US4574445A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for manufacturing a nozzle plate for ink-jet printers
Assignee: US Philips Corp
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Filing: 1984-07-23
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Granted: 1986-03-11
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Expires: 2004-07-23
Abstract
Abstract Nozzles are formed in a plate for an ink-jet printer by holding a metal foil tightly against the side of the plate from which the nozzle is to protrude, and then pressing and punching through the plate and the metal foil together, through an aperture of a pressing die into a cushion of a hard elastic material such as lead. The foil is made of an isotropic material which is harder than that of the nozzle plate, and is preferably an amorphous or microcrystalline metal.
Inventors
- 👤 Horst Bentin
- 👤 Michael Doring
- 👤 Horst Kronenberg
- 👤 Werner Jeglinski
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 16:08
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/135; B41J2/16; B41J2/1621; B41J2/1632; B23; B23P; B23P15/00; B23P15/16; B26; B26F; B26F1/00; B26F1/02; B41J2/162; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49401; Y10T29/4981; Y10T29/49812; Y10T29/49826; Y10T29/49833; Y10T83/00; Y10T83/04; Y10T83/0486; Y10T83/929; Y10T83/9309
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
141 words
A method of manufacturing a nozzle plate for an ink-jet printer, including aligning a pressing and punching tool having dimensions corresponding to the internal dimensions of a nozzle to be formed, opposite a pressing die having a circular aperture and a press mold formed by a cushion which is an elastic block, and in a single operation, using the tool to locally press the plate into the circular aperture, and then punching through the plate into the elastic block during further pressing of the tool, wherein the improvement comprises the steps of providing a metal foil made of an isotropic material which is harder than said plate, positioning the metal foil tightly against that side of the plate which is remote from the tool, pressing and punching the foil through the circular aperture together with the plate during said single operation.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
141 words
A method of manufacturing a nozzle plate for an ink-jet printer, including aligning a pressing and punching tool having dimensions corresponding to the internal dimensions of a nozzle to be formed, opposite a pressing die having a circular aperture and a press mold formed by a cushion which is an elastic block, and in a single operation, using the tool to locally press the plate into the circular aperture, and then punching through the plate into the elastic block during further pressing of the tool, wherein the improvement comprises the steps of providing a metal foil made of an isotropic material which is harder than said plate, positioning the metal foil tightly against that side of the plate which is remote from the tool, pressing and punching the foil through the circular aperture together with the plate during said single operation.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said providing step includes providing a metal foil consisting of an amorphous metal.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
A method as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that said amorphous metal is iron.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
23 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said providing step includes providing a metal foil consisting of an microcrystalline metal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said amorphous metal is electroformed chromium.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
32 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the metal foil is selected to have a thickness between approximately 1/15 and 1/12 that of the nozzle plate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that said elastic block is made of lead.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
27 words
A method as claimed in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that the metal foil is selected to have a thickness of from approximately 20-25 μm.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that said elastic block is made of lead.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the subsequent step of displacing at least the metal foil and the elastic block together in a direction perpendicular to the direction of relative movement during the pressing and punching steps.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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Cited
US2781849A
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US3986379A
Cited
US3978705A
Cited
US4430784A
Cited
US4425777A
Cited
US4494393A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1989-03-10 | 1989-09-09 | 1990-03-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1993-03-10 | 1993-09-09 | 1994-03-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1997-03-10 | 1997-09-09 | 1998-03-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |