Abstract: A hot melt ink jet apparatus is disclosed which heats a normally solid ink into a molten state and then ejects the molten ink toward a printing sheet. When printing is performed on the printing sheet, the ink ejected onto the printing sheet quickly solidifies. After the printing operation, the printed sheet is fed between a supporting member and a pressing member. An intervention member is provided between the printed sheet and pressing member. The intervention member includes a layer which has a low cohesiveness and is softer than lumps of solidified ink on the printing sheet.

Abstract: A method of fabricating an acoustic ink printhead with an integrated liquid level control layer is presented. With standard photolithographic techniques, acoustic lenses and ink supply channels are defined in a substrate. Apertures are created in a spacer layer plate to define cavities to hold the ink reservoirs for each ejector. Corresponding alignment holes also made in the substrate and in the spacer layer plate. With spheres matching the size of the alignment holes, the spheres engage the alignment holes to precisely align the apertures in the spacer layer plate with the acoustic lenses in the substrate. The plate and substrate are then bonded for an integrated acoustic printhead with liquid level control by capillary action.

Abstract: A silencer is provided for reducing noise from exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine. The silencer is of the type having an outer cylindrical cover and a coaxial inner cylindrical tube which define between them an annular cylindrical chamber into which the exhaust gases which enter the silencer are admitted. The inner tube is a perforated tube, a first open end of which forms the sole admission orifice for the gases into the silencer and the other opposite end of which is closed. The inside wall of the outer cover is lined with a layer of absorbent material mounted about the inner tube along substantially the entire perforated length of the inner tube.

Abstract: A thermal printer is disclosed which is particularly suitable for making slide transparencies. The printer includes a laser which provides the necessary thermal energy to effect a transfer of dye from a donor element to a receiver element. A beam from the laser passes through suitable optics and is scanned onto the receiver element by a galvonometer. In order to insure the transfer of dye from the donor at a suitable resolution and with sufficient speed, a relatively high-powered single transverse mode coherent laser is used.

Abstract: A speaker and manufacturing method therefor includes a diaphragm having an integral edge, first and second frame pieces and a driver unit. The first and second frame pieces are formed by molding so that the first frame piece is integrally combined with the diaphragm edge, and the second frame piece is integrally combined with the driver unit.

Abstract: An ink jet printer is disclosed having a rotatable intermediate drum having a thermally conductive surface on which the ink droplets are printed from the printhead. The drum surface material is a suitable film forming silicone polymer having a high surface energy and surface roughness to prevent movement of the droplets after impact thereon. The printhead is located relative to the intermediate drum surface so that the ink droplets impact the drum surface with a large contact angle and the ink droplet image is transferred at a second location spaced from the printhead to minimize contaminating particles from the recording medium from reaching the printhead nozzles. The intermediate drum surface is heated to dehydrate the ink droplets prior to transfer from the intermediate drum to the recording medium.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead is fabricated with a resistive temperature sensor formed adjacent to the heater resistors and, in a preferred embodiment, of the same material. Temperature sensing variations between a plurality of printheads used in the same printer is achieved by trimming the termistors to the desired resistance value while holding the printhead at the nominal set temperature. In one embodiment, the heater resistor and thermistor are formed within the same polysilicon layer, and the resistor trimmed therein. In a second embodiment, a thick or thin film resistor is formed of bonded in series with the polysilicon thermistor with the trimming being accomplished at the thick, or thin film resistor.

Abstract: A process for minimizing or avoiding drop deflection in ink jet devices which involves coating the ink jet head components with amorphous carbon and subsequently subjecting the amorphous carbon to fluorination in which results in a fluorine surface layer present on the amorphous carbon coating to prevent ink drop deflection.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes an inking medium containing a liquid electrolyte. A chamber is provided for accommodating the liquid inking medium and having a pair of electrodes disposed therein. A signal generator is provided for applying to the pair of electrodes an electrolyzing signal for electrolyzing at least a portion of the electrolyte contained in the inking medium, and a subsequent discharge signal for effecting a discharge explosion of gases produced as a result of the electrolyzing signal. The inking medium is discharged from the chamber in response to the discharge explosion pressure resulting from the application of the electrolyzing and discharge signals.

Abstract: A thermal printer is disclosed which is particularly suitable for making slide transparencies. The printer includes a laser which provides the necessary energy to effect a transfer of dye from a donor element to a receiver element. In order to insure the transfer of dye from the donor at a suitable resolution and with sufficient speed, two relatively high-powered single transverse mode lasers are used. The beam from one of the lasers is passed through a half-wave plate, and the beam is then combined with the beam from the other laser by a polarization beam splitter. The combined beam is passed through suitable optics and is scanned onto the receiver element by a galvonometer.

