Discharge Means Patents (Class 347/44)
  • Patent number: 8210647
    Abstract: To form an inkjet printing head which is not deteriorated in printing quality or broken in production processes, a rib capable of being displaced upon receiving an influence of stress resulting from a sealant is installed at a position opposing the long side face of a printing element substrate, and the sealant is used to seal between the ribs and the printing element substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Satoshi Shimazu, Takayuki Ono
  • Patent number: 8210648
    Abstract: A liquid dispenser includes a liquid supply channel, a liquid dispensing channel including an outlet opening including an end, and a liquid return channel. A liquid supply provides liquid under pressure from the liquid supply channel through the liquid dispensing channel to the liquid return channel. A diverter member is selectively actuatable to divert a portion of the liquid toward outlet opening of the liquid dispensing channel. A structure extends from the end of the outlet opening and is shaped to direct the portion of the liquid diverted from the liquid dispensing channel through a steep angle relative to the direction of travel of the liquid provided by the liquid supply channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yonglin Xie, Joseph Jech, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8208158
    Abstract: The present invention provides a print module, an information processing device, a print system, a print unit, an ink supply unit, a print method and program, all capable of quickly and easily meeting demands for a print medium size change, particularly to increased sizes, while at the same time coping with demands for faster printing speed. To this end, this invention constructs the print heads (811) in the form of print modules (M) so that their ink systems and signal systems are independent among the print modules. Each print module is set with identity information for its identification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Ishinaga, Yoichi Sonobe, Kazuo Haida, Yuichi Takahashi, Chiharu Yumoto, Kenji Hatakeyama
  • Patent number: 8197029
    Abstract: Fluid ejection nozzles having a tapered section leading to a straight walled bore are described. Both the tapered section of the nozzle and the straight walled bore are formed from a single side of semiconductor layer so that the tapered section and the bore are aligned with one another, even when an array of nozzles are formed across a die and multiple dies are formed on a semiconductor substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Debrabander, Mark Nepomnishy
  • Publication number: 20120139996
    Abstract: A print head includes a fluid cavity and nozzle in fluid communication with the fluid cavity. A stopper is positioned adjacent the nozzle and adapted to control flow of fluid through the nozzle. An arm supports the stopper and is configured to pivotally move the stopper with respect to the nozzle. An electromagnet is positioned adjacent the arm and configured to move the arm toward the electromagnet to open the nozzle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Publication date: June 7, 2012
    Inventor: Martin McNestry
  • Patent number: 8191260
    Abstract: A manufacturing method of a liquid ejection head includes forming on a substrate a first flow passage wall forming member contacting a solid layer of equal height, exposing a first layer of a negative photosensitive resin material to form an ejection outlet forming member; exposing a second layer, on the first layer, of a negative photosensitive resin material to form a second flow passage wall forming member for forming another part of the wall of the flow passage; placing the exposed first and second layers on the solid layer and the first flow passage wall forming member so that a non-exposed portion of the second layer contacts the solid layer; forming parts of the flow passage and the ejection outlet by removing non-exposed portions of the first and second layers above the substrate; and forming the flow passage by removing the solid layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Kaisha
    Inventors: Maki Kato, Masaki Ohsumi, Yoshinori Tagawa, Kazuhiro Asai, Masahiko Kubota, Tamaki Sato, Akihiko Okano
  • Patent number: 8186808
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a droplet jetting apparatus using electrostatic force, a manufacturing method thereof and an ink providing method thereof. The droplet jetting apparatus using electrostatic force includes a lower electrode unit in which a nozzle and a lower electrode positioned in the nozzle equipped in the upper part of a first substrate, and an ink inflow channel equipped in the lower part of the first substrate are integrally formed; an upper electrode unit having an upper electrode formed on the top surface of a second substrate and an ink discharge hole formed by being penetrated to the upper electrode from the bottom surface of the second substrate; and a bonding layer for bonding the lower electrode unit and the upper electrode unit with each other so that the nozzle is vertically aligned with the ink discharge hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation for Corporate Collaboration
    Inventors: Sukhan Lee, Young Min Kim, Sang Uk Son, Jae Yong Choi, Do Young Byun
  • Publication number: 20120127238
    Abstract: A printhead assembly includes a plurality of inkjet ejector arrays having corresponding ink receptacles. Each inkjet array is formed from a plurality of inkjet stack layers that are bonded to a single aperture layer, and the inkjet arrays are positioned with a predetermined alignment about a curved image receiving surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Applicant: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Trevor Snyder, Brent Rodney Jones
