Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080309690 | Mixing device and mixing method - A mixing method is disclosed. The mixing method includes providing a drop generating device including a first drop ejector, a second drop ejector and a collector. The mixing method also includes ejecting a plurality of drops of a first reactant from the first drop ejector and ejecting a plurality of drops of a second reactant from the second drop ejector and collecting the drops with the collector. | 12-18-2008 |
20090066747 | PRINT ELEMENT DE-PRIME METHOD - An image forming device comprises an ink reservoir that contains a reservoir ink. The ink reservoir is arranged to provide the reservoir ink to an included print element by means of an included ink supply channel. A print element ink thus is supplied to the print element. When a fault condition is detected that indicates a likelihood of a freezing of the print element ink, the print element is de-primed by forcing the print element ink to evacuate, discharge, withdraw or flow from the print element by means of the ink supply channel. The fault condition comprises any of a loss of power, a power-down process or a print element temperature being less than or equal to a threshold value. | 03-12-2009 |
20100079533 | ON-CHIP HEATER AND THERMISTORS FOR INKJET - A chip used for dispensing a fluid such as ink provides ink-dispensing ejectors having an ink cavity over a supporting substrate, and further provides a heater for heating the ink in the cavity. The heater can be interposed between the substrate and the ink cavity to provide direct heating of ink as it is being dispensed Various embodiments further comprise the use of the heater structure as a temperature probe to measure the temperature of the ink in the ink cavity. Other embodiments provides a chip having both a temperature probe and a heater as separate structures interposed between the ink cavity and the substrate. Further described is a temperature probe and/or heater which traverses a majority of a width of a substrate, and surrounds each drop ejector on at least two sides. | 04-01-2010 |
20100238227 | PRINTHEAD DE-PRIME SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SOLID INK SYSTEMS - A system and method to provide pressure to de-prime a printhead. An image forming device comprises an ink reservoir that contains ink and provides the ink to a printhead. When a fault condition is detected that indicates a likelihood of a solidifying of the ink, the printhead is de-primed by applying pressure to the printhead to purge the ink from the printhead. The fault condition comprises any of a loss of power, a power-down process, or a printhead temperature being less than or equal to a threshold temperature. | 09-23-2010 |
20100321432 | INK JET PRINTING SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH PRE-FILL AND DIMPLE DESIGN - Systems and methods of ejecting ink drops from an inkjet printer are disclosed. The systems and methods can include a printhead with one or more actuators with associated nozzles and membranes A voltage waveform can be applied to the actuators to fill the actuators with a volume of ink and eject the ink through the nozzles as ink drops. The voltage waveform can have associated pre-fill voltage to fill the actuator with ink and a firing voltage to eject the ink. The actuator membranes can have multi-height dimples to protect the membranes from contacting electrodes and reduce the electric field. | 12-23-2010 |
20110228005 | INK JET PRINT HEAD PLATE - A nozzle plate for an inkjet printhead, the nozzle plate including a nozzle through which ink is ejected, the nozzle optimally positioned in the nozzle plate. The nozzle plate further including at least one priming hole, the priming hole distinct from and of a smaller diameter than the nozzle, the priming holes positioned at selected locations of the nozzle plate to purge air from the ink jet print head. | 09-22-2011 |
20110298866 | LOW-ADHESION COATING TO ELIMINATE DAMAGE DURING FREEZE/THAW OF MEMSJET PRINTHEADS - Exemplary embodiments provide materials, systems and methods for ink jet printhead, wherein a low-adhesion coating can be applied to at least one surface portion of an ink chamber within the printhead to reduce or eliminate actuator membrane damage during ink freeze/thaw cycles. | 12-08-2011 |
20110298870 | MULTIPLE PRIMING HOLES FOR IMPROVED FREEZE/THAW CYCLILNG OF MEMSJet PRINTING DEVICES - An ink jet print head includes an ink chamber defined by an electrostatically actuated membrane and a nozzle plate opposing the membrane. The nozzle plate includes a nozzle hole and a group of priming holes, the priming holes configured to maintain a substantially ink free surface on the nozzle plate during a freeze thaw cycle of ink in the ink chamber. A method for accommodating expansion and contraction of ink during a freeze thaw cycle of ink in an ink chamber is also provided. The method includes providing a group of priming holes in a nozzle plate of the ink chamber, the group of priming holes maintaining a substantially ink free surface on the nozzle plate during the freeze thaw cycle. | 12-08-2011 |
20120038700 | ON-CHIP HEATER AND THERMISTORS FOR INKJET - A chip used for dispensing a fluid such as ink provides ink-dispensing ejectors having an ink cavity over a supporting substrate, and further provides a heater for heating the ink in the cavity. The heater can be interposed between the substrate and the ink cavity to provide direct heating of ink as it is being dispensed. Various embodiments further comprise the use of the heater structure as a temperature probe to measure the temperature of the ink in the ink cavity. Other embodiments provides a chip having both a temperature probe and a heater as separate structures interposed between the ink cavity and the substrate. Further described is a temperature probe and/or heater which traverses a majority of a width of a substrate, and surrounds each drop ejector on at least two sides. | 02-16-2012 |
20120262522 | MULTI-PLANE FILTER LAMINATE TO INCREASE FILTRATION SURFACE AREA - A printhead including a jetstack configured to include a multi-plane filter laminate. The multi-plane filter laminate includes a first rock screen subassembly and a second rock screen subassembly. Each subassembly is configured to include an upstream pocket layer, a downstream pocket layer aligned with the upstream pocket layer, and a rock screen plate sandwiched between the upstream and downstream pocket layers, the rock screen plate configured with through holes over an entire exposed surface area thereof. A portion of the rock screen plate of the first subassembly is configured to overlay the rock screen plate of the second subassembly. | 10-18-2012 |
20130127957 | Mixing Device and Mixing Method - A mixing method and device are disclosed. The mixing method includes providing a drop generating device including a first drop ejector, a second drop ejector and a collector. The mixing method also includes ejecting a plurality of drops of a first reactant from the first drop ejector and ejecting a plurality of drops of a second reactant from the second drop ejector and collecting the drops with the collector. | 05-23-2013 |
20130147879 | ACTUATOR DEPRIME FOR BUBBLE CONTROL FOR INK JET PRINTHEAD - A method and structure for depriming an ink jet printhead. To deprime ink from a printhead at a location between a nozzle (aperture) and a particulate filter (rock screen), a force (pressure) is applied to the ink. The pressure can either be a positive pressure applied to the nozzle from the outside of the aperture plate or a negative pressure (vacuum) applied at a location upstream from the particulate filter. Because openings within the particulate filter are each smaller than the nozzle, there exists a force which is sufficient to move a meniscus of the ink from the nozzle back to the particulate filter, but which is insufficient to move the meniscus beyond the particulate filter, for example due to a surface tension of the meniscus of the ink. | 06-13-2013 |
20130147886 | Printhead Having Particle Circulation With Separation - A printhead having a circulation device to create a directed flow of ink and a separator to divert particulate matter, which can be present in the ink, to a location where the particulate matter falls out of the directed flow. The circulation device can include a heater configured to provide the directed flow of ink and the separator can include a divider to provide a location for particulate matter to be separated and screened from the ink and a bin to catch particulate matter falling from the ink during circulation. | 06-13-2013 |
20130162723 | INK JET PRINTING SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH PRE-FILL AND DIMPLE DESIGN - Systems and methods of ejecting ink drops from an inkjet printer are disclosed. The systems and methods can include a printhead with one or more actuators with associated nozzles and membranes. A voltage waveform can be applied to the actuators to fill the actuators with a volume of ink and eject the ink through the nozzles as ink drops. The voltage waveform can have associated pre-fill voltage to fill the actuator with ink and a firing voltage to eject the ink. The actuator membranes can have multi-height dimples to protect the membranes from contacting electrodes and reduce the electric field. | 06-27-2013 |
