Ink dispenser with "frozen" solid ink
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorJohn L. Vaught
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A new type of apparatus for dispensing "frozen" solid ink and the ink for use therein for printing on paper is disclosed. The ink dye vehicle is chosen to have a melting point above room temperature, so that the ink which is melted in the apparatus will not be subject to evaporation or spillage during periods of non-printing. The vehicle is also chosen to have a low critical temperature to permit the use of the solid ink in a thermal ink jet printer.
Claims10
An apparatus for dispensing ink which is a solid at 25.degree. C. from a reservoir onto a recording media, said apparatus comprising:
- a feed tube having an entrance in contact with the ink in the reservoir;
- a nozzle coupled to the feed tube;
- and
- a resistance heater for melting the ink, said resistance heater extending from the reservoir through the feed tube to the nozzle.
An ink for writing on paper with a non-impact printer having expulsion means for expelling said ink from an orifice, said ink consisting essentially of:
- a dye;
- and
- a vehicle which is a solid at 25.degree. C. consisting of
- solvent for said dye, said solvent having a high vapor pressure, a melting point greater than 25.degree. C., and a critical temperature less than the degradation temperature of said expulsion means, and
- a binder with a low vapor pressure for binding said dye to said paper when said solvent has sublimed off of the paper.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.