Method of interconnecting a printhead with an ink supply manifold and a combined structure resulting therefrom

• US 6,312,114 B1
• Filed: 10/19/1999
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nghiem, Michael
• Application Number:
  US09/425,421
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 347/85, 347/86, 347/87, 347/63, 347/65, 347/84, 347/42
• US Class Current: 347/85
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04505 aiming at correcting alignment
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04553 detecting ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0457 Power supply level being detected or varied
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04571 detecting viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04585 controlling heads based on thermal bent actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04588 using a specific waveform
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04593 Dot-size modulation by changing the size of the drop
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04596 Non-ejecting pulses
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1639 sacrificial molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1646 thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 : Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/005 : for serial printing movements superimposed to character- or line-spacing movements

Abstract

A method of interconnecting a pagewidth printhead containing an array of ink ejection nozzles to an ink distribution manifold, includes attaching the printhead to the ink distribution manifold. This is done by using a resilient adhesive configured to be elastically deformed with any deflections of the ink distribution manifold. The resilient adhesive can include a silicone elastomer. The printhead is in the form of an elongate printhead chip for use in a pagewidth printer and can be attached to the ink supply unit along the sides and along a back surface thereof.

Claims

1. A method of interconnecting a pagewidth printhead, containing an array of ink ejection nozzles and manufactured with a micro-electromechanical processing (MEMS) technique, to an ink distribution manifold, said method comprising:

attaching said printhead to said ink distribution manifold utilizing a resilient adhesive configured to be elastically deformed with any deflections of the ink distribution manifold, during normal handling and operation.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 which includes attaching said printhead to the ink distribution manifold, in an aperture which is defined in the ink distribution manifold and corresponds to the printhead, along sides and a back surface of the printhead.

3. A pagewidth printhead and ink distribution manifold assembly which comprises

a printhead which is the product of a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) processing technique;

and

an ink distribution manifold, wherein the printhead is attached to the manifold by means of a resilient adhesive configured to be elastically deformed with any deflections of the ink distribution manifold, during normal handling and operation.

4. An assembly according to claim 3 wherein said manifold defines an aperture which corresponds to the printhead, the printhead being received in the aperture and wherein the printhead is attached to the ink distribution manifold along the sides and a back surface of the printhead.

5. An assembly according to claim 3 wherein said printhead is in the form of a printhead chip.

6. An assembly according to claim 5 wherein said printhead chip incorporates a thermal bend actuator type device produced by MEMS processing techniques for mechanical ejection of ink from discrete nozzle chambers.

7. An assembly according to claim 3 which includes an ink supply unit, said ink distribution manifold forming part of said ink supply unit.

8. An assembly according to claim 7 wherein said printhead incorporates a linear array of said ink ejection nozzles and said ink supply unit has a series of chambers for the supply of separate color inks to said printhead chip.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, in which said ink supply unit includes a baffle assembly which comprises a baffle unit positioned within a housing, the baffle unit and the housing defining three separate ink chambers, and the baffle unit having baffles to reduce acceleration of ink within the baffle unit, and the baffle unit and the housing being attached to the manifold by means of a resilient adhesive configured to be elastically deformed with any deflections of the ink distribution manifold, during normal handling and operation.

10. A printhead and ink distribution manifold assembly according to claim 3 wherein said resilient adhesive is a silicone elastomer.