Nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead having an ink ejecting roof structure

• US 8,287,105 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2008
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Valencia, Alejandro
• Application Number:
  US12/324,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20090085976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 347/71
• 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 2/1601 Production of bubble jet print heads B41J2/1606, B41J2/162 take precedence
• 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 2202/21 : Line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 : Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 : in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 : Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 : Authenticate client device independently of the user
• 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 1/2154 : 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

Provided is a nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead. The nozzle arrangement includes a substrate defining an ink inlet channel therethrough, and side walls arranged on the substrate to define an ink chamber operatively supplied with ink via the channel. The arrangement also includes an anchor fast with the substrate proximate one side wall, and an ink ejecting roof structure pivotally mounted on the substrate and positioned as a roof over the side walls to enclose the chamber, the structure fast with the anchor via a thermal expansion actuator.

Claims

1. A nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead, said nozzle arrangement comprising:

a substrate defining an ink inlet channel therethrough;

side walls arranged on the substrate to define an ink chamber operatively supplied with ink via the channel;

an anchor fast with the substrate proximate one side wall; and

an ink ejecting roof structure pivotally mounted on the substrate and positioned as a roof over the side walls to enclose the chamber, the structure fast with the anchor via a thermal expansion actuator.

2. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the ink ejecting structure defines an ink ejection port at a point in the chamber distal from the ink inlet channel.

3. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the ink ejecting structure and the walls are dimensioned so that the chamber is rectangular and has a length that is more than 3 times a height of the nozzle chamber to facilitate retardation of ink flow from the ink ejection port towards the inlet channel when the ink ejecting structure is pivotally displaced relative to the substrate.

4. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, wherein the ink ejecting structure is pivotally mounted to the substrate via a bridge portion which is connected to the ink ejecting structure at a position in which a length of the ink-ejecting structure is up to 40 times greater than a length of an effective lever arm formed by the bridge portion to amplify such pivotal movement by a factor as high as 40.

5. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, having a sealing structure extending from the substrate with the walls overlapping the sealing structure so that a fluidic seal is defined between the sealing structure and the walls when the nozzle chamber is filled with ink.

6. The nozzle arrangement of claim 1, having an electric drive circuitry layer deposited on the substrate for actuating the actuator.

7. The nozzle arrangement of claim 6, having an ink passivation layer deposited on the drive circuitry layer.