Abstract:
A method of generating a manipulated output image by means of a digital camera. The method comprises capturing a focused image using an automatic focusing technique thereby generating focus settings. The focus settings are stored in a memory of the digital camera and used in manipulating the captured image to produce an enhanced image.

Description:
[0001]    This is a Continuation of 09/112,750 filed Jul. 10, 1998. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus and, in particular, discloses a process for utilising autofocus information in a digital image camera.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    Recently, digital cameras have become increasingly popular. These cameras normally operate by means of imaging a desired image utilizing a charge coupled device (CCD) array and storing the imaged scene on an electronic storage medium for later down loading onto a computer system for subsequent manipulation and printing out. Normally, when utilizing a computer system to print out an image, sophisticated software may be available to manipulate the image in accordance with requirements.  
           [0004]    Unfortunately such systems require significant post processing of a captured image and normally present the image in an orientation in which is was taken, relying on the post processing process to perform any necessary or required modifications of the captured image.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for enhanced processing of images captured by a digital camera utilising autofocus settings.  
           [0006]    In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of generating a manipulated output image by means of a digital camera, the method comprising the steps of:  
           [0007]    capturing a focused image using an automatic focusing technique generating focus settings;  
           [0008]    generating a manipulated output image by applying a digital image manipulating process to the focused image, the digital image manipulating process utilizing the focus settings.  
           [0009]    Preferably the focus settings include a current position of a zoom motor of the digital camera.  
           [0010]    In a preferred embodiment the digital image manipulating process includes a step of locating an object within the focused image utilizing the focus settings.  
           [0011]    The method may include the step of printing out the manipulated image by means of a printing mechanism incorporated into the digital camera.  
           [0012]    It is preferred that the digital image manipulating process selectively applies techniques to the focused image on the basis of the focus settings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 illustrates the method of the preferred embodiment; and  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the ARTCAM type camera. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]    The preferred embodiment is preferably implemented through suitable programming of a hand held camera device such as that described in the concurrently filed application, Applicant&#39;s reference ART01, U.S. Ser. No. 09/113,060 entitled “A Digital Camera with Image Processing Capability” filed concurrently herewith by the present applicant the content of which is hereby specifically incorporated by cross reference and the details of which, and other related applications are set out in the tables below. FIG. 2 shows a block diagram thereof.  
         [0017]    The aforementioned patent specification discloses a camera system, hereinafter known as an “Artcam” type camera, wherein sensed images can be directly printed out by an Artcam portable camera unit such as illustrated in FIG. 2. Further, the aforementioned specification discloses means and methods for performing various manipulations on images captured by the camera sensing device  30  leading to the production of various effects in any output image  40 . The manipulations are disclosed to be highly flexible in nature and can be implemented through the insertion into the Artcam of cards having encoded thereon various instructions for the manipulation of images, the cards  9  hereinafter being known as Artcards. The Artcam further has significant onboard processing power by an Artcam Central Processor unit (ACP)  32  which is interconnected to a memory device  34  for the storage of important data and images.  
         [0018]    In the preferred embodiment, autofocus is achieved by processing of a CCD data stream to ensure maximum contrast. Techniques for determining a focus position based on a CCD data stream are known. For example, reference is made to “The Encyclopedia of Photography” editors Leslie Stroebel and Richard Zakia, published 1993 by Butterworth-Heinemann and “Applied Photographic Optics” by London &amp; Boston, Focal Press, 1988. These techniques primarily rely on measurements of contrast between adjacent pixels over portions of an input image. The image is initally processed by the ACP in order to determine a correct autofocus setting.  
         [0019]    This autofocus information is then utilized by the ACP  32  in certain modes, for example, when attempting to locate faces within the image, as a guide to the likely size of any face within the image, thereby simplifying the face location process.  
         [0020]    Turning now to FIG. 1, there is illustrated an example of the method utilized to determine likely image characteristics for examination by a face detection algorithm  10 .  
         [0021]    Various images eg.  2 ,  3  and  4  are imaged by the camera device  28 . As a by product of the operation of the auto-focusing the details of the focusing settings of the autofocus unit  5  are stored by the ACP  32 . Additionally, a current position of the zoom motor  38  is also utilized as zoom setting  6 . Both of these settings are determined by the ACP  32 . Subsequently, the ACP  32  applies analysis techniques in heuristic system  8  to the detected values before producing an output  29  having a magnitude corresponding to the likely depth location of objects of interest  21 ,  31  or  41  within the image  2 ,  3  or  4  respectively.  
