# US 11,305,557 B2 · De-contented fluid ejection

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- Number: US 11,305,557 B2
- Document ID: US11305557B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/332,200
- Filed: 2016-10-12
- Published: 2019-09-05
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-12
- Assignees: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
- Applicants: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
- Inventors: Yubai Bi; Guillermo Martinez Ariza
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305557B2

## CPC

- B41J 11/002: {Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating}
- B41J 2/01: Ink jet
- B41J 2/155: for line printing
- B41J 2/21: for multi-colour printing
- B41J 11/00216: {using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves}
- B41M 5/0017: {Application of ink-fixing material, e.g. mordant, precipitating agent, on the substrate prior to printing, e.g. by ink-jet printing, coating or spraying}
- B41M 5/0023: {Digital printing methods characterised by the inks used (inks per se C09D11/00)}
- B41M 7/009: {using thermal means, e.g. infrared radiation, heat}
- C09D 11/30: Inkjet printing inks
- B41M 5/0064: {on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- B41M: PRINTING, DUPLICATING, MARKING, OR COPYING PROCESSES; COLOUR PRINTING, (correction of typographical errors B41J; processes for applying transfer pictures or the like B44C1/16; fluid media for correction of typographical errors by coating C09D10/00; printing textiles D06P)
- C09D: COATING COMPOSITIONS, e.g. PAINTS, VARNISHES OR LACQUERS; FILLING PASTES; CHEMICAL PAINT OR INK REMOVERS; INKS; CORRECTING FLUIDS; WOODSTAINS; PASTES OR SOLIDS FOR COLOURING OR PRINTING; USE OF MATERIALS THEREFOR (cosmetics A61K; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces, in general, B05D; staining wood B27K5/02; glazes or vitreous enamels C03C; natural resins, French polish, drying-oils, driers, turpentine, per se, C09F; polishing compositions other than French polish, ski waxes C09G; adhesives or use of materials as adhesives C09J; materials for sealing or packing joints or covers C09K3/10; materials for stopping leaks C09K3/12; processes for the electrolytic or electrophoretic production of coatings C25D)

## Abstract

In example implementations, a system is provided. The system includes at least one fluid ejection apparatus, a heater and an energy source. The at least one fluid ejection apparatus dispenses a de-contented fluid onto a substrate during conveyance of the substrate. The heater is arranged after the at least one fluid ejection apparatus along a substrate conveying path. The heater removes a liquid from the de-contented fluid on the substrate such that the particles of the de-contented fluid remain on the substrate. The energy source is arranged after the heater along the substrate conveying path. The energy source applies energy to the substrate during the conveyance of the substrate to heat the substrate to a temperature that is approximately a melting temperature of the substrate to fuse the particles on the substrate to the substrate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A system, comprising:
at least one fluid ejection apparatus to dispense a de-contented fluid onto a plastic substrate during conveyance of the substrate;
a heater arranged after the at least one fluid ejection apparatus along a substrate conveying path, the heater to remove a liquid from the de-contented fluid on the plastic substrate such that particles of the de-contented fluid remain on the plastic substrate;
an energy source arranged after the heater along the substrate conveying path, the energy source to apply energy to the plastic substrate during the conveyance of the plastic substrate; and
a processor to control the at least one fluid ejection apparatus to dispense the de-contented fluid, to control the heater to heat the de-contented fluid to remove the liquid from the de-contented fluid, and to control the energy source to heat the plastic substrate to a temperature that is approximately a melting temperature of the plastic substrate to create imperfections near a top surface of the plastic substrate and allow particles that are melted to be imbibed by the imperfections to fuse the particles on the plastic substrate to the plastic substrate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one fluid ejection apparatus comprises a plurality of fluid ejection apparatuses.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of fluid ejection apparatuses corresponds to a width of the plastic substrate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein each one of the plurality of fluid ejection apparatuses dispenses a different colored de-contented fluid.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the energy source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), wherein the plurality of LEDs emits energy at different wavelengths in accordance with an absorption percentage of a respective color of the de-contented fluid on the plastic substrate.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the melting temperature of the plastic substrate is below 150 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 7

A system, comprising:
a primer applying apparatus to apply a primer onto a plastic substrate moving along a substrate conveying path;
at least one fluid ejection apparatus to dispense a de-contented fluid onto the plastic substrate moving along the substrate conveying path;
a heater arranged after the at least one fluid ejection apparatus along the substrate conveying path, the heater to remove a liquid from the de-contented fluid on the plastic substrate such that particles of the de-contented fluid remain on the plastic substrate;
an energy source arranged after the heater along the substrate conveying path, the energy source to apply energy to the plastic substrate during conveyance of the plastic substrate; and
a processor to control the primer applying apparatus to apply the primer onto the plastic substrate, to control the at least one fluid ejection apparatus to dispense the de-contented fluid, to control the heater to heat the de-contented fluid to remove the liquid from the de-contented fluid, and to control the energy source to heat the plastic substrate to a temperature that is approximately a melting temperature of the plastic substrate to create imperfections near a top surface of the plastic substrate and allow particles that are melted to be imbibed by the imperfections to fuse the particles on the plastic substrate to the plastic substrate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the melting temperature of the plastic substrate is greater than 150 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the primer comprises a thermally fusible primer, wherein the melting temperature of the primer is less than 150 degrees Celsius.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one fluid ejection apparatus comprises a plurality of fluid ejection apparatuses.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein each one of the plurality of fluid ejection apparatuses dispenses a different colored de-contented fluid.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the energy source comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs), wherein the plurality of LEDs emits energy at different wavelengths in accordance with an absorption percentage of a respective color of the de-contented fluid on the plastic substrate.

### Claim 13

A method, comprising:
controlling, via a processor, at least one fluid ejection apparatus to dispense a de-contented fluid on a plastic substrate during conveyance of the plastic substrate to print an image;
controlling, via the processor, a heater arranged after the at least one fluid ejection apparatus along a substrate conveying path to heat the de-contented fluid to remove water from the de-contented fluid such that particles of the de-contented fluid remain on the plastic substrate; and
controlling, via the processor, an energy source arranged after the heater along the substrate conveying path to apply energy from at least one light emitting diode (LED) to the plastic substrate during the conveyance of the plastic substrate to heat the plastic substrate to a temperature that is at approximately a melting temperature of the plastic substrate to create imperfections near a top surface of the plastic substrate and allow particles that are melted to be imbibed by the imperfections to fuse the particles on the plastic substrate to the plastic substrate.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the applying comprises applying different wavelengths of energy from a plurality of LEDs of the at least one light LED such that each LED emits one of the different wavelengths of energy based on an absorption percentage of a color of a plurality of different colors of the de-contented fluid on the plastic substrate.

### Claim 15 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the melting temperature is approximately 150 degrees Celsius and the temperature is less than 150 degrees Celsius.