Eastman-kodak Company

David Andrew Johnson

Manh Tang

Xin Wen

Thomas P Szumla

Debasis Majumdar

Teh-Ming Kung

Todd Mathew Spath

Lawrence A Rowley

James T Stoops

David E Coons

Jayme Diniz Ribeiro

David S Madziarz

Stanley W Stephenson

Gilbert Allan Hawkins

Michael Edgar Long

John A Agostinelli

Douglas W Couwenhoven

David George Foster

William H Simpson

Young No

Raymond J Kenney

Mark Steven Janosky

Christopher A Ludden

James E Elly

Cobb S Goff

Richard A Shroyer

Edward A Hauschild

Kenneth A Lindsay

Frederic J Sturgis

Raymond Maynard

Lawrence Allen Rowley

A method of patterning a conductive polymer includes providing a conductive polymer layer coated over a first support followed by pattern-wise transferring a layer containing polyvinyl acetal from a second support onto the conductive polymer to form a mask with at least one opening. The masked conductive polymer is subjected to treatment through the opening that changes the conductivity of the conductive polymer by at least one order of magnitude in areas not covered by the mask.

Patterning of transparent conductive coatings

A method of assembling an electronic device includes providing a transparent conductive polymer layer coated over a first support followed by pattern-wise forming a transparent mask with at least one opening over the conductive polymer. The masked conductive polymer is subjected to treatment through the opening that changes conductivity of the conductive polymer by at least one order of magnitude in areas not covered by the mask to form a first electronic component. The first electronic component having the mask is secured to a second electronic component, thereby forming the electronic device.

Assembling an electrode device

Non-photosensitive direct thermographic materials have a support and thermally sensitive imaging layer(s) and an outermost 'protective' layer comprising:

Direct thermographic materials with improved protective layers

An image processor () supporting very high-speed printing. The image processor () preferably has two separate connections to a source () of the image being printed, e.g., a printer control bus () and an image data bus (). The image processor () preferably accepts images from the image source () in commonly known graphics file formats, such as the well-known 24-bit, uncompressed TIFF file format. The image processor () is a multiprocessor implementation. Preferably, one processor () coordinates or 'orchestrates' control of the printing system and handshaking with the image source via the printer control bus () and the other processor () functions as a raster image processor (RIP) processor () and accepts and stores images into the printer environment from the image source () via the image data bus (). The RIP processor () preferably performs color separation on the image into color planes and transmits each color plane to a separate processing path from that point on in the imaging chain. Each color plane preferably has a separate imaging path out from a shared image data bus (). This separate path for each color plane preferably includes a band manager (), a print engine or nozzle controller (), and a print head ().

Image processor for high-speed printing applications

A method for timing a deflection correcting electrical pulse relative to operational pulses of an asymmetric thermal droplet deflector of a continuous ink jet printer having nozzles, including the steps of generating a line image data with image data values corresponding to the nozzles, the image data values being indicative of desired pixel graytone levels for the nozzles, comparing the image data values to reference values, generating a serial bit stream in the form of a serially arranged bits based on the comparison of the image data values to the reference values, and producing an actuation value that times the deflection correcting electrical pulse in the serial bit stream when the image data value is equal to the reference value being compared to. The deflection correcting electrical pulse is timed to the actuation value in the serial bit stream.

Method of controlling heaters in a continuous ink jet print head having segmented heaters to prevent terminal ink drop misdirection

Disclosed is a thermal dye transfer print bearing a protective overlayer comprising a polymeric binder containing dispersed heat expandable microspheres wherein the expandable microspheres have been selectively expanded in a predetermined pattern and a process for making same. The resulting prints bear a predetermined texture pattern in the protective overlayer.

Thermal dye transfer print bearing patterned overlayer and process for making same

A method and apparatus for recording image information on a moving receiver media at a thermal print station features a ribbon cassette assembly that stores a thermal ribbon having dye, the thermal ribbon being supported as a supply role and take-up role on the ribbon cassette assembly, the ribbon cassette assembly including a wall structure defining a plenum chamber. Air under pressure is provided to the plenum chamber. An elongated thermal print head is positioned in engagement with the thermal ribbon; and recording elements on the thermal print head are directed along a main scan direction. The print head has associated therewith a heat sink that includes a series of parallel fins arranged along the length of the print head and the fins are oriented at least generally perpendicular to the main scan direction of printing. Cooling air flows from the wall structure, which structure extends in the direction of elongation of the print head. The wall structure has one or more openings along the direction of elongation, the cooling air being directed generally to sweep in the direction of the fins so that the cooling air advances generally in a direction generally parallel to the advancement direction of the receiver media at the printing station.

Method and apparatus for thermal management in a thermal printer having plural printing stations

An inkjet printhead assembly ( ) for an inkjet printer having a printhead ( ) with a plurality of nozzles ( ) and data path and control electronics circuitry ( ) operably coupled with the printhead ( ) for providing image data that control the flow of ink through the nozzles ( ). The nozzles ( ) are arranged in sections with actuators ( ) predisposed about each nozzle ( ), for causing the nozzles ( ) to print. Interconnections ( ) between the data path and control electronics circuitry ( ) and printhead ( ) include DATA, CLOCK, LATCH and ENABLE lines which are used to operate the printhead ( ) and, in turn, the nozzles ( ) via shift register stages ( ). The actuators ( ) are supported by the shift register stages ( ) into which data is shifted from register stage to register stage for loading data that enables the actuators ( ). The shift registers stages ( ) for all actuators ( ) are located to one side of the print head ( ) to facilitate cleaning of the nozzles ( ).