  • Patent number: 8182067
    Abstract: A droplet discharge head includes: a liquid reservoir which holds a liquid; a channel through which the liquid is guided to the liquid reservoir; and a driving element which changes the pressure in the liquid reservoir so as to discharge droplets of the liquid contained in the liquid reservoir through a nozzle, in which wall surfaces of the liquid reservoir and of the nozzle are arranged in a continuous line at a side opposite the channel with respect to the center of the nozzle as seen in a cross-sectional view through a central axis of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Kamoda, Manabu Tomita, Iwao Ushinohama, Soichi Kuwahara, Shigeyoshi Hirashima
  • Patent number: 8182068
    Abstract: A printhead includes a first nozzle bore, a liquid chamber, and a second nozzle bore. The liquid chamber is positioned between the first nozzle bore and the second nozzle bore and extends beyond the opening of the first nozzle bore. The first nozzle bore is in liquid communication with the second nozzle bore through the liquid chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Hrishikesh V. Panchawagh, Edward P. Furlani
  • Patent number: 8179559
    Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for forming images on recording media of different sizes are provided. The image forming procedure may include reading setting information which includes the size of a substitute recording medium for each user from a memory and, when the size of the recording medium specified by the print instruction is not available, executing a print instruction by automatically changing the size of a recording medium to be used to the size of the substitute recording medium based on the setting information. Additional computer-readable storage media storing image forming procedures are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Nozomi Sawada
  • Patent number: 8179564
    Abstract: A method of generating data for driving an ink jet print head having a plurality of nozzles to print a portion of an image comprising a plurality of pixels comprises storing nozzle position data defining spatial positions of the nozzles with respect to the print head in terms of pixel offsets from a reference position on the print head; reading image data for the image, the image data comprising data for the plurality of pixels; inputting head position data defining a position for the print head; and processing the image data using the head position data and the nozzle position data to determine nozzle firing data for controlling the print head to deposit ink at the spatial positions of the nozzles with respect the head position in accordance with the image data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignee: Cametrics Ltd.
    Inventors: Matthew Pyne, Frederick Cheung
  • Patent number: 8172364
    Abstract: A liquid dispenser includes a liquid supply channel, a liquid dispensing channel including an outlet opening, and a liquid return channel. A liquid supply provides liquid under pressure from the liquid supply channel through the liquid dispensing channel to the liquid return channel. A diverter member is selectively actuatable to divert a portion of the liquid toward outlet opening of the liquid dispensing channel. A surface is positioned downstream relative to the outlet opening of the liquid dispensing channel and leads to atmosphere. A portion of the surface, when compared to another portion of the surface, includes structure that reduces viscous drag on the portion of the liquid that has been diverted by the diverter member such that drops formed from consecutive portions of the liquid that have been diverted by the diverter member travel with consistent drop characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Yonglin Xie, Joseph Jech, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20120105545
    Abstract: Disclosed is an ejection chip for an inkjet printhead that includes at least one fluid via configured on the ejection chip for supplying fluid to one or more ejecting elements of the ejection chip. Each fluid via of the at least one fluid via includes a plurality of end-to-end coupled segments. Each segment of the plurality of end-to-end coupled segments is aligned at a skew angle with a consecutive segment. Further, the ejection chip includes a plurality of nozzles configured along a length of the each segment of the plurality of end-to-end coupled segments with a first nozzle spatial density. The configuration of the plurality of nozzles facilitates in achieving a predetermined print resolution with the first nozzle spatial density.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Inventor: JIANDONG FANG
  • Publication number: 20120105522
    Abstract: A valve jet printer includes a solenoid coil and a plunger rod having a magnetically susceptible shank. A first end of the shank and at least a portion of the shank are received within a bore of the solenoid coil. The printer also includes a nozzle including an orifice extending therethrough and a spring biasing a second end of the shank toward the nozzle. The second end of the plunger rod includes a tip formed of perfluoroelastomer (FFKM). The second end of the shank includes a cup-shaped cavity having a convex bottom and a circular side. The tip includes a concave base and an annular flange. In an assembled state, the concave base of the tip contacts the convex bottom of the cup-shaped cavity, and the end of the circular side opposite the convex bottom is rolled over the annular flange thereby securing the tip in the cup-shaped cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Publication date: May 3, 2012
    Applicant: Matthews Resources, Inc.
