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US 6,444,964 B1Granted
Microwave applicator for drying sheet material
AssigneeEncad, Inc.
InventorsBernard John Eastlund, Donald Emmett Spann, Paul Robert Eberhardt, Minh Chi Duong
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microwave applicator suitable for drying sheet material is configured as a dual slot antenna, with one portion of the slot coupled to a wave launching cavity, and the other portion of the slot coupled to an impedance matching cavity.
Claims21
A microwave energy application system for heating and/or drying and/or fixing dye to sheet material, said microwave energy application system comprising:
- a source of microwave energy having as an output electromagnetic energy residing at approximately a selected center wavelength;
- a microwave applicator coupled to said source of microwave energy, wherein said microwave applicator comprises:
- a first cavity having a first opening therein, wherein said first cavity comprises a coupler through which electromagnetic energy from said source is received;
- a second cavity having a second opening therein;
- a substantially conductive barrier defining a boundary between said first and second cavities and said first and second openings, wherein said first and second openings are positioned substantially adjacent to one another on one side of said microwave applicator so as to be positionable adjacent to a sheet to be heated and/or dried;
- and
- a bottom plate that supports said first cavity and said second cavity, wherein said bottom plate comprises said first and second openings and is configured such that said first and second openings provide a path for electromagnetically coupling said first cavity and said second cavity.
4 more elements
A microwave energy application system for heating and/or drying and/or fixing dye a sheet of media, said microwave energy application system comprising:
- a source of microwave energy having as an output electromagnetic energy residing at approximately a selected center wavelength;
- a cable connected to said source of microwave energy for transmitting microwave energy;
- a microwave applicator coupled to said source of microwave energy via said cable, wherein said microwave applicator comprises:
- a first chamber defining a first cavity having a first opening therein, said first chamber comprising a coupler for receiving said cable such that microwave energy from the source of microwave energy is received in the first cavity;
- a second chamber defining a second cavity having a second opening therein, wherein said second opening is adjacent said first opening and first and second openings are positioned in a common surface of the microwave applicator;
- a central plate defining a boundary between said first and second chambers and said first and second openings, wherein said central plate is configured such that said first and second cavities are electromagnetically coupled through said first and second openings;
- and
- a conductive platen configured to support a sheet of media adjacent said first and second openings.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.