Patents by Inventor Kirk S. Edwards

Kirk S. Edwards 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).

  • Hot melt ink delivery reservoir pump subassembly
    Patent number: 8083327
    Abstract: A print head pump assembly has a piezo element plate having an array of piezoelectric elements, a channel plate having an array of channel regions corresponding to the array of piezoelectric elements, and a valve plate having an array of reed valve pairs corresponding to the array of channel regions. A print head assembly has at least one ink reservoir, an upper routing plate to receive ink from the ink reservoir, a lower routing plate to direct ink out of the print head, and a pump assembly to draw ink from the upper routing plate and deliver ink to the lower routing plate using piezoelectric diaphragms. A method of delivering ink to a print substrate includes providing ink to a low-pressure reservoir of a print head, drawing ink out of the low-pressure reservoir through an upper routing plate using a pump assembly internal to the print head, and pumping ink out of the print head through a lower routing plate using the pump assembly, such that the drawing and pumping processes continuously alternate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Roger G. Leighton, Gerald A. Domoto, Brian D. Bitz, Kirk S. Edwards
  • HOT MELT INK DELIVERY RESERVOIR PUMP SUBASSEMBLY
    Publication number: 20090027458
    Abstract: A print head pump assembly has a piezo element plate having an array of piezoelectric elements, a channel plate having an array of channel regions corresponding to the array of piezoelectric elements, and a valve plate having an array of reed valve pairs corresponding to the array of channel regions. A print head assembly has at least one ink reservoir, an upper routing plate to receive ink from the ink reservoir, a lower routing plate to direct ink out of the print head, and a pump assembly to draw ink from the upper routing plate and deliver ink to the lower routing plate using piezoelectric diaphragms. A method of delivering ink to a print substrate includes providing ink to a low-pressure reservoir of a print head, drawing ink out of the low-pressure reservoir through an upper routing plate using a pump assembly internal to the print head, and pumping ink out of the print head through a lower routing plate using the pump assembly, such that the drawing and pumping processes continuously alternate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Publication date: January 29, 2009
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Roger G. Leighton, Gerald A. Domoto, Brian D. Bitz, Kirk S. Edwards