Hot melt ink jet having non-spill reservoir
AssigneeExxon Research & Engineering Co.
InventorsArthur M. Lewis, Aldo Scudo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Ink jet apparatus for utilizing hot melt ink is provided, comprising a printing head and a reservoir for holding a supply of hot melt ink, the reservoir having a normally open port or fill tube with an end face residing within the volume of the reservoir, the end face being located at about the volumetric center of the reservoir. The reservoir is maintained with an ink volume of no more than about half of the reservoir volume, so that ink can not spill through the normally open port when the apparatus is tilted.
Claims10
An ink jet apparatus utilizing hot melt ink, comprising a printing head, a heat conductive reservoir for holding a supply of ink, heating means in thermal connection with said reservoir for heating said supply of ink to maintain it in a melted phase, and outlet means for providing an outlet feed of said melted ink to said printing head, characterized by said reservoir having a normally open port with a port face in the interior of said reservoir, said port face being positioned at substantially the volumetric center of said reservoir.
A method of operating an ink jet apparatus, said apparatus utilizing hot melt ink and having a print head in combination with a reservoir for supplying ink to said print head, the reservoir having a port which extends into said reservoir and has a face within said reservoir, comprising;
- providing ink to said apparatus in an initial solid form,
- heating said ink to transform it to its melt phase,
- maintaining said ink in said reservoir in its melted phase,
- normally venting said reservoir through said port,
- passing ink from said reservoir to said print head, and
- positioning said port face at about the volumetric center of said reservoir and maintaining the volume of ink in said reservoir at no more than about half of the volume of said reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.