Variable orientation ink catcher

Abstract: A variable orientation ink catcher is disclosed for use with ink jet printing equipment. The ink catcher receives unused ink drops. The drops are returned to the printing system for reuse. The catcher includes an arcuate receiving portion (20) offset from an outlet port (12). Caught ink flows by gravity from the receiving portion via a reservoir (24) to the outlet port (12) through a wide range of angular orientations.

Description: This invention relates to an ink catcher utilized in conjunction with ink jet printing equipment such as manufactured by the present assignee. The purpose of an ink catcher in such equipment is known. See, for example, United States Patent Nos. 4,023,182 and 4,360,817 assigned to the present assignee and which are incorporated herein by reference. In general, an ink catcher is provided to collect droplets which are not directed onto a substrate for marking purposes. These droplets are collected by the catcher and returned to the ink jet system for further printing. The operation of a synchronous ink jet printing device requires that unused ink drops be captured and removed from the drop deflection structure to avoid operating problems. In general, drop catchers fall into two broad categories: those that use a vacuum flow system and those which employ only gravity flow. A vacuum system, in which air is drawn through the ink catcher to ensure flow of the ink droplets into the catcher and away from the deflection structure, has certain disadvantages. When the air flow created by the vacuum source is sufficiently large to prevent ink buildup on the catcher and thereby to minimize ink misting, there is often excessive evaporation of the ink solvent. Thus, where high air flow is employed, evaporation becomes excessive and the evaporated components of the ink must be replaced in order to preserve the ink formulation and to maintain desired ink characteristics. As is known in this art, maintenance of ink parameters is critical to accurate drop placement on the substrate being marked. In addition to the operating problems evaporation causes, the cost associated with replenishment also limits the extent to which this technique can be beneficially employed. Accordingly, excessive evaporation rates are highly undesirable and to be avoided, of possible. Prior efforts to provide sufficient air flow without excessive evaporation have not been entirely successful. Such efforts include the use of small diameter tubes which produce a low air flow in the catcher and thereby limit the extent of solvent evaporation. Such systems, however, have produced insufficient flow to prevent ink build-up around the catcher mouth. Systems which employ large diameter tubes permit a higher air flow but, again, unacceptably high levels of solvent evaporation. Previously mentioned United States Patent No. 4,023,182, while quite successful in alleviating this problem, results in increased product cost and equipment maintenance due to the need for an additional separator device downstream of the catcher. Further, the separator is limited to specified spacial orientations requiring the need for additional valving in some applications. If possible, this additional complexity is to be avoided. Another approach to this problem is disclosed in the aforementioned United States Patent No. 4,360,817 wherein a coaxial flow ink catcher is disclosed. In this device, a vacuum ink return system produces a large vacuum flow at the catcher mouth but returns the unused ink to the remote ink supply through a low-flow vacuum line. This solution also has increased cost and complexity penalties because of the need for a dual vacuum path in the ink return. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a catcher which does not use vacuum flow if such return system can meet the requirements of preventing ink build-up on the catcher mouth and minimizing ink misting. As known by those in this art, ink misting is the phenomenon where ink droplets, upon striking a surface, such as the catcher, mist or break up into smaller particles which can literally form a particle cloud around the catcher and interfere with proper placement of drops on the adjacent substrate. One known prior art device utilizes an ink catcher which is essentially a hollow cylinder closed at both ends. Ink, upon entering the cylinder through an opening therein, is permitted to puddle in the lower portion of the catcher and then to flow to an outlet under the influence of gravity. This device results in lower evaporation rates than other approaches. However, its proper operation is highly sensitive to the orientation of the print head with which it is associated. In particular, the orientation must be such that the ink will flow from the catcher by the force of gravity. Such positioning is not always possible due to the design of this prior device. German Patent Specification No. 2808200 teaches that an ink-jet printer should be provided with a droplet catcher that defines an opening to receive deflected ink droplets, and that the ink entering the opening should flow away through an outlet to a sump for reuse. Furthermore this prior publication illustrates a droplet catcher having a housing defining such an opening which is considerably wider than the height of the catcher portion and communicates with a chamber having a rearwardly positioned curved surface to direct ink droplets towards its outlet. United States Patent No. 4,338,612 teaches that an ink jet printer should be provided with a gutter, which serves as an ink catcher and traps uncharged ink drops for recirculation. The drawings of this prior publication show a housing defining an ink receiving portion with an opening to receive ink drops, a chamber positioned underneath the opening, an outlet positioned in a lower portion of the chamber and forwardly of the opening to return ink to the ink jet printer, and a downwardly inclined surface positioned rearwardly of the opening to direct ink drops towards the outlet. It is therefore known from German Patent Specification No. 2808200 and from United States Patent No. 4,338,612 that an ink catcher, for an ink jet system, may have a housing defining an ink receiving portion with an opening to receive ink drops, a chamber positioned underneath the opening, an outlet positioned in a lower portion of the chamber and forwardly of the opening to return ink to the ink jet