Printhead assembly with shift register stages facilitating cleaning of printhead nozzles

An inkjet printhead assembly ( ) for an inkjet printer having a printhead ( ) with a plurality of nozzles ( ) and data path and control electronics circuitry ( ) operably coupled with the printhead ( ) for providing image data that control the flow of ink through the nozzles ( ). The nozzles ( ) are arranged in sections with at least two heater elements, an upper heater ( ) and a lower heater ( ), predisposed about each nozzle ( ), the heater elements configured to actuate a nozzle ( ) for printing. The data path and control electronics circuitry ( ) comprises a plurality of shift registers ( ) configured to drive the nozzles, causing them to deliver ink in the direction of a receiver media, such as paper. Interconnections ( ) between the data path and control electronics circuitry ( ) and printhead ( ) include DATA, CLOCK, LATCH and ENABLE lines which are used to operate the printhead ( ) and, in turn, the nozzles ( ) via the shift register stages ( ). The number of interconnections are minimized by interleaving data to the shift registers between upper and lower heater elements of the printhead ( ) or by interleaving the data on the DATA line to the shift register stages ( ) for the upper and lower heater elements.

Printhead assembly with minimized interconnections to an inkjet printhead

A microfluidic printing apparatus responsive to an image file for printing a plurality of pixels on a receiver. The apparatus includes a plurality of colorant delivery chambers which contain colorants having mobile ions; and channels for delivering colorants to each colorant delivery chamber. A structure for colorant delivery is connected to the channels for controlling the amount of colorants delivered to the colorant delivery chambers. Electric drivers associated with the microfluidic pumps and the microvalves and which operate the microvalves and the microfluidic pumps for delivering the colorant to the colorant delivery chambers.

Addressing circuitry for microfluidic printing apparatus

Printer apparatus and method for printing an image on a receiver, the printer having a non-contact heater for improving image protection and image stability on the receiver. The printer comprises a printhead for transferring a colorant to the receiver and a heater disposed in heat transfer communication with the receiver for heating the receiver, so that the colorant diffuses into the receiver. The heater is located adjacent to the receiver. The heater comprises a heating element capable of emitting radiant heat therefrom and includes a reflector oriented with respect to the heating element and the receiver so as to reflect heat from the heating element to the receiver. The heater also comprises a heater control arrangement connected to the heating element for controlling the heating element. Moreover, the heater may further include a temperature sensor disposed relative to the receiver to more accurately control the receiver temperature, by controlling the heater in response to the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor. A receiver transport mechanism capable of engaging the receiver and transporting the receiver adjacent the heater is also provided.

Resistive thermal printing apparatus and method having a non-contact

A process of forming a dye transfer image comprising:

Thermal dye transfer process

A thermal print head which includes an array of individually addressable resistors on a substrate is provided to substantially reduce undesirable drift in the resistance values of the resistors. The thermal print head includes a thermally stable glaze having a smooth surface formed on the substrate, and an electrically resistive doped-semiconductive layer formed on the smooth glaze surface. An array of first and second electrode pairs is formed on the resistive layer such that each of the electrodes forms a gap therebetween. A protective layer is formed over the electrode pairs and over the resistive layer at the gap. An electrically conductive layer is formed on the protective layer. The thermal print head includes a structure for applying first and second potentials respectively to the first and second electrodes of each of the pairs for selectably heating each of the resistors, and applying a third potential to the conductive layer. The thermal print head further includes a structure for switching the potential of the first electrode from a low terminal potential state to a state substantially equal to the potential of the second electrode, and for providing the absolute value of the potential of the third electrode to be greater than the low terminal potential.

Resistance-stable thermal print heads

An apparatus and method for generating all of the print levels represented by an image data signal using a parallel input print head which has an input data bus which is narrower than the image data signal involves processing and printing image data multiple times. Each time the image data is processed, it is reduced from its original width down to the width which the print head can accept. The process includes the steps of determining the minimum number of times L.sub.min that the print head must be loaded to accomplish printing using the full width of the image data signal; processing the image data L times, where L.gtoreq.L.sub.min, to produce L output signals that (1) are no wider than the width of the input data bus and (2) have values such that the sum of the values of the L output signals equals the value of the input data signal; and using the L output signals to drive the print head.

Pulse width modulation method for a parallel input print head

A media transport system for controlling the position and velocity of media in a document production apparatus marking engine having a media positioning system driven by a motor, includes a motion control loop to control the motor; a sensor adapted to detect the position of the media and to create a trigonometric signal characteristic of the position of the media, the trigonometric signal comprising frequency and phase components; a resolver electronics subsystem adapted to trigonometrically process the trigonometric signal to create a resolved signal; and means for comparing the resolved signal to a reference clock signal of predetermined frequency and phase to provide an error signal used to control the motor that drives the media positioning system. The trigonometric signal may include a sine portion and a cosine portion. The sine portion of the trigonometric signal is sin(.omega..sub.e *t+.phi..sub.e) and the cosine portion of the trigonometric signal is cos(.omega..sub.e *t+.phi..sub.e); where .omega..sub.e is the trigonometric signal frequency component, .phi..sub.e is the trigonometric signal phase component, and t is the time. The resolver electronics subsystem may include a first multiplier adapted to output the product of the sine portion of the trigonometric signal and a reference cosine command cos(.omega..sub.r *t+.phi..sub.r); a second multiplier adapted to output the product of cosine portion of the trigonometric signal and a reference sine command sin(.omega..sub.r *t+.phi..sub.r), where .omega..sub.r is the frequency of the reference command and .phi..sub.r is the phase of the reference command; and means to add the outputs of the first and second multipliers.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

David Andrew Johnson