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. 14, 2004
Filed:
Feb. 28, 2003
Steven J. Dietl, Ontario, NY (US);
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY (US);
Abstract
A method of cleaning spaced nozzles in a printhead of a drop-on-demand inkjet printer in which a slight negative pressure is desired in an ink reservoir in order to prevent ink drool from the nozzles, comprises: deforming a compliant pressure regulator membrane that covers an opening in an ink reservoir, inwardly at the opening, to decrease the ink holding volume of the reservoir; deforming a compliant valve membrane that covers an opening in the ink reservoir and caps an ink conduit projecting into the reservoir, outwardly at the opening and away from the ink conduit, to uncap the ink conduit in order that the ink conduit can provide ink delivery at a positive pressure into the reservoir and out through the nozzles to clean the nozzles; returning the compliant valve membrane inwardly towards the ink conduit to recap the ink conduit in order to terminate ink delivery into the reservoir; and returning the compliant pressure regulator membrane outwardly to increase the ink holding volume of the reservoir in order to reduce ink pressure in the reservoir. Also, the method can further comprise: ejecting some ink from the nozzles by activating thermal or piezoelectric activators for the nozzles, in order to ensure a slight negative pressure in the reservoir.