Eastman-kodak Company

Aetas Technology Corporation

Tiger Microsystems, Inc.

William Mey

Thomas M Stephany

Dennis R Kamp

Douglas E Bugner

William J Grande

Edward P Furlani

Thomas Nathaniel Tombs

Orville C Rodenberg

Charles D DeBoer

John W May

J Kelly Lee

Susan E Riblett

William T Gruenbaum

Lawrence E Contois

Kelly Stephen Robinson

Bruce J Rubin

George G Fulmer

William E Schmidtmann

G Gary Fulmer

Robert W Gundlach

William B Vreeland

Richard N Blazey

Ralph H Young

Anthony R Lubinsky

Svetlana Reznik

John R Debesis

David S Bailey

Yann Hung

Bijan Barzideh

Salvatore Leone

Kevin E Yousey

Peter G Evans

Anthony C Fornalik

Francis M Paczkowski

P W Moran

Carl N Worden

Robin A Dispenza

Thomas G Lodadio

Susan E Ribletty

A method and apparatus are presented for electrostatic deposition of dry powder to a tablet, capsule, or a specific area of any of a wide range of pharmaceutical substrates. The apparatus includes: a magnetic brush having a rotatable multi-pole magnetic core and a stationary outer shell; a developer supply for supplying a magnetic developer powder, consisting of a magnetic carrier particles and pharmaceutical dry powder particles, to the magnetic brush; a print head on the outer shell; a tablet or other pharmaceutical substrate arranged in spaced relation to the print head to define a pharmaceutical powder transfer region through which the substrate can be moved. The print head includes an array of microchannels for forming a plurality of parallel lines of developer in the channels, a corresponding plurality of transfer electrodes located in the microchannels for selectively transferring pharmaceutical powder from the lines to a substrate, driver circuitry for generating and applying transfer signals to the transfer electrodes, a power supply connection for applying power to the drive circuitry, a print signal input connection for applying print signals to the print head, and a logic and control circuit for applying the print signals to the drive circuitry. In one embodiment the width of an individual microchannel print head and the rotating multipole magnetic core is approximately the same dimension as the tablet or substrate to which pharmaceutical powder is to be deposited. In a further embodiment individual microchannel print heads can be arranged along the length of the shell to simultaneously deposit pharmaceutical powder to an array of tablets. In still a further embodiment the microchannel print head is shaped to conform to the tablet or capsule geometry to enhance deposition in three dimensions. In another embodiment the microchannel print head is formed on a silicon substrate onto which are also formed a multiplicity of individual drive circuits connected through separate conductive paths to individual transfer electrodes. In a further embodiment all the microelectronic circuitry necessary for the operation of the integrated microchannel print head is formed on the silicon substrate.

Dry powder electrostatic deposition method and apparatus

Electrographic printing apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording medium includes: a magnetic brush having a rotatable magnetic core and a stationary outer cylindrical shell; a developer supply for supplying a magnetic developer powder to the magnetic brush; an array of microchannels on the outer shell for forming a plurality of parallel lines of developer in the channels; means for selectively transferring developer from the lines to a receiver; and a receiver electrode arranged in spaced relation to the array of microchannels to define a recording region through which the receiver can be moved.

Microchannel print head for electrographic printer

An AC corona charging arrangement includes a corona generating device connected through a capacitive connection to an AC voltage source and partially surrounded by a conductive shield connected to DC voltage source. In one embodiment the corona generating device is a wire having a diameter of about 50 microns and in another embodiment the corona generating device is a row of pins connected through corresponding capacitance to the AC voltage source. The presence of a capacitance between the AC voltage source and the corona generating device provides a curve representing the relationship between the current between the charging device and an adjacent conductive plate and the shield voltage which is concave downwardly, resulting in a high charging rate and greater uniformity of charging of a photoreceptor surface.

AC corona charging arrangement with current&mdash;limiting capacitor

Electrographic printing apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording medium includes: a magnetic brush having a rotatable magnetic core and a stationary outer shell; a developer supply for supplying a magnetic developer powder to the magnetic brush; a print head on the outer shell; and a receiver electrode arranged in spaced relation to the print head to define a recording region through which the receiver can be moved. The print head includes an array of microchannels for forming a plurality of parallel lines of developer in the channels, a corresponding plurality of transfer electrodes located in the microchannels for selectively transferring developer from the lines to a receiver, driver circuitry for generating and applying transfer signals to the transfer electrodes, a power supply connection for applying power to the drive circuitry, a print signal input connection for applying print signals to the print head, the print signal input including a number of electrical conductors fewer than the number of transfer electrodes, and a logic and control circuit for applying the print signals to the drive circuitry.

Integrated microchannel print head for electrographic printer

A magnetic brush development roller assembly for an electrographic printer includes a cylindrical multipole magnet mounted for rotation about a cylindrical axis; and a conductive non-magnetic stationary shell surrounding the multipole magnet. The shell defines an axial slot for receiving an imaging head, and has a region of reduced conductance extending substantially around the circumference of the shell, whereby eddy currents generated by rotation of the magnet within the shell and hence resistive heating and drag on the magnet are reduced.

