Eastman-Kodak Company

James E Pickering

Werner N Fassler

Charles D DeBoer

Hwei-Ling Yau

Timothy John Wojcik

Arthur M Gooray

Po-Jen Shih

Kwok-Leung Yip

Charles Francis Scaglione

Simon D Yandila

James Albert Reczek

Kin K Lum

Marcello D Fiscella

Gilbert Allan Hawkins

J Kelly Lee

Svetlana Reznik

Brian Gray Price

Joseph W Hoff

Joseph J Schappler

John E Mooney

Manh Tang

Robert R Brearey

An ink tank including a reservoir for holding ink, the reservoir including a flexible wall for adjusting an internal volume of the reservoir; a biasing element for applying a force to the flexible wall that tends to increase the internal volume of the reservoir; an ink supply port for delivering ink from the reservoir to a printhead; and a breather element, at least a portion of which is disposed inside the reservoir, including a capillary material in contact with ink in the reservoir, wherein the breather element is configured to allow air to enter the reservoir in response to an internal pressure of the reservoir being less than atmospheric pressure outside the ink tank by an amount that is related to a property of the biasing element and a capillary pressure of the breather element.

Biased wall ink tank with capillary breather

An apparatus and method of removing carrier from an article are provided. The apparatus includes a heater positioned to direct heat toward an article travel path. The heat has an emission spectrum with a peak emission wavelength and the carrier having an absorption spectrum with a peak absorption wavelength. The peak emission wavelength of the heat substantially corresponds to the peak absorption wavelength of the carrier.

Apparatus and method of removing carrier from a recording element

An apparatus and method of treating a recording element are provided. The apparatus includes a carrier removal station adapted to remove a predetermined percentage of carrier present in the recording element. A converting station is positioned downstream from the carrier removal station and is adapted to increase a durability characteristic of the recording element. A controller is electrically connected to at least one of the carrier removal station and the converting station so that an operating parameter of at least one of the carrier removal station and the converting station is individually adjustable.

Apparatus and method of treating a recording element

A method of converting a recording element is provided. The method includes providing an imaged recording element having a convertible layer, the convertible layer comprising polymeric particles and a polymeric binder, the polymeric particles having a glass transition temperature T, and the polymeric binder having a glass transition temperature T; heating the convertible layer to a temperature T, Tbeing greater than Tand T; and converting the heated convertible layer of the recording element by advancing the recording element through a pair of rollers, the first roller of the pair of rollers being maintained at a first temperature Tand the second roller of the pair of rollers being maintained at a second temperature T, Tand Tbeing less than T, the convertible layer of the recording element becoming a converted layer after advancing through the pair of rollers, wherein the converted layer has an exit temperature T, Tbeing less than T.

Method of converting a recording element

A recording element printing and treating system and method are provided. The system includes a printhead for dispensing a liquid comprising a carrier onto a recording element. A carrier removal station positioned downstream from the printhead removes a predetermined percentage of carrier present in the recording element. A converting station positioned downstream from the carrier removal station increases a durability characteristic of the recording element. In one embodiment, printing, carrier removal, and converting are accomplished in a single unit. In an alternative embodiment, printing is accomplished in a stand alone unit while carrier removal and converting are accomplished in a second stand alone unit. In this alternative embodiment, transfer of the recording element can be accomplished automatically using a mechanical device or manually by a system user.

Recording element printing and treating system and method

Apparatus for color printing on a re-inkable belt, the re-inkable belt being moveable along an endless path and trained about a transport roller and including an ink transfer layer where an ink can be transferred to a moveable receiver and the moveable receiver moves into ink transfer relationship with the re-inkable belt at a nip position for transferring ink imagewise from the re-inkable belt to the receiver. The depleted ink is replenished and the re-inkable belt is arranged so that ink will be diffused into the ink transfer surface, and tension is adjustedly applied at two spaced locations to the transport roller and including two spaced steering actuators which, when actuated, apply tension to opposite positions on the transport roller, a sensor for determining the position of the re-inkable belt, and a computer coupled to the sensor for selectively actuating the steering actuators so as to apply tension to the transport roller which compensates for lateral distortion of the re-inkable belt.

Steering apparatus for re-inkable belt

A microfluidic printing apparatus comprising at least one ink reservoir; a structure defining a plurality of chambers arranged so that the chambers form an array with each chamber being arranged to form an ink pixel; a plurality of microchannels connecting the reservoir to a chamber; and a plurality of microfluidic pumps each being associated with a single microchannel for supplying ink from an ink reservoir through a microchannel for delivery to a particular chamber. The apparatus provides relative movement between the microchannels and the structure so that the arrays can be effective in two positions; a blocking position for preventing the flow of ink from the microchannel to the chamber, and a printing position for aligning the chambers with the microchannels for permitting the flow of ink from microchannels into associated chambers to regulate the ink flow into the chambers. The apparatus further controls the microfluidic pumps and causes arrays to be in printing position when the microfluidic pumps supply ink through the microchannels to the chambers so that the correct amount of ink is delivered into each chamber.

