Abstract: A system is described for compensating for misalignments in an ink jet printer having an ink jet print head cartridge that includes a heater chip. The system includes determining alignment adjustment information related to the misalignments in the ink jet printer, loading the alignment adjustment information into a volatile memory device on the heater chip, and accessing the alignment adjustment information from the volatile memory device. The system also includes generating nozzle control signals based at least in part on the alignment adjustment information. The nozzle control signals are selectively provided to resistive heating elements in the heater chip, thereby heating ink in ink chambers adjacent the heating elements and ejecting ink droplets toward a print medium. The timing of the nozzle control signals is adjusted based upon the amount of misalignment in the various components of the printer and print head.

Abstract: An apparatus provides identification information related to at least one ink jet print head in an ink jet printer. The apparatus includes a printer controller for providing a first identification data string comprising n number of bits, at least one of which has a first state, and no more than n−1 number of which have a second state different from the first state. Coupled to the printer controller is a first ink jet print head having a first serial input shift register. The first serial input shift register has at least n number of bit positions for receiving the n number of bits of the first identification data string. The first ink jet print head also includes at least n number of first latches, each of which is coupled to a corresponding one of the n number of bit positions of the first shift register. The n number of first latches are for latching the n number of bits of the first identification data string from the n number of bit positions of the first shift register.

Abstract: A thermal ink jet printing apparatus maintains stable printing output as certain characteristics of the apparatus change over its operational lifetime. The apparatus includes an ink jet print head with resistive heating elements for receiving electrical energy pulses having a voltage level and for transferring heat energy pulses having a desired energy level into adjacent ink based on the electrical energy pulses. The print head includes nozzles associated with the resistive heating elements through which droplets of the ink are ejected when the heat energy pulses are transferred into the ink. The apparatus further includes a printer controller in electrical communication with the print head.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus forms a printed image on a print medium based on image data. The apparatus includes an ink jet print head having ink ejection nozzles in a nozzle array. Ink is ejected from the nozzles and onto the print medium as the print head scans across the print medium in a scan direction, thereby forming the image on the print medium. The nozzle array on the print head includes a first substantially columnar array of nozzles aligned with a print medium advance direction which is perpendicular to the scan direction. The first array has a first upper subarray pair that includes a first upper left and a first upper right subarray of nozzles. The first upper left and a first upper right subarrays each include a substantially linear arrangement of n number of nozzles having equal nozzle-to-nozzle spacings. The nozzle-to-nozzle spacing in the first upper right subarray is equivalent to the nozzle-to-nozzle spacing in the first upper left subarray.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for reducing ink corrosion of exposed metal layers on a chip surface of a semiconductor chip for an ink jet printhead. The method includes depositing a protective layer in a plasma process to the chip surface, the protective layer being deposited adjacent ink ejectors so that the protective layer substantially circumscribes an ink via in the chip. A thick film layer is applied to the protective layer and chip, whereby the protective layer and thick film layer are sufficient to promote increased adhesion between the thick film layer and a nozzle plate attached to the thick film layer thereby substantially reducing a tendency for the nozzle plate and thick film layer to delaminate from one another during printhead manufacture or use and interrupting contact between ink and the exposed metal layers on the chip surface.

Abstract: A thermal ink jet printing apparatus maintains stable printing output as certain characteristics of the apparatus change over its operational lifetime. The apparatus includes an ink jet print head with resistive heating elements for receiving electrical energy pulses having a voltage level and for transferring heat energy pulses having a desired energy level into adjacent ink based on the electrical energy pulses. The print head includes nozzles associated with the resistive heating elements through which droplets of the ink are ejected when the heat energy pulses are transferred into the ink. The apparatus further includes a printer controller in electrical communication with the print head.

