Ink jet nozzle rim

• US 6,712,453 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2001
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Gordon, Raquel Yvette
• Application Number:
  US09/798,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20010006394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/68, 347/69, 347/70, 347/71, 347/50, 347/40, 347/20, 347/44, 347/47, 347/27, 347/63, 399/261, 361/700, 310/325-330, 298/901
• US Class Current: 347/54
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14 Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
• 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 2/1626 etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1629 wet etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1637 molding
• 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 2/1643 thin film formation by plating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1645 thin film formation by spincoating
• 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 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17503 Ink cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/041 : Electromagnetic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14346 : Ejection by pressure produced by thermal deformation of ink chamber, e.g. buckling
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14435 : Moving nozzle made of thermal bend detached actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14443 : Nozzle guard
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 : by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 : multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 : using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 : 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 : using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 : using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 : the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

An ink jet nozzle assembly includes a nozzle chamber having an inlet in fluid communication with an ink reservoir and a nozzle through which ink from the chamber can be ejected. The chamber includes a fixed portion and a movable portion configured for relative movement in an ejection phase and alternate relative movement in a refill phase. An expanding, flexible arm and a rigid arm are each connected to the movable portion and cooperate to effect periodically the relative movement. The inlet is positioned and dimensioned relative to the nozzle such that ink is ejected preferentially from the chamber through the nozzle in droplet form during the ejection phase, and ink is alternately drawn preferentially into the chamber from the reservoir through the inlet during the refill phase.

Claims

1. An ink jet nozzle assembly including a nozzle chamber formed on a substrate, the nozzle chamber having an ink ejection port and a rim formed integrally with the nozzle chamber about said ink ejection port, the rim projecting outwardly relative to the chamber.

2. An ink jet nozzle assembly including:

a nozzle chamber having an inlet in fluid communication with an ink reservoir and a nozzle through which ink from the chamber can be ejected;

the chamber including a fixed portion and a movable portion configured for relative movement in an ejection phase and alternate relative movement in a refill phase;

a flexible arm and a rigid arm each connected with the movable portion and configured to cooperate, under the effect of at least one of thermal expansion and thermal contraction, to effect periodically said relative movement; and

the inlet being positioned and dimensioned relative to the nozzle such that ink is ejected preferentially from the chamber through the nozzle in droplet form during the ejection phase, and ink is alternately drawn preferentially into the chamber from the reservoir through the inlet during the refill phase.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the movable portion includes the nozzle and the fixed portion is mounted on a substrate.

4. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the fixed portion includes the nozzle mounted on a substrate and the movable portion includes a vane unit.

5. The ink jet nozzle of claim 4 comprising a plurality of said vane units arranged around said ink ejection port, said vane units each attached to a said expanding, flexible arm and a said rigid arm such that upon activation, a volume of ink in the nozzle chamber adjacent said ejection port is pressurized so as to cause the ejection of ink from said ink ejection port.

6. An assembly according to claim 5 wherein said vane units are arranged annularly around said ink ejection port.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein said vane units operate as an iris around said ink ejection port.

8. An assembly according to claim 5 wherein the vane units are of a semi-circular form.

9. The assembly of claim 5 comprising four said vane units.

10. The ink jet nozzle assembly of claim 2 wherein said flexible arms comprise a conductive heater material encased within an expansion material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion.

11. An assembly according to claim 10 wherein said conductive heater material is constructed so as to form a concertina upon expansion of said expansion material.

12. An assembly according to claim 10 wherein said heater material is of a serpentine form and forms a concertina upon heating so as to allow substantially unhindered expansion of said expansion material during heating.

13. An assembly according to claim 10 wherein said expansion material comprises substantially polytetrafluoroethylene.

14. An assembly according to claim 10 wherein said conductive heater material comprises substantially copper.

15. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein an outer surface of said chamber includes a plurality of etchant holes provided so as to allow a rapid etching of sacrificial layers during construction.