Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for determining the uniformity of the piezoelectric effect throughout a piezoelectric material using the time-of-flight of an acoustic wave through the material as a gauge of that uniformity.

Abstract: A multi-channel ink supply pump includes a pump shaft with four associated rollers and a cam shaft with four cams evenly spaced longitudinally along the cam shaft. Four tube pinching arms are each hinged at one end to a fixed point. The free ends of the tube pinching arms are spring-biased toward the pump shaft. A first motor is configured through gears to rotate the pump shaft. A second motor is configured through gears to rotate the cam shaft. The pump shaft and the cam shaft are not simultaneously rotated. Tubes carrying ink run underneath the pump shaft and rollers, between the rollers and the tube pinching arms. The cam shaft is normally positioned to counteract the spring bias in all of the tube pinching arms, retracting all of the tube pinching arms away from the pump shaft.

Abstract: A color printer includes an ink delivery system having multiple ink stations for different color inks. Within each ink station, an ink bottle is positioned over an ink reservoir. Needles on the ink reservoir penetrate a septum in the ink bottles, to allow ink to flow into the reservoir. The ink bottles may be removed and replaced as the printer consumes ink, while the printer runs continuously, and with little or no ink leakage.