Nec Corporation

Shinro Oikawa

Ryosuke Uematsu

Kazunori Shindo

Yoshinobu Kariya

A thermal ink jet recording apparatus includes an ink film (21) having a plurality of apertures (22) for retaining ink and movable along a path in the form of a loop, the ink film having an electrical resistance material (35) extending in a direction perpendicular to the path. A thermal head (3) contacts one of opposite surface of the ink film for applying heat to it corresponding to a pattern to be printed. An ink container (26) is located on the path upstream of the thermal head (3) and contains solid ink which melts when heated, and a device is provided for applying a voltage across the edges of the ink film. In this manner, the heated ink film causes the ink to melt thereby filing apertures (22). The ink film (21) has first and second opposite surfaces. In the first embodiment, the first surface and opposite edge portions of the ink film on both surfaces have an electrical resistance layer (35) while the remaining portions of the second surface have an insulating layer (34). In another embodiment, stripe-like electrical resistance layers (37a, 37b, 37c) are provided on the first surface and on opposite edge portions of the second surface. Finally, in another embodiment, electrical resistance layers (39a, 39b, 39c) are provided on the first surface and on opposite edge portion of the second surface, the resistance layers on the second surface being displaced relative to the electrical resistance layers on the first surface.

Ink supply mechanism for a thermal ink-jet recording apparatus

A thermal ink jet printing apparatus has a film having a number of small apertures formed in the front thereof and retaining liquid ink in the apertures. The film is located to face a thermal head having heating elements. As the heating elements are selectively energized in response to a signal representative of a particular image pattern, the ink in the apertures evaporates to exert a pressure on the ink. As a result, the ink is ejected toward a recording medium to form an image thereon. An ink retaining layer is provided on the rear of the film and communicated to the apertures. Alternatively, an ink well may be formed in a portion of the thermal head that faces the rear of the film and communicated to the apertures.

Thermal ink jet printing apparatus

An electrostatically charged image is applied to a smooth photoconductor surface and moved past a development station having an outer liquid chamber and an inner liquid chamber disposed therein. The outer and inner liquid chambers respectively communicate to outer and inner slits which are aligned with each other in a direction toward the photoconductor surface. In the slit of the inner housing is disposed a comb-like electrode which is biased at a potential opposite to the charged image. The comb elements of the electrode are successively arranged along an inner wall of the inner slit. Developing liquid is supplied to the inner chamber through an inlet port located below the inner slit so that the liquid overflows through the inner slit into the outer chamber while constantly wetting the outer slit to present a liquid surface to the electrostatically charged image. Baffle plates are secured to the inner walls of the inner chamber so that the developing liquid flows uniformly at all locations of the comb-like electrode toward the inner slit.

Liquid development apparatus having comb-like electrode

An electrostatically charged image is applied to a smooth surface and moved past a development zone in which a carrier sheet perforated with a multitude of bores is also located. A layer of developing liquid is applied under gradually increasing pressure to a first surface of the carrier sheet so that the applied liquid squeezes through the bores to and beyond a second, opposite surface of the carrier sheet. The liquid emerges above the opposite surface of the carrier sheet to produce a multitude of part-spherical bulges. Field concentration occurs on the part-spherical surfaces of the individual tiny bulges. The first surface of the carrier sheet preferably exhibits lyophilic characteristic to the developing liquid, while the second surface exhibits lyophobic characteristic.

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Tokyo, Japan

Shinro Oikawa