Method of making a drive element assembly for ink jet printing

Claim 1

A method of making a print head for use in an ink jet printer device, which comprises the following steps: (a) providing a piezoelectric drive element, comprising a hollow body made of a piezoelectric material, and a pair of electrodes spaced apart and thereby electrically isolated from one another on an external face of said hollow body; (b) fitting said piezoelectric drive element through a hole in a printed circuit board, so that a portion of said hollow body extends through said hole and the space between said electrodes on said face is between the opposite sides of said circuit board; and (c) respectively soldering said electrodes to opposite sides of said circuit board.

Claim 2

A method of making a print head for use in an ink jet printer device, which comprises the following steps: (a) providing a piezoelectric drive element, comprising a hollow body made of a piezoelectric material, and a pair of electrodes spaced apart and thereby electrically isolated from one another on an external face of said hollow body; (b) fitting said piezoelectric drive element through a hole in a printed circuit board, so that a portion of said hollow body extends through said hole and the space between said electrodes on said face is between the opposite sides of said circuit board; and (c) respectively soldering said electrodes to opposite sides of said circuit board.

Claim 5

A method of making a piezoelectric drive element assembly for use in an ink jet printer device, where said method comprises the following steps: (a) providing a piezoelectric drive element, comprising: a hollow body made of a piezoelectric material, said hollow body being open at opposite ends and having an external lateral face and internal lateral face; an electrically conductive coating on said external and internal faces of said hollow body, said coating being discontinuous on a portion of said external lateral face approximate to one end of said hollow body so as to define a band around the circumference of said hollow body on which said coating is not present, said coating forming a pair of electrodes for said drive element, and said electrodes being spaced apart by a gap defined by said band; (b) fitting said piezoelectric drive element through a hole in a printed circuit board, so that said one end of said hollow body extends through said hole, and said gap is between the opposite sides of said circuit board; and (c) respectively soldering said electrodes to opposite sides of said circuit board.

Claim 6

A method of making a piezoelectric drive element assembly for use in an ink jet printer device, where said method comprises the following steps: (a) providing a piezoelectric drive element, comprising: a hollow body made of a piezoelectric material, said hollow body being open at opposite ends and having an external lateral face and internal lateral face; an electrically conductive coating on said external and internal faces of said hollow body, said coating being discontinuous on a portion of said external lateral face approximate to one end of said hollow body so as to define a band around the circumference of said hollow body on which said coating is not present, said coating forming a pair of electrodes for said drive element, and said electrodes being spaced apart by a gap defined by said band; (b) fitting said piezoelectric drive element through a hole in a printed circuit board, so that said one end of said hollow body extends through said hole, and said gap is between the opposite sides of said circuit board; and (c) respectively soldering said electrodes to opposite sides of said circuit board.

Claim 7

A method of making a piezoelectric drive element assembly for use in an ink jet printer device by which droplets of printing liquid are ejected by piezoelectric contraction of a drive element which forms or surrounds a passage through which the printing liquid may flow where said method comprises the following steps: (a) providing a piezoelectric drive element, comprising: a hollow body made of a piezoelectric material and having external and internal lateral faces; a first electrode on the external face of said hollow body; and a second electrode on the internal lateral face of said hollow body, on one end of said hollow body and on a portion of the external lateral face of said hollow body approximate to said one end; said first and second electrodes being separated by a gap on said external lateral face; (b) fitting said piezoelectric drive element through a hole in a printed circuit board, so that said one end of said hollow body extends through said hole and said gap is between the opposite sides of said circuit board; and (c) respectively soldering said electrodes to opposite sides of said circuit board.

Claim 8

A method of making a piezoelectric drive element assembly for use in an ink jet printer device by which droplets of printing liquid are ejected by piezoelectric contraction of a drive element which forms or surrounds a passage through which the printing liquid may flow where said method comprises the following steps: (a) providing a piezoelectric drive element, comprising: a hollow body made of a piezoelectric material and having external and internal lateral faces; a first electrode on the external face of said hollow body; and a second electrode on the internal lateral face of said hollow body, on one end of said hollow body and on a portion of the external lateral face of said hollow body approximate to said one end; said first and second electrodes being separated by a gap on said external lateral face; (b) fitting said piezoelectric drive element through a hole in a printed circuit board, so that said one end of said hollow body extends through said hole and said gap is between the opposite sides of said circuit board; and (c) respectively soldering said electrodes to opposite sides of said circuit board.