The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 14, 1992
Filed:
Mar. 04, 1991
Haruhiko Koto, Nagano, JP;
Yoshinori Miyazawa, Nagano, JP;
Osamu Nakamura, Nagano, JP;
Norihiko Kurashima, Nagano, JP;
Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An ink jet printing apparatus in which the ink jet print head is constructed to eliminate problems caused by air bubbles that can be present in fluid hot-melt ink. The apparatus head includes a heater to melt solid ink or lower the viscosity of high viscosity semi-solid ink and a plurality of ink jet nozzles corresponding to a series of piezoelectic vibrating elements that are positioned so that piezoelectric oscillations propel ink through the nozzles. The vibrators and nozzles are spaced so that if air bubbles are present in the melted ink the bubbles will be induced to travel away from the nozzles by piezoelectrically induced agitation so that they do not interfere with ink jet printing. The printer can include a vent hole to provide an exit for the bubbles. The vent hole can be selectively opened and closed.