Printhead for use in camera photo-printing

• US 7,562,962 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): JACKSON, JUANITA DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US12/031,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20080211876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 347/20, 347/40, 347/42, 347/44, 347/47, 347/54, 347/56, 347 61- 65, 347/67, 60527-529
• US Class Current: 347/40
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 2201/00 Polymeric substrate or laminate
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/08 by flames
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• 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 2/04571 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 2/04596 Non-ejecting pulses
• 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 2/1639 : 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 2002/14419 : Manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 : Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49345 : Catalytic device making

Abstract

A printhead 380 for use in camera photo-printing, the printhead 380 including a plurality of segments 381, each of the plurality of segments 381 including a plurality of nozzles, the plurality of nozzles being grouped, where nozzles of a particular group share an ink reservoir.

Claims

1. A printhead for use in camera photo-printing, the printhead comprising a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments comprising a plurality of nozzles, the plurality of nozzles being grouped, where nozzles of a particular group share an ink reservoir, wherein each of the plurality of segments prints bi-level cyan, magenta, and yellow dots over a different part of a page to produce an image.

2. The printhead of claim 1, wherein the nozzles are fired in a specific order, such that only a group of selected nozzles are fired simultaneously from the entire printhead.

3. The printhead of claim 1, wherein each nozzle has associated therewith

a chamber, formed in a substrate, filled with a liquid, the nozzle being for emitting drops of the liquid.

4. The printhead of claim 3, wherein the apparatus comprises a patterned thin film resistor layer.

5. The printhead of claim 4, wherein the spatial thermal pattern results at least partially from spatially modifying the conductivity of the thin film resistor layer.

6. The prinhead of claim 3, wherein the thermo-mechanical bender portion comprises a first deflector layer constructed of a first material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion and a second layer, attached to the first deflector layer, constructed of a second material having a low coefficient of thermal expansion.

7. The printhead of claim 6, wherein the first material is electrically resistive having a first sheet resistance and the apparatus being configured to apply a heat pulse comprising a resistor pattern formed in the first deflector layer.

8. The printhead of claim 1, wherein the printhead is a four-inch printhead, consisting of eight segments.

9. The printhead of claim 1, wherein each group has 10 nozzles, and only 96 nozzles are fired simultaneously from the entire printhead.

10. The printhead of claim 1, wherein each segment is configured to print at least 800 dots.

11. The printhead of claim 1, wherein an ink supply arrangement supplies ink to the printhead, the ink supply arrangement comprising an elongate ink distribution molding defining a printhead channel in which the printhead can be received and a set of passages for supplying respective types of ink to the printhead.

12. The printhead of claim 1, wherein each nozzle has associated therewith a thermal actuator having a cantilevered element including a thermo-mechanical bender portion extending from a wall of the chamber and a free end tip residing in a first position proximate to the nozzle, the thermo-mechanical bender portion having a base end adjacent a base element and a free end adjacent the free-end tip.

13. The printhead of claim 1, wherein each nozzle has associated therewith an apparatus configured to apply a heat pulse having a spatial thermal pattern directly to the thermo-mechanical bender portion causing a rapid deflection of the free end tip and ejection of a liquid drop, and wherein said spatial thermal pattern results in a substantially greater temperature increase of the base end than the free end of the thermo-mechanical bending portion.