system for reuse, and a surface extending rearwardly of the opening to direct ink drops towards the outlet. According to one aspect of the invention the surface is generally arcuate and is spaced from the opening to reduce misting adjacent the opening, the chamber comprises a reservoir to permit collected ink to puddle therein, and the portion of the housing defining the ink receiving portion and the reservoir has a width (W) less than or equal to its height (H) to enhance the range of angular orientations at which the catcher can operate. A lip is preferably arranged within the housing between the opening and the reservoir to prevent ink flowing from the reservoir to the opening when the catcher is orientated at a shallow angle to the horizontal. The generally arcuate surface may be partially defined by a part-circular rear wall or may be part-circular. The reservoir is preferably defined by a lower portion of the surface and a front surface of the housing positioned in known manner forwardly of the opening. The outlet may either comprise an L-shaped conduit extending downward from the reservoir, or extend transversely from the from the reservoir. It is also known from German Patent Specification No. 2808200 and from United States Patent No. 4,338,612 that an ink jet printer may have a print head with an ink catcher which defines an opening for collecting unused ink droplets, a reservoir for the collected ink, and a gravity fed outlet for returning collected ink for re-use. According to another aspect of the invention the ink jet printer may be arranged such that:- a: the ink catcher has an internal generally arcuate surface which is spaced from the opening to reduce misting adjacent the opening, and b: the gravity fed outlet is positioned forwardly of the opening, and the width (W) of the reservoir is less than or equal to the combined height (H) of the opening and the reservoir to reduce sensitivity to the orientation of the print head. The present invention provides a gravity flow ink catcher which is capable of various orientations so that the ink jet printing head can be positioned as desired by the requirements of the particular printing application. It also provides an ink catcher which can be low in cost, simple in design, and does not require any specific setup, as is required by prior designs. The ink catcher of the present invention does not require vacuum induced air flow across the mouth of the catcher to prevent ink build-up or to minimise ink misting, but employs gravity flow. Its unique geometry achieves desirable ink puddling, which reduces evaporation, while at the same time avoiding misting and ink build-up at the mouth of the ink catcher. Furthermore, the catcher can be used at multiple orientations suitable for most ink jet printing applications. Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the relevant portions of an ink jet printing system useful in explaining the ink catcher of the present invention, Figure 2A is a vertical cross sectional view of the ink catcher according to the present invention illustrating its internal geometry, and Figure 2B is a side elevation taken from the right of Figure 2A, Figures 3A and 3B illustrate alternative placements of the outlet port, and Figures 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D illustrates a comparison between certain prior art and the present invention with respect to use of the catcher at various orientations. Referring to Figure 1, a schematic illustration of the relevant portions of an ink jet printing system is shown. Ink drops 1 emanate from an ink jet nozzle orifice 2 which is located at one end of a typical nozzle housing 3. The ink which is forced through the nozzle is acted upon by the piezo electric device 5 to create the discrete drops which are then selectively charged by a charging electrode 4. Those drops which receive a charge are deflected as they pass through an electrostatic deflection field which exists between the electrodes 7 and 8. Drops which do not receive a charge are not deflected onto the substrate 11. These drops are then stopped by an ink catcher 10 according to the present invention. The caught ink is brought to an outlet port 6 under the influence of gravity. The ink is returned from the port to a reservoir for reuse by means of a return tube 9 connected to the outlet port 6. No air flow is needed to clear the mouth of the catcher and, therefore, the return line contains substantially only liquid. Ink can be caused to flow in the return line 9 by the usual means such as a pump. Because the returning ink is not mixed with air, as is the case in prior art vacuum systems, a lower cost return system having better evaporation loss characteristics is obtained. Referring to Figure 2, the geometry which is essential to the advantages of the present invention is illustrated in greater detail. The catcher has an upper portion which includes a part-circular rear wall 20 defining a generally arcuate surface 21. The rear wall 20 terminates at its upper end in an opening 22 which forms the entrance through which drops are collected by the device. The drops enter the device and strike the generally arcuate surface 21 as indicated in Figure 1. The drops, by force of gravity, collect in a lower portion of the device which includes an offset, generally rectangular reservoir portion 24. This offset arrangement is important to obtaining the advantages of the present invention as will be described. In the reservoir 24 the ink is collected or puddled. Eventually, it enters an outlet port designated 12 in Figure 2 from which it passes to the return tube 9 communicating with the system ink reservoir. The outlet port 12, in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, consists of an L-shaped tubular section which is generally in the same plane as the catcher (a vertical plane as viewed in Figure 2B). As is apparent from the foregoing, the catcher is generally elongate in shape (the width "W" is less than or equal to the length "H") as viewed along a line 23 in Figures 2A, 2B. As thereshown, the line or alignment axis 23 extends generally vertically through the area of the opening 22 and the bottom of reservoir portion 24. This elongate shape of the catcher is a feature of the present invention which permits the catcher to have a variable orientation over greater angular displacements from the vertical than prior art catchers, as more fully described hereinafter. In order to optimize the advantages of the present invention, the following geometrical relationships should be maintained: 1. The opening 13 to the outlet port 12 should be below the surface 14 to provide the cavity or reservoir 24 in which the ink can accumulate (puddle). 