Patents by Inventor Byron Bell

Byron Bell has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20210204607
    Abstract: The e-vaping method includes providing a reservoir within a housing, the reservoir being configured to contain a pre-vapor formulation, first configuring ejectors to eject droplets of the pre-vapor formulation towards a vaporizing heater, the ejectors being in fluid communication with the reservoir, and second configuring a vaporizing heater to vaporize at least some of the droplets.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2021
    Publication date: July 8, 2021
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Raymond LAU, Eric HAWES, Terry BACHE, Ryan NEWCOMB, John Glenn EDELEN, James D. ANDERSON, JR., Byron BELL
  • Patent number: 10959462
    Abstract: The e-vaping device includes a housing, a vaporizing heater within the housing, and a reservoir configured to contain a pre-vapor formulation. At least one ejector is in fluid communication with the reservoir. The at least one ejector is configured to eject droplets of the pre-vapor formulation towards the vaporizing heater. The vaporizing heater is configured to vaporize at least some of the droplets. The method operates the e-vaping device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Lau, Eric Hawes, Terry Bache, Ryan Newcomb, John Glenn Edelen, James D. Anderson, Jr., Byron Bell
  • Publication number: 20190246702
    Abstract: The e-vaping device includes a housing, a vaporizing heater within the housing, and a reservoir configured to contain a pre-vapor formulation. At least one ejector is in fluid communication with the reservoir. The at least one ejector is configured to eject droplets of the pre-vapor formulation towards the vaporizing heater. The vaporizing heater is configured to vaporize at least some of the droplets. The method operates the e-vaping device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Applicant: Altria Client Services LLC
    Inventors: Raymond LAU, Eric HAWES, Terry BACHE, Ryan NEWCOMB, John Glenn EDELEN, James D. ANDERSON, JR., Byron BELL
  • Patent number: 10314342
    Abstract: The e-vaping device includes a housing, and a vaporizing heater within the housing. A cartridge within the device defines a reservoir containing a pre-vapor formulation. A chip on an end of the cartridge defines a via in fluid communication with the reservoir. The chip includes an ejector in fluid communication with the via, where the ejector is configured to eject droplets of the pre-vapor formulation towards the vaporizing heater. The method of making the device includes connecting a chip to an end of the cartridge, where the ejector ejects droplets of the pre-vapor formulation towards the vaporizing heater. The method of operating the device includes supplying a first electrical current to the vaporizing heater to energize the vaporizing heater and supplying a second electrical current to the ejector to energize the ejector and eject droplets of a pre-vapor formulation from the ejector towards the vaporizing heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: ALTRIA CLIENT SERVICES LLC
    Inventors: Raymond Lau, Eric Hawes, Terry Bache, Ryan Newcomb, John Glenn Edelen, James D. Anderson, Jr., Byron Bell
  • Publication number: 20190116880
    Abstract: The e-vaping device includes a housing, and a vaporizing heater within the housing. A cartridge within the device defines a reservoir containing a pre-vapor formulation. A chip on an end of the cartridge defines a via in fluid communication with the reservoir. The chip includes an ejector in fluid communication with the via, where the ejector is configured to eject droplets of the pre-vapor formulation towards the vaporizing heater. The method of making the device includes connecting a chip to an end of the cartridge, where the ejector ejects droplets of the pre-vapor formulation towards the vaporizing heater. The method of operating the device includes supplying a first electrical current to the vaporizing heater to energize the vaporizing heater and supplying a second electrical current to the ejector to energize the ejector and eject droplets of a pre-vapor formulation from the ejector towards the vaporizing heater.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2017
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Inventors: Raymond LAU, Eric HAWES, Terry BACHE, Ryan NEWCOMB, John Glenn EDELEN, James D. ANDERSON, JR., Byron BELL
  • Publication number: 20070222824
    Abstract: Fluid ejection actuators, micro-fluid ejection heads, and methods relating thereto. One such fluid ejection actuator is provided by a conductive layer adjacent a substrate. The conductive layer has a substantially non-conductive portion. The substantially non-conductive portion includes a portion of the conductive layer which has been treated to have low conductivity properties. A resistive layer is adjacent the conductive layer. The substantially non-conductive portion of the conductive layer substantially defines the fluid ejection actuator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2006
    Publication date: September 27, 2007
    Inventors: Byron Bell, Burton Joyner, Jessica Mayes
  • Publication number: 20070126773
    Abstract: A micro-fluid ejection device structure and method therefor having improved low energy design. The devices includes a semiconductor substrate and an insulating layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate. A plurality of heater resistors are formed on the insulating layer from a resistive layer selected from the group consisting of TaAl, Ta2N, TaAl(O,N), TaAlSi, Ti(N,O), WSi(O,N), TaAlN, and TaAl/TaAlN. A sacrificial layer selected from an oxidizable metal and having a thickness ranging from about 500 to about 5000 Angstroms is deposited on the plurality of heater resistors. Electrodes are formed on the sacrificial layer from a first metal conductive layer to provide anode and cathode connections to the plurality of heater resistors. The sacrificial layer is oxidized in a plasma oxidation process to provide a fluid contact layer on the plurality of heater resistors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Publication date: June 7, 2007
    Inventors: Frank Anderson, Byron Bell, Robert Cornell, Yimin Guan
  • Publication number: 20070002101
    Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to a micro-fluid ejection head for a micro-fluid ejection device. The head includes a semiconductor substrate, a fluid ejection actuator supported by the semiconductor substrate, a nozzle member containing nozzle holes attached to the substrate for expelling droplets of fluid from one or more nozzle holes in the nozzle member upon activation of the ejection actuator. The substrate further includes a thermal insulating barrier layer between the semiconductor substrate and the fluid ejection actuator. The thermal insulating barrier layer includes a porous, substantially impermeable material having a thermal conductivity of less than about 1 W/m-K.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Inventors: Byron Bell, Robert Cornell, Yimin Guan, Burton Joyner
  • Publication number: 20060197807
    Abstract: A process for making a fluid ejector head for a micro-fluid ejection device. In one embodiment, the process comprises depositing a thin film resistive layer on a substrate to provide a plurality of thin film heaters. The thin film resistive layer comprises a tantalum-aluminum-nitride material consisting essentially of AlN, TaN, and TaAl alloys, and containing from about 30 to about 70 atomic % tantalum, from about 10 to about 40 atomic % aluminum and from about 5 to about 30 atomic % nitrogen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Publication date: September 7, 2006
    Inventors: Byron Bell, Robert Cornell, Yimin Guan, George Parish
  • Publication number: 20060055723
    Abstract: A substantially inorganic planarization layer for a micro-fluid ejection head substrate and method therefor. The planarization layer includes a plurality of layers composed of one or more dielectric compounds and at least one spin on glass (SOG) layer having a total thickness ranging from about 1 microns to about 15 microns deposited over a second metal layer of the micro-fluid ejection head substrate. A top most layer of the planarization layer is selected from one or more of the dielectric compounds and a hard mask material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Inventors: Byron Bell, Craig Bertelsen, Brian Hart, Girish Patil, Sean Weaver
  • Publication number: 20060044357
    Abstract: A micro-fluid ejection device structure and method therefor having improved low energy design. The devices includes a semiconductor substrate and an insulating layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate. A plurality of heater resistors are formed on the insulating layer from a resistive layer selected from the group consisting of TaAl, Ta2N, TaAl(O,N), TaAlSi, Ti(N,O), WSi(O,N), TaAlN, and TaAl/TaAlN. A sacrificial layer selected from an oxidizable metal and having a thickness ranging from about 500 to about 5000 Angstroms is deposited on the plurality of heater resistors. Electrodes are formed on the sacrificial layer from a first metal conductive layer to provide anode and cathode connections to the plurality of heater resistors. The sacrificial layer is oxidized in a plasma oxidation process to provide a fluid contact layer on the plurality of heater resistors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Publication date: March 2, 2006
    Inventors: Frank Anderson, Byron Bell, Robert Cornell, Yimin Guan
  • Publication number: 20050157089
    Abstract: A semiconductor substrate for a micro-fluid ejection head. The substrate includes a plurality of fluid ejection actuators disposed on the substrate. Each of the fluid ejection actuators includes a thin heater stack comprising a thin film heater and one or more protective layers adjacent the heater. The thin film heater is made of a tantalum-aluminum-nitride thin film material having a nano-crystalline structure consisting essentially of AlN, TaN, and TaAl alloys, and has a sheet resistance ranging from about 30 to about 100 ohms per square. The thin film material contains from about 30 to about 70 atomic % tantalum, from about 10 to about 40 atomic % aluminum and from about 5 to about 30 atomic % nitrogen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2004
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Inventors: Byron Bell, Robert Cornell, Yimin Guan, George Parish
  • Publication number: 20050078151
    Abstract: An ink jet printhead for an ink jet printer and method for making an improved printhead. The printhead includes a nozzle plate attached to a heater chip. The heater chip is a semiconductor substrate having a resistive layer deposited on the substrate, a dielectric layer deposited on the resistive layer, a cavitation layer for contact with ink, and an adhesion layer between the dielectric layer and cavitation layer. The adhesion layer is selected from the group consisting of tantalum nitride (TaN), tantalum oxide (TaO), silicon nitride (SiN), and titanium nitride (TiN), provided the adhesion layer and cavitation layer are selected so that the adhesion layer has no elemental component in common with the cavitation layer when the dielectric layer is comprised of SiC/SiN. Adhesion between the dielectric layer and cavitation layer is significantly enhanced by the invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Publication date: April 14, 2005
    Inventors: Byron Bell, Yimin Guan
  • Publication number: 20050012791
    Abstract: An ink jet printer including a printer cartridge containing a printhead attached to a cartridge carriage for translation of the cartridge across a print media. The printer also includes an off carriage ink supply, a printer microprocessor, and a combined ink fill tube and electrical connection cable connected between the cartridge and the off carriage ink supply for providing refill ink to the ink cartridge and control of the carriage and printhead. Improvements to the printer enable low cost, high quality printing to be achieved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 16, 2003
    Publication date: January 20, 2005
    Inventors: Frank Anderson, Byron Bell, Carl Sullivan, Paul Cook, Robert Cornell, George Parish
  • Publication number: 20050007424
    Abstract: A semiconductor device containing at least one transistor and at least one heater resistor in a heater resistor area adjacent the at least one transistor on a semiconductor substrate. The device includes a silicon substrate containing contact openings for metal contacts to the at least one transistor. A barrier layer is in the contact openings and in the heater resistor area and provides a diffusion barrier/heater resistor layer. The barrier layer is selected from a group consisting of TaN, Ta/TaAl, TaN/TaAl, TiWN, TaAlN, TiN, Ta(Nx, Oy), WSi(Nx, Oy), TaSi, TaSiN, WSiN, and TaSi(Nx, Oy). A conductive layer is adjacent at least a portion of the barrier layer for providing connection between a power source and the at least one heater resistor and at least one transistor. The semiconductor device is devoid of a patterned and etched barrier layer in the heater resistor area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2004
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Inventors: Byron Bell, Yimin Guan