    Inventors: Hans Elon Wallsten, Nils Johan Fredrik Käck
  • Patent number: 8167407
    Abstract: A liquid discharge head is arranged in a manner that in the cross-section of a discharge port perpendicular to a liquid discharge direction, the discharge port includes at least one projection that is convex inside the discharge port; a first area, for holding a liquid surface connecting a pillar-shaped liquid that is elongated outside the discharge port; and second areas where a fluid resistance is lower than that in the first area so as to pull the liquid in the discharge port in a direction opposite to the liquid discharge direction. The first area is formed in the direction in which the projection is convex, and the second areas are formed on both sides of the projection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuichi Murakami, Yasunori Takei
  • Publication number: 20120098888
    Abstract: A liquid dispenser includes a liquid supply channel, a liquid return channel, and a liquid dispensing channel. The liquid dispensing channel includes a wall. The wall includes a surface. A portion of the wall defines an outlet opening. The outlet opening includes an upstream edge relative to a direction of liquid flow through the liquid dispensing channel. The upstream edge includes a radius of curvature when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the surface of the wall. A liquid supply provides liquid that flows from the liquid supply channel through the liquid dispensing channel to the liquid return channel. A diverter member that selectively diverts a portion of the flowing liquid through the outlet opening of the liquid dispensing channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Inventors: Yonglin Xie, Joseph Jech, JR.
  • Publication number: 20120098887
    Abstract: A liquid dispenser includes a liquid supply channel, a liquid return channel; and a liquid dispensing channel. The liquid dispensing channel includes a wall. The wall includes a surface. A portion of the wall defines an outlet opening. The outlet opening includes a downstream edge relative to a direction of liquid flow through the liquid dispensing channel. The downstream edge is sloped relative to the surface of the wall of the liquid dispensing channel. A liquid supply provides liquid that flows from the liquid supply channel through the liquid dispensing channel to the liquid return channel. A diverter member selectively diverts a portion of the flowing liquid through the outlet opening of the liquid dispensing channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Inventors: Yonglin Xie, Joseph Jech, JR., Carolyn R. Ellinger, Maria J. Lehmann, Ali G. Lopez, Qing Yang
  • Patent number: 8162439
    Abstract: Provided is a method for manufacturing a nozzle plate which has a through hole having an ejection port. In the method, the through hole, which has one opening as an ejection port for ejecting the liquid, is arranged on a Si substrate by an anisotropic etching method wherein etching and side wall protection film formation are alternately repeated to the Si substrate and the following steps are performed in the following order; forming a film to be an etching mask on a surface of the Si substrate whereupon the ejection port is to be formed, forming the etching mask pattern having an opening for forming the thorough hole by performing photolithography and etching to a film to be the etching mask, and performing the etching by the anisotropic etching method by satisfying the conditional expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Isao Doi, Tomoko Miyaura, Hiroshi Oshitani
  • Publication number: 20120092415
    Abstract: A recording head includes flange portions to which spacers are anchored on both sides of the recording head with a head case therebetween. Spacer attachment holes are provided in the flange portions in the center of the width direction orthogonal to a nozzle row in the recording head, and a round hole and an oblong hole relative to the spacers are provided in the flange portions in positions that are distanced from a center line in the width direction. Positioning holes for the flange portions are provided in the spacers in positions that correspond to the round hole and the oblong hole in the flange portions, and the spacers are anchored to the flange portions on both sides so as to be oriented symmetrically to each other, in a positioned state in which the positions of the positioning holes are aligned with the round hole and the oblong hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Hagiwara, Masayuki Eguchi
  • Patent number: 8152275
    Abstract: A liquid droplet jetting apparatus includes a common liquid chamber to which the liquid is supplied, a plurality of pressure chambers which communicate with the common liquid chamber and which cause a pressure change in the liquid, a plurality of nozzles which jet the droplets of the liquid, a pressure attenuation chamber which has a throttled portion having a cross-sectional area smaller than that of the common liquid chamber, and an attenuation portion having a cross-sectional area greater than that of the throttled portion, the attenuation portion being connected to one end portion of the common liquid chamber via the throttled portion, a discharge port formed in the pressure attenuation chamber, a discharge channel connected to the discharge port, and having a throttle in which a channel area of the discharge channel is decreased, and a dummy nozzle connected to the discharge port via the discharge channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaharu Ito
