrate in which resin-made ink guides are formed, each ink guide for forming a meniscus of the ink and ejection electrodes, each for forming an electric field on a tip end of the ink guide and ejecting the ink as the ink droplets by exerting an electrostatic force onto the ink, in which the ink guide is coated with a protective layer such as the diamond like carbon layer. An ink jet recording apparatus includes the ink jet head and a moving unit for moving the ink jet head and the recording medium relatively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventor: Koji Furukawa
  • Patent number: 7857432
    Abstract: A drop generator includes a pressure chamber and a flexible diaphragm plate disposed on the chamber and forming a wall of the pressure chamber. A piezoelectric transducer having a bottom surface is attached to the diaphragm plate. The diaphragm plate includes a recess that forms a perimeter around the bottom surface of the transducer that partially underlies at least one edge of the bottom surface. An inlet channel is connected to the pressure chamber and configured to direct ink to the pressure chamber from a manifold. An outlet channel is connected to the pressure chamber to receive ink from the pressure chamber and has a channel axis that is perpendicular to the diaphragm plate. The outlet channel includes a first outlet channel section and a second outlet channel section. The first outlet channel section includes a plurality of subsections having alternating diameters. The second outlet channel section includes an aperture disposed at an end thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Terrance Lee Stephens, Brian Edward Williams, John Milton Brookfield, James Dudley Padgett
  • Patent number: 7854496
    Abstract: An inkjet printer configured for ejecting ink droplets having a volume in the range of 1 to 2.5 pL, the printer comprising: a printhead having a plurality of nozzles assemblies, each nozzle assembly comprising: a nozzle chamber for containing ink, the chamber having a nozzle opening and an ink inlet, the nozzle opening having a maximum dimension in the range of 4 to 12 microns; and a bend actuator for ejecting ink droplets from the nozzle opening by generating a positive pressure pulse in the ink during bending of the actuator; and an ink supply system configured for supplying ink to the printhead at a positive hydrostatic pressure in the range of 1 to 300 mm H2O.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Gregory John McAvoy, Vincent Patrick Lawlor, Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7854498
    Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator includes a vibration plate, a first piezoelectric layer formed on one surface of the vibration plate, a second piezoelectric layer stacked on a surface of the first piezoelectric layer, a plurality of individual electrodes arranged on a surface of the second piezoelectric layer in a predetermined direction, a first common electrode having a plurality of first electrodes formed between the first piezoelectric layer and the second piezoelectric layer, and which are arranged in the predetermined direction to face the individual electrodes respectively, and a first wire electrically connecting all of the first electrodes, and a second common electrode having a plurality of second electrodes formed between the vibration plate and the first piezoelectric layer, and which are arranged in the predetermined direction to face the individual electrodes respectively, and a second wire electrically connecting all of the second electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shohei Koide
  • Patent number: 7850285
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head includes an ejection side surface; an ejection outlet, formed in the ejection side surface, for ejecting liquid; and a protection tape pasted on the ejection side surface. The protection tape is partly irradiated with ultraviolet radiation or infrared radiation after being pasted on the ejection side surface such that bonding strength is different depending on a position of the protection tape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Aya Yoshihira, Takeshi Okazaki
  • Patent number: 7850289
    Abstract: A printer includes a printhead and a source of fluid. The printhead includes a nozzle. The fluid is under pressure sufficient to eject a column of the fluid through the nozzle. The fluid has a temperature. An asymmetric thermal modulator is associated with the nozzle and includes a structure that transiently lowers the temperature of a first portion of the fluid as the fluid is ejected through the nozzle and a structure that transiently raises the temperature of a second portion of the fluid as the fluid is ejected through the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Gilbert A. Hawkins, Kathleen M. Vaeth, Edward P. Furlani, Christopher N. Delametter
  • Patent number: 7850288
    Abstract: An ink jet recording head comprising: a nozzle orifice for jetting ink; an ink chamber communicating with the nozzle; a diaphragm for pressurizing ink in the ink chamber; a piezoelectric thin film on the diaphragm; and an electrode for the piezoelectric thin film wherein the piezoelectric thin film and the electrode are patterned to the same shape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Hashizume, Tetsushi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7850281
    Abstract: An inkjet nozzle assembly comprising a nozzle chamber for containing ink, the chamber having a nozzle opening and an ink inlet; a pair of electrical contacts positioned at one end of the assembly and connected to drive circuitry; and a thermal bend actuator for ejecting ink through the nozzle opening, the actuator comprising: an active beam connected to the electrical contacts and extending longitudinally away from the contacts, the active beam defining a bent current flow path between the contacts; and a passive beam fused to the active beam, such that when a current is passed through the active beam, the active beam heats and expands relative to the passive beam resulting in bending of the actuator, wherein the actuator has a working face for generating a positive pressure pulse in the ink during the bending of the actuator, the working face having an area of less than 800 square microns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Gregory John McAvoy, Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7845768
    Abstract: Disclose is a liquid droplet ejection head comprising; a piezoelectric actuator using a piezoelectric porcelain composition containing no lead and having low temperature dependence of piezoelectric constant, Specifically disclosed is a droplet ejection head characterized by comprising a piezoelectric actuator using a piezoelectric porcelain composition containing a solid solution of a main component represent by the Formula (1) below and a sub-component represented by the Formula (2) below which is added in an amount of less than 1 mol % relative to the total amount of the solid solution. {LiX(K1-YNaY)1-X}(Nb1-Z-WTaZSbW)O3,??Formula (1) wherein x, y, z and W are within the ranges of 0?x?0.2, 0?y?1, 0<z?0.4, and 0<w?0.2, respectively. ABO3,??Formula (2) wherein A represents Bi, and B represents at least any one of Fe, In, and Sc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventor: Shingo Uraki