2. The front wall 15 of the outlet 12 is positioned to be offset from the surface 16 in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIGURE 2A. This is necessary in order to prevent dripping out of the mouth 22 when the catcher is deployed at fairly small angles to the horizontal (see, for example, FIGURE 4D). 3. The width W (FIGURE 2B) should be less than or equal to the height H in order to operate when the head is rotated axially about the ink stream. Summarizing, the ink catcher of the present invention operates by gravity flow only at a large variety of angular orientations. This is possible due to the features of the invention including the arcuate back wall 20 which reduces misting around the mouth 22, the provision of an offset reservoir 24 to prevent back flow and to puddle the ink to reduce evaporative loss, and the offset between the opening 13 and the lip 16 which prevents unintended back flow when the catcher is positioned at shallow angles to the horizontal. Referring to FIGURE 3, two alternate embodiments are illustrated. In these embodiments, the outlet fitting, designated 17, is located on either side of the catcher body 18 rather than at the bottom of the catcher body 10. These embodiments are useful if even greater angular displacement from the vertical is required. Indeed, the embodiments of FIGURES 3A-3C can operate efficiently almost horizontally. Referring to FIGURE 4, there is illustrated a comparison of a particular prior art device (FIGURES 4A and 4B) with the ink catcher of the present invention. As described earlier in this specification, a certain prior art device, manufactured by Hitachi, employs an ink catcher which is essentially a hollow cylinder closed at both ends. The ink catcher designated 30 in FIGURE 4A, has an opening 32 at the top portion thereof through which ink drops enter the device. An outlet port 34 is provided at only one end near the bottom of the device. As will be apparent, ink drops enter through the opening 32, collect in the bottom of the device, and pass through a tube to a reservoir for reuse through the port 34. As illustrated in FIGURE 4B, the Hitachi device cannot be operated at more than very small angles to the horizontal. Otherwise, the ink would puddle in the container but not pass out of the port 34 to the return system. Thus, the positioning of the Hitachi catcher is critical and limits the flexibility of the system. It would be necessary to provide an additional port such as indicated by the broken lines in FIGURE 4B in order to make this device function at the angle illustrated. Referring to FIGURES 4C and 4D, the ability of the present invention to operate under such conditions is illustrated. As shown in FIGURE 4C, the ink catcher of the present invention can, of course, operate so that the alignment axis is at ninety degrees to the horizontal. The device can be rotated to either side of the vertical so that the alignment axis is displaced at successively larger angles from the vertical without the need for additional ports due to the unique geometric configuration employed. While we have shown and described embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that this description and illustrations are offered merely by way of example, and that the invention is to be limited in scope only as to the appended claims.

Claims: An ink catcher, for an ink jet system, including a housing defining an ink receiving portion with an opening to receive ink drops, a chamber positioned underneath the opening, an outlet positioned in a lower portion of the chamber and forwardly of the opening to return ink to the ink jet system for reuse, and a surface extending rearwardly of the opening to direct ink drops towards the outlet, characterised in that the surface (21) is generally arcuate and is spaced from the opening (22) to reduce misting adjacent the opening (22), the chamber comprises a reservoir (24) to permit collected ink to puddle therein, and the portion of the housing defining the ink receiving portion (22) and the reservoir (24) has a width (W) less than or equal to its height (H) to enhance the range of angular orientations at which the catcher can operate. An ink catcher, as in Claim 1, characterised in that a lip (16) is arranged within the housing between the opening (22) and the reservoir (24) to prevent ink flowing from the reservoir (24) to the opening (22) when the catcher is orientated at a shallow angle to the horizontal. An ink catcher, as in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the generally arcuate surface (21) is partially defined by a part-circular rear wall (20). An ink catcher, as in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the generally arcuate surface (21) is part-circular. An ink catcher, as in any preceding claim, characterised in that the reservoir (24) is defined by a lower portion of the surface (21) and a front surface of the housing positioned in known manner forwardly of the opening (22). An ink catcher, as in any preceding claim, characterised in that the outlet (13) comprises an L-shaped conduit (12) extending downward from the reservoir (24). An ink catcher, as in any of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the outlet (13) extends transversely (17) from the reservoir (24). An ink jet printer having a print head with an ink catcher which defines an opening for collecting unused ink droplets, a reservoir for the collected ink, and a gravity fed outlet (13) for returning collected ink for re-use, characterised in that:- a: the ink catcher has an internal generally arcuate surface (21) which is spaced from the opening (22) to reduce misting adjacent the opening (22); and b: the gravity feed outlet (13) is positioned forwardly of the opening (22), and the width (w) of the reservoir (24) is less than or equal to the combined height of the opening (22) and the reservoir (24) to reduce sensitivity to the orientation of the print head (2 to 10).

Inventors: ARWAY GEORGE, EREMITY FRANK, ARWAY, GEORGE, EREMITY, FRANK
Applicants: VIDEOJET SYSTEMS INT, VIDEOJET SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B41J2
IPC codes: B41J2