  • Publication number: 20120081462
    Abstract: A fluid dispensing apparatus including a fluid ejector including a fluid reservoir having fluid, and configured to eject the fluid, a vacuum pump configured to create negative pressure in an activation mode and to create approximately no pressure in a deactivation mode, a meniscus pressure regulator configured to regulate the negative pressure received from the vacuum pump, a leaking member configured to reduce the negative pressure received from the vacuum pump towards or equal to atmospheric pressure in response to the vacuum pump being placed in the deactivation mode, and a back pressure regulator having a pressure reference port to receive the reduced negative pressure from the leaking member and the regulated negative pressure from the meniscus pressure regulator, the back pressure regulator configured to maintain a non-retraction negative pressure value to position a fluid meniscus in a non-retracted state and a retraction negative pressure value to position the fluid meniscus in a retracted state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Inventors: James W. Ring, RFalph Stathem
  • Patent number: 8147033
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead having arrays of nozzles wherein each of the arrays has a corresponding ink inlet. A mounting substrate includes a first face with first openings fluidly connected to corresponding ink inlets of the arrays. A second face opposed to the first face includes a plurality of second openings fluidly connected to openings of the first face. The ink outlets of the ink chambers are fluidly connected to corresponding second openings in the second face of the mounting substrate, an outer wall is disposed proximate to the plurality of inlet ports and a second outer wall is disposed opposite the first outer wall and distal to the plurality of inlet ports. Each ink chamber has a portion located proximate to the first outer wall and an outer chamber of the plurality of ink chambers has a portion located proximate to the second outer wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventor: Richard A. Murray
  • Patent number: 8147035
    Abstract: A fluid discharging apparatus including a head, a medium support portion, a contact member, and an actuator portion. The head includes a plurality of nozzles through which a fluid is discharged onto a target medium. The medium support portion supports the medium. The contact member is provided within the medium support portion. The actuator portion moves at least one of the head and the medium support portion so that the plurality of nozzles are located close to or far from the contact member. During a standby state when fluid is not discharged onto the medium, the contact member is brought into contact with the head in order to seal the plurality of nozzles, and in a discharging state, the head is located away from the contact member in order to provide a space through which the medium is allowed to pass between the plurality of nozzles and the contact member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Satoru Hosono, Nobuhito Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20120075384
    Abstract: A print head includes a nozzle plate, a fixing plate fixed to the nozzle plate, an oscillation sheet, and a security assembly. The fixing plate defines a receiving groove. The oscillation sheet is fixed between the fixing plate and the nozzle plate and covers the receiving groove. The security assembly includes a fixing component, an elastic component, a fixing element, an anti-detachable component, and a pointed tip extending from a distal end of the anti-detachable component. The security assembly is fixed to the fixing plate, the elastic component and the anti-detachable component are received in the receiving groove with the pointed tip pointed towards the oscillation sheet. A first end of the compressed elastic component resists against the fixing component and a second end of the elastic component resists the anti-detachable component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: HON HAI PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: CHEN-HSING CHENG, CHANG-LUN TAI, HSING-YI HU
  • Patent number: 8141982
    Abstract: An imaging apparatus is disclosed that includes plural heads that are arranged in a main scanning direction, the heads including plural nozzle arrays that are arranged in the main scanning direction and configured to discharge droplets of recording liquids in at least three different colors including a yellow recording liquid. At least two of the nozzle arrays that are configured to discharge the yellow recording liquid are separately arranged in at least two of the heads. At least two of the nozzle arrays that are configured to discharge a first recording liquid of the recording liquids in a first color other than yellow are arranged together in one of the heads. At least two of the nozzle arrays that are configured to discharge a second recording liquid of the recording liquids in a second color other than yellow are arranged together in one of the heads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Nakano, Shigetoshi Hosaka, Takashi Kimura, Yoshihisa Ohta, Toshihito Kamei, Masakazu Yoshida
  • Patent number: 8139245
