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. 31, 2013
Filed:
Apr. 21, 2010
Gregory J. Kovacs, Webster, NY (US);
Steven E. Ready, Los Altos, CA (US);
David K. Biegelsen, Portola Valley, CA (US);
Lars E. Swartz, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Christopher Paulson, Livermore, CA (US);
Gregory J. Kovacs, Webster, NY (US);
Steven E. Ready, Los Altos, CA (US);
David K. Biegelsen, Portola Valley, CA (US);
Lars E. Swartz, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Christopher Paulson, Livermore, CA (US);
Xerox Corporation, Norwalk, CT (US);
Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
Methods of leveling ink on substrates and apparatuses useful in printing are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the methods includes irradiating ink disposed on a surface of a porous substrate with radiation emitted by at least one radiant energy source. The radiation heats the ink to at least a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink to allow the ink to flow laterally on the surface to produce leveling of the ink. The ink is heated sufficiently rapidly that heat transfer from the ink to the substrate is sufficiently small during the leveling that ink at the substrate interface is cooled to a temperature below the viscosity threshold temperature thereby preventing any significant ink permeation into the substrate.