Patent ID: 7886662
Filing Date: 2011-02-15
Classification: B41M,H05K

Abstract:
1. A printing system, comprising: a substrate; a spacer layer on a first surface of the substrate, the spacer layer patterned to form wells such that the latching electrodes reside in the wells; latching electrodes arranged in each well on the first surface of the substrate, the latching electrodes in each well configured to form a series connection of parallel plate capacitors in the presence of a counter electrode; a deformable membrane, the membrane having conductive regions configured to act as a counter electrode to the latching electrodes, on the spacer layer over the wells, each well and an associated region of the membrane forming a pixel membrane; a layer of dielectric over the latching electrodes arranged to electrically insulate the latching electrodes from the counter electrode; actuation circuitry to activate the latching electrodes to cause selected ones of the pixel membranes to remain in a deflected state when the pixel membranes would otherwise return to an undeflected state wherein a voltage to be applied to activate the electrodes depends at least in part on a characteristic of the dielectric; an ink applicator arranged to apply ink to the membrane by one of either an applicator to dispense ink into wells forming pixels in the deflected state or an applicator to apply ink to pixels in the undeflected state; and a removal apparatus to remove excess ink.