Patent US5208606A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5208606A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Directionality of thermal ink jet transducers by front face metalization
Assignee: Xerox Corp
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Filing: 1991-11-21
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Granted: 1993-05-04
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Expires: 2011-11-21
Abstract
Abstract A thermal ink jet printhead has an outer, metallic hydrophobic coating on its front face to repel ink. Eliminating the accumulation of ink at the nozzles of the printhead allows an ink droplet to be accurately ejected and ensures the directionality of the ejected ink droplet onto the printing medium. The outer coating is formed of a metal selected from the group of noble metals, including gold, platinum, palladium, silver, rhodium and ruthenium. An adhesion layer is preferably deposited between the front face of the printhead and the outer ink-repellent coating. The metallic coating is preferably applied by electroplating, wet electroless plating, evaporation, sputtering, ion plating, CVD or plasma CVD.
Inventors
- 👤 Igal E. Klein
- 👤 Cathie J. Burke
- 👤 William G. Hawkins
- 👤 Roberto E. Proano
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 08:07
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/135; B41J2/16; B41J2/1606
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 30
Claim 1
Independent Claim
103 words
A thermal ink jet printhead, comprising: a first substrate defining a dielectric channel plate having a first front face; a second substrate defining an actuator plate having a second front face, said first front face and said second front face defining a printhead front face, said first substrate and said second substrate disposed in a facing relationship defining ink channels therebetween and nozzles in said printhead front face; an outer, metallic, ink repellant layer coated on said printhead front face adjacent said nozzles; an adhesion layer on said printhead front face; and an intermediate layer between said adhesion layer and said outer layer.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
103 words
A thermal ink jet printhead, comprising: a first substrate defining a dielectric channel plate having a first front face; a second substrate defining an actuator plate having a second front face, said first front face and said second front face defining a printhead front face, said first substrate and said second substrate disposed in a facing relationship defining ink channels therebetween and nozzles in said printhead front face; an outer, metallic, ink repellant layer coated on said printhead front face adjacent said nozzles; an adhesion layer on said printhead front face; and an intermediate layer between said adhesion layer and said outer layer.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
12 words
A printhead according to claim 1, wherein said outer layer is hydrophobic.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
A printhead according to claim 1, wherein said outer layer comprises a metal selected from the group of noble metals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
A printhead according to claim 1, wherein said outer layer comprises a metal selected from the group of gold, platinum, palladium, silver, rhodium and ruthenium.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
A printhead according to claim 1, wherein said outer layer is about 0.5 to 12 micrometers thick.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
A printhead according to claim 1, wherein said outer layer is about 3 to 6 micrometers thick.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
26 words
A printhead according to claim 1, wherein said adhesion layer comprises an element selected from the group consisting of chromium, nickel, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, and tungsten.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
25 words
A printhead according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate layer comprises an element selected from the group consisting of titanium tungsten, nickel, palladium or titanium.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
82 words
A thermal ink jet printhead comprising: a dielectric channel plate having a first front face; an actuator plate coupled to said channel plate and having a second front face, said first front face and said second front face being co-extensive defining a printhead front face and having nozzles therein; an adhesion layer deposited on said printhead front face; an intermediate layer over said adhesion layer; and a noble metal coating on said printhead front face adjacent said nozzles over said intermediate layer.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
82 words
A thermal ink jet printhead comprising: a dielectric channel plate having a first front face; an actuator plate coupled to said channel plate and having a second front face, said first front face and said second front face being co-extensive defining a printhead front face and having nozzles therein; an adhesion layer deposited on said printhead front face; an intermediate layer over said adhesion layer; and a noble metal coating on said printhead front face adjacent said nozzles over said intermediate layer.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
102 words
A process for ensuring directionality of ink droplets ejected from an ink jet printhead, comprising the steps of: forming the ink jet printhead by coupling a first substrate having channels therein and a first front face to a second substrate having a second front face, the first front face and the second front face being coextensive and defining a printhead front face having nozzles therein, said first substrate being dielectric; depositing an adhesion layer on the printhead font face; depositing an intermediate layer over said adhesion layer; and coating a metallic, ink repellant layer on the printhead front face around said nozzles.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
102 words