    Abstract: An approach is provided for managing the processing of print data at a printing device based upon available consumable resources. A printing device includes a print process configured to determine consumable resources that are currently available at the printing device. The print process is further configured to determine which print data is to be processed based upon the consumable resources currently available at the printing device and the consumable resources required to completely process each of the print data. Print data that can be completely processed using the currently available consumable resources are selected for processing. The print process may also be configured to cause a notification to be provided to a client device to indicate the consumable resources currently available at a printing device and/or that insufficient consumable resources were available to process particular print data and to recommend other consumable resources to process the particular print data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Lifen Tian
  • Patent number: 8133536
    Abstract: The liquid coating method includes the step of ejecting droplets from nozzles of a recording head onto an imaging region of a surface of a substrate placed on a support plate, wherein a dot pitch ? that is an interval between landing positions of the droplets on the surface of the substrate satisfies a following condition: ? ? 2 ? 3 ? V ? ( 1 + cos ? ? ? a ) ? sin ? ? ? a ? ? ( 1 - cos ? ? ? a ) ? ( 2 + cos ? ? ? a ) 3 where V stands for a volume of a droplet ejected from each of the nozzles and ?a stands for an advancing contact angle of the droplet against the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Mataki, Hirotaka Watano, Seiichi Inoue
  • Publication number: 20120056938
    Abstract: A tank unit includes two or more liquid accommodating containers disposed in a row. Each of the liquid accommodating containers includes a main body having a concave shape defining a side opening and a film that blocks the side opening. The main body and the film at least partially define a liquid accommodating chamber for accommodating a liquid. The main body includes a facing wall that faces the film across the liquid accommodating chamber and has a wall larger than the side opening. The liquid accommodating containers are disposed such that the film of at least one of the liquid accommodating containers is covered by the facing wall of an adjacent one of the liquid accommodating containers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 1, 2011
    Publication date: March 8, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Taku Ishizawa, Yoshiaki Shimizu, Masaru Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8128199
    Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus and an ink jet printing method which use a print head having a plurality of ejection port rows to enable high-quality printing without causing uneven density in a conveying direction by varying the printing distribution ratio of the ejection port rows in the print head depending on gray level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Osaki
  • Publication number: 20120050402
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a plurality of liquid ejecting heads for ejecting liquid from nozzles, the liquid ejecting heads arranged side by side with a gap each therebetween, each of the liquid ejecting heads including one side surface in a direction of side-by-side arrangement; the other side surface in the direction of side-by-side arrangement; a groove; and intersecting side surfaces, which intersect with the side surfaces, wherein the groove is formed in either one, or both, of opposed side surfaces of each two adjacent liquid ejecting heads arranged side by side, and the groove formed in the side surface or formed in each of the side surfaces extends from one of the intersecting side surfaces to the other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenichi KITAMURA, Hiroyuki HAGIWARA
  • Patent number: 8123319
    Abstract: The first plurality of nozzles and the second plurality of nozzles in a fluid ejection system are arranged in a plurality of nozzle pairs, each nozzle pair of the plurality of nozzle pairs including a first nozzle from the first plurality of nozzles and an associated second nozzle from the second plurality of nozzles, the first nozzle and associated second nozzle of each nozzle pair spaced apart in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction, the first direction being the direction of movement of a print media, by greater than zero and less than the pixel pitch p and spaced apart in the first direction. A controller is configured to cause the first nozzle and the second nozzle of each nozzle pair to deposit droplets at the same pixel in a line of pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation
    Inventors: Paul A. Hoisington, Steven H. Barss
  • Patent number: 8117751
    Abstract: A method of fabricating an inkjet printhead by forming a plurality of actuators on a monolithic substrate, covering the actuators with a sacrificial material, covering the sacrificial material with a printhead surface layer, defining a plurality of nozzle apertures in the printhead surface layer such that each of the actuators corresponds to one of the nozzle apertures and then, removing at least some of the sacrificial material on each of the actuators through the nozzle aperture corresponding to each of the actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 8109588
