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:
Sep. 21, 1999
Filed:
Feb. 10, 1997
Kelsey R Walker, Hockley, TX (US);
Daniel B Granzow, Spring, TX (US);
Compaq Computer Corp., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A page-wide, drop-on-demand type ink jet printhead and an associated method of manufacturing an orifice plate. The orifice plate is comprised of a block of material in which a first portion of the block of material has been removed to define an ink reservoir. Also formed in the orifice plate are a series of apertures, each of the apertures includes an ink jet and an ink jet nozzle. A fill channel, which extends between the ink reservoir and each ink jet, is also formed in the orifice plate to provide a supply of ink to the ink jet. An intermediate layer is mounted to the orifice plate. The intermediate layer is formed of an active piezoelectric material and a series of piezoelectric actuators, each acoustically coupled to a corresponding one of the series of apertures, are formed on the intermediate layer. By applying a voltage differential between first and second electrodes, which make up each piezoelectric actuator, the intermediate layer is deflected to effect ejection of a droplet of ink from the aperture acoustically coupled to each piezoelectric actuator.