  • Patent number: 7845765
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead with an array of nozzles arranged in a series of rows, each nozzle having an ejection aperture, a chamber for holding printing fluid and a heater element for generating a vapor bubble in the printing fluid contained by the chamber to eject a drop of the printing fluid through the ejection aperture. The nozzle, the heater element and the chamber are all elongate structures that have a long dimension that exceeds their other dimensions respectively. The respective long dimensions of the nozzle, the heater element and the chambers are parallel and extend normal to the row direction. To increase the nozzle density of the array, each of the nozzle components—the chamber, the ejection aperture and the heater element are configured as elongate structures that are all aligned transverse to the direction of the row. This raises the nozzle pitch, or nozzle per inch (npi), of the row while allowing the chamber volume and therefore drop volume to stay large enough for a suitable color density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7843476
    Abstract: A thermal head includes a head containing a glass layer. The glass layer has a projecting portion on one surface and a concave groove on the other surface at a position opposed to the projecting portion. The head further contains a heating resistor disposed on the projecting portion, and a pair of electrodes disposed on both sides of the heating resistor. The thermal head further includes a rigid substrate on which a control circuit for the head is provided, and a flexible substrate for electrically connecting the head and the rigid substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tooru Morikawa, Izumi Kariya, Noboru Koyama, Mitsuo Yanase
  • Patent number: 7841702
    Abstract: A heater stack includes first strata configured to support and form a fluid heater element responsive to repetitive electrical activation and deactivation to produce cycles of fluid ejection and second strata overlying the first strata to protect the heater element. A decomposed sacrificial layer of a preselected polymer between the substrate and a heater substrata containing the heater element provides a decoupled relationship between them which, during a heat-up period of each cycle, results in the heater element buckling out of physical contact with substrate enabling the heater element to transfer heat energy for producing fluid ejection into the fluid without transferring any into the substrate whereas the decoupled relationship, during the next following cool-down period of each cycle, results in the heater element de-buckling back into physical contact with the substrate enabling the heater element transfer residual heat energy to the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Yimin Guan, Burton Lee Joyner, II, Zachary Justin Reitmeier
  • Patent number: 7841699
    Abstract: A modular printhead assembly includes an elongate chassis. A plurality of elongate printhead modules is serially arranged along and engaged with the chassis. Each end of each printhead module is shaped so that each adjacent pair of printhead modules forms a complementary fit. Each printhead module includes an elongate printhead configured to eject ink. Each printhead is oriented obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the chassis. Each adjacent pair of printheads overlaps to enable continuous printing along the axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Kia Silverbrook, Tobin Allen King, Garry Raymond Jackson
  • Patent number: 7843477
    Abstract: Thermal sublimation card printers and associated method for printing image onto a card are disclosed. One proposed method includes receiving target image data; moving a card; transferring dyes of a ribbon onto the card according to the target image data while moving the card; detecting the movement of the card; when the card has moved a predetermined distance, determining image characteristics corresponding to remaining image data of the target image data that has not printed yet; determining image content to be printed onto remaining area of the card according to determined image characteristics; and transferring dyes of the ribbon onto the remaining area of the card according to the image content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: HiTi Digital, Inc.
    Inventor: Hsing-Lun Yang
  • Patent number: 7837305
    Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes a pressure chamber member that has an opening communicating with a nozzle, a vibrating plate that is disposed on the pressure chamber member so as to cover the opening, a lower electrode that is disposed on the vibrating plate, a piezoelectric body that is disposed on the lower electrode, an upper electrode that is disposed on the piezoelectric body and in a region opposed to the opening, and a lead electrode that is disposed on the piezoelectric body, that extends from the upper electrode, and that has a width smaller than that of the upper electrode. The piezoelectric body includes a groove portion that is disposed in a predetermined region along an edge portion of the opening and an inactive region (piezoelectric inactive region) that is a region other than the groove portion, that is disposed along the edge portion of the opening, and that does not substantially serve as a piezoelectric element. The lead electrode is disposed in the piezoelectric inactive region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Shintarou Hara, Osamu Watanabe, Kazumi Sadamatsu, Hideaki Horio, Eiji Fujii
  • Patent number: 7832846
    Abstract: A piezoelectric inkjet printhead that includes a flow channel plate; an ink flow channel that is formed in the flow channel plate and includes an ink inlet through which ink enters, a plurality of pressure chambers to which ink to be ejected is filled, a manifold which is a path for supplying ink from the ink inlet to the pressure chambers, a plurality of restrictors that connect the manifold to the pressure chambers, and a plurality of nozzles to eject ink from the pressure chambers to the outside; and a plurality of piezoelectric actuators formed on the flow channel plate to provide a driving power to each of the pressure chambers to eject ink to the outside, wherein the manifold includes a plurality of individual manifolds defined by a plurality of first barrier ribs, which respectively correspond to the pressure chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Young-ki Hong, Jae-woo Chung