20130162737 | POLYMER INTERNAL CONTAMINATION FILTER FOR INK JET PRINTHEAD - A printhead for printing ink includes a particulate filter manufactured from a polymer sheet such as a polyimide sheet. Filter openings within the particulate filter can be formed using a mask and a laser beam to ablate exposed portions of the polymer sheet. Embodiments of the present teachings can result in the formation smaller filter openings at a smaller pitch within the polymer sheet than, for example, stainless steel particulate filters, and thus more openings which cover a larger percentage of the filter surface for a given filter size, which can result in a reduction of fluid pressure within the printhead. Thus smaller filter openings for improved filtering of smaller particulates can be formed while maintaining a sufficient ink flow at a sufficiently low pressure within the printhead during operation. | 06-27-2013 |
20130187981 | ROCK SCREEN WITH PARTICLE TRAP - The possibility that narrow, high aspect ratio particles will pass through a rock screen of a print head is reduced by minimizing the number of times the particles interact with the rock screen. Each interaction is an opportunity for the particle to be positioned in an orientation such that it may pass through the rock screen. The reduction in particles passing through the rock screen is achieved by positioning a particle trap adjacent to the rock screen perimeter to collect debris that sloughs off the rock screen. | 07-25-2013 |
20130208057 | WATER VAPOR CONTROL STRUCTURE - In some aspects of the present application, an inkjet printing device is disclosed that can comprises an enclosed module configured to store ink and provide a path for ink flow; and an annular structure surrounding the path for ink flow, wherein the annular structure comprises a first polymer structure; a void structure arranged to surround the first polymer structure; and a second polymer structure arranged to surround the void structure. | 08-15-2013 |
20130321532 | SCREEN PRINTED JET STACK HEATER - Apparatus and methods for heating a printer jet stack. The apparatus includes a first layer and a second layer disposed generally parallel to the first layer. The apparatus also includes a heating layer including a thermal epoxy configured to generate heat when an electrical current is applied thereto. The heating layer is disposed between and bonds together the first layer and the second layer. | 12-05-2013 |
20140022320 | MULTIPLE LAYER FILTER - A structure and method including a filter assembly, wherein the structure can be an ink jet printhead including the filter assembly. The filter assembly can include a first filter layer having a plurality of pores therein, wherein the pores have a first pitch, and a second filter layer having a plurality of pores therein, wherein the pores in the second filter layer have a second pitch which is different than the first pitch. The structure can include a fluid path through the filter assembly. An area of overlap of the pores in the first filter layer with the pores in the second filter layer, in a vertical direction perpendicular to a plane of the filter assembly, can include a periodicity. | 01-23-2014 |
20140120229 | PRINTING 3D TEMPERED CHOCOLATE - A method for printing a three-dimensional crystalline structure such as a chocolate layer wherein, after printing, the material has a desired crystal structure. An embodiment can include printing a liquid first layer of material with a printer onto a second layer of material having a crystal structure. Subsequently, the printed liquid first layer is processed to solidify the first layer. During the processing of the printed liquid first layer, the second layer functions as a crystal seed layer through physical contact with the printed liquid first layer and the second layer crystallizes with the crystal structure. | 05-01-2014 |
20140295064 | PRINTHEAD WITH NANOTIPS FOR NANOSCALE PRINTING AND MANUFACTURING - A nanoprinthead including an array of nanotip cantilevers, where each nanotip cantilever includes a nanotip at an end of a cantilever, and a method for forming the nanoprinthead. Each nanotip may be individually addressable through use of an array of piezoelectric actuators. Embodiments for forming a nanoprinthead including an array of nanotip cantilevers can include an etching process from a material such as a silicon wafer, or the formation of a metal or dielectric nanotip cantilever over a substrate. The nanoprinthead may operate to provide uses for technologies such as dip-pen nanolithography, nanomachining, and nanoscratching, among others. | 10-02-2014 |
20150070440 | THERMO-PNEUMATIC ACTUATOR FABRICATED USING SILICON-ON-INSULATOR (SOI) - An ink jet printhead including a thermo-pneumatic actuator array for ejecting ink from an array of nozzles. The actuator array may include the use of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor wafer including a device layer, a handle layer, and a dielectric layer that physically separates the device layer from the handle layer to simplify printhead formation. During an exemplary process, the SOI wafer is attached to a heater wafer and a nozzle plate is attached to the dielectric layer such that, during use of the printhead, the device layer functions as an actuator membrane. Deflection of the device layer during use of the printhead creates a pressure within an ink chamber which causes ejection of ink from one of the nozzles of the array of nozzles. | 03-12-2015 |
20150070441 | THERMO-PNEUMATIC ACTUATOR WORKING FLUID LAYER - An ink jet printhead including a thermo-pneumatic actuator array for ejecting ink from an array of nozzles. The actuator array may include a plurality of channels in fluid communication with a plurality of working fluid chambers. After completing formation of the actuator array, working fluid may be injected into a working fluid inlet on an exterior of the actuator array and into the plurality of working fluid chambers through the plurality of channels. | 03-12-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100017230 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING, PROCESSING, AND STORING DISCRETE DATA RECORDS BASED UPON A SINGLE DATA INPUT - According to the present invention, there is provided a system and method for the collection, capture, processing, storage, and tracking of data for both electronic clinical trial and electronic source health records for purposes, based upon a single data collection instance. Upon the collection of data at a clinical trial site, the data are transmitted to a central server where it is captured as an electronic source document(s) in human readable format. The system then transmits the captured electronic source document to a trusted third-party's electronic document repository. Then, the system uses the same captured data to populate the clinical trial's electronic data capture database. The system incorporates security and encryption features to ensure that privacy information requirements are not violated. In the preferred embodiment, the electronic data capture provider for a clinical trial has no control over the server of the trusted third-party vendor, complying with regulatory requirements. Additionally, the collected data can be pushed into a clinical site's electronic health record system or any equivalent system which houses electronic data. Throughout the operation of the system, an audit trail is maintained which records information relating to all data recording, modifying, and accessing events. | 01-21-2010 |
20100077218 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ELECTRONIC DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT, ORGANIZATION, COLLABORATION, AND SUBMISSION IN CLINICAL TRIALS - According to the present invention, there is provided a system and method for the management, organization, collaboration, and submission of electronic files and documents associated with a clinical trial. The system of the present invention enables users to create and easily access a central document repository. The system of the present invention includes various tools for the management, organization, collaboration, and editing of the documents and files stored within the system, as well as tools which enable automated regulatory submissions of required documents and files. | 03-25-2010 |
20120022889 | METHOD FOR COLLECTING, PROCESSING, AND STORING DISCRETE DATA RECORDS BASED UPON A SINGLE DATA INPUT - A method for the collection, capture, processing, storage and tracking of data for both electronic source health records and for electronic clinical trial purposes by electronically collecting clinical trial data at a clinical trial site, instantly preserving all of the clinical trial data as an electronic source document, archiving the clinical trial data in a trusted data server maintained by a third party, transmitting an acknowledgement upon successful archiving of the clinical trial data, and transmitting the clinical trial data to a clinical trial database only after successful archiving of said clinical trial data. A method for electronically gathering clinical trial data. A method of maintaining discrete data records based upon a single clinical data input. | 01-26-2012 |
20130185098 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING, PROCESSING, AND STORING DISCRETE DATA RECORDS BASED UPON A SINGLE DATA INPUT - A system and method for the collection, capture, processing, storage, and tracking of data for both electronic clinical trial and electronic heath records based upon a single data collection instance, and including data collected by electronic medical devices. Devices and methods for creating certified digital image copies of original documents, including paper source documents for a clinical trial. Devices and methods for ensuring the secure archiving of original electronic documents, including electronic clinical trial source documents, in a secure document storage server. | 07-18-2013 |