Magnetic brush development roller

An electrographic printing apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording medium, includes: a) a magnetic brush having a rotatable magnetic core and a stationary outer cylindrical shell; b) an addressable array of transfer electrodes on the outer shell, the array including a plurality of parallel strips of high magnetic permeability, electrically conductive material arranged circumferentially around the shell and disposed under an electrically insulating layer, the insulating layer defining printing gaps over the strips; c) a receiver electrode arranged in spaced relation to the array of transfer electrodes to define a recording region through which a receiver can be moved; d) a developer supply for supplying developer powder having an electrically conductive, magnetic carrier and a first colored toner to the magnetic brush, and e) an electronic circuit adapted to selectively apply voltage pulses to the transfer electrodes to cause the toner to transfer from the developer powder to the receiver in an image-wise pattern. A method, includes the steps of: providing a developer including a toner; forming a plurality of parallel circumferential ridges of developer, the ridges having a length substantially greater than their width; providing a corresponding plurality of printing gaps in the central portions of the ridges of developer, the printing gaps having a length substantially less than the length of the ridges; and selectively transferring toner at the printing gaps from the ridges to a receiver in an image wise manner.

Electrographic printing method and apparatus

Electrographic printing apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording medium, includes: a magnetic brush having a rotatable magnetic core and a stationary outer shell; a developer supply for supplying a magnetic developer powder including toner to the magnetic brush. A print head on the outer shell forms a plurality of parallel lines of developer. Toner is selectively transferred from a plurality of electrodes within each line to a receiver. A receiver electrode is arranged in spaced relation to the print head to define a recording region through which the receiver can be moved.

Electrographic printer with multiple transfer electrodes

A process for manufacturing a field replaceable laser writer spindle assembly having a shaft with two ball bearings and a spindle head, comprises the steps of preloading both ball bearings to a predetermined level. The spindle head is rotated about a longitudinal axis of the spindle assembly, and a reference surface of the spindle head is ground to a predetermined tolerance for minimizing runout of the reference surface for producing the field replaceable spindle assembly.

Field replaceable spindle assembly for a laser writer

Electrographic printing apparatus includes a developer supply for supplying a developer having a toner component; a print head for transferring toner from the developer supply in an image wise manner; and a compliant receiver for receiving the image wise toner from the print head. The receiver has a compliant inner conductive blanket layer for allowing the receiver to conform to a print medium and a non-compliant overcoat layer for efficiently releasing toner from the receiver. The image wise toner is transferred from the compliant receiver to the print medium at a transfer station.

Electrographic printing apparatus and method

Electrographic printing apparatus for forming a toner image on a recording medium, includes a magnetic brush having a rotatable magnetic core and a stationary outer shell. A developer supply supplies a magnetic developer powder including toner to the magnetic brush. A print head is located on the outer shell of the magnetic brush. The print head includes microchannels or magnetic strips for forming a plurality of parallel lines of developer, and transfer electrodes for selectively transferring toner from two or more locations within each line to a receiver moving relative to the print head. The parallel lines of developer are arranged at an angle with respect to the direction of movement of the receiver, thereby effectively increasing the resolution of the print head in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the receiver. A receiver electrode is arranged in spaced relation to the transfer electrodes to define a recording region through which the receiver is moved.

Electrographic printer with angled print head

A cartridge (10) of web material includes a hollow cartridge body (14) having an exit slit (26); a strip or sheet (12) of web material enclosed in the cartridge body to be withdrawn from or inserted into the cartridge body via the exit slit; at least one magnetic member (38, 40; 130; 172-178; 240; 290,292) carried on the strip or sheet; and a magnetically actuated visual indicator (36) mounted on the cartridge body adjacent the exit slit to be actuated by the magnetic member when the strip or sheet is withdrawn from or inserted into the cartridge body.

Photographic medium cartridge with magnetically activated status

A method of assembling a print head for an electrographic printer includes the steps of providing a flexible sheet having a microchannel print structure having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of alignment features relative to the longitudinal axis; providing a magnetic brush having a cylindrical axis and an outside shell; providing a fixture having alignment features for aligning the flexible sheet on the outside shell of the magnetic brush such that the longitudinal axis of the microchannel print structure is aligned parallel to the cylindrical axis of the magnetic brush and for conforming the microchannel print structure to the surface of the outside shell; and placing the flexible sheet and the magnetic brush in the fixture and attaching the flexible sheet to the outside shell of the magnetic brush.

Method for assembling a print head for an electrographic printer

An electrographic printer includes: a magnetic brush having a stationary outer shell and a rotating multi-pole magnet within the outer shell; an electrographic print head mounted on the outer shell of the magnetic brush; a Hall effect sensor located adjacent to the magnetic brush for detecting a field produced by the multi-pole magnet parallel to the surface of the shell and producing an output signal; and a pulse control circuit connected to the Hall effect sensor for detecting zero crossings of the output signal and supplying printing pulses to the electrographic print head in response thereto.

Electrographic printer comprising a magnetic brush and a hall effect

A magnetic brush development roller assembly for an electrographic printer, includes a cylindrical multipole magnet mounted for rotation about a cylindrical axis within a cylindrical shell. The stationary shell surrounding the multipole magnet defines an axial slot for receiving an imaging head, and has an increased thickness in the neighborhood of the slot and a reduced thickness in a neighborhood diametrically opposite the slot, whereby eddy currents generated by rotation of the magnet within the shell and hence drag on the magnet are reduced.

Magnetic brush development roller for an electrographic printer

A method for manufacturing a multi-faceted polygon for a laser writer, comprises the steps of creating a plurality of scanning surfaces on the polygon; and creating a step which is positioned on a mounting surface of the polygon for indicating the center of rotation for the polygon.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

William Mey