         [0022]    Next, the depth value is utilised in a face detection algorithm  10  running on the ACP  31  in addition to the inputted sensed image  11  so as to locate objects within the image. A close output  29  corresponding to a range value  9  indicates a high probability of a portrait image, a medium range indicates a high probability of a group photograph and a further range indicates a higher probability of a landscape image. This probability information can be utilized as an aid for the face detection algorithm and also can be utilised for selecting between various parameters when producing “painting” effects within the image or painting the image with clip arts or the like, with different techniques or clip arts being applied depending on the distance to an object.  
         [0023]    It would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the specific embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive.  
         [0024]    The present invention is further best utilized in the Artcam device, the details of which are set out in the following paragraphs although it is not restricted thereto.  
       Ink Jet Technologies  
       [0025]    The embodiments of the invention use an ink jet printer type device. Of course many different devices could be used. However presently popular ink jet printing technologies are unlikely to be suitable.  
         [0026]    The most significant problem with thermal inkjet is power consumption. This is approximately 100 times that required for high speed, and stems from the energy-inefficient means of drop ejection. This involves the rapid boiling of water to produce a vapor bubble which expels the ink. Water has a very high heat capacity, and must be superheated in thermal inkjet applications. This leads to an efficiency of around 0.02%, from electricity input to drop momentum (and increased surface area) out.  
         [0027]    The most significant problem with piezoelectric inkjet is size and cost. Piezoelectric crystals have a very small deflection at reasonable drive voltages, and therefore require a large area for each nozzle. Also, each piezoelectric actuator must be connected to its drive circuit on a separate substrate. This is not a significant problem at the current limit of around 300 nozzles per print head, but is a major impediment to the fabrication of pagewidth print heads with 19,200 nozzles.  
         [0028]    Ideally, the inkjet technologies used meet the stringent requirements of in-camera digital color printing and other high quality, high speed, low cost printing applications. To meet the requirements of digital photography, new inkjet technologies have been created. The target features include:  
         [0029]    low power (less than 10 Watts)  
         [0030]    high resolution capability (1,600 dpi or more)  
         [0031]    photographic quality output  
         [0032]    low manufacturing cost  
         [0033]    small size (pagewidth times minimum cross section)  
         [0034]    high speed (&lt;2 seconds per page).  
         [0035]    All of these features can be met or exceeded by the inkjet systems described below with differing levels of difficulty. Fortyfive different inkjet technologies have been developed by the Assignee to give a wide range of choices for high volume manufacture. These technologies form part of separate applications assigned to the present Assignee as set out in the table below.  
         [0036]    The inkjet designs shown here are suitable for a wide range of digital printing systems, from battery powered one-time use digital cameras, through to desktop and network printers, and through to commercial printing systems  
         [0037]    For ease of manufacture using standard process equipment, the print head is designed to be a monolithic 0.5 micron CMOS chip with MEMS post processing. For color photographic applications, the print head is 100 mm long, with a width which depends upon the inkjet type. The smallest print head designed is IJ38, which is 0.35 mm wide, giving a chip area of 35 square mm. The print heads each contain 19,200 nozzles plus data and control circuitry.  
         [0038]    Ink is supplied to the back of the print head by injection molded plastic ink channels. The molding requires 50 micron features, which can be created using a lithographically micromachined insert in a standard injection molding tool. Ink flows through holes etched through the wafer to the nozzle chambers fabricated on the front surface of the wafer. The print head is connected to the camera circuitry by tape automated bonding.  
