Xerox Corporation

Sandia Corporation

Leonard M Carreira

Arthur M Gooray

Louis V Isganitis

Paul Charles Galambos

George J Roller

Joseph Michael Crowley

Kevin R Zavadil

Kenneth C Peter

Edward J Radigan

Thomas J Trenchard

Donald P Curran, Jr

Marcel Philippe Breton

Bing R Hsieh

Raymond W Wong

Bernard Grushkin

William M Schwarz

David G Anderson

Frederick Allen Donahue

Christine E Bedford

Karai P Premnath

Frank J Peter

David P Breemes, Sr

Richard C Givler

Edward Forest

Kathy-Jo Brodsky

Christine C Lyons

Frank Y Yang

Lonnie J Pollocks, Jr

Anne L Wickett

Mary Anne Evans

Lloyd F Bean

The present invention relates to an ink composition including water, a solvent, a solvent-soluble dye, and a surfactant, where the ink exhibits a stable liquid microemulsion phase at a first temperature and a second temperature higher than the first temperature and has a conductivity of at most about 200 &#x3bc;S/cm and a dielectric constant of at least about 60, and methods of making such ink compositions. The present invention also relates to a method of making an ink composition for use in a microelectromechanical system-based fluid ejector. The method involves providing a solution or dispersion including a dye or a pigment and adding to the solution or dispersion an additive which includes a material that enhances dielectric permittivity and/or reduces conductivity under conditions effective to produce an ink composition having a conductivity of at most about 200 &#x3bc;S/cm and a dielectric constant of at least about 60.

Tailored ink for piston driven electrostatic liquid drop modulator

An improved method of upgrading an image transfer engine such as, for example, an ink jet fluid printer or plotter using liquid ink, or a xerographic device using a liquid toner is disclosed. A removable ink flush tank/cartridge containing an ink cleaner is substituted for a removable ink tank, permitting complete cleaning of ink from the ink fluid flow paths in the engine. This results in less contamination of new inks with previously used inks in the engine.

Method and apparatus for cleaning fluid ejection cartridge and maintenance station

A fluid ejection system according to this invention operates on the principle of electrostatic or magnetic attraction. In various exemplary embodiments, the fluid ejection system includes a sealed diaphragm arrangement having at least one diaphragm portion and a diaphragm chamber defined at least partially by the at least one diaphragm portion, a nozzle hole located over the at least one diaphragm portion, an ejection chamber defined between the nozzle hole and the least one diaphragm portion and a secondary dielectric fluid reservoir containing a secondary dielectric fluid. The ejection chamber receives a primary fluid to be ejected. The secondary dielectric fluid reservoir is in fluid communication with the diaphragm chamber to supply the secondary dielectric fluid to the diaphragm chamber. In various exemplary embodiments, the secondary dielectric fluid is a liquid, a substantially incompressible fluid, and/or a high performance dielectric fluid having a dielectric constant greater than 1.

Fluid ejection systems and methods with secondary dielectric fluid

A method of replenishing fluid used in an marking device maintenance station of an ink marking device includes obtaining condensate from ambient air through a condensation process and channeling the condensate to a reservoir in communication with the marking device maintenance station.

Ink marking device maintenance fluid replenishment system and method

Disclosed is an ink composition which comprises (a) water; (b) Acid Yellow 23 dye; and (c) urea.

Yellow ink for ink jet printing

Ink cartridges containing ink compositions containing nanometer scale pigment particles are produced by preparing a pigment solution including a solubilized pigment-Lewis acid complex and an aprotic solvent system, separating the pigment from the pigment solution to form pigmented particles either by precipitating pigment nanoparticles or by dyeing colloidal particles with the solubilized pigment-Lewis acid complex, concentrating the pigmented particles, then dispersing the pigmented particles in a formulating solvent to form an ink composition, and finally introducing the ink composition into an ink cartridge. The ink compositions are particularly suitable for use in ink jet ink cartridges.

