Patents Examined by Benjamin K. Poller
  • Patent number: 5798774
    Abstract: A gas assisted liquid jet apparatus, suitable for use in ink jet printers, includes a transducer housing having a plurality of ink passages and is designed to be used with solid or hot melt ink. The apparatus operates with a compressed air source to provide a laminar air flow through an orifice from where ink is ejected. As a result, ink ligaments and droplets uniformly accelerate toward the printing medium, and the high speed laminar flow reduces friction at the orifice, thus reducing the formation of ink ligaments or satellite droplets. The apparatus may be made by attaching different layered members together. This improves the efficiency and ease of fabrication of multiple array liquid jet apparatus. Because of the layered structure, ink passages and air chambers each may be placed in a selected layered member or in more than one layered member. The location of the ink passages in the same layer or structure, such as the transducer housing, as a heater provides improved heating capabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 25, 1998
    Assignee: Dataproducts Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Okada, Joseph A. Lahut, David O. Ward