       Cross-Referenced Applications  
       [0039]    The following table is a guide to cross-referenced patent applications filed concurrently herewith and discussed hereinafter with the reference being utilized in subsequent tables when referring to a particular case:  
                                       Docket               No.   Reference   Title                   IJ01US   IJ01   Radiant Plunger Ink Jet Printer       IJ02US   IJ02   Electrostatic Ink Jet Printer       IJ03US   IJ03   Planar Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet       IJ04US   IJ04   Stacked Electrostatic Ink Jet Printer       IJ05US   IJ05   Reverse Spring Lever Ink Jet Printer       IJ06US   IJ06   Paddle Type Ink Jet Printer       IJ07US   IJ07   Permanent Magnet Electromagnetic Ink               Jet Printer       IJ08US   IJ08   Planar Swing Grill Electromagnetic Ink               Jet Printer       IJ09US   IJ09   Pump Action Refill Ink Jet Printer       IJ10US   IJ10   Pulsed Magnetic Field Ink Jet Printer       IJ11US   IJ11   Two Plate Reverse Firing Electromagnetic               Ink Jet Printer       IJ12US   IJ12   Linear Stepper Actuator Ink Jet Printer       IJ13US   IJ13   Gear Driven Shutter Ink Jet Printer       IJ14US   IJ14   Tapered Magnetic Pole Electromagnetic Ink               Jet Printer       IJ15US   IJ15   Linear Spring Electromagnetic Grill Ink               Jet Printer       IJ16US   IJ16   Lorenz Diaphragm Electromagnetic Ink               Jet Printer       IJ17US   IJ17   PTFE Surface Shooting Shuttered Oscillating               Pressure Ink Jet Printer       IJ18US   IJ18   Buckle Grip Oscillating Pressure Ink               Jet Printer       IJ19US   IJ19   Shutter Based Ink Jet Printer       IJ20US   IJ20   Curling Calyx Thermoelastic Ink Jet Printer       IJ21US   IJ21   Thermal Actuated Ink Jet Printer       IJ22US   IJ22   Iris Motion Ink Jet Printer       IJ23US   IJ23   Direct Firing Thermal Bend Actuator Ink               Jet Printer       IJ24US   IJ24   Conductive PTFE Ben Activator Vented Ink               Jet Printer       IJ25US   IJ25   Magnetostrictive Ink Jet Printer       IJ26US   IJ26   Shape Memory Alloy Ink Jet Printer       IJ27US   IJ27   Buckle Plate Ink Jet Printer       IJ28US   IJ28   Thermal Elastic Rotary Impeller Ink Jet Printer       IJ29US   IJ29   Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet Printer       IJ30US   IJ30   Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Using PTFE               and Corrugated Copper Ink Jet Printer       IJ31US   IJ31   Bend Actuator Direct Ink Supply Ink               Jet Printer       IJ32US   IJ32   A High Young&#39;s Modulus Thermoelastic Ink               Jet Printer       IJ33US   IJ33   Thermally actuated slotted chamber wall ink               jet printer       IJ34US   IJ34   Ink Jet Printer having a thermal actuator               comprising an external coiled spring       IJ35US   IJ35   Trough Container Ink Jet Printer       IJ36US   IJ36   Dual Chamber Single Vertical Actuator Ink Jet       IJ37US   IJ37   Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Fulcrum               Actuator Ink Jet       IJ38US   IJ38   Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Actuator Ink Jet       IJ39US   IJ39   A single bend actuator cupped paddle ink               jet printing device       IJ40US   IJ40   A thermally actuated ink jet printer having               a series of thermal actuator units       IJ41US   IJ41   A thermally actuated ink jet printer               including a tapered heater element       IJ42US   IJ42   Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic Ink Jet       IJ43US   IJ43   Inverted Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic               Ink Jet       IJ44US   IJ44   Surface bend actuator vented ink supply ink               jet printer       IJ45US   IJ45   Coil Acutuated Magnetic Plate Ink Jet Printer                  
 
       Tables of Drop-on-Demand Inkjets  
       [0040]    Eleven important characteristics of the fundamental operation of individual inkjet nozzles have been identified. These characteristics are largely orthogonal, and so can be elucidated as an eleven dimensional matrix. Most of the eleven axes of this matrix include entries developed by the present assignee.  
         [0041]    The following tables form the axes of an eleven dimensional table of inkjet types.  
                                                   Actuator mechanism (18 types)           Basic operation mode (7 types)           Auxiliary mechanism (8 types)           Actuator amplification or modification method (17 types)           Actuator motion (19 types)           Nozzle refill method (4 types)           Method of restricting back-flow through inlet (10 types)           Nozzle clearing method (9 types)           Nozzle plate construction (9 types)           Drop ejection direction (5 types)           Ink type (7 types)                      
 
         [0042]    The complete eleven dimensional table represented by these axes contains 36.9 billion possible configurations of inkjet nozzle. While not all of the possible combinations result in a viable inkjet technology, many million configurations are viable. It is clearly impractical to elucidate all of the possible configurations. Instead, certain inkjet types have been investigated in detail. These are designated IJ01 to IJ45 above.  
         [0043]    Other inkjet configurations can readily be derived from these fortyfive examples by substituting alternative configurations along one or more of the 11 axes. Most of the IJ01 to IJ45 examples can be made into inkjet print heads with characteristics superior to any currently available inkjet technology.  
         [0044]    Where there are prior art examples known to the inventor, one or more of these examples are listed in the examples column of the tables below. The IJ01 to IJ45 series are also listed in the examples column. In some cases, a print technology may be listed more than once in a table, where it shares characteristics with more than one entry.  
         [0045]    Suitable applications include: Home printers, Office network printers, Short run digital printers, Commercial print systems, Fabric printers, Pocket printers, Internet WWW printers, Video printers, Medical imaging, Wide format printers, Notebook PC printers, Fax machines, Industrial printing systems, Photocopiers, Photographic minilabs etc.  
