US6247808B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Ink-jet printing system for improved print quality
Assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
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Filing: 1998-04-22
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Granted: 2001-06-19
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Expires: 2018-04-22
Abstract
Abstract An ink-jet printing system is disclosed comprising a set of ink-jet inks comprising a first anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one first colorant, and at least one first anionic polymer; a second anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle; at least one second colorant, at least one second anionic polymer, and an acid additive having a pKa up to the pKa of the at least first polymer of the first ink; a third cationic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one third colorant, at least one third cationic polymer, and a pH in the range from about 2 to about 5; and a fourth anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one fourth anionic dye, and a precipitating agent. The printing system provides improved print quality, specifically, reduced bleed; improved edge-acuity, uniform area fills, and color quality; while maximizing lightfastness without sacrificing printing reliability.
Inventors
- 👤 Zeying Ma
- 👤 Keshava A. Prasad
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 15:21
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; C; C09; C09D; C09D11/00; C09D11/30; C09D11/40; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/17; B41J2/195
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
148 words
A set of ink-jet cartridges, comprising: a first ink-jet cartridge, said first cartridge comprising a first anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one first colorant, and at least one first anionic polymer; a second ink-jet cartridge, said second cartridge comprising a second anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle; at least one second colorant, at least one second anionic polymer, and an acid additive having a pKa up to the pKa of the at least first polymer of the first ink; a third ink-jet cartridge, said second cartridge comprising a third cationic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one third colorant, at least one third cationic polymer, and a pH in the range from about 2 to about 5; and a fourth ink-jet cartridge, said second cartridge comprising a fourth anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one fourth anionic dye, and a precipitating agent.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
148 words
A set of ink-jet cartridges, comprising: a first ink-jet cartridge, said first cartridge comprising a first anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one first colorant, and at least one first anionic polymer; a second ink-jet cartridge, said second cartridge comprising a second anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle; at least one second colorant, at least one second anionic polymer, and an acid additive having a pKa up to the pKa of the at least first polymer of the first ink; a third ink-jet cartridge, said second cartridge comprising a third cationic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one third colorant, at least one third cationic polymer, and a pH in the range from about 2 to about 5; and a fourth ink-jet cartridge, said second cartridge comprising a fourth anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one fourth anionic dye, and a precipitating agent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
The set of claim 1 wherein said at least one first anionic polymer has at least one neutralized carboxylic acid group; and said at least one second anionic polymer has at least one sulfonate or phosphonate group.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The set of claim 2 wherein the first, second, and third polymers are independently selected from the group consisting of homopolymer, copolymer, block polymer, branched polymer, and graft polymer.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
56 words
The set of claim 3 wherein at least one of the at least first, second, and third colorants are independently selected pigments; and wherein at least one of the at least one first anionic polymer, the at least one second anionic polymer, and the at least one third cationic polymer, also serves as a pigment dispersant.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
101 words
The set of claim 4 wherein said at least one third cationic polymer has at least one pendent ionic moiety of the formula wherein A is selected from the group consisting of N, P, and S; R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl or alkyl ether of 1-20 carbon atoms, and aryl or alkylaryl of 1-10 carbon atoms, wherein R 3 is not present when A is S; and wherein X is selected from the group consisting of halides, conjugate bases of organic acids, and conjugate bases of inorganic acids.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
17 words
The set of claim 5 wherein the at least one cationic polymer is an AB block polymer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
The set of claim 6 wherein the at least one cationic AB block polymer comprises an A block prepared from homopolymers or copolymers of methyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate and a B block prepared from homopolymers or copolymers of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and diethylaminoethyl methacrylate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
53 words
The set of claim 4 wherein the at least first and second polymers are selected from the group consisting of AB, BAB, and ABC block copolymers, and Ax(BA)yBz graft copolymers wherein x is from 0 to about 10,000, y is from about 2 to about 10,000, and z is 0 to about 10,000.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
The set of claim 2 wherein the acid additive is an organic acid selected from the group consisting of polyacrylic, acetic, glycolic, malonic, malic, maleic, ascorbic, succinic, glutaric, fumaric, citric, tartaric, lactic, bromoacetic, chloroacetic, chloropropionic, phthalic, sulfonic, and ortho-phosphoric acid and derivatives thereof.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
59 words
The set of claim 2 wherein the precipitating agent is a multi-valent metal salt comprising a multi-valent metal cation selected from the group consisting of Zn +2 , Mg +2 , Ca +2 , Cu +2 , Co +2 , Ni +2 , Fe +2 , La +3 , Nd +3 , Y +3 , and Al +3 .
