Method and apparatus for printing with ink jet chambers utilizing a plurality of orifices

Claim 2

An impulse ink jet apparatus comprising: an elongated chamber including an inlet, a first wall having a plurality of ejection orifices forming an elongated array substantially coextensive with said chamber, and a movable, second wall opposite said first wall and coextensive with said chamber; ink supply means coupled to said inlet; and transducer means, including an elongated member having an axis of elongation which is perpendicular to said elongated array, said elongated member being adapted to expand and contract along said axis of elongation in response to its state of energization to move said second wall of said chamber substantially as a plane toward said plurality of ejection orifices, for simultaneously ejecting droplets with substantially uniform velocity from each orifice of said plurality of ejection orifices.

Claim 3

The ink jet apparatus of claim 1 wherein said plurality of orifices are in open communication throughout said chamber without intermediate restrictions.

Claim 4

The ink jet apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transducer means comprises an integral piezo-electric member forming said second wall.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said transducer means is juxtaposed to said orifices.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a foot member coupling said transducer means to said chamber.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said plurality of orifices is substantially linearly arranged for generating a plurality of droplets linearly arranged in response to said energization of said transducer means.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said orifices in said chamber are linearly arranged.

Claim 9

The impulse ink jet apparatus of claim 1 wherein said orifices are equally spaced from the edge of said first wall.

Claim 10

The impulse ink jet apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of said orifices are spaced a distance from the edge of said first wall equal to at least half a distance between said orifices.

Claim 11

The impulse ink jet apparatus of claim 1 wherein said orifices are substantially uniformly distributed on said first wall.

Claim 14

The method of claim 11 including the repetition of said steps.

Claim 15

The method of claim 11 wherein the droplets are ejected in a linear pattern so as to form a bar.

Claim 16

The impulse ink jet apparatus comprising: a plurality of chambers with each of said chambers including an inlet and a plurality of ejection orifices arranged substantially coextensive with said chamber; ink supply means coupled to said inlet; and a plurality of transducer means respectively coupled to said chambers to form a movable wall in each said chamber that is substantially coextensive with its respective chamber for ejecting droplets with substantially uniform velocity from each of said plurality of ejection orifices of each of said chambers in response to the state of energization of each of said plurality of transducer means, each said transducer means including an elongated member having an axis of elongation which is perpendicular to said plurality of ejection orifices; wherein said elongated member is adapted to expand and contract along said axis of elongation in response to its state of energization to move said wall substantially as a plane toward said plurality of ejection orifices.

Claim 17

The impulse ink jet apparatus comprising: a plurality of chambers with each of said chambers including an inlet and a plurality of ejection orifices arranged substantially coextensive with said chamber; ink supply means coupled to said inlet; and a plurality of transducer means respectively coupled to said chambers to form a movable wall in each said chamber that is substantially coextensive with its respective chamber for ejecting droplets with substantially uniform velocity from each of said plurality of ejection orifices of each of said chambers in response to the state of energization of each of said plurality of transducer means, each said transducer means including an elongated member having an axis of elongation which is perpendicular to said plurality of ejection orifices; wherein said elongated member is adapted to expand and contract along said axis of elongation in response to its state of energization to move said wall substantially as a plane toward said plurality of ejection orifices.

Claim 18

The impulse ink jet apparatus of claim 14 wherein said orifices within each of said chambers are substantially linearly arranged.

Claim 19

The impulse ink jet of claim 15 wherein said orifices within one of said chambers are substantially linearly arranged so as to be parallel but offset from said orifices within another of said chambers which are substantially linearly arranged.

Claim 20

The impulse ink jet apparatus of claim 15 wherein said orifices within one of said chambers are substantially linearly arranged so as to be co-linear with said orifices within another of said chambers.

Claim 21

The impulse ink jet apparatus of claim 14 wherein said orifices within each of said chambers are disposed so as to correspond with segments of an alpha-numeric character.

Claim 22

The impulse ink jet apparatus of claim 18 wherein said orifices within each of said chambers are disposed so as to correspond with linear segments of an alpha-numeric character.