         [0046]    The information associated with the aforementioned 11 dimensional matrix are set out in the following tables.  
                                                     ACTUATOR MECHANISM (APPLIED ONLY TO SELECTED INK DROPS)            Actuator                       Mechanism   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Thermal bubble   An electrothermal heater   Large force generated   High power   Canon Bubblejet 1979           heats the ink to   Simple construction   Ink carrier limited   Endo et al GB patent           above boiling point,   No moving parts   to water   2,007,162           transferring significant   Fast operation   Low efficiency   Xerox heater-in-pit 1990           heat to the aqueous ink.   Small chip area required for   High temperatures   Hawkins et al U.S. Pat. No.           A bubble nucleates and   actuator   required   4,899,181           quickly forms, expelling       High mechanical   Hewlett-Packard TIJ           the ink. The efficiency       stress   1982 Vaught et al           of the process is low,       Unusual materials   U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,728           with typically less than       required           0.05% of the electrical       Large drive           energy being transformed       transistors           into kinetic energy of       Cavitation causes           the drop.       actuator failure                   Kogation reduces                   bubble formation                   Large print heads                   are difficult to                   fabricate       Piezoelectric   A piezoelectric   Low power consumption   Very large area   Kyser et al U.S. Pat. No.           crystal such as lead   Many ink types can be used   required for   3,946,398           lanthanum zirconate   Fast operation   actuator   Zoltan U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,212           (PZT) is electrically   High efficiency   Difficult to   1973 Stemme U.S. Pat. No.           activated, and either       integrate with   3,747,120           expands, shears, or       electronics   Epson Stylus           bends to apply pressure       High voltage drive   Tektronix           to the ink, ejecting       transistors required   IJ04           drops.       Full pagewidth print                   heads impractical due                   to actuator size                   Requires electrical                   poling in high field                   strengths during                   manufacture       Electro-strictive   An electric field is   Low power consumption   Low maximum strain   Seiko Epson, Usui et all           used to activate   Many ink types can be used   (approx. 0.01%)   JP 253401/96           electrostriction in   Low thermal expansion   Large area required   IJ04           relaxor materials such   Electric field strength required   for actuator due to           as lead lanthanum   (approx. 3.5 V/μm) can be   low strain           zirconate titanate   generated without difficulty   Response speed is           (PLZT) or lead   Does not require electrical   marginal (˜10 μs)           magnesium niobate   poling   High voltage drive           (PMN).       transistors required                   Full pagewidth print                   heads impractical due                   to actuator size       Ferroelectric   An electric field is   Low power consumption   Difficult to   IJ04           used to induce a   Many ink types can be used   integrate with           phase transition   Fast operation (&lt;1 μs)   electronics           between the   Relatively high longitudinal   Unusual materials           antiferroelectric   strain   such as PLZSnT are           (AFE) and ferroelectric   High efficiency   required           (FE) phase. Perovskite   Electric field strength of around   Actuators require           materials such as   3 V/μm can be readily   a large area           tin modified lead   provided           lanthanum zirconate           titanate (PLZSnT)           exhibit large strains           of up to 1% associated           with the AFE to FE           phase transition.       Electrostatic   Conductive plates are   Low power consumption   Difficult to operate   IJ02, IJ04       plates   separated by a   Many ink types can be used   electrostatic devices           compressible or fluid   Fast operation   in an aqueous           dielectric (usually       environment           air). Upon application       The electrostatic           of a voltage, the       actuator will normally           plates attract each       need to be separated           other and displace ink,       from the ink           causing drop ejection.       Very large area           The conductive plates       required to achieve           may be in a comb or       high forces           honeycomb structure, or       High voltage drive           stacked to increase the       transistors may be           surface area and       required           therefore the force.       Full pagewidth print                   heads are not                   competitive due to                   actuator size       Electrostatic pull   A strong electric field   Low current consumption   High voltage required   1989 Saito et al, U.S. Pat. No.       on ink   is applied to the   Low temperature   May be damaged by   4,799,068           ink, whereupon       sparks due to air   1989 Miura et al, U.S. Pat. No.           electrostatic attraction       breakdown   4,810,954           accelerates the ink       Required field   Tone-jet           towards the print       strength increases           medium.       