Patents by Inventor Thomas Nathaniel Tombs

Thomas Nathaniel Tombs 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).

  • Patent number: 8814292
    Abstract: Inkjet printers are provided, in one aspect, an inkjet printer has an inkjet print engine that prints an image by jetting drops of hydrophilic liquid to form an inkjet image on a surface of at least one of a semi-absorbent recording medium or a non-absorbent recording medium; a transport system to transport the printed surface to a toner printer having a toner print engine to generate a liquid management toner image with toner particles that are at least in part hydrophilic and to transfer the toner image onto the recording medium where an unabsorbed volume of the inkjet ink will be present on the recording medium. A control system causes the inkjet printer to generate the inkjet image on the surface and causes the toner printer to generate a liquid management toner image that provides toner particles to manage an unabsorbed volume of the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8807730
    Abstract: Printing methods are provided. In one method, printing an inkjet image using a liquid hydrophilic inkjet ink onto a surface of a semi-absorbent recording medium generating a toner image having toner particles arranged conforming to the inkjet image and transferring the toner image onto the recording medium where an unabsorbed volume of the inkjet ink is present on the recording medium. The toner particles manage unabsorbed volumes of the inkjet ink to protect the recording medium from image artifacts that can be created by an unabsorbed volume of the inkjet ink on the surface without a liquid management toner image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8801170
    Abstract: A method of producing a deinkable print on an image-bearing member includes transferring a toner image onto the image-bearing member to form a continuous or discontinuous toner image layer, wherein toner in the toner image is soluble in a hydrophobic or oliophilic organic solvent. An ink image corresponding to the toner image is printed onto the toner image on the image-bearing member, the ink including colorant in a hydrophilic carrier fluid, so that the colorant is disposed over the toner image layer. The toner image and ink image are fixed to the receiver. The image-bearing member has an unprinted reflection density and has a deinked reflection density at most 0.15 above the unprinted reflection density.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8780147
    Abstract: A printer for printing on a semiporous recording medium includes a dryer adapted to dry the semiporous recording medium to a moisture content not to exceed that of the recording medium equilibrated to 20% RH. A liquid-deposition unit deposits hydrophilic liquid in a selected fluid pattern on the recording medium within 15 seconds after the completion of drying. A charging member charges the recording medium so that a charge pattern of charged and discharged areas is formed on the recording medium and the charged areas have a potential of at least 100 V. A development station deposits charged dry ink on the medium, the dry ink having charge of the same sign as the charged areas, so that the charged dry ink is deposited on the paper in a dry ink pattern corresponding to the selected fluid pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8777394
    Abstract: A method of producing a print on paper includes drying a selected region of the paper to a moisture content not to exceed that of the paper equilibrated to 20% RH. Hydrophilic liquid is deposited in a selected fluid pattern on the selected region of the paper within 15 seconds after the completion of drying. The paper is charged so that a charge pattern of charged and discharged areas is formed on the paper, and the discharged areas correspond to the selected fluid pattern. Charged dry ink having charge of the same sign as the charge in the charged areas is on the paper is deposited onto the paper in a dry ink pattern corresponding to the selected fluid pattern in the selected region. The dry ink is fixed to the paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8774679
    Abstract: An electrographic printing system for forming a tactile printed image on a receiver medium, comprising an image processing path, one or more printing modules and a fixing subsystem. The image processing path provides a sequence of image patterns including a plurality of annular shapes having associated inner and outer sizes, the inner and outer sizes of the annular shapes varying in a monotonic sequence. The printing modules are controlled to form a sequence of toner particle images corresponding to the sequence of image patterns, and to sequentially transfer the sequence of toner particle images in register onto the receiver medium such that the annular shapes in the toner particle images overlap to form a tactile image feature having a hollow core. The fixing subsystem is used to permanently attach the transferred toner particle images to the receiver medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Donald Saul Rimai, Hwai-Tzuu Tai, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs
  • Patent number: 8770701
    Abstract: In a system having an inkjet printer and a toner printer, the ink jet printer forms an ink jet image and the toner printer forms a toner image conforming to the inkjet image and transfers the toner image onto the inkjet image. Colorant in the ink is electrostatically attracted to the toner. The toner is fixed. After fixing the colorant attracted to the toner is bound to the toner so that removal of the toner from the receiver also removes any colorant attached to the toner from the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8770738
    Abstract: An inkjet printing system, comprising: one or more inkjet printheads for printing drops of ink onto a receiver medium, and an acoustic air impingement drying system positioned in proximity to at least one of the inkjet printheads. The acoustic air impingement drying system includes: an airflow source providing a supply flow rate; an acoustic resonant chamber having an inlet slot that receives air from the airflow source and an outlet slot that directs air onto the receiver medium; an exhaust air channel for removing the air directed onto the receiver medium by the acoustic resonant chamber; a blower for pulling air through the exhaust air channel at an exhaust flow rate; and a blower controller that controls the supply flow rate and the exhaust flow rate, wherein the exhaust flow rate is controlled to match the supply flow rate to within 1%, or to exceed the supply flow rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James Douglas Shifley, Rodney Ray Bucks, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Andrew Ciaschi
