Lexmark International, Inc.

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Other

International Business Machines Corporation

Timothy Lowell Strunk

Christopher Alan Adkins

Frank Edward Anderson

Carl Edmond Sullivan

Yimin Guan

Michael Clark Campbell

John Dennis Zbrozek

Burton Lee Joyner, Ii

Donald Fred Croley

Andrew McNees

David L Bernard

Paul William Dryer

Stephen Kelly Cunnagin

Timothy P Craig

Michael Shayne Wilson

George Keith Parish

Eunki Hong

Wade A Powell

Burton Joyner, Ii

Douglas Keith Peterson, Jr

Daniel R Gagnon

James Harold Powers

David Emerson Greer

Jeanne Marie Saldanha Singh

Kristi Maggard Rowe

David Golman King

Michael John Dixon

Jiandong Fang

Mark Walter Fagan

Brian Jones

Jeffrey Ray Ehlert

George Nelson Woolcott

Audrey Dale Rodgers

George Chausanski

Glenn S Westerman

Burton L Joyner, Ii

An ejection chip is disclosed, and comprises a substrate, a flow feature layer, a nozzle plate, and one or more valves. The substrate includes one or more fluid channels and one or more fluid ports each in communication with at least one of the one or more fluid channels. The flow feature layer is disposed over the substrate, and the flow feature layer include one or more flow features each in communication with at least one of the one or more fluid ports. The nozzle layer is disposed over the flow feature layer, and the nozzle layer includes one or more nozzles each in communication with at least one of the one or more flow features so that one or more fluid paths are defined by the one or more fluid channels, the one or more fluid ports, the one or more flow features, and the one or more nozzles. The one or more valves selectively impede flow of fluid through the one or more fluid paths.

Maintenance valve for fluid ejection head

An ejection chip is disclosed, and comprises a substrate, a flow feature layer, a nozzle plate, and one or more valves. The substrate includes one or more fluid channels and one or more fluid ports each in communication with at least one of the one or more fluid channels. The flow feature layer is disposed over the substrate, and the flow feature layer include one or more flow features each in communication with at least one of the one or more fluid ports.

A micro-fluid ejection head assembly and methods for fabricating micro-fluid ejection heads using separately fabricated electrical components. The micro-fluid ejection head has at least one base substrate, at least one fluid ejector actuator substrate attached to the base substrate; and at least a first logic component substrate hermetically sealed to the base substrate. The fluid ejector actuator substrate and the first logic component substrate are in electrical communication with each other.

Modular micro-fluid ejection head assembly

A micro-fluid ejection head has fluid ejection elements formed as thin film layers on a substrate. Fluid flow features on the substrate channel fluid from a fluid source to ejection chambers surrounding the ejection elements. A pump on the substrate circulates the fluid from the source to the ejection chambers and back again to the source. The flow refreshes the fluid in the chambers to minimize deleterious effects of evaporation. A controller coordinates the flow rate of the pump and other variables to optimize system productivity. Other embodiments contemplate pump locations, pump types, pump enumeration, and fluidic features, such as pathways, diffusers, chokes and dimensions, to name a few.

On-chip fluid recirculation pump for micro-fluid applications

A heater chip has a substrate and at least one die, made of silicon, and a bond non-adhesively attaching them. The substrate, thick enough to resist bowing, has ink supply vias from back to front surfaces. The die has ink flow vias from back to front surfaces and circuitry including heater elements adjacent the front surface interspersed with ink flow vias. A metal through the die connects a conductor on a front of the substrate to a heater element on a front of the die. A wire bond connects to the front of the substrate, but is offset from die.

Heater chips with silicon die bonded on silicon substrate, including offset wire bonding

Micro-fluid ejection devices, methods for making a micro-fluid ejection device, and methods for reducing a size of a substrate for a micro-fluid ejection head. One such micro-fluid ejection device has a polymeric layer adjacent a substrate and at least one conductive layer embedded in the polymeric layer. The polymeric layer comprises at least two layers of polymeric material.

