US 4,314,263 AGranted

Fluid jet apparatus

OwnerAdam L. Carleyinventor

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Abstract

Apparatus for directing a jet of fluid at a target to deposit a desired image thereon. The apparatus employs a nozzle with a pointed nozzle nib, a supply of fluid for the nozzle, and a pressure regulator controlling the pressure of the fluid at the nozzle upstream of the nib. The jet of fluid is accelerated from the nozzle nib and caused to flow to the target by the creation of an electric field in the region between the nozzle and the target. The fluid jet is substantially prevented from breaking up into droplets during flight by a combination of techniques so that the fluid flows to the target as a solid liquid filament or as a stream of mist-size droplets which are so small and so closely spaced that they behave like a solid liquid filament. The amplitude of the fluid flow is continuously modulated in response to an information signal by fluid surface pumping action or other means to produce the desired fluid image on the target.

Claims149

Dependent claims

Fluid jet apparatus comprising:

(a) nozzle means having a nib at its downstream tip;
(b) fluid supply means in communication with said nozzle means for supplying fluid to said nozzle means;
(c) means for regulating fluid pressure conditions in the fluid at said nozzle means such that substantially no fluid flows from said nozzle nib in the absence of the action of supplemental flow causing means;
(d) a target spaced from said nozzle means;
(e) means for producing a field in the region between said nozzle means and said target to initially accelerate the fluid from said nozzle nib and to cause the fluid to thereafter flow in filament-like form to said target, said fluid forming an image on said target;
(f) means for substantially suppressing breakup into droplets of the filament-like fluid flow;
(g) means acting on the fluid before it leaves said nozzle nib for modulating the amplitude of the fluid flow;
and
(h) information signal reception means for controlling said modulating means to produce the desired fluid image on said target.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.