  • Patent number: 8764180
    Abstract: Printing methods are provided. In one method an inkjet image is printed using an ink having a colorant with an electrical charge of a first polarity dispersed in a hydrophilic liquid carrier fluid with an electrical charge of a second polarity that is the opposite polarity of the first polarity. A colorant attracting toner image conforming to the inkjet image is generated using toner particles of the second polarity. The colorant attracting toner image is transferred in registration with an unabsorbed volume of the ink jet image on the receiver. The difference in polarity between the toner particles and the colorant attracts the colorant and the toner particles. The toner particles are fixed to the receiver. After fixing colorant attracted to the toner particles is bound to the toner particles so that removal of the toner from the receiver also removes any colorant attached to the toner from the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8761652
    Abstract: Printers are provided. One printer has an ink jet printer with an inkjet printhead to print an inkjet image on a receiver using an inkjet ink having a liquid with a boiling point a toner print engine to generate a toner image conforming to the ink jet image using toner particles with a glass transition temperature that is below the boiling point and to transfer the toner image into an unabsorbed volume of liquid ink of the inkjet image on the receiver and a fixing system having a first energy source to apply a first energy to the toner and the liquid sufficient to bring the liquid to the boiling point without bringing a heated surface into contact therewith. The toner particles are heated above the glass transition temperature by the combination of heat from the liquid and heating of the toner particles by the first energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Donald Saul Rimai, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs
  • Patent number: 8758970
    Abstract: A method of deinking an image-bearing member using an organic solvent includes receiving the image-bearing member. The member has thereon a continuous or discontinuous image layer formed of toner particles that do not include colorant, and colorant particles or molecules. The colorant particles or molecules are arranged in a pattern corresponding to the arrangement of the toner particles. The organic solvent is hydrophobic or oliophilic and the colorant is insoluble in the organic solvent. The hydrophobic or oliophilic organic solvent is applied to the image-bearing member, so that a majority of the toner image layer is dissolved off the image-bearing member and the colorant is removed from the image-bearing member. A deinked reflection density of the image-bearing member in a selected test area from which the toner image layer was dissolved is within 0.15 of an unprinted reflection density of the image-bearing member before deinking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Publication number: 20140152750
    Abstract: An inkjet printing system, comprising: one or more inkjet printheads for printing drops of ink onto a receiver medium, and an acoustic air impingement drying system positioned in proximity to at least one of the inkjet printheads. The acoustic air impingement drying system includes: an airflow source providing a supply flow rate; an acoustic resonant chamber having an inlet slot that receives air from the airflow source and an outlet slot that directs air onto the receiver medium; an exhaust air channel for removing the air directed onto the receiver medium by the acoustic resonant chamber; a blower for pulling air through the exhaust air channel at an exhaust flow rate; and a blower controller that controls the supply flow rate and the exhaust flow rate, wherein the exhaust flow rate is controlled to match the supply flow rate to within 1%, or to exceed the supply flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2014
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventors: James Douglas Shifley, Rodney Ray Bucks, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Andrew Ciaschi
  • Publication number: 20140150284
    Abstract: An acoustic air impingement drying system is provided for drying a material. An inlet chamber receives air from an airflow source provides air at a supply flow rate. A plurality of acoustic resonant chambers are provided, each having an inlet slot that receives air from the inlet chamber and an outlet slot that directs air onto the material, wherein the acoustic resonant chambers impart acoustic energy to the transiting air, the outlet slots being oriented at an oblique angle relative to the width dimension of the pneumatic transducer unit. A plurality of exhaust air channels interspersed between the outlet slots remove the air directed onto the material by the acoustic resonant chambers. A blower pulls air through the exhaust air channels at an exhaust flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventors: Andrew Ciaschi, James Douglas Shifley, Rodney Ray Bucks, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs
  • Publication number: 20140150285
    Abstract: An acoustic air impingement drying system is provided for drying a material using a pneumatic transducer unit. An inlet chamber receives air from an airflow source at a supply flow rate. A plurality of acoustic resonant chambers are arranged in a drying zone, each having an inlet slot that receives air from the inlet chamber and an outlet slot that directs air onto the material, the outlet slots being oriented at an oblique angle relative to a width dimension of the pneumatic transducer unit. One or more peripheral exhaust air channels are arranged around the outer boundary of the drying zone for removing the air directed onto the material by the acoustic resonant chambers. A blower pulls air through the exhaust air channels at an exhaust flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventors: Rodney Ray Bucks, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Andrew Ciaschi, James Douglas Shifley