as the drop                   size decreases                   High voltage drive                   transistors required                   Electrostatic field                   attracts dust       Permanent   An electromagnet   Low power consumption   Complex fabrication   IJ07, IJ10       magnet electro-   directly attracts a   Many ink types can be used   Permanent magnetic       magnetic   permanent magnet,   Fast operation   material such as           displacing ink and   High efficiency   Neodymium Iron Boron           causing drop ejection.   Easy extension from single   (NdFeB) required.           Rare earth magnets   nozzles to pagewidth print   High local currents           with a field strength   heads   required           around 1 Tesla can be       Copper metalization           used. Examples are:       should be used for           Samarium Cobalt       long electromigration           (SaCo) and magnetic       lifetime and low           materials in the       resistivity           neodymium iron boron       Pigmented inks are           family (NdFeB,       usually infeasible           NdDyFeBNb, NdDyFeB, etc)       Operating temperature                   limited to the Curie                   temperature (around                   540 K)       Soft magnetic core   A solenoid induced a   Low power consumption   Complex fabrication   IJ01, IJ05, IJ08, IJ10       electro-magnetic   magnetic field in a   Many ink types can be used   Materials not usually   IJ12, IJ14, IJ15, IJ17           soft magnetic core or   Fast operation   present in a CMOS fab           yoke fabricated from a   High efficiency   such as NiFe, CoNiFe,           ferrous material such as   Easy extension from single   or CoFe are           electroplated iron   nozzles to pagewidth print   required           alloys such as CoNiFe   heads   High local currents           [1], CoFe, or NiFe       required           alloys. Typically, the       Copper metalization           soft magnetic material       should be used for           is in two parts,       long electromigration           which are normally held       lifetime and low           apart by a spring. When       resistivity           the solenoid is actuated,       Electroplating is           the two parts attract,       required           displacing the ink.       High saturation flux                   density is required                   (2.0-2.1 T is                   achievable with                   CoNiFe [1])       Magnetic   The Lorenz force acting   Low power consumption   Force acts as a   IJ06, IJ11, IJ13, IJ16       Lorenz force   on a current carrying   Many ink types can be used   twisting motion           wire in a magnetic field   Fast operation   Typically, only a           is utilized.   High efficiency   quarter of the sole-           This allows the   Easy extension from single   noid length provides           magnetic field to be   nozzles to pagewidth print   force in a useful           supplied externally to   heads   direction           the print head, for       High local currents           example with rare earth       required           permanent magnets.       Copper metalization           Only the current       should be used for           carrying wire need be       long electromigration           fabricated on the print-       lifetime and low           head, simplifying       resistivity           materials requirements.       Pigmented inks are                   usually infeasible       Magneto-striction   The actuator uses the   Many ink types can be used   Force acts as a   Fischenbeck, U.S. Pat. No.           giant magnetostrictive   Fast operation   twisting motion   4,032,929           effect of materials such   Easy extension from single   Unusual materials   IJ25           as Terfenol-D (an   nozzles to pagewidth print   such as Terfenol-D           alloy of terbium,   heads   are required           dysprosium and iron   High force is available   High local currents           developed at the       required           Naval Ordnance       Copper metalization           Laboratory, hence Ter-       should be used for           Fe-NOL). For best       long electromigration           efficiency, the       lifetime and low           actuator should be       resistivity           pre-stressed to       Pre-stressing may           approx. 8 MPa.       be required       Surface tension   Ink under positive   Low power consumption   Requires supplementary   Silverbrook, EP 0771       reduction   pressure is held in   Simple construction   force to effect drop   658 A2 and related           a nozzle by surface   No unusual materials required   separation   patent applications           tension. The surface   in fabrication   Requires special ink           tension of the ink is   High efficiency   surfactants           reduced below the   Easy extension from single   Speed may be limited           bubble threshold,   nozzles to pagewidth print   by surfactant           causing the ink to   heads   properties           egress from the nozzle.       Viscosity   The ink viscosity is   Simple construction   Requires supplementary   Silverbrook, EP 0771       reduction   locally reduced to   No unusual materials required   force to effect drop   658 A2 and related           select which drops   in fabrication   separation   patent applications           are to be ejected. A   Easy extension from single   Requires special ink           viscosity reduction   nozzles to pagewidth print   viscosity properties           can be achieved   heads   High speed is           electrothermally with       difficult to achieve           most inks, but       Requires oscillating           special inks can be       ink pressure           engineered for a 100:1       A high temperature           viscosity reduction.       