Continuous inkjet printhead with selectable printing volumes of ink
AssigneeEastman Kodak Company
InventorsDavid L. Jeanmaire, Gilbert A. Hawkins, Ravi Sharma
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inkjet printhead, that includes a plurality of nozzle bores from which streams of ink droplets having selectable first and second volumes are emitted; a droplet deflector for deflecting the ink droplets having first and second volumes into first and second paths respectively, the droplet deflector producing a corresponding plurality of physically separate streams of gas, each stream of gas directed on a corresponding one of the streams of ink droplets; and an ink gutter positioned to catch the ink droplets moving along one of the first or second paths. In addition to a method for selectively controlling the ink droplets with the aforementioned inkjet printhead.
Claims29
An inkjet printhead, comprising:
- a) a plurality of nozzle bores from which streams of ink droplets having selectable first and second volumes are emitted;
- b) a droplet deflector for deflecting the ink droplets having first and second volumes into first and second paths respectively, the droplet deflector producing a corresponding plurality of physically separate streams of gas, each stream of gas directed on a corresponding one of the streams of ink droplets;
- and
- c) an ink gutter positioned to catch the ink droplets moving along one of the first or second paths.
An inkjet printhead, comprising:
- a) one or more nozzle bores from which a stream of ink droplets of adjustable volumes are emitted;
- b) at least one heater associated with each of the nozzle bores and adapted to independently adjust the volume of the emitted ink droplets, wherein the emitted ink droplets, categorically, are within a first or a second range of unequal volumes
- c) a droplet deflector adapted to produce a force on the emitted ink droplets, wherein the force is applied to the emitted ink droplets at an angle with respect to the stream of ink droplets to cause the emitted ink droplets having the first range of volumes to move along a first path, and the emitted ink droplets having the second range of volumes to move along a second path;
- d) a structure integrated with the droplet deflector to provide a physically separate gas flow for each of the stream of ink droplets;
- e) a micro-controller adapted to adjust the emitted ink droplets having the first and second range of volumes corresponding to either a first or second operational state, respectively;
- and
- f) an ink gutter positioned to allow the emitted ink droplets having the first range of volumes moving along the first path to move unobstructed past the ink gutter, while intercepting the emitted ink droplets having the second range of volumes moving along the second path.
A method for selectively controlling ink droplets in an inkjet printhead, comprising the steps of:
- a) emitting streams of ink droplets having selectable first and second volumes;
- b) deflecting the ink droplets having first and second volumes into first and second paths, respectively;
- c) providing a plurality of separate streams of gas;
- d) directing each of the plurality of separate streams of gas at a corresponding one of the streams of ink droplets to move the streams of ink droplets along the first and second paths;
- and
- e) catching the ink droplets moving along one of the first or second paths in an ink gutter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.