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid ejecting method, including: ejecting a liquid from a liquid ejecting head, wherein the viscosity of the liquid is in a range from 6 mPa·s to 20 mPa·s, wherein the liquid ejecting head includes: nozzles which eject the liquid; a pressure chamber which applies a pressure variation to the liquid in order to eject the liquid from the nozzles; and a supply unit which communicates with the pressure chamber and supplies the liquid to the pressure chamber, and wherein the opening area of the nozzles on the side in which the liquid is ejected is 1/10 or less of the opening area of the opening of the supply unit on the pressure chamber side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kinya Ozawa, Junhua Zhang
  • Patent number: 8109607
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a fluid ejector structure includes an orifice sub-structure and an ejector element sub-structure direct contact bonded together along a direct contact bonding interface. The orifice sub-structure has a plurality of orifices therein. Each orifice is positioned adjacent to a corresponding one of a plurality of fluid ejection elements on the ejector element sub-structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Chien-Hua Chen, Martha A Truninger, Michael Monroe, Steven R Geissler
  • Publication number: 20120026246
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a substrate having an energy-generating device configured to generate energy used for ejecting a liquid from an orifice; a transparent channel wall member forming an inner wall of a channel leading to the orifice; and an intermediate layer disposed between and in contact with a surface of the substrate and the channel wall member and having a refractive index different from a refractive index of the channel wall member. The intermediate layer has a first outer end surface forming contours of a symbol as viewed in a direction from the orifice toward the substrate and making a first angle with the surface of the substrate and a second outer end surface facing the channel and making a second angle with the surface of the substrate. The first angle is an obtuse angle. The second angle is smaller than the first angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Mitsuru Chida, Jun Yamamuro, Kenji Fujii, Tetsuro Honda
  • Patent number: 8104875
    Abstract: A liquid jet recording head includes a substrate on which are formed recording elements that generate energy for ejecting liquid, and a flow passage forming member that is in contact with the substrate and in which are formed ejection ports that eject liquid and flow passages that supply liquid to the ejection ports. The flow passage forming member has a groove formed along the longitudinal direction of the flow passage forming member, and each end of the groove is located nearer to the middle in the width direction of the flow passage forming member than the other part of the groove is.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Canon Kabushuiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shingo Nagata
  • Publication number: 20120019597
    Abstract: An inkjet printhead includes a substrate having an ink slot formed through its center. Integrated circuitry is formed on both a first side and a second side of the center ink slot. A conductor trace is routed across the ink slot to provide electrical communication between the integrated circuitry on the first and second sides of the slot.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2009
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Chien-Hua Chen, Thomas R. Strand, Ricky L. Brenneman
  • Publication number: 20120019596
    Abstract: An inkjet print head and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The inkjet print head includes: an upper board having a pressure chamber; and a lower board including an upper silicon layer, an insulating layer, and a lower silicon layer, wherein the lower board includes a projection formed of the upper silicon layer and protruded into the interior of the pressure chamber in order to reduce the space of the pressure chamber, and a lower surface of the upper board and an upper surface of the lower silicon layer are fixed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2011
    Publication date: January 26, 2012
    Applicant: SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Jae Chang Lee, Hwa Sun Lee, Tae Kyung Lee
  • Publication number: 20120001967
    Abstract: The disclosure generally relates to a method and apparatus for printing from a rotating source. In an exemplary embodiment, the disclosure relates to a facetted drum for simultaneously printing multiple pixels. The facetted drum includes a support structure and a plurality of printheads affixed to the support structure, each printhead having at least one microporous structure for receiving a first quantity of liquid ink having dissolved or suspended film material in a carrier fluid and dispensing a second quantity of ink material substantially free of the carrier fluid. The plurality of printheads are positioned proximal to a substrate to simultaneously print a plurality of spatially-discrete and image-resolved pixels on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2011
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: KATEEVA, INC.