difference (typically                   80 degrees) is required       Acoustic   An acoustic wave is   Can operate without a nozzle   Complex drive circuitry   1993 Hadimioglu et al,           generated and   plate   Complex fabrication   EUP 550,192           focussed upon the       Low efficiency   1993 Elrod et al, EUP           drop ejection region.       Poor control of drop   572,220                   position                   Poor control of drop                   volume       Thermoelastic   An actuator which   Low power consumption   Efficient aqueous   IJ03, IJ09, IJ17, IJ18       bend actuator   relies upon   Many ink types can be used   operation requires   IJ19, IJ20, IJ21, IJ22           differential thermal   Simple planar fabrication   a thermal insulator   IJ23, IJ24, IJ27, IJ28           expansion upon   Small chip area required for   on the hot side   IJ29, IJ30, IJ31, IJ32           Joule heating is used.   each actuator   Corrosion prevention   IJ33, IJ34, IJ35, IJ36               Fast operation   can be difficult   IJ37, IJ38, IJ39, IJ40               High efficiency   Pigmented inks may   IJ41               CMOS compatible voltages and   be infeasible, as               currents   pigment particles               Standard MEMS processes can   may jam the bend               be used   actuator               Easy extension from single               nozzles to pagewidth print               heads       High CTE   A material with a very   High force can be generated   Requires special   IJ09, IJ17, IJ18, IJ20       thermoelastic   high coefficient of   PTFE is a candidate for low   material (e.g. PTFE)   IJ21, IJ22, IJ23, IJ24       actuator   thermal expansion (CTE)   dielectric constant insulation   Requires a PTFE   IJ27, IJ28, IJ29, IJ30           such as   in ULSI   deposition process,   IJ31, IJ42, IJ43, IJ44           polytetrafluoroethylene   Very low power consumption   which is not yet           (PTFE) is used.   Many ink types can be used   standard in ULSI fabs           As high CTE materials   Simple planar fabrication   PTFE deposition           are usually non-   Small chip area required for   cannot be followed           conductive, a heater   each actuator   with high temperature           fabricated from a   Fast operation   (above 350 °C.)           conductive material   High efficiency   processing           is incorporated. A 50   CMOS compatible voltages and   Pigmented inks may           μm long PTFE bend   currents   be infeasible, as           actuator with   Easy extension from single   pigment particles           polysilicon heater   nozzles to pagewidth print   may jam the bend           and 15 mW power   heads   actuator           input can provide 180           μN force and 10           μm deflection.           Actuator motions include:           Bend           Push           Buckle           Rotate       Conductive   A polymer with a   High force can be generated   Requires special   IJ24       polymer   high coefficient of   Very low power consumption   materials development       thermoelastic   thermal expansion   Many ink types can be used   (High CTE conductive       actuator   (such as PTFE) is   Simple planar fabrication   polymer)           doped with conducting   Small chip area required for   Requires a PTFE           substances to   each actuator   deposition process,           increase its   Fast operation   which is not yet           conductivity to about   High efficiency   standard in ULSI fabs           3 orders of magnitude   CMOS compatible voltages and   PTFE deposition cannot           below that of   currents   be followed with high           copper. The conducting   Easy extension from single   temperature (above           polymer expands   nozzles to pagewidth print   350 °C.) processing           when resistively heated.   heads   Evaporation and CVD           Examples of conducting       deposition techniques           dopants include:       cannot be used           Carbon nanotubes       Pigmented inks may           Metal fibers       be infeasible, as           Conductive polymers       pigment particles           such as doped       may jam the bend           polythiophene       actuator           Carbon granules       Shape memory   A shape memory alloy   High force is available (stresses   Fatigue limits   IJ26       alloy   such as TiNi (also   of hundreds of MPa)   maximum number of           known as Nitinol -   Large strain is available (more   cycles           Nickel Titanium alloy   than 3%)   Low strain (1%) is           developed at the   High corrosion resistance   required to extend           Naval Ordnance   Simple construction   fatigue resistance           Laboratory) is   Easy extension from single   Cycle rate limited           thermally switched   nozzles to pagewidth print   by heat removal           between its weak   heads   Requires unusual           martensitic state and   Low voltage operation   materials (TiNi)           its high stiffness       The latent heat of           austenic state. The       transformation must           shape of the actuator       be provided           in its martensitic       High current operation           state is deformed       Requires pre-stressing           relative to the       to distort the           austenic shape.       martensitic state           The shape change           causes ejection           of a drop.       Linear Magnetic   Linear magnetic   Linear Magnetic actuators can   Requires unusual semi-   IJ12       Actuator   actuators include the   be constructed with high   conductor materials           Linear Induction   thrust, long travel, and high   such as soft magnetic           Actuator (LIA), Linear   efficiency using planar   alloys (e.g. CoNiFe           Permanent Magnet   semiconductor fabrication   [1])           Synchronous Actuator   techniques   Some varieties also           (LPMSA), Linear   Long actuator travel is available   require permanent           Reluctance Synchronous   Medium force is available   magnetic materials           Actuator (LRSA), Linear   Low voltage operation   such as Neodymium           Switched Reluctance       iron boron (NdFeB)           Actuator (LSRA),       Requires complex           and the Linear Stepper       multi-phase drive           Actuator (LSA).       circuitry                   High current operation                  
 
