Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
48 words
A method of ejecting a droplet comprising the steps of: acoustically forming a mound (14) on the free surface (16) of a liquid (18); and electrostatically attracting (20) the liquid in the mound until a Rayleigh instability necks off the mound to form and eject a droplet (12).
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
86 words
A droplet ejector (10) for ejecting a droplet from the free surface of a liquid onto a recording medium (34), said droplet ejector comprising an ink well for holding a liquid (18) such that said liquid has a free surface(16); means (24,28,30) for acoustically forming a mound (14) on the free surface of the liquid; and means (20) for electrostatically attracting the liquid in said mound until a Rayleigh instability necks off the mound to form and eject a droplet (12) onto the recording medium (34).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The droplet ejector according to claim 2, wherein said means (20) for electrostatically attracting the liquid in said mound includes an electrode.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The droplet ejector according to claim 3, wherein said electrode (20) is disposed between said ink well and the recording medium (34).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The droplet ejector according to claim 4, wherein said electrode (20) includes a droplet opening (32).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
22 words
The droplet ejector according to claim 3, wherein the recording medium (34) is disposed between said electrode (20) and said ink well.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
90 words
A method of selectively ejecting droplets from a plurality of droplet ejectors (50) arranged in an array of rows (52) and columns (54), each of the droplet ejectors comprising an acoustic transducer and an electrode, the method comprising the steps of: acoustically forming at least one column (54) (or row) of mounds on the free surface of a liquid; and establishing electrostatically attractive forces from at least one row (52) (or column) of the electrodes such that a droplet is ejected from at least one of said acoustically raised mounds.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 7, wherein said electrostatically attractive forces are established when the apex of a mound (14) approaches its associated electrode (20).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
169 words
A printer comprising a print head having of an ink well for holding ink (18) such that the ink has a free surface (16), said print head further having a plurality of droplet ejectors for ejecting droplets of the ink held in said ink well, each of said droplet ejectors including a transducer (24) for radiating acoustic energy toward said free surface such that a mound is formed on said free surface, each droplet ejector further including an electrode (20) disposed near its associated mound; means for driving the transducer of a first droplet ejector of said plurality of droplet ejectors so that a first mound (14) is formed on said free surface; means for applying a voltage to the electrode (20) of said first droplet ejector so that an electrostatically attractive force attracts said first mound such that a Rayleigh instability pinches off a droplet (12) from said first mound; and means for positioning a recording medium (34) such that said droplet is deposited on the recording medium.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The printer according to claim 9 including a control means for selecting said first droplet ejector from said plurality of droplet ejectors.