Printhead nozzle having shaped heating element

• US 7,794,050 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2009
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Do; An H
• Application Number:
  US12/422,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20090201339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 347/54, 347/56, 347/65, 347/47
• US Class Current: 347/47
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04505 aiming at correcting alignment
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04516 preventing formation of satellite drops
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04518 reducing costs
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0452 reducing demand in current or voltage
• 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 2/04565 detecting heater resistance
• 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 2/0459 Height of the driving signal being adjusted
• 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 2/04598 Pre-pulse
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 : for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 : bonding and adhesion
• 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 2002/14491 : Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/005 : for serial printing movements superimposed to character- or line-spacing movements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/102 : using ink jet print heads
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 : Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

A printhead nozzle is provided having a substrate having drive circuitry and an inlet for ejection fluid, a fluid chamber having an outlet for ejection fluid, the fluid chamber arranged on the substrate to receive ejection fluid from the inlet, and a heating element connected to the drive circuitry, the heating element having a relatively reduced volume proximate the drive circuitry and being arranged to be heated by the drive circuitry to cause the ejection fluid in the fluid chamber to be ejected through the outlet.

Claims

1. A printhead nozzle comprising:

a substrate having drive circuitry and an inlet for ejection fluid;

a fluid chamber having an outlet for ejection fluid, the fluid chamber arranged on the substrate to receive ejection fluid from the inlet; and

a heating element defined outside the fluid chamber and connected to the drive circuitry, the heating element being relatively narrower proximate the drive circuitry and being arranged to be heated by the drive circuitry to cause the ejection fluid in the fluid chamber to be ejected through the outlet.

2. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating element is corrugated, each corrugation being substantially in register with a transistor line of the drive circuitry.

3. A nozzle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating element has an opening which tapers outwardly toward the drive circuitry to define said relatively reduced volume.