Patent ID: 7867548
Filing Date: 2011-01-11
Classification: B05D,B41J

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: providing a solution comprising a non-aqueous organic solvent within which a solute has been dissolved; providing a thermal fluid-ejection mechanism having a plurality of fluid-ejection nozzles and capable of thermally ejecting the solution; providing a device medium having a three-dimensional surface on which the solution is to be ejected, the device medium being a device having an active functionality performable without assistance from other devices, the three-dimensional surface being a non-planar surface, the three-dimensional surface being three-dimensional on a non-atomic level visible to a human eye; and, controlling the fluid-ejection nozzles of the thermal fluid-ejection mechanism to eject the solution onto the three-dimensional surface of the device medium in accordance with a desired pattern wherein controlling the fluid-ejection nozzles of the thermal fluid-ejection mechanism to eject the solution onto the three-dimensional surface of the device medium comprises one of: a) substantially ensuring that the solution does not plug any of the fluid-ejection nozzles while the fluid-ejection nozzles are being controlled to eject the solution, by specifying that a Reynolds Number value of the fluid-ejection nozzles in relation to the solution times a Euler Number value of the fluid-ejection nozzles in relation to the solution is greater than a predetermined threshold product of at least ten; b) controlling a thickness of the solute on the three-dimensional surface of the device medium, as ejected as part of the solution by the fluid-ejection nozzles of the thermal fluid-ejection mechanism, by specifying the thickness in accordance with where t is the thickness of the solute, N pass is a number of passes of the thermal fluid-ejection mechanism over the three-dimensional surface, c is concentration of the solute within the solvent, V drop is a volume of a droplet ejected by a fluid-ejection nozzle, N nozz is a number of the fluid-ejection nozzles actively ejecting the solution onto the three-dimensional surface, ρ is a density of the solute on the three-dimensional surface after evaporation of the solvent, Δx and Δy together are spatial resolutions of the droplets ejected along dimensions x and y, and M is a spreading margin factor; and c) scaling a larger resolution R pattern pixels of the desired pattern, such that where a number of the group of pattern pixels that are on is equal to or greater than the scaling threshold number, the fluid-ejection pixel is on, and where the number of the group of pattern pixels that are on is less than the scaling threshold number, the fluid-ejection pixel is off, where a given pixel is on, the given pixel is to be printed, and where the given pixel is off, the given pixel is not to be printed.