Abstract: A piezoelectric ink jet printing system including a primary ink supply and a plurality of piezoelectric ink jet printhead assemblies. Each assembly comprises a housing, a piezoelectric ink jet printhead in the housing, a secondary ink supply attached to the housing close to the printhead, and a short ink supply line for delivery of ink from the secondary ink supply to the printhead. The system further includes a pump for pumping ink from the primary ink supply to the secondary ink supply of each printhead assembly. Each printhead assembly is operable independently of the other printhead assemblies and are selectively movable with respect to the other printhead assemblies and with respect to the primary ink supply so that each printhead assembly can be positioned at a desired location without regard to where the other printhead assemblies are to be positioned and without regard to where the primary ink supply is positioned.

Abstract: A printhead for ink jet printing apparatus having a plurality of orifices for delivery of droplets of ink with delivery controlled by miniature solenoids, one for each orifice, each solenoid having a plunger directly engageable with a membrane to block flow of ink to a respective orifice and electromagnetically retractable from the membrane for flow of ink for delivery of a droplet of ink from the respective orifice, with provision for proportional valve action for each orifice. A removable and replaceable dot mask plate having a pattern of holes is sandwiched between a body and a back plate of the printhead and certain of the plungers of the solenoids are aligned with holes in the dot mask and, in a forward extended position, extend through the holes to engage the membrane. The dot mask masks or blocks other plungers of the printhead.

Abstract: A system for ink jet printing of messages on articles being fed forward one after another in a predetermined path. A terminal includes a keyboard for entering message data representative of the messages. A controller interconnected with the terminal processes the message data received from the terminal and stores the message data for the messages. The controller has an output port for providing serial output data in a bit map format representative of the messages. A plurality of ink jet printheads are serially connected and positioned adjacent the path of the articles to print the messages on the articles in response to the serial output data. A single cable connects the output port of the controller to the first printhead for providing the output data to the first printhead. A separate cable interconnects each printhead to its next succeeding printhead for serially providing the data to the remaining printheads so that the printheads are connected in a daisy chain configuration.

Abstract: An ink jet printing system having an ink accumulator holding a supply of ink for delivery under pressure to printheads of the system, the volume of the supply decreasing as ink is delivered to the printheads, and a pump operable intermittently to pump ink from a supply to the accumulator when the volume in the accumulator decreases to a lower limit, operation of the pump being terminated when the volume in the accumulator increases to an upper limit.

Abstract: A system for ink jet printing of messages on articles being fed forward one after another in a predetermined path. A terminal includes a keyboard for entering message data representative of the messages. A controller interconnected with the terminal processes the message data received from the terminal and stores the message data for the messages. The controller has an output port for providing serial output data in a bit map format representative of the messages. A plurality of ink jet printheads are serially connected and positioned adjacent the path of the articles to print the messages on the articles in response to the serial output data. A single cable connects the output port of the controller to the first printhead for providing the output data to the first printhead. A separate cable interconnects each printhead to its next succeeding printhead for serially providing the data to the remaining printheads so that the printheads are connected in a daisy chain configuration.

Abstract: A label assembly comprising a carrier of flexible sheet material, and a series of labels on the carrier. Each label has a first major region for adhesive securement to a label-receiving surface, and a second major region adjacent to the first major region. Adhesive on the rear face of each label covers substantially the entire rear face of the label, including the first and second major regions. Die cuts in the carrier form a plurality of separate but closely spaced cover pieces substantially covering the rear face of one of the first and second major regions of each label. These cover pieces remain on the label when the label is peeled off the carrier, so that the rear face of the one region is rendered substantially non-adhering by the cover pieces and the rear face of the other region is adapted for adhesive securement to the label-receiving surface.

Abstract: A printhead for ink jet printing comprising a front plate having a chamber therein for ink under pressure, ports extending from the chamber to the back face of the front plate, recesses in the back face, passages extending through the front plate from the recesses to its front face, the ends of the passages at the front face constituting orifices for delivery of ink onto a target surface moving past the front face, a flexible membrane held on the back face by a back plate, and members slidable in holes in the back plate releasably holding the membrane pressed against the back face of the front plate at the back ends of the ports to block flow of ink out of the back ends of the ports to the recesses and the passages and operable to release the membrane for flexing away from the back ends of the ports for delivery of ink.

Abstract: An ink jet printing system comprising a plurality of ink jet printheads each having a matrix of ink jets, each jet having a nozzle constituting a valve seat at its outlet end, the seat having an orifice for ejection of drops of ink, a solenoid-actuated valve member engageable with and disengageable from the seat to close and open the orifice, a controller for each printhead comprising a microcomputer for processing data for actuating the solenoids to print messages and storing the data, a console for all the printheads having a microcomputer for processing data for delivery to the printheads and operable to store data for a plurality of messages, and a terminal for generating data for messages for delivery to the console or, alternately, directly to the printhead controllers for a minimum system.

Abstract: A printhead for an ink jet printing apparatus comprising a body having a recess in its back face, and a plurality of bosses extending from the bottom of the recess with an orifice extending through each boss; a flexible membrane over the recess forming a chamber for ink supplied from a source under pressure, the membrane engageable with the back ends of the bosses for closing the orifices; a plurality of relatively slender elongate members one for each boss extending rearward from the back of the membrane, each of the elongate members being generally aligned at its inner end with its respective boss; means at the outer end of each elongate member operable by the elongate member for releasing the membrane from the respective boss to enable the membrane to flex away from the respective boss for delivery of a drop of ink from the chamber through the respective orifice, the release means being arranged in an array spread out relative to the bosses with the elongate members extending from a relatively closely spac