Ink jet pen with a heater element having a contoured surface
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorsNagwa M. Elshaik, Ulrich Hess
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal ink jet with a body having an ink firing chamber and an orifice. An electrically activated heating element is connected to the body in thermal communication with the firing chamber, and includes a contoured surface portion coextensive with at least a portion of the heating element. The contoured surface portion of the firing chamber has a plurality of recesses.
Claims20
A thermal ink jet printhead comprising:
- a body defining an ink firing chamber;
- the body defining an orifice providing fluid communication from the firing chamber to a location outside of the printhead and occupying a first plane, the orifice defining an ejection direction axis perpendicular to the first plane;
- an electrically activated heating element connected to the body, and in thermal communication with the firing chamber;
- the firing chamber including a contoured surface portion coextensive with at least a portion of the heating element;
- at least a major portion of the contoured surface portion occupying a second plane parallel to the first plane, and perpendicular to the ejection direction;
- the orifice being registered with the contoured surface portion;
- and
- the contoured surface portion of the firing chamber defining a plurality of recsses and a plurality of elevated portions, the recesses and elevated portions occupying parallel, spaced apart planes.
A method of manufacturing a thermal in jet printhead comprising the steps:
- providing a substrate;
- applying a heating element to substrate;
- forming a contoured surface of the heating element, the contoured surface having a plurality of first surface portions at a first level, a plurality of second surface portions at a different second level, and defining a plurality of recesses extending parallel to a major plane of the heating element;
- and
- connecting to the substrate a plate defining an orifice having an ejection-direction axis perpendicular to the plate, including orienting the plate with the ejection-direction axis perpendicular to the major plane and spaced apart from the heating element to define a chamber, including aligning the ejection-direction axis to intersect the contoured surface.
The method of 12 wherein the step of defining a plurality of edges includes undercutting the first surface portions such that grooves are defined below the edges.
A thermal ink jet printhead comprising:
- a body defining a plurality of ink firing chambers;
- for each firing chamber, the body defining an orifice centered on and perpendicular to an ejection-direction axis, the orifice providing fluid communication from the firing chamber to a location outside of the printhead;
- a plurality of electrically activated heating elements, each connected to the body in thermal communication with each firing chamber, and each heating element having a contoured surface defining a contoured surface portion of the firing chamber registered with a respective orifice;
- and
- each contoured surface portion of the firing chamber defining a plurality of contour features angularly offset from the ejection-direction axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.