    Inventors: Conor Francis Madigan, Eliyahu Vronsky, Alexander Sou-Kang Ko, Robert B. Lowrance, Christopher Buchner
  • Patent number: 8083317
    Abstract: A liquid-discharging recording head includes first and second substrates each having an energy generating element and a supply port, and a support member on which the substrates are arranged. The first substrate is provided on one side in a longitudinal direction of the support member, and the second substrate is provided on an other side in the longitudinal direction of the support member. A driving circuit configured to drive the energy generating element is provided in a larger region between an end of a supply port in the first substrate on the other side in the longitudinal direction and an end of the first substrate on the other side and in a larger region between an end of a supply port in the second substrate on the one side in the longitudinal direction and an end of the second substrate on the one side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Omata, Yoshiyuki Imanaka, Hideo Tamura, Takaaki Yamaguchi, Kousuke Kubo, Ryoji Oohashi, Yuuji Tamaru
  • Publication number: 20110310179
    Abstract: To suitably use a metallic ink or a pearl-colored ink in an inkjet printer. Furthermore, to suitably use an ink containing a large-sized pigment in the inkjet printer. An inkjet printer includes an inkjet head 12 that discharges towards a printing medium 50 ink droplets of a metallic ink or a pearl-colored ink. The inkjet head 12 includes a nozzle 104 that discharges the ink droplets towards the printing medium 50, and an air blowing unit 120 that generates an airflow towards the printing medium 50 along the ink droplets discharged from the nozzle 104.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2010
    Publication date: December 22, 2011
    Applicant: MIMAKI ENGINEERING CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Masaru Ohnishi
  • Publication number: 20110304672
    Abstract: A printhead assembly includes: a molded ink manifold having a plurality of ink outlets defined in a manifold bonding surface; and printhead integrated circuits bonded to the manifold bonding surface. The manifold bonding surface includes a polymer coating, which plugs fissures in the molded ink manifold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2011
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Inventors: Seung Jin Lee, Susan Williams, Jan Waszczuk, Kia Silverbrook
  • Publication number: 20110304671
    Abstract: Described is a process for producing an inkjet printhead comprising an aperture face having an oleophobic surface. The process includes forming an aperture plate by disposing a silicon layer on an aperture plate; using photolithography to create a textured pattern on an outer surface of the silicon layer; and chemically modifying the textured surface by disposing a conformal, oleophobic coating on the textured surface. The oleophobic aperture plate may be used as a front face surface for an inkjet printhead.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2010
    Publication date: December 15, 2011
    Applicant: XEROX CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kock-Yee LAW, Hong ZHAO
  • Publication number: 20110298865
    Abstract: There is provided a nozzle contact unit capable of realizing a contact state, where a contact surface comes into close contact with a nozzle formation surface to block a plurality of nozzle openings, and a separated state, where the contact surface is separated from the nozzle formation surface. The nozzle contact unit separates the contact surface from the nozzle formation surface to sequentially open the nozzle openings preferentially from the nozzle opening of the nozzle with a shorter flow passage length of ink flowing from a supply port to the nozzle via a common ink chamber among the plurality of nozzle openings in a procedure from the contact state to the separated state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2011
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoichi Yamada, Yoshiyuki Kurebayashi, Masaru Kobashi
  • Publication number: 20110298864
    Abstract: There is provided a discharge head including: a tubular member that includes a flat portion with an oblate shape where a cross-section of a tube path extends in a first direction, the tubular member being formed so that the flat portion includes a first wall that is flat and has an actuator attached to an outside thereof and the flat portion becomes a cavity with an internal volume thereof varying due to displacement of the first wall; and a nozzle opening that is provided at one end of the tubular member and discharges a liquid substance due to variation in the internal volume of the cavity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2010
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: MICROJET CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuichi Yamaguchi, Akira Ueno
  • Patent number: 8071158
    Abstract: A method of discharging droplets includes discharging a liquid material from a droplet discharge head and causing the droplet discharge head and a substrate as a landing target for the liquid material to move relative to each other to thereby deposit the liquid material on the substrate, feeding and removing the substrate to and from a droplet discharge apparatus provided with the droplet discharge head, performing a weight measurement discharge from the droplet discharge head substantially concurrent to the feeding and removing of the substrate to and from the droplet discharge apparatus, and measuring the weight of the liquid material discharged in the weight measurement discharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kenji Kojima
  • Patent number: 8071169
    Abstract: A droplet discharge method includes performing a plurality of scans in which a discharge head and a substrate are scanned relative to each other, discharging droplets of a plurality of types of functional liquid from the discharge head onto a plurality of prescribed portions on the substrate that are arranged in a matrix while the discharge head and the substrate are scanned. The discharging of the droplets includes discharging the droplets onto the prescribed portions over the plurality of scans so that centers of newly discharged droplets are made to land at one of positions that overlap with centers of landing positions of the droplets already discharged to the prescribed portions and positions that are offset in a row direction and in a column direction of the matrix from the centers of the landing positions of the droplets already discharged to the prescribed portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuyoshi Kato, Kazumi Aruga
  • Publication number: 20110292124
    Abstract: A micro-fluid ejection head has an ejection chip to expel fluid. It connects to a laminate construct. The construct has vertically configured wiring layers interspersed with non-conductive layers, such as carbon fiber layers. An upper of the wiring layers electrically connects to the ejection chip. The upper layer may also support a planar undersurface of the chip directly on a surface or in a recessed pocket. The two can connect with a die bond, such as one having silica or boron nitride. Fluid connections exist between ink feed slots of the chip and the laminate construct. A silicon tile or other material may also fluidly interconnect with the two. A plastic manifold optionally supports the laminate construct and may fluidly connect to it. The wiring layers of the laminate contemplate ground, power, and various bond pads. Other construct layers contemplate prepreg or core FR4 layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2010
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: Frank Edward Anderson, Richard Corley, Michael John Dixon, Jiandong Fang, Jeanne Mariee Saldanha Singh
  • Publication number: 20110292125
    Abstract: Provided is a liquid discharge head including a recording element board provided with an energy generating element; an electrical wiring board to supply the energy generating element with an electrical signal; a supporting member to support the recording element board and the electrical wiring board; a plurality of wires to connect a plurality of terminals provided on the recording element board and a plurality of terminals provided on the electrical wiring board; and a sealing member; wherein the plurality of wires include a plurality of transmitting wires contributory to transmission of the electrical signal and a plurality of non-transmitting wires non-contributory to the transmission formed at a higher position than the transmitting wires from that surface of the supporting member which supports the recording element board, and the sealing member is arranged to cover the plurality of transmitting wires as well as to join the plurality of non-transmitting wires.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 29, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hiroshi Abe