Micro-fluid ejection devices with a polymeric layer having an embedded conductive material

Disclosed is a system for priming a fluid jetting device. The system includes a fluid trench configured within a fluid jetting chip of the fluid jetting device and at least one first channel fluidly coupled to the fluid trench. The at least one first channel extends vertically between the fluid jetting chip and a mounting unit adapted to support the fluid jetting chip, and is adapted to supply a priming fluid to the fluid trench. The system further includes at least one second channel fluidly coupled to the fluid trench. The at least one second channel extends vertically between the fluid jetting chip and the mounting unit, and is adapted to drain-out the priming fluid from the fluid trench. Further disclosed are systems for priming a fluid jetting device, in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Systems for priming fluid jetting devices

Methods for licensing functionality after an initial transaction are provided. One such method is directed to licensing after an initial transaction of a customer obtaining a supply item including the step of prompting the customer to acquire a usage license for the supply item.

Method of licensing functionality after initial transaction

A heater chip has a substrate and at least one die, made of silicon, and a bond non-adhesively attaching them. The substrate, thick enough to resist bowing, has ink supply vias from back to front surfaces. The die has ink flow vias from back to front surfaces and circuitry including heater elements adjacent the front surface interspersed with ink flow vias. The at least one die is superimposed on the substrate such that ink supply vias of the substrate align with ink flow vias of the die and portions of substrate front surface and die back surface are aligned, disposed adjacent and facing one another. The bond formed between substrate and die facing surface portions is hermetic and equal in strength to a Si&#x2014;O bond. A metal through the die connects a conductor on a front of the substrate to a heater element on a front of the die.

Heater chips with silicon die bonded on silicon substrate

A licensing method includes the steps of establishing a licensing vendor; providing an imaging device that uses an imaging media in forming printed images on print media, the imaging media including an initial supply amount of an imaging substance; associating a usage license with at least one of the imaging device and the imaging media, the usage license defining a first usage threshold at which a consumer is prompted to acquire a new license; and providing a license monitoring mechanism communicatively coupled with the imaging device, the license monitoring mechanism performing the steps of tracking an amount of usage of the imaging media by the imaging device; determining whether the amount of usage of the imaging media by the imaging device has reached a usage threshold; and upon reaching the usage threshold, then prompting the consumer to acquire the new license from the licensing vendor.

Licensing method for use with an imaging device

Micro-fluid ejection devices, methods for making micro-fluid ejection, heads, and micro-fluid ejection heads having N actuators on a first substrate and logic capable of driving the N actuators on a second substrate. The ejection heads also have less than N electrical connections between the first and second substrates.

Micro-fluid ejection devices having reduced input/output addressable heaters

A heater chip has a substrate and at least one die, made of silicon, and a bond non-adhesively attaching them. The substrate, thick enough to resist bowing, has ink supply vias from back to front surfaces. The die has ink flow vias from back to front surfaces and circuitry including heater elements adjacent the front surface interspersed with ink flow vias. The at least one die is superimposed on the substrate such that ink supply vias of the substrate align with ink flow vias of the die and portions of substrate front surface and die back surface are aligned, disposed adjacent and facing one another. The bond formed between substrate and die facing surface portions is hermetic and equal in strength to a Si&#x2014;O bond. By separate processing of carrier and device wafers, size and features of substrate and die can be tailored to provide a desired heater chip construction.

Heater chips with silicon die bonded on silicon substrate and methods of fabricating the heater chips

A silicon chip has a plurality of ink jetting structures. Each ink jetting structure of the plurality of ink jetting structures includes a heater stack having an electrical heater element. A power transistor is electrically connected to the electrical heater element. A planarization layer is interposed between the power transistor and the heater stack. The planarization layer has a planar base surface on which the heater stack is formed.

Ink ejection device including a silicon chip having a heater stack positioned over a corresponding power transistor

A method of generating an authentication code for a consumable includes assigning an identification number to the consumable; processing an input including at least the identification number, using a first algorithm, to generate a preliminary number different from the identification number; and compressing the preliminary number using a compression algorithm, different from the first algorithm, that utilizes the identification number to generate an authentication value for use in authenticating the consumable.

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Timothy Lowell Strunk