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
15 words
The set of claim 2 wherein the fourth anionic colorant further comprises an acid additive.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
124 words
An ink-jet printing system, comprising a set of ink-jet inks, said ink-jet inks comprising: a first anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one first colorant, and at least one first anionic polymer; a second anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle; at least one second colorant, at least one second anionic polymer, and an acid additive having a pKa up to the pKa of the at least first polymer of the first ink; a third cationic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one third colorant, at least one third cationic polymer, and a pH in the range from about 2 to about 5; and a fourth anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one fourth anionic dye, and a precipitating agent.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
124 words
An ink-jet printing system, comprising a set of ink-jet inks, said ink-jet inks comprising: a first anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one first colorant, and at least one first anionic polymer; a second anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle; at least one second colorant, at least one second anionic polymer, and an acid additive having a pKa up to the pKa of the at least first polymer of the first ink; a third cationic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one third colorant, at least one third cationic polymer, and a pH in the range from about 2 to about 5; and a fourth anionic ink comprising an aqueous vehicle, at least one fourth anionic dye, and a precipitating agent.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
38 words
The printing system of claim 12 wherein said at least one first anionic polymer has at least one neutralized carboxylic acid group; and said at least one second anionic polymer has at least one sulfonate or phosphonate group.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
The printing system of claim 13 wherein the first, second, and third polymers are independently selected from the group consisting of homopolymer, copolymer, block polymer, branched polymer, and graft polymer.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
57 words
The printing system of claim 14 wherein at least one of the at least first, second, and third colorants are independently selected pigments; and wherein at least one of the at least one first anionic polymer, the at least one second anionic polymer, and the at least one third cationic polymer, also serves as a pigment dispersant.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
102 words
The printing system of claim 15 wherein said at least one third cationic polymer has at least one pendent ionic moiety of the formula wherein A is selected from the group consisting of N, P, and S; R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl or alkyl ether of 1-20 carbon atoms, and aryl or alkylaryl of 1-10 carbon atoms, wherein R 3 is not present when A is S; and wherein X is selected from the group consisting of halides, conjugate bases of organic acids, and conjugate bases of inorganic acids.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
The printing system of claim 16 wherein the at least one cationic polymer is an AB block polymer.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
45 words
The printing system of claim 17 wherein the at least one cationic AB block polymer comprises an A block prepared from homopolymers or copolymers of methyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate and a B block prepared from homopolymers or copolymers of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and diethylaminoethyl methacrylate.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
54 words
The printing system of claim 15 wherein the at least first and second polymers are selected from the group consisting of AB, BAB, and ABC block copolymers, and Ax(BA)yBz graft copolymers wherein x is from 0 to about 10,000, y is from about 2 to about 10,000, and z is 0 to about 10,000.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
44 words
The printing system of claim 13 wherein the acid additive is an organic acid selected from the group consisting of polyacrylic, acetic, glycolic, malonic, malic, maleic, ascorbic, succinic, glutaric, fumaric, citric, tartaric, lactic, bromoacetic, chloroacetic, chloropropionic, phthalic, sulfonic, and ortho-phosphoric acid and derivatives thereof.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
60 words
The printing system of claim 13 wherein the precipitating agent is a multi-valent metal salt comprising a multi-valent metal cation selected from the group consisting of Zn +2 , Mg +2 , Ca +2 , Cu +2 , Co +2 , Ni +2 , Fe +2 , La +3 , Nd +3 , Y +3 , and Al +3 .
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
16 words
The printing system of claim 13 wherein the fourth anionic colorant further comprises an acid additive.
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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) | 2004-06-18 | 2004-12-18 | 2005-06-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-06-18 | 2008-12-18 | 2009-06-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-06-18 | 2012-12-18 | 2013-06-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |