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US 4,523,199 AGranted
High stability demand ink jet apparatus and method of operating same
AssigneeExxon Research & Engineering Co.
InventorRobert J. Ott
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ink jet chamber including an orifice expands and contracts in response to the state of energization of a transducer coupled thereto. An inlet channel also expands and contracts in response to the state of another transducer coupled thereto such that the one transducer and the other transducer are energized in complementary fashion.
Claims10
An ink jet apparatus comprising:
- an ink jet chamber including a droplet ejection orifice and an ink supply inlet;
- a supply channel coupled to said inlet for supplying ink thereto;
- restrictor means between said inlet and said channel so as to substantially preclude flow of ink from said chamber to said channel;
- transducer means coupled to said chamber for expanding and contracting said chamber so as to eject a droplet of ink on demand as the chamber contracts;
- and
- said transducer means also coupled to said supply channel for contracting said chamber as said channel expands and expanding said supply channel as said chamber contracts.
3 more elements
A method of operating an ink jet apparatus comprising an ink chamber including a droplet ejection orifice, an ink supply inlet and a supply channel coupled to said inlet for supplying ink thereto, said method comprising the following steps:
- expanding the chamber so as to fill the chamber with ink;
- contracting the channel so as to assist in filling the chamber while simultaneously expanding the chamber;
- contracting the chamber so as to eject a droplet of ink;
- expanding the channel while simultaneously contracting the chamber and ejecting a droplet of ink;
- and
- substantially precluding the flow of ink from said chamber to said supply channel.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.