Abstract: A heater chip for use in an inkjet printer which includes a single conductive layer to provide electrical connectivity between power and ground inputs. Wherein the unique power distribution architecture is possible by the formation of a plurality of ink vias in the heater chip which provides for an increase in the chip surface area available for electrical connectivity.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus forms a printed image on a print medium based on image data. The apparatus includes an ink jet print head having ink ejection nozzles in a nozzle array. Ink is ejected from the nozzles and onto the print medium as the print head scans across the print medium in a scan direction, thereby forming the image on the print medium. The nozzle array on the print head includes a first substantially columnar array of nozzles aligned with a print medium advance direction which is perpendicular to the scan direction. The first array has a first upper subarray pair that includes a first upper left and a first upper right subarray of nozzles. The first upper left and a first upper right subarrays each include a substantially linear arrangement of n number of nozzles having equal nozzle-to-nozzle spacings. The nozzle-to-nozzle spacing in the first upper right subarray is equivalent to the nozzle-to-nozzle spacing in the first upper left subarray.

Abstract: A heater chip for use in an inkjet printer which includes a single conductive layer to provide electrical connectivity between power and ground inputs. Wherein the unique power distribution architecture is possible by the formation of a plurality of ink vias in the heater chip which provides for an increase in the chip surface area available for electrical connectivity.

Abstract: A system is described for compensating for misalignments in an ink jet printer having an ink jet print head cartridge that includes a heater chip. The system includes determining alignment adjustment information related to the misalignments in the ink jet printer, loading the alignment adjustment information into a volatile memory device on the heater chip, and accessing the alignment adjustment information from the volatile memory device. The system also includes generating nozzle control signals based at least in part on the alignment adjustment information. The nozzle control signals are selectively provided to resistive heating elements in the heater chip, thereby heating ink in ink chambers adjacent the heating elements and ejecting ink droplets toward a print medium. The timing of the nozzle control signals is adjusted based upon the amount of misalignment in the various components of the printer and print head.

Abstract: The invention provides a three-dimensional printhead drive scheme for a printhead of an ink jet printer. A method is provided for selectively activating a printing element within an array of printing elements on a printhead of an ink jet printer. The printhead includes an integrated circuit having pass-gate devices and power devices associated with corresponding printing elements. The pass-gate devices and power devices each have a source, drain, and gate, where the source of each pass-gate device is connected to the gate of a corresponding one of the power devices, and where the source of each power device is connected to a corresponding one of the printing elements. According to the method, a quadrant selection signal is provided to a subset of the pass-gate devices, and the subset of printing elements within the array of printing elements is selected based on the quadrant selection signal.

Abstract: An ink jet print head is controllable based at least in part on q number of first control signals and p number of second control signals. The print head includes a print head integrated circuit chip having ink-heating resistors for generating heat when activated. The print head chip also has a switching circuit for receiving the first and second control signals, and for selectively activating the resistors by allowing electrical current to flow through selected resistors based at least in part on the first and second control signals. The switching circuit is operable in either a first operating mode or a second operating mode, where q is equivalent to q1 in the first operating mode, and is equivalent to q2 in the second operating mode, and where q1 is twice q2. In the first operating mode, p is equivalent to p1, and in the second operating mode, p is equivalent to p2, where p2 is twice p1. The product of q1 multiplied by p1 is equivalent to the product of q2 multiplied by p2.

Abstract: An ink jet print head includes a nozzle plate having a substantially linear array of ink jet nozzles through which ink droplets are ejected toward a print medium. An integrated circuit chip, which is disposed adjacent the nozzle plate on the print head, includes a semiconductor substrate, a source voltage conductor connected to a source voltage, and a ground return conductor. A substantially linear array of ink heating resistors are disposed on the substrate substantially parallel to the length of the chip, each associated with a corresponding one of the ink jet nozzles. The chip also includes a plurality of substrate heater resistors disposed on the substrate in a substantially linear arrangement and aligned substantially parallel with the nozzles. The substrate heater resistors are electrically connected in parallel, with one node of each being connected to the source voltage conductor and another node of each being connected to the ground return conductor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for firing the nozzles on an ink jet print head cartridge that requires a reduced number of data lines between the ink jet print head cartridge and the printer electronics. A group data line provides serial group select data that is stored in a set of group select latches on the ink jet print head cartridge and identifies a particular group of nozzles on the ink jet print head. A primitive data line provides primitive select data that is stored in a set of primitive select latches on the ink jet print head cartridge and identifies a particular nozzle in the selected set of nozzles. A first clock line provides a first clock signal that is used to advance the group select data and the primitive select data into the group select latches and primitive select latches respectively.

