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:
Mar. 31, 1998
Filed:
Jan. 20, 1995
David E Hackleman, Monmouth, OR (US);
Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A page-wide-array ('PWA') printhead includes a flex circuit thermal-kinematically fixed to a printbar. Thermal kinematic fixturing directs thermal expansion and contraction of the flex circuit along known paths. One effect of the invention is that over a given temperature range, PWA printhead nozzles remain aligned and nozzle spacing changes uniformly across the printhead. To accomplish the fixturing, a sealant, fixtures, and a reference barrier hold the flex circuit to the printbar. The flex circuit defines elongated slots receiving a fixture post. Each slot and fixture defines a 1-D connection or free-floating connection in an xy-plane. For a 1-D connection thermal displacement occurs in only one direction as defined by the slot orientation. For a free-floating connection thermal displacement is free-floating in the xy-plane. The reference barrier is located on the printbar and defines a corner 'bench mark' for the flex circuit. All expansion or contraction of the flex material occurs relative the flex circuit edges abutting the reference barrier. Points of the flex circuit away from the reference barrier are free (in a thermal kinematic sense) to move locally for small distances.