A process for ensuring directionality of ink droplets ejected from an ink jet printhead, comprising the steps of: forming the ink jet printhead by coupling a first substrate having channels therein and a first front face to a second substrate having a second front face, the first front face and the second front face being coextensive and defining a printhead front face having nozzles therein, said first substrate being dielectric; depositing an adhesion layer on the printhead font face; depositing an intermediate layer over said adhesion layer; and coating a metallic, ink repellant layer on the printhead front face around said nozzles.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises electroplating a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the front faces of the substrates.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises wet electroless plating a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the front faces of the substrates.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises evaporation of a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the front faces of the substrates.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
28 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises sputtering a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the front faces of the substrates.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
29 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises ion plating a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the front faces of the substrates.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
31 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises chemical vapor deposition of a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the front faces of the substrates.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises plasma chemical vapor deposition of a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the front faces of the substrates.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises depositing a metal having a thickness of about 0.5 to 12 micrometers on the front faces.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step comprises depositing a metal having a thickness of about 3 to 6 micrometers on the front faces.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process according to claim 10, further comprising the step of selecting a metal from the group of noble metals as the ink repellent layer.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process according to claim 10, wherein said coating step occurs prior to coupling the first substrate to the second substrate.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
115 words
A thermal ink jet printhead, comprising: a first substrate defining a channel plate having a first front face; a second substrate defining an actuator plate having a second front face, said first front face and said second front face defining a printhead front face, said first substrate and said second substrate disposed in a facing relationship defining ink channels therebetween and nozzles in said printhead front face; an outer, metallic, ink repellant layer coated on said printhead front face adjacent said nozzles; and an adhesion layer on said printhead front face beneath said outer layer, wherein said adhesion layer comprises an element selected from the group consisting of chromium, nickel, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, and tungsten.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
115 words
A thermal ink jet printhead, comprising: a first substrate defining a channel plate having a first front face; a second substrate defining an actuator plate having a second front face, said first front face and said second front face defining a printhead front face, said first substrate and said second substrate disposed in a facing relationship defining ink channels therebetween and nozzles in said printhead front face; an outer, metallic, ink repellant layer coated on said printhead front face adjacent said nozzles; and an adhesion layer on said printhead front face beneath said outer layer, wherein said adhesion layer comprises an element selected from the group consisting of chromium, nickel, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, and tungsten.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
93 words
A process for ensuring directionality of ink droplets ejected from an ink jet printhead, comprising the steps of: forming the ink jet printhead by coupling a first substrate having channels therein and a first front face to a second substrate having a second front face, the first front face and the second front face being coextensive and defining a printhead front face having nozzles therein; depositing a conductive layer on the printhead front face; and electroplating a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the printhead front face around said nozzles.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
93 words
A process for ensuring directionality of ink droplets ejected from an ink jet printhead, comprising the steps of: forming the ink jet printhead by coupling a first substrate having channels therein and a first front face to a second substrate having a second front face, the first front face and the second front face being coextensive and defining a printhead front face having nozzles therein; depositing a conductive layer on the printhead front face; and electroplating a metal selected from the group of noble metals on the printhead front face around said nozzles.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
78 words
A process for ensuring directionality of ink droplets ejected from an ink jet printhead, comprising the steps of: coating a metallic, ink repellant layer on a front face of a first substrate having channels therein; coating a metallic, ink repellant layer on a second front face of a second substrate; and forming the ink jet printhead by coupling the first substrate to the second substrate, the first substrate and the second substrate being coextensive and defining nozzles therein.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
78 words
A process for ensuring directionality of ink droplets ejected from an ink jet printhead, comprising the steps of: coating a metallic, ink repellant layer on a front face of a first substrate having channels therein; coating a metallic, ink repellant layer on a second front face of a second substrate; and forming the ink jet printhead by coupling the first substrate to the second substrate, the first substrate and the second substrate being coextensive and defining nozzles therein.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-05-03 | 1996-11-02 | 1997-05-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-05-03 | 2000-11-02 | 2001-05-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-05-03 | 2004-11-02 | 2005-05-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |