Lexmark International, Inc.

Other

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Shirish Padmaker Mulay

James Harold Powers

Robert Wilson Cornell

Frank Edward Anderson

Christopher Dane Jones

Nicholas Jon Post

Robert L Cornell

George Keith Parish

Bruce David Gibson

Edmund Hulin James, Iii

Sam Norasak

Girish Shivaji Patil

Agnes Kam Zimmer

Kent Lee Ubellacker

Gina Marie Johns

Duane Edward Norris

Julie Ann Gordon Whitney

Richard Louis Goin

Colin G Maher

Bhaskar T Ramakrishnan

Neal Douglas McFarland

Bryan Scott Willett

Stanley Dyer

David Charles Weatherly

William Shannon Spencer

Adam Neal Chalin

Eric Spenser Hall

Ramkumar Singh Sankar Singh

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of pigmented ink. Its housing defines an interior and exterior. The interior retains the ink and an exit port supplies it to an imaging device. Users orient the housing to deplete the ink in a direction of gravity toward a bottom surface of the interior en route to the exit port. The ink passes through a mixing chamber having inlet ports arranged to restrict to multiple different heights the entrance of the volume of ink from the interior. As ink draws from various heights into the chamber, sediments in the pigment mix together. The design overcomes settling. It also avoids mechanical stirring and other complex mixing techniques. Further embodiments include chamber shapes, configuration of inlet ports, and construction of the supply item, to name a few.

Fluid container having mixing chambers for micro-fluid applications

A micro-fluid ejection device defines a print gap from an ejection head to a print media. An ejection zone of the head ejects fluid across the print gap during use. At least one wind baffle adjacent the ejection zone modifies airflow in the print gap as the head scans. In various designs, multiple wind baffles reside on either sides of the ejection zone to provide a cascading airflow effect from one wind baffle to the next. Baffle shapes, spacing and locations define multiple embodiments.

Wind baffles for micro-fluid ejection devices

A micro-fluid ejection head assembly having improved assembly characteristics and methods of manufacturing a micro-fluid ejection head assembly. The micro-fluid ejection head includes a fluid supply body having at least one fluid supply port in a recessed area therein. A reinforcing member circumscribes the fluid supply port. A micro-fluid ejection head is attached with an adhesive to the supply body in the recessed area so that cracking of the ejection head during adhesive curing is substantially reduced.

Methods and apparatus for improved ejection head planarity and reduced ejection head damage

A method for determining the pulse width for driving printhead nozzles in a thermal inkjet printer. The printhead is preheated to a desired temperature during a maintenance mode. The printhead nozzle heaters are successively driven in respective heating intervals, where each successive heating interval is characterized by shorter drive pulse width pulses occurring at a higher pulse frequency. The printhead temperature data received during each heating interval is processed to determine a respective temperature slope. The temperature slopes are compared to a desired threshold temperature slope, and when a match is found, the pulse width associated with the matched temperature slope is used to drive the nozzle heaters during subsequent printer operations to print characters on a print medium.

Printhead nucleation detection using thermal response

Micro-fluid ejection heads and methods for extending the life of micro-fluid ejection heads. One such micro-fluid ejection head includes a substrate having a plurality of thermal ejection actuators. Each of the thermal ejection actuators has a resistive layer and a protective layer thereon. A flow feature member is adjacent the substrate and defines a fluid feed channel, a fluid chamber associated with at least one of the actuators and in flow communication with the fluid feed channel, and a nozzle. The nozzle is offset to a side of the chamber opposite the feed channel. A polymeric layer having a degradation temperature of less than about 400&#xb0; C. overlaps a portion of the at least one actuator associated with the fluid chamber and positioned less than about five microns from at least an edge of the at least one actuator opposite the fluid feed channel.

Low energy, long life micro-fluid ejection device

A fluid ejector, such as a printhead for an inkjet printer, comprising a substrate that includes a primary via formed therein, and a nozzle member overlying the substrate and including vertical nozzle chambers at least partially overlying the primary via and a corresponding fluid actuator (e.g., a heater) associated with the substrate.