Abstract: An improvement is provided for printer such as the dot matrix or thermal type, in which the printhead is stepped across the paper over a multicolor ribbon supplied from a pivotally mounted cartridge and transported through a plane between the line of traverse of the printhead and the surface of the paper. The ribbon is guided by guiding surfaces positioned on each side of the printhead, close to the printhead, and mounted to move with the printhead across the paper so that the guide surfaces will guide the path the ribbon takes to one which passes between the printhead and the paper with the guide being moveable in steps in a direction normal to the traverse of the printhead and parallel to the plane of the ribbon so as to position a selected color band of the ribbon under the printhead to select the color to be printed as the printhead traverses the paper.

Abstract: Apparatus and method of producing image edge enhancement in four-color printers. The true black color is aligned for printing between the cyan, magenta, and yellow colors. When a black edge is desired, process black and true black are both used to produce the pixels along the edge. Because the process and true black pixels are interleaved with each other along the edge, the effective resolution is doubled and the sharpness is enhanced along the edge.

Abstract: Modular partial bars include a substrate bar having a length and a plurality of printhead subunits attached to only one side of the substrate bar, each printhead subunit being spaced from an adjacent printhead subunit. These modular partial bars are used as building blocks to form full width staggered array printheads. When the printhead subunits are arranged on each substrate bar so that two substrate bars are capable of forming a full width staggered array printhead, each modular partial bar is referred to as a modular half bar. One modular half bar can be stacked on another modular half bar any number of ways. For example, two half bars can be stacked with their printhead subunit containing sides facing the same direction, away from one another or towards one another.

Abstract: A printer devised so as to function both as a thermal printer and as an ink-jet printer. The printer having a thermal printing head cartridge, an ink-jet printing head cartridge, a cartridge holder, an electronic circuit and a sensor for identifying a printing head cartridge in use. If one of the above two kinds of printing head cartridges is optionally selected and mounted on the cartridge holder, the sensor outputs a signal of identifying which one of the printing head cartridges is mounted. Receiving the signal, the electronic circuit supplies to a printing head cartridge mounted on the cartridge holder pulse currents suitable for the specific resistors installed in the printing head cartridge for making the same function as a printing head.

Abstract: A method and apparatus actuates a line of printing elements to form characters on a recording medium contained on a curved surface of a platen. The printing elements are sequentially actuated, starting with nozzles located furthest from the platen and proceeding towards printing elements located closest to the platen until the actuation of all element has been performed. The line of printing elements can form a printhead which includes a plurality of nozzles arranged in at least one line having opposing ends, this line being substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the curved platen. Preferably, the line of nozzles is arranged with its center located closest to the platen and the nozzles are actuated starting at the ends of the line of nozzles.

Abstract: An improved ink storage system for ink cartridges which allows operation in a rapid and continuous manner while avoiding deprimes. A flexible, resilient ink bladder is provided which consists of an elongate reservoir that is closed at the bottom and open at the top with a tubular side wall therebetween. The bladder is supplied with ink, and a negative pressure is maintained therein. Due to the negative pressure, the side wall collapses inwardly upon ink delivery. To ensure that the wall collapses properly, the bladder is designed so the side wall thickness varies, with some portions of the wall being thinner than others. As a result, the thinner portions collapse inwardly toward the thicker portions during ink delivery. This prevents undesired increases in back-pressure within the bladder, thereby eliminating ink cartridge deprimes.

Abstract: A sound- and/or vibration-damping coating, which comprises a layer of a relatively hard substance (2) having pores, interstices, cavities (3) and/or hollows (12) containing a material (4) which has a higher plasticity or elasticity than said substance (2), and an element provided with said coating. This coating may be applied on said element by applying to the surface of the latter a surface treatment ensuring the adhesion of the layer of relatively hard substance (2), by applying this layer to the so treated surface by projection of said substance in the at least molten state and as droplets, by using known per se techniques, and by entering said material (4) into cavities (3) formed between coagulated droplets of said substance (2).

Abstract: A loudspeaker system has an enclosure with a baffle dividing the interior into first and second subchambers. The smaller subchamber is directly coupled to the region outside the enclosure by a port tube. The larger subchamber is coupled to the region outside the enclosure via the smaller subchamber by a port tube. The dividing baffle carries a woofer.

Abstract: A multiplex drop ejection construction for a drop-on-demand, ink jet printer. The construction includes a support substrate; a first circuit portion having branches that include a resistive heater element and a diode device formed in spaced relation on the substrate. A dielectric passivation layer overlies the first circuit portion except at the discrete terminal regions of the first circuit portion branches. A second circuit portion comprising a plurality of multiplex electrode lines overlies the passivation layer and includes connection sections extending through the passivation layer into contact with terminal regions of the first circuit. A second passivation layer overlies the second circuit portion, but not the resistive heater elements.

Abstract: A thermal document printer uses a row of rolling-ball ink dispensers to produce a color stripe on the thermally sensitive surface of the document.