US4751534A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Planarized printheads for acoustic printing
Assignee: Xerox Corp
•
Filing: 1986-12-19
•
Granted: 1988-06-14
•
Expires: 2006-12-19
Abstract
Abstract The output surface of an acoustic printhead having one or more concave acoustic beam forming devices for supplying focused acoustic beams to eject droplets of ink on demand from the surface of a pool of ink is planarized by filling those concave devices with a solid material having an acoustic impedance and an acoustic velocity which are intermediate the acoustic impedance and the acoustic velocity, respectively, of the ink and of the printhead. This not only facilitates the cleaning of the printhead, but also eliminates the edges upon which an optional ink transport or the like may tend to drag. The outer surface of the filler may be essentially flush with the face of the printhead, or the filler may overcoat the printhead.
Inventors
- 👤 Scott A. Elrod
- 👤 Butrus T. Khuri-Yakub
- 👤 Calvin F. Quate
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 18:09
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/135; B41J2/14; B41J2/14008; B41J2002/14322
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
140 words
In an acoustic printhead having at least one concave beam forming surface for supplying a converging acoustic beam to eject individual droplets of ink on demand from a pool of ink adjacent an outer surface of said printhead, said printhead and said ink each having a predetermined acoustic impedance and velocity; the improvement comprising a quarter wavelength thick impedance matching layer deposited on said concave surface, and a solid filler material deposited on said impedance matching layer, said filler material being separated from said concave surface by said impedance matching layer and having a generally planar outer surface which is essentially coplanar with the outer surface of said printhead, with said filler material being selected to have an acoustic impedance and an acoustic velocity which are in between the acoustic impedance and velocity, respectively, of said printhead and said ink.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
140 words
In an acoustic printhead having at least one concave beam forming surface for supplying a converging acoustic beam to eject individual droplets of ink on demand from a pool of ink adjacent an outer surface of said printhead, said printhead and said ink each having a predetermined acoustic impedance and velocity; the improvement comprising a quarter wavelength thick impedance matching layer deposited on said concave surface, and a solid filler material deposited on said impedance matching layer, said filler material being separated from said concave surface by said impedance matching layer and having a generally planar outer surface which is essentially coplanar with the outer surface of said printhead, with said filler material being selected to have an acoustic impedance and an acoustic velocity which are in between the acoustic impedance and velocity, respectively, of said printhead and said ink.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
17 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein said concave surface is an outer surface of a piezoelectric transducer.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
11 words
The improvement of claim 2 wherein said piezoelectric transducer is spherical.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
The improvement of claim 1 wherein said concave surface is an acoustic lens defined by an indentation formed in a surface of a substrate having an acoustic velocity which is significantly higher than the acoustic velocity of said ink.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The improvement of claim 4 wherein said indentation is spherical and said lens has a F# of approximately 1.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The improvement of any one of claims 1-5 wherein said printhead is submerged in said ink.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
27 words
The improvement of claim 6 wherein the outer surface of said filler material is generally flush with a dissimilar material forming the outer surface of said printhead.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
The improvement of claim 7 wherein said filler material overcoats said printhead and defines its outer surface.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The improvement of any one of claims 1-5 wherein said ink is carried by a transport, and the outer surface of said filler material is acoustically coupled to said ink via said transport.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The improvement of claim 9 wherein the outer surface of said filler material is generally flush with a dissimilar material forming the outer surface of said printhead.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
The improvement of claim 10 wherein said filler material overcoats said printhead and defines its outer surface.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4308547A
Cited
US4184094A
Cited
US4384231A
Cited
US4331964A
Cited
SU941213A1
Cited
US4580148A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1991-06-14 | 1991-12-14 | 1992-06-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1995-06-14 | 1995-12-14 | 1996-06-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1999-06-14 | 1999-12-14 | 2000-06-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |