Patent ID: 6302528
Filing Date: 2001-10-16
Classification: B41J,B82Y,G06K,G11C,H04N

Abstract:
An ink jet printing mechanism comprising:(a) an ink reservoir in which ink can be contained and can be subject to a periodic pressure variation; and(b) at least one ink jet nozzle arrangement, the, or each ink jet nozzle arrangement comprising:(i) a nozzle chamber having an ink ejection port for the ejection of ink;(ii) a moveable shutter that is displaceable between a closed position in which the shutter closes said nozzle chamber and an open position in which said nozzle chamber is in fluid communication with said ink reservoir; and(iii) a coiled thermal actuator, connected to the moveable shutter, that is responsive to a control signal and that is configured so that a coil radius changes in response to the control signal, thereby displacing said moveable shutter between the closed and open positions upon activation of said control signal.