Thermoplastic polymer film sealing of nozzles on fluid ejection devices and method

• US 20030052939A1
• Filed: 09/11/2001
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Farr, Isaac, Zhang, Steve H., Miller, Steven N.
• Granted Patent: US 6,634,732 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/29
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17536 Protection of cartridges or parts thereof, e.g. tape

Abstract

A fluid ejection cartridge includes an ejector head having at least one nozzle and a fluid reservoir containing an ejectable fluid, fluidically coupled with the at least one nozzle. The fluid ejection cartridge has a tape that includes a thermoplastic polymer film in contact with and releasably bonded to the nozzles.

Claims

1. A fluid ejection cartridge comprising:

a fluid ejector head having at least one nozzle;

a fluid reservoir containing an ejectable fluid fluidically coupled with at least one nozzle; and

a tape comprising a thermoplastic polymer film in contact with and releasably bonded to said at least one nozzle.

2. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said tape further comprises a base film adhesively bonded to said thermoplastic polymer film.

3. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said tape further comprises a moisture barrier film.

4. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said tape further comprises an air barrier film.

5. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said tape further comprises an electrostatically dissipating film.

6. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said tape further comprises an electrostatically shielding film.

7. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film contains less than from about 20 to about 30 weight percent low molecular weight additives.

8. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 7, where said low molecular weight additives have molecular weights less than about 2000 grams per mole.

9. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said ejector head further comprises a nozzle layer containing said at least one nozzle.

10. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 9, wherein said nozzle layer further comprises a metal.

11. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 10, wherein said metal is selected from the group consisting of nickel, gold, palladium, tantalum, rhodium, and combinations thereof.

12. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 9, wherein said nozzle layer further comprises a polymer.

13. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 12, wherein said polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyester, epoxy, and combinations thereof.

14. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 9, wherein said nozzle layer further comprises a glass.

15. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, further comprising at least one electrical contact disposed on said fluid reservoir, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is in contact with and releasably bonded to said at least one electrical contact.

16. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 15, comprising at least one electrical trace disposed on said fluid reservoir and coupling said at least one electrical contact with said ejector head wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is in contact with and releasably bonded to said at least one electrical trace.

17. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said tape further comprises:

a base film;

an electrostatically dissipating film coupled to said base film;

a moisture barrier film coupled to said electrostatically dissipating film; and

an air barrier film coupled to said base film.

18. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film has a thickness from about 5 to about 500 microns, and a melting temperature greater than 35°

C. and a melt index from about 0.5 to about 50 grams per minute.

19. The fluid ejection cartridge of claim 1, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film comprises:

from about 60 to about 95 weight percent polyethylene,

from about 0 to about 40 weight percent polyvinyl acetate,

from about 0 to about 30 weight percent polymethacrylic acid.

20. A tape for sealing nozzles on a fluid ejection cartridge comprising a thermoplastic polymer film having a thickness from about 5 to about 500 microns, and a melting temperature greater than 35°

C. and a melt index from about 0.5 to about 50 grams per minute.

21. The tape of claim 20, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film has a thickness from about 10 to about 100 microns, a melting temperature from about 70°

C. to about 130°

C. and a melt index from about 0.5 to about 5.0.

22. The tape of claim 20, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is a semi-crystalline binary copolymer film.

23. The tape of claim 20, wherein said thermoplastic film is a semi-crystalline ternary copolymer film.

24. The tape of claim 23, wherein said semi-crystalline ternary copolymer film comprises:

from about 60 to about 95 weight percent polyethylene,

from about 0 to about 40 weight percent polyvinyl acetate,

from about 0 to about 30 weight percent polymethacrylic acid.

25. The tape of claim 20, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is a polymer blend.

26. The tape of claim 20, further comprising a base film adhesively bonded to said thermoplastic polymer film.

27. The tape of claim 26, wherein said base film has a thickness from about 5 to about 500 microns.

28. The tape of claim 26, wherein said base film is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyethylene naphthalate, polyamide, polyester, polyamide, polyarylates, polybutylene terepthalate, polypropylene, polyurethanes and mixtures thereof.

29. The tape of claim 20, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is crosslinked.

30. The tape of claim 29, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is electron beam crosslinked in the range of 0-30 mrad.

31. The tape of claim 29, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is chemically crosslinked.

32. The tape of claim 29, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is crosslinked using electromagnetic radiation.

33. The tape of claim 20, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film contains less than about 20 to about 30 weight percent low molecular weight additives.

34. The tape of claim 33, wherein said low molecular weight additives have molecular weights less than about 2000 grams per mole.

35. A method of releasably sealing the nozzles of a nozzle layer in a fluid ejection cartridge having a reservoir, the method comprising the steps of:

releasably capturing a tape comprising a thermoplastic polymer film;

cutting said tape to a length sufficient to cover the nozzles;

positioning said tape over the nozzle layer;

heating said tape;

attaching said tape to the fluid ejection cartridge wherein a first portion of said tape is releasably bonded to the nozzle layer covering the nozzles and a second portion of said tape is releasably bonded to the reservoir.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said attaching step further comprises the step of releasably bonding a third portion of said tape to an electrical contact disposed on said fluid ejection cartridge.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said tape further comprises a base film adhesively bonded to said thermoplastic polymer film.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film has a thickness in a range of 5 to 500 microns.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein said heating step further comprises heating said tape in a range of from about 10°

C. to about 50°

C. above the melting temperature of said thermoplastic polymer film.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein said heating step further comprises applying pressure in a range of from about 7 to about 100 psi.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein said heating step further comprises applying pressure in a range of from about 30 to about 60 psi.

42. The method of claim 35, further comprising the step of removing said tape at room temperature.

43. A method of using a thermoplastic polymer film to releasably seal the nozzles of a nozzle layer comprising the step of a user removing the thermoplastic polymer film from the nozzle layer.

44. A fluid ejection cartridge comprising:

an ejector head having at least one nozzle;

a fluid reservoir containing an ejectable fluid fluidically coupled with at least one nozzle;

a tape having a thermoplastic polymer film in contact with and releasably bonded to said at least one nozzle and a base film adhesively bonded to said thermoplastic polymer film, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film has a thickness from about 25 to about 75 microns, and a melting temperature from about 70°

C. to about 120°

C. and a melt index from about 0.5 to about 1.0 grams per minute;

at least one electrical contact disposed on said fluid reservoir, wherein said thermoplastic polymer film is in contact with an releasably bonded to said at least one electrical contact.

45. A tape that seals nozzles on a fluid ejection cartridge comprising:

a crosslinked semi-crystalline ternary copolymer thermoplastic polymer film comprises;

from about 60 to about 95 weight percent polyethylene,

from about 0 to about 40 weight percent polyvinyl acetate,

from about 0 to about 30 weight percent polymethacrylic acid,

wherein said crosslinked semi-crystalline ternary copolymer thermoplastic film has a thickness from about 25 to about 75 microns, a melting temperature from about 70°

C. to about 120°

C. and a melt index from about 0.5 to about 1.0 grams per minute; and

a base film adhesively bonded to said crosslinked semi-crystalline ternary copolymer thermoplastic film.