  • Publication number: 20140152749
    Abstract: An inkjet printing system, comprising: one or more inkjet printheads for printing drops of ink onto a receiver medium, and an acoustic air impingement drying system positioned in proximity to at least one of the inkjet printheads. The acoustic air impingement drying system includes: an airflow source providing a supply flow rate; an acoustic resonant chamber having an inlet slot that receives air from the airflow source and an outlet slot that directs air onto the receiver medium; an exhaust air channel for removing the air directed onto the receiver medium by the acoustic resonant chamber; a blower for pulling air through the exhaust air channel at an exhaust flow rate; and a blower controller that controls the supply flow rate and the exhaust flow rate, wherein the exhaust flow rate is controlled to match the supply flow rate to within 1%, or to exceed the supply flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2012
    Publication date: June 5, 2014
    Inventors: James Douglas Shifley, Rodney Ray Bucks, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Andrew Claschi
  • Patent number: 8690312
    Abstract: A printer includes a dryer, a liquid-deposition unit, a charging member, a development station, and a fixer arranged in that order along the paper path. The dryer dries a selected region of the paper on the transport to a moisture content not to exceed that of the paper equilibrated to 20% RH. The liquid-deposition unit deposits hydrophilic liquid in a selected fluid pattern on the paper within 15 seconds of the completion of drying. The charging member selectively charges the paper so that a charge pattern of charged and discharged areas is formed on the paper and the charged areas have a potential of at least 100 V. The development station deposits dry ink on the charged paper in a dry ink pattern corresponding to the selected fluid pattern. The fixer permanently fixes the dry ink to the paper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai
  • Patent number: 8676074
    Abstract: Methods for printing are provided. In one aspect, the method includes providing a primary imaging member having engine pixel locations with a ratio modulated difference of potentials, establishing a first development difference of potential to form a first net development difference of potential between the first development difference of potential and the engine pixel location and providing a first charged toner such that the first toner develops at the engine pixel location according to the first net development difference of potential. Establishing a second development difference of potential that is greater than the first difference of potential proximate the engine pixel location such that a determined amount of second toner develops at the engine pixel locations. Wherein the range of first toner potentials is such that a determined range of ratios of first toner amounts and the determined second toner amount provide ratio modulated differences of potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai, William Yurich Fowlkes
  • Patent number: 8676072
    Abstract: Methods for printing are provided. In one aspect, the method includes providing a primary imaging member having engine pixel locations with a ratio modulated difference of potentials, establishing a first development difference of potential to form a first net development difference of potential between the first development difference of potential and the engine pixel location and providing a first charged toner such that the second toner develops at the engine pixel location. Establishing a second development difference of potential that is greater than the first difference of potential proximate the engine pixel location such that a determined amount of first toner develops at the engine pixel locations according to a second net development difference of potential. Wherein the range of second toner potentials is such that a determined range of ratios of second toner amounts and the determined first toner amount provide ratio modulated differences of potential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Thomas Nathaniel Tombs, Donald Saul Rimai, William Yurich Fowlkes
  • Publication number: 20140056616
    Abstract: A method for forming a tactile printed image on a receiver medium using an electrographic printer, comprising forming a sequence of toner particle images on one or more primary imaging members, the sequence of toner particle images including a plurality of annular shapes having associated inner and outer sizes. The inner and outer sizes of the annular shapes varying in a monotonic sequence, such that when the sequence of toner particle images are transferred in register onto the receiver medium the annular shapes are substantially concentric and overlapping, thereby forming a tactile image feature having a hollow core; which is then fixed to permanently attach the transferred toner particle images to the receiver medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Inventors: Donald Saul Rimai, Hwai-Tzuu Tai, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs
  • Publication number: 20140056617
    Abstract: An electrographic printing system for forming a tactile printed image on a receiver medium, comprising an image processing path, one or more printing modules and a fixing subsystem. The image processing path provides a sequence of image patterns including a plurality of annular shapes having associated inner and outer sizes, the inner and outer sizes of the annular shapes varying in a monotonic sequence. The printing modules are controlled to form a sequence of toner particle images corresponding to the sequence of image patterns, and to sequentially transfer the sequence of toner particle images in register onto the receiver medium such that the annular shapes in the toner particle images overlap to form a tactile image feature having a hollow core. The fixing subsystem is used to permanently attach the transferred toner particle images to the receiver medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Inventors: Donald Saul Rimai, Hwai-Tzuu Tai, Thomas Nathaniel Tombs