Abstract: The invention described in the specification relates to an apparatus for supplying electrical information to a printer controller in order to identify the one or more cartridges installed in a printer. The apparatus comprises a carriage which is laterally translatable relative to the movement of print media through the printer, carriage translation means, and a replaceable cartridge attached to the carriage. The apparatus further comprises an indicia device which is attached to the replaceable cartridge and which has optically readable indicia thereon containing encoded information which contains information identifying the type of cartridge installed in the printer. The apparatus also includes an optical code reader which reads and transmits the encoded information to a printer controller as the cartridge moves in a lateral direction relative to the code reader.

Abstract: A drive transistor for an ink jet print head includes a semiconductor substrate having a serpentine channel of a first type doping, the channel comprising substantially parallel first and second serpentine channel portions, the first and second serpentine channel portions defining an inner region disposed between the first and second serpentine channel portions and an outer region disposed outside the first and second serpentine channel portions. A drain of a second type doping which is disposed within the inner region. A source of a second type doping which is disposed within the outer region. The transistor has a serpentine gate that overlies the serpentine channel. An elongate drain conductor, which tapers from a wide drain conductor end to a narrow drain conductor end, at least partially overlies a portion of the drain and the serpentine channel. An elongate source conductor has two tapered source conductor portions that at least partially overly the source and the serpentine channel.

Abstract: An apparatus addresses ink jet heating elements based on image data to cause ejection of ink droplets toward a print medium. The apparatus includes a controller for generating address signals, power signals, and first and second bank signals. The first and second bank signals, which are carried on first and second bank lines, alternate between on and off states. The first bank signal is off when the second bank signal is on, and the second bank signal is off when the first bank signal is on. The apparatus has m address lines and n power lines connected to the controller for carrying the address signals and the power signals. A print head has m×n number of first driver circuits, each of which is connected to the first bank line and to a corresponding one of the m address lines. The first driver circuits enable flow of a first driving current when the first bank signal and the address signal are simultaneously on on the first bank line and the corresponding address line.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for providing information to a printer controller in order to identify the type of printer cartridge installed in a thermal ink jet printer. The apparatus includes a printer cable containing a set of electrically-conductive wires connected to contacts in a printer cable connector. The contacts of the printer cable connector make physical connection to an identification circuit on the printer cartridge. The identification circuit includes an electrical conductor which is at an electrical reference potential. When none, or one or more contacts on the cable connector are in electrical contact with the electrical conductor of the identification circuit, a signal corresponding to the identification of the printer cartridge is produced which is used by the printer controller to determine the type of printer cartridge installed in the printer.

Abstract: An ink jet print head identification system for providing print head identifying information to the electronics of an ink jet printer includes one or more parallel load, serial out, dynamic shift registers integrated into a print head chip having a plurality of address lines interconnecting the printer electronics and the print head electronics. The memory input of each shift register is electrically connected to a memory matrix that supplies digital bits of information to the shift register in response to receiving a decode signal function from the printer electronics. In a preferred embodiment, two of the address lines provide each of the registers with successive sequential clock signals to serially shift the bit of information received from the shift register's corresponding memory matrix to an output line where the print head identifying information is read by the printer electronics.

Abstract: An ink jet print head has first nozzles of a first diameter for ejecting droplets of ink having a first mass, and second nozzles of a second diameter for ejecting droplets of ink having a second mass. The first diameter is larger than the second diameter, and the first mass is larger than the second mass. First and second heater-switch pairs are connected in parallel on a substrate of the print head. The first heater-switch pairs include first heaters adjacent corresponding first nozzles, and the second heater-switch pairs include second heaters adjacent corresponding second nozzles. The first and second heaters are composed of electrically resistive material occupying first and second heater areas on the substrate. The first heater-switch pairs also include first switching devices connected in series with the first heaters, with each first switching device developing a first switching device voltage drop as a first electrical current flows through.