Claim 23

A bar code ink jet apparatus comprising: an impulse ink jet chamber including a plurality of linearly aligned orifices extending substantially coextensive with said chamber in a first wall thereof, said chamber also including a movable second wall that is substantially coextensive with said chamber; means for simultaneously ejecting a plurality of droplets from said linearly aligned orifices with substantially uniform velocity by moving said second wall substantially as a plane towards said first wall, wherein said plane is substantially parallel to said linearly aligned orifices; means for creating a relative scanning motion between said ink jet chamber and a target for receiving said droplets; and means for controlling said means for simultaneously ejecting so as to sequentially eject a plurality of droplets and to deposit said pluralities of droplets in bars of varying widths.

Claim 24

A bar code ink jet apparatus comprising: an impulse ink jet chamber including a plurality of linearly aligned orifices extending substantially coextensive with said chamber in a first wall thereof, said chamber also including a movable second wall that is substantially coextensive with said chamber; means for simultaneously ejecting a plurality of droplets from said linearly aligned orifices with substantially uniform velocity by moving said second wall substantially as a plane towards said first wall, wherein said plane is substantially parallel to said linearly aligned orifices; means for creating a relative scanning motion between said ink jet chamber and a target for receiving said droplets; and means for controlling said means for simultaneously ejecting so as to sequentially eject a plurality of droplets and to deposit said pluralities of droplets in bars of varying widths.

Claim 25

The bar code ink jet apparatus of claim 20 further comprising: another impulse ink jet chamber including a plurality of linearly aligned orifices; another means for simultaneously ejecting a plurality of droplets from said aligned orifices with substantially uniform velocity; another means for controlling said other means for simultaneously ejecting droplets so as to sequentially eject pluralities of droplets and to deposit said plurality of droplets in an additional segment of said bars of varying widths; and said means for creating scanning motion also creating scanning motion between said additional chamber and said target.

Claim 26

The bar code ink jet apparatus of claim 21 wherein said orifices of each of said chambers are parallel or co-linear so as to permit the deposit of bars having a length equal to the composite length of said orifices in said chambers.

Claim 27

The bar code ink jet apparatus of claim 22 wherein said orifices are co-linear.

Claim 28

The bar code ink jet apparatus of claim 23 wherein said orifices of said chambers are parallel and displaced in the direction of scanning.

Claim 29

The bar code ink jet apparatus of claim 21 wherein the overall length of the orifices of said other chamber substantially double the overall length of said chamber so as to permit the deposit of full bars by the orifices of said other chamber and half bars by the orifices of said chamber.

Claim 30

A bar code ink jet apparatus comprising: a plurality of ink jet chambers, each of said chambers including a first wall, a movable second wall, and a plurality of linearly aligned orifices that extend substantially coextensive with said chamber along said first wall, where the orifices in one of said chambers are parallel with the orifices in another of said chambers; means for simultaneously ejecting a plurality of droplets from said aligned orifices in each of said chambers with substantially uniform velocity by moving said second wall substantially as a plane towards said first wall, wherein said plane is substantially parallel to said linearly aligned orifices; means for creating a relative scanning motion between said ink jet chambers and a target for receiving said droplets; and means for controlling said means for simultaneously ejecting so as to selectively eject a plurality of droplets from orifices of one or more than one of said chambers thereby controlling the overall length of the bars deposited on the target.

Claim 31

A bar code ink jet apparatus comprising: a plurality of ink jet chambers, each of said chambers including a first wall, a movable second wall, and a plurality of linearly aligned orifices that extend substantially coextensive with said chamber along said first wall, where the orifices in one of said chambers are parallel with the orifices in another of said chambers; means for simultaneously ejecting a plurality of droplets from said aligned orifices in each of said chambers with substantially uniform velocity by moving said second wall substantially as a plane towards said first wall, wherein said plane is substantially parallel to said linearly aligned orifices; means for creating a relative scanning motion between said ink jet chambers and a target for receiving said droplets; and means for controlling said means for simultaneously ejecting so as to selectively eject a plurality of droplets from orifices of one or more than one of said chambers thereby controlling the overall length of the bars deposited on the target.