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US 4,103,306 AGranted
Non-impact printer with magnetic ink reorientation
AssigneeEPP Corp.
InventorRoger E. Clapp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A non-impact printer having a support for magnetic ink particles loosely distributed on its surface in mutually spaced aggregates of irregular height. An electrical field of short duration, established in a print position between the particles and a shaped print electrode, charges the particles and attracts them to an intervening recipient sheet. The printed image is rendered more uniform by magnetic reorientation of the aggregates of greater height before printing, in a field having components normal to the electrical field in the region of the print position.
Claims17
Printing means comprising, in combination,
- a print electrode having a shaped portion for printing,
- an ink source comprising a support with a surface facing said shaped portion, a quantity of ink particles loosely distributed on said surface in mutually spaced aggregates of irregular height, the particles comprising a magnetic material, and means to move the support to cause said surface to pass through a print position in predetermined spaced relation to said shaped portion,
- means to move an ink recipient sheet past the print position between said shaped portion and said surface,
- means to cause an electrical field of short duration to extend between said shaped portion and the support at the print position, and
- means to cause a magnetic field to pass through the aggregates approaching the print position, said magnetic field being fixed in relation to the print position, having a substantial component perpendicular to the direction of the electrical field at said print position, and being of sufficient strength to reorient a number of said aggregates.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.