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:
Dec. 21, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 06, 1996
David W Hanks, Portland, OR (US);
Meade Neal, Mulino, OR (US);
Sharon S Berger, Salem, OR (US);
Donald B Maclane, Portland, OR (US);
Nasser Alavizadeh, Tigard, OR (US);
Ronald F Burr, Wilsonville, OR (US);
William H Tomison, Beaverton, OR (US);
Tektronix, Inc., Wilsonville, OR (US);
Abstract
An ink jet array print head (101) includes four media-width linear ink jet arrays (100). Ink flows from four sets of manifolds (106) through acoustically matched inlet filters (116), inlet ports (117), inlet channels (118), pressure chamber ports (120), and ink pressure chambers (122). Ink leaves the pressure chambers through outlet ports (124) and flows through oval outlet channels (128) to orifices (108), from which ink drops (110) are ejected. The ink pressure chambers are bounded by flexible diaphragms (130) to which piezo-ceramic transducers (132) are bonded. To minimize inter-jet cross-talk caused by pressure fluctuations in the manifolds, compliant walls (150) form one wall along the entire length of each manifold. An improved ink feed system (210) supplies four colors of ink to the print head. Phase-change inks are melted and deposited in ink catch basins (202), funneled into ink storage reservoirs (204), and fed to the print head through ink stack feeds (206) having substantially equal lengths and cross-sectional areas to improve jetting uniformity. Manifold tapering, inlet port positioning, and an elevationally upward slope of the ink stack feeds enhances purgeability of the ink feed system and the ink jet print head.