Ink cartridges having ink compositions with pigmented particles and

A method and apparatus for controlling curl in a liquid ink printer. The liquid ink printer deposits an anticurl material on the side of a printed sheet opposite the one having printing deposited thereon. The anticurl material is a fluid which counteracts the steady state curl in the direction of the printed image resulting from active drying of the printed sheet. The back side of a printed sheet has deposited thereon an anticurl fluid which can contain water, a penetrant, and a humectant like material such as diethylene glycol, ethylene glycol, sulfolane and glycerin. The anticurl material is deposited with a roller made of a foam material for absorbing the anticurl fluid or a roller having dimples disposed on the surface thereof. In addition, the anticurl fluid can be deposited by a spray device or a thermal ink jet printhead ejecting anticurl fluid.

Curl control of printed sheets

Disclosed is a printing process which comprises applying in imagewise fashion to a substrate an ink composition which comprises an aqueous liquid vehicle, a colorant, and a drying component selected from the group consisting of zwitterionic compounds, and subsequently exposing the substrate to microwave radiation, thereby drying the images on the substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the invention is directed to a thermal ink jet printing process which comprises (1) incorporating into a thermal ink jet printing apparatus an ink composition which comprises an aqueous liquid vehicle, a colorant, and a drying component selected from the group consisting of zwitterionic compounds; (2) heating the ink in an imagewise pattern to cause bubbles to form therein, thereby causing droplets of the ink to be ejected in an imagewise pattern onto a substrate, thereby generating images on the substrate; and (3) exposing the substrate to microwave radiation, thereby drying the images on the substrate.

Ink jet printing processes with microwave drying

A cleaning apparatus for removing accumulated waste ink from a service or maintenance station of an ink jet printer includes a housing that defines a fluid storage chamber, and at least one output aperture that is formed in a wall of the housing, and communicates with the storage chamber. The cleaning apparatus further includes a cleaning liquid that is stored in the fluid storage chamber for ejecting through the at least one output aperture. The cleaning liquid advantageously includes ink dissolving compositions for dissolving thickened or dried ink waste and other contaminants that have undesirably accumulated in portions of the service or maintenance station. The method of cleaning the service or maintenance station of an ink jet printer includes (a) temporarily infusing waste ink and contamination-collecting portions of the service or maintenance station with a cleaning liquid that includes ink dissolving compositions, and (b) then purging or flushing out such cleaning liquid from the service or maintenance station.

Method and apparatus for cleaning a printhead maintenance station of an

Disclosed is a printing process which comprises applying in imagewise fashion to a substrate an ink composition which comprises an aqueous liquid vehicle, a colorant, and an ionic compound at least partially ionizable in the liquid vehicle, said ink composition having a conductivity of at least about 10 milliSiemens per centimeter, and subsequently exposing the substrate to microwave radiation, thereby drying the images on the substrate. A specific embodiment of the invention is directed to a thermal ink jet printing process which comprises (1) incorporating into a thermal ink jet printing apparatus an ink composition which comprises an aqueous liquid vehicle, a colorant, and an ionic compound at least partially ionizable in the liquid vehicle, said ink composition having a conductivity of at least about 10 milliSiemens per centimeter; (2) heating the ink in an imagewise pattern to cause bubbles to form therein, thereby causing droplets of the ink to be ejected in an imagewise pattern onto a substrate, thereby generating images on the substrate; and (3) exposing the substrate to microwave radiation, thereby drying the images on the substrate.

Printing processes with microwave drying

A photoelectrophoretic imaging apparatus in which a disposable, electrically biased blocking web has a portion thereof in contact with a moving heated member. A disposable imaging web, electrically biased to a polarity opposite to the polarity of the blocking web, contacts the heated portion of the blocking web. Photosensitive particles dispersed in a normally solid waxy binder matrix are interposed between the imaging web and the blocking web. A light image is projected onto the heated portion of the imaging web contacting the blocking web causing selective migration of the photosensitive particles in the liquefied waxy binder matrix in image configuration.

Photoelectrophoretic printing machine

Photosensitive composition for use in photoelectrophoretic imaging system. The particulate component of this composition includes vanadyl phthalocyanine pigment particles which have been treated with a polymer having structural units of the formula ##STR1## WHEREIN Z is a pendant group of the formula ##STR2## X is a substituent substantially incapable of withdrawing electrons from the electron rich pyridinyl moiety;

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Penfield, NY, United States of America

Leonard M Carreira