         [0047]    [0047]                                                     BASIC OPERATION MODE            Operational mode   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Actuator directly   This is the simplest   Simple operation   Drop repetition rate is usually limited to less   Thermal inkjet       pushes ink   mode of operation:   No external fields required   than 10 KHz. However, this is not   Piezoelectric inkjet           the actuator directly   Satellite drops can be avoided if   fundamental to the method, but is related   IJ01, IJ02, IJ03, IJ04           supplies sufficient   drop velocity is less than 4   to the refill method normally used   IJ05, IJ06, IJ07, IJ09           kinetic energy to   m/s   All of the drop kinetic energy must be   IJ11, IJ12, IJ14, IJ16           expel the drop. The   Can be efficient, depending   provided by the actuator   IJ20, IJ22, IJ23, IJ24           drop must have a   upon the actuator used   Satellite drops usually form if drop velocity   IJ25, IJ26, IJ27, IJ28           sufficient velocity       is greater than 4.5 m/s   IJ29, IJ30, IJ31, IJ32           to overcome the           IJ33, IJ34, IJ35, IJ36           surface tension.           IJ37, IJ38, IJ39, IJ40                       IJ41, IJ42, IJ43, IJ44       Proximity   The drops to be   Very simple print head   Requires close proximity between the print   Silverbrook, EP 0771           printed are selected   fabrication can be used   head and the print media or transfer roller   658 A2 and related           by some manner (e.g.   The drop selection means does   May require two print heads printing   patent applications           thermally induced   not need to provide the   alternate rows of the image           surface tension   energy required to separate   Monolithic color print heads are difficult           reduction of pressur-   the drop from the nozzle           ized ink). Selected           drops are separated           from the ink in the           nozzle by contact with           the print medium or           a transfer roller.       Electrostatic pull   The drops to be printed   Very simple print head   Requires very high electrostatic field   Silverbrook, EP 0771       on ink   are selected by   fabrication can be used   Electrostatic field for small nozzle sizes is   658 A2 and related           some manner (e.g.   The drop selection means does   above air breakdown   patent applications           thermally induced   not need to provide the   Electrostatic field may attract dust   Tone-Jet           surface tension   energy required to separate           reduction of pressur-   the drop from the nozzle           ized ink). Selected           drops are separated           from the ink in the           nozzle by a strong           electric field.       Magnetic pull on   The drops to be   Very simple print head   Requires magnetic ink   Silverbrook, EP 0771       ink   printed are selected   fabrication can be used   Ink colors other than black are difficult   658 A2 and related           by some manner (e.g.   The drop selection means does   Requires very high magnetic fields   patent applications           thermally induced   not need to provide the           surface tension   energy required to separate           reduction of pressur-   the drop from the nozzle           ized ink). Selected           drops are separated           from the ink in the           nozzle by a strong           magnetic field acting           on the magnetic ink.       Shutter   The actuator moves a   High speed (&gt;50 KHz)   Moving parts are required   IJ13, IJ17, IJ21           shutter to block ink   operation can be achieved   Requires ink pressure modulator           flow to the nozzle.   due to reduced refill time   Friction and wear must be considered           The ink pressure is   Drop timing can be very   Stiction is possible           pulsed at a multiple   accurate           of the drop ejection   The actuator energy can be           frequency.   very low       Shuttered grill   The actuator moves a   Actuators with small travel can   Moving parts are required   IJ08, IJ15, IJ18, IJ19           shutter to block ink   be used   Requires ink pressure modulator           flow through a grill   Actuators with small force can   Friction and wear must be considered           to the nozzle. The   be used   Stiction is possible           shutter movement need   High speed (&gt;50 KHz)           only be equal to   operation can be achieved           the width of the           grill holes.       Pulsed magnetic   A pulsed magnetic   Extremely low energy operation   Requires an external pulsed magnetic field   IJ10       pull on ink pusher   field attracts an ‘ink   is possible   Requires special materials for both the           pusher’ at the drop   No heat dissipation problems   actuator and the ink pusher           ejection frequency.       Complex construction           An actuator controls           a catch, which           prevents the ink           pusher from moving           when a drop is not           to be ejected.                    
