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:
Jun. 03, 1997
Filed:
Jan. 18, 1995
Ronald F Burr, Wilsonville, OR (US);
James D Padgett, Portland, OR (US);
James D Buehler, Troutdale, OR (US);
Meade Neal, Mulino, OR (US);
Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville, OR (US);
Abstract
An improved media-width phase-change ink-jet print had (102) maintains a uniform temperature across its width to produce consistent drop mass and uniform print quality. The print head uses a heater (120) including two separately controlled, overlapping heating zones (154). The heating zones produce heat gradients (170, 172) that have maximum outputs toward opposing edges (168a, 168b) of the print head and are controlled in response to thermistors (138s, 168b) positioned at the corresponding edges. The two heating zones together produce a linear heat gradient (180) across the print heat to compensate for uneven head-to-drum spacing (166) and other unsymmetrical thermal loads on the print head. The improved print head also includes baffles (192) that reduce air flow between the head and the attached reservoir (118), and thermal breaks (218) that insulate the section (220) of the head that includes the jets from the thermal gradients at the edges of the print head.