Abstract: An air vane directs air to cool the printhead of thermal inkjet printers having one or more movable carriages. A passive air vane is mounted on or molded to some portion of the carriage, printhead, ink tank or ink tank holder so that it moves with the movable carriage. Moving the air vane significantly increases the flow of air over the printhead, increasing the flow of heat away from the printhead and, consequently, improving the performance of the printer.

Abstract: A non-scorching dryer assembly for drying a liquid ink image printed on a sheet of paper. The non-scorching dryer assembly includes a housing defining a portion of a sheet moving path; a sheet transport assembly for moving a sheet of paper carrying a liquid ink image on a front side thereof through the housing and along the portion of the sheet moving path; a heating system for heating the sheet of paper to a temperature sufficient to dry the liquid ink image thereon; and a forced air moving device connected to the housing for gently blowing air onto a side of the sheet of paper so as to prevent the sheet of paper from reaching a scorching temperature.

Abstract: An ink jet printing machine for printing liquid ink images on a recording medium moving along a recording medium path through a printing zone. The printing machine includes a printhead for image-wise depositing liquid ink droplets on the recording medium, and a self-tensioning flexible heater assembly for heating the recording medium to dry the image-wise liquid ink droplets. The self-tensioning flexible heater assembly is disposed adjacently to the recording medium path, for heating the recording medium, and comprises a bowed resilient leaf spring forming a concave arc having a first end and a second end, and a flexible heating strip bonded to the first end and the second end across the concave arc, thereby providing self-tensioning and preventing wrinkling despite thermal expansion thereof.

Abstract: A transport system for transporting a recording sheet having liquid ink deposited thereon through a dryer for drying the liquid ink having an input portion and an output portion. The transport system includes a transport belt disposed between the input portion and the output portion for transporting the recording sheet through the dryer. A negative pressure member is located beneath the belt and defines a negative pressure chamber. The pressure member decreases the pressure within the pressure member so that a non-uniform negative pressure is applied to the recording sheet during transport through the dryer. A directing member located within a plenum directs differing negative pressures within the plenum such that negative pressures decrease in amplitude along the transport direction. The application of a negative pressure within the plenum also tends to reduce or remove evaporated liquid driven from the inks during drying.

Abstract: An apparatus for drying ink deposited upon cut sheet of paper. The apparatus includes a microwave generating member to generate microwave energy for the ink and an applying member connected to said microwave generating member to apply resonating traveling microwaves to the paper. The applicator member includes a serpentine applicator for drying the ink and includes input slots and output slots for moving cut sheet of paper through the serpentine applicator. A transport member transports ink printed cut sheet paper stock from the input slot to the output slot by a belt running through the center of the applicator.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling curl in a liquid ink printer. The liquid ink printer deposits an anticurl material on the side of a printed sheet opposite the one having printing deposited thereon. The anticurl material is a fluid which counteracts the steady state curl in the direction of the printed image resulting from active drying of the printed sheet. The back side of a printed sheet has deposited thereon an anticurl fluid which can contain water, a penetrant, and a humectant like material such as diethylene glycol, ethylene glycol, sulfolane and glycerin. The anticurl material is deposited with a roller made of a foam material for absorbing the anticurl fluid or a roller having dimples disposed on the surface thereof. In addition, the anticurl fluid can be deposited by a spray device or a thermal ink jet printhead ejecting anticurl fluid.

Abstract: A matched or dummy load for a microwave dryer having a microwave generator and a microwave applicator. The matched load includes a waveguide having opposed broad walls, opposed narrow walls, and an end wall defining a waveguide chamber. A power absorbing body made of sintered silicon carbide, casted silicon carbide, or other materials is disposed in the waveguide chamber. One or more of the walls includes means for transferring heat from the power absorbing body. A housing or shroud having an inlet and an outlet surrounds the waveguide. The means for removing heat is disposed between the inlet and outlet of the housing so that a cooling medium passed through the housing removes heat from the power absorbing body. A tuning stub is placed in front of the power absorbing body to reduce microwave reflections.

Abstract: A phase shifter for shifting the phase angle of microwaves traveling in a waveguide of a microwave circuit. The phase shifter includes a dielectric plate which has first and second parallel surfaces, a distal edge, a proximate edge, a leading edge, and a trailing edge where each of the edges defines the outer bounds of the first and second parallel surfaces. The dielectric plate is shaped like a parallelogram lacking any right angles and is made of a microwave low loss dielectric material such as polystyrene or polytetrafluoroethylene. The height of the dielectric plate is less than one half the height of the waveguide side wall and the length is less than one guide wavelength long. The phase shifter fine tunes a resonating microwave circuit and provides approximately three-quarters of an inch adjustment of microwave circuit length.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has a sheet conveying and drying device having a plurality of flexible, resilient yet stiff fingers connected in a cantilevered manner to a drive chain which moves the fingers from a printed sheet receiving tray to a sheet stacking tray. After sheets are printed by a conventional ink jet printing head, the sheets are picked off of the printed sheet receiving tray and fed to a sheet stacking tray. The printed sheets are dried while being fed from the printed sheet receiving tray to the sheet stacking tray. After the printed sheets are picked off of the fingers at the sheet stacking tray, the chain drive continues to move the fingers in a counterclockwise direction along the chain path. The resilient, flexible fingers are deformed by upper and lower guide rollers, a stacking tray and a rear separating wall and are flicked back into a sheet receiving position at the printed sheet receiving tray.

Abstract: Disclosed is a printing process which comprises applying in imagewise fashion to a substrate an ink composition which comprises an aqueous liquid vehicle, a colorant, and an ionic compound at least partially ionizable in the liquid vehicle, said ink composition having a conductivity of at least about 10 milliSiemens per centimeter, and subsequently exposing the substrate to microwave radiation, thereby drying the images on the substrate.