Overhanging nozzles

A method of controlling a temperature of a print chip of a printhead in an ink jet printer includes providing a memory device within the printer. Ink is emitted from the printhead. Temperature data associated with the print chip during the emitting step is recorded. A thermal resistance value associated with the printhead and/or a thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead is calculated. The calculating is dependent upon the recorded temperature data. The thermal resistance value associated with the printhead and/or the thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead is stored in the memory device. A temperature of the print chip at a future point in time is estimated based upon a number of ink drops to be emitted by the printhead before the future point in time, and the thermal resistance value associated with the printhead and/or the thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead. The thermal resistance and/or the thermal capacitance values vary with the print power, target temperature, and heatsink temperatures. The estimated temperature is compared to a predetermined limit temperature. If the estimated temperature exceeds the predetermined limit temperature, the number of ink drops to be emitted by the printhead before the future point in time is reduced.

Method and apparatus for predicting and limiting maximum printhead chip temperature in an ink jet printer

The invention provides a printing apparatus for printing an image having a spatial resolution onto a print medium. The printing apparatus includes a printhead having a plurality of printing elements for ejecting ink droplets having a mass onto the print medium, and a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the printhead, producing a temperature signal. The apparatus also includes a media sensor for determining what type of print medium is loaded in the printer and producing a print medium signal based on the type of print medium installed in the printer. A plurality of heating devices are located adjacent the printhead for adjusting the temperature the printhead. The apparatus includes a printer controller for receiving the temperature signal from the temperature sensor and the print medium signal from the media sensor, and determines the ink temperature based on the print medium signal, and activates the heating devices to maintain the temperature of the printhead within a desired temperature range that is dependent upon the print medium signal.

Print head temperature adjustment based on media type

An ink jet print head includes a nozzle plate having a substantially linear array of ink jet nozzles through which ink droplets are ejected toward a print medium. An integrated circuit chip, which is disposed adjacent the nozzle plate on the print head, includes a semiconductor substrate, a source voltage conductor connected to a source voltage, and a ground return conductor. A substantially linear array of ink heating resistors are disposed on the substrate substantially parallel to the length of the chip, each associated with a corresponding one of the ink jet nozzles. The chip also includes a plurality of substrate heater resistors disposed on the substrate in a substantially linear arrangement and aligned substantially parallel with the nozzles. The substrate heater resistors are electrically connected in parallel, with one node of each being connected to the source voltage conductor and another node of each being connected to the ground return conductor. Preferably, the substrate heater resistors include first substrate heater resistors disposed near a lengthwise center of the chip and second substrate heater resistors that are distally disposed relative to the lengthwise center of the chip. The first and second substrate heater resistors have different first and second electrical resistance values, respectively, that are determined by thermal dissipation patterns of the chip. The difference between the first and second electrical resistance values cause the first and second substrate heater resistors to generate different amounts of heat when supplied with the source voltage. The different amounts of heat generated by the first and second substrate heater resistors and the relative positions of the first and second substrate heater resistors compensate for differing thermal dissipation patterns across the chip.

Linear substrate heater for ink jet print head chip

A method of controlling a temperature of a print chip of a printhead in an ink jet printer includes providing the printer with a memory device. The print chip is provided with and at least one ink-jetting resistor. The printhead is provided with at least one substrate heater and a heatsink attached to the print chip. Power is applied to the substrate heater and/or the ink-jetting resistor. Temperature data associated with the print chip is recorded during the applying step. A thermal resistance value of the print chip to the heatsink and/or a thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead is calculated dependent upon the recorded temperature data. The thermal resistance value of the print chip to the heatsink and/or the thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead are stored in the memory device. A temperature of the heatsink is measured based upon the thermal resistance value of the print chip to the heatsink, the thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead, a temperature of the print chip, an ambient temperature, and/or a thermal resistance value associated with the heatsink. A level of power to be applied to the substrate heater is set dependent upon the thermal resistance value of the print chip to the heatsink and/or the thermal capacitance value associated with the printhead, and the temperature of the heatsink.

Method and apparatus for thermal control of an ink jet printhead

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Shirish Padmaker Mulay