Microfluidic printing array valve

Apparatus for printing on a moveable receiver images corresponding to a digital image includes a re-inkable belt which includes a polymer support layer and an ink transfer layer having a plurality of colored patches provided over the polymer support layer wherein ink can be transferred to and from the ink transfer layer, the polymer support layer including heating elements disposed in the colored patches in the re-inkable belt which, when a potential is applied to them, heats their corresponding patch the ink transferable layer to facilitate ink transfer. The apparatus selectively applies potential to the heating elements in the re-inkable belt at an image transfer system and causes the moveable receiver to move into proximate contact with the re-inkable belt at an image transfer position. The apparatus further applies energy to selected heating elements to heat an appropriate patch of the re-inkable belt at the image transfer position to facilitate ink transfer and responsive to the digital image to imagewise transfer ink from the re-inkable belt to the receiver.

Re-inkable belt heating

A microfluidic printing apparatus including at least one ink reservoir; a structure defining a plurality of chambers arranged so that the chambers form an array with each chamber being arranged to form an ink pixel; a plurality of microchannels connecting the reservoir to a chamber; a plurality of microfluidic pumps each being associated with a single microchannel for supplying ink from an ink reservoir through a microchannel for delivery to a particular chamber; and a structure for controlling the starting times of the microfluidic pumps and the time of separation of the receiver from the ink chambers so that the correct amount of ink is delivered from each chamber to each pixel on the receiver.

Microfluidic printing with optical density control

A microfluidic display apparatus responsive to an image file for displaying a plurality of colored pixel, having at least one color for each pixel includes at least one fluid display chamber for displaying a color; a microchannel connected to the display chamber and including a first colored fluid which, when such fluid is moved to the display chamber, displays the first color as a pixel and a second colored fluid which, when moved to the display chamber, displays the second color as a pixel; and microfluidic pumps for each microchannel. A computer controls the microfluidic pumps in response to a particular pixel of the image file for selectively controlling the flow of fluid to the chamber for selectively displaying either the first or second colors or a fraction of each color thereof.

Microfluidic image display

Apparatus for replenishing dye from a re-inkable belt after such apparatus has transferred dye to form an image in response to image signals on a moveable receiver includes a re-inkable belt moveable along an endless path and having a plurality of separated ink patches each one being adapted to receive and transfer a different colorant and a re-inking turret having a plurality of rollers each one of has different transferable colorant and corresponds to a particular ink patch. The receiver is moved into proximate contact with the ink patches at a nip position. The apparatus responds to the image signals for applying energy to the re-inkable belt at the nip position to imagewise transfer colorant from the re-inkable belt to the receiver depleting colorant in an imagewise pattern and imagewise replenishment of depleted colorant on the ink patches of the ink belt to transfer colorant into the ink transfer surface includes a structure responsive to the image signals and the position of the re-inkable belt to cause particular rollers to engage corresponding moving ink patches at an ink transfer position for transferring ink to such patches such that the transfer of colorant from each roller to the corresponding patches is in synchronization with the movement of the re-inkable belt.

Synchronious re-inking of a re-inkable belt

Printing apparatus for radiation thermal transfer of colorant from a donor to a receiver, including a flash tube for emitting high intensity radiation; a polarizer for receiving high intensity radiation from the flash tube and polarizing such radiation; and liquid crystal cells disposed to receive polarized radiation from the polarizer. Electrodes modulate the liquid crystal cells so that they change the polarization of the radiation passing through them. A second polarizer receives radiation from the liquid crystal cells and is arranged to pass different intensities of radiation depending on their polarization. The colorant donor and the receiver are positioned in colorant transfer relationship with the second polarizer at a colorant transfer position so that radiation which passes through the second polarizer illuminates the colorant donor so that colorant is transferred to the receiver.

Liquid crystal printing apparatus for radiation thermal transfer of

A printer for transferring colorant from a donor web to a receiver web, includes a rotatable platen roller and a printhead having an energy transfer portion engaging the donor web and pressing the donor web into engagement with the receiver web and the receiver web into the surface of the rotatable platen roller to form a nip so that as the rotatable platen rotates, both the receiver web and the donor web are translated. Applied energy to the printhead is transferred from the energy transfer portion of the printhead to the donor web to transfer colorant to the receiver web at the nip. The movement of the receiver web is sensed for controlling the rotation of the rotatable platen roller and energy application.

Simplified printer drive mechanism

Apparatus for thermal color printing on a moveable receiver including a re-inkable web having at least one colorant; the moveable receiver being in contact with the re-inkable web at a nip position. The apparatus heats the moveable receiver at a position proximate to the nip of the re-inkable web and the moveable receiver so that the moveable receiver maintains sufficient heat to cause colorant to transfer from the re-inkable web to the moveable receiver. Colorant is applied to the re-inkable web after the re-inkable web has delivered colorant to the moveable receiver.

Thermal color printing by receiver side heating

A microfluidic printing apparatus includes at least one ink reservoir; a moveable plate having a plurality of delivery chambers in an array each for forming an ink pixel, and a plurality of microchannels connecting the reservoir to a delivery chamber; and a plurality of microfluidic pumps each being associated with a single microchannel for supplying ink to particular delivery chambers. The moveable plate moves between different positions for permitting the delivery chambers for sequentially delivering ink from an associated microchannel into its associated delivery chamber to control the amount of ink delivered to each delivery chamber; and a computer for controlling the microfluidic pumps and the movement of the moveable shutter plate for causing the correct amount of ink to be conveyed into each delivery chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Holcomb, NY, United States of America

James E Pickering