         [0048]    [0048]                                                     AUXILIARY MECHANISM (APPLIED TO ALL NOZZLES)            Auxiliary                       Mechanism   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               None   The actuator directly   Simplicity of construction   Drop ejection energy must be supplied   Most inkjets, including           fires the ink drop,   Simplicity of operation   by individual nozzle actuator   piezoelectric and           and there is no   Small physical size       thermal bubble.           external field or other           IJ01-IJ07, IJ09, IJ11           mechanism required.           IJ12, IJ14, IJ20, IJ22                       IJ23-IJ45       Oscillating ink   The ink pressure   Oscillating ink pressure can   Requires external ink pressure oscillator   Silverbrook, EP 0771       pressure   oscillates, providing   provide a refill pulse,   Ink pressure phase and amplitude must   658 A2 and related       (including   much of the drop   allowing higher operating   be carefully controlled   patent applications       acoustic   ejection energy. The   speed   Acoustic reflections in the ink chamber   IJ08, IJ13, IJ15, IJ17       stimulation)   actuator selects   The actuators may operate with   must be designed for   IJ18, IJ19, IJ21           which drops are to be   much lower energy           fired by selectively   Acoustic lenses can be used to           blocking or enabling   focus the sound on the           nozzles. The ink   nozzles           pressure oscillation           may be achieved by           vibrating the print           head, or preferably           by an actuator in           the ink supply.       Media proximity   The print head is   Low power   Precision assembly required   Silverbrook, EP 0771           placed in close   High accuracy   Paper fibers may cause problems   658 A2 and related           proximity to the   Simple print head construction   Cannot print on rough substrates   patent applications           print medium. Selected           drops protrude from           the print head further           than unselected drops,           and contact the print           medium. The drop soaks           into the medium fast           enough to cause           drop separation.       Transfer roller   Drops are printed to   High accuracy   Bulky   Silverbrook, EP 0771           a transfer roller   Wide range of print substrates   Expensive   658 A2 and related           instead of straight   can be used   Complex construction   patent applications           to the print medium.   Ink can be dried on the transfer       Tektronix hot melt           A transfer roller   roller       piezoelectric inkjet           can also be used for           Any of the IJ series           proximity drop           separation.       Electrostatic   An electric field is   Low power   Field strength required for separation   Silverbrook, EP 0771           used to accelerate   Simple print head construction   of small drops is near or above air   658 A2 and related           selected drops towards       breakdown   patent applications           the print medium.           Tone-Jet       Direct magnetic   A magnetic field is   Low power   Requires magnetic ink   Silverbrook, EP 0771       field   used to accelerate   Simple print head construction   Requires strong magnetic field   658 A2 and related           selected drops of           patent applications           magnetic ink towards           the print medium.       Cross magnetic   The print head is   Does not require magnetic   Requires external magnet   IJ06, IJ16       field   placed in a constant   materials to be integrated in   Current densities may be high, resulting           magnetic field. The   the print head manufacturing   in electromigration problems           Lorenz force in a   process           current carrying wire           is used to move the           actuator.       Pulsed magnetic   A pulsed magnetic   Very low power operation is   Complex print head construction   IJ10       field   field is used to   possible   Magnetic materials required in print head           cyclically attract a   Small print head size           paddle, which pushes           on the ink. A small           actuator moves a           catch, which           selectively prevents           the paddle from moving.                    
         [0049]    [0049]                                                     ACTUATOR AMPLIFICATION OR MODIFICATION METHOD            Actuator                       amplification   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               None   No actuator mechanical   Operational simplicity   Many actuator mechanisms have insuf-   Thermal Bubble InkJet           amplification is       ficient travel, or insufficient force,   IJ01, IJ02, IJ06, IJ07           used. The actuator       to efficiently drive the drop ejection   IJ16, IJ25, IJ26           directly drives the       process           drop ejection process.       Differential   An actuator material   Provides greater travel in a   High stresses are involved   Piezoelectric       expansion bend   expands more on   reduced print head area   Care must be taken that the materials   IJ03, IJ09, IJ17-IJ24       actuator   one side than on   The bend actuator converts a   do not delaminate   IJ27 IJ29-IJ39, IJ42,           the other. The   high force low travel actuator   Residual bend resulting from high   IJ43, IJ44           expansion may be   mechanism to high travel,   temperature or high stress during           thermal, piezoelectric,   lower force mechanism.   formation           magnetostrictive, or           other mechanism.       Transient bend   A trilayer bend   Very good temperature stability   High stresses are involved   IJ40, IJ41       actuator   actuator where the two   High speed, as a new drop can   Care must be taken that the materials           outside layers are   be fired before heat dissipates   do not delaminate           identical. This cancels   Cancels residual stress of           bend due to ambient   formation           temperature and           residual stress.           The actuator only           responds to transient           heating of one side           or the other.       Actuator stack   A series of thin   Increased travel   Increased fabrication complexity   Some piezoelectric ink           actuators are stacked.   Reduced drive voltage   Increased possibility of short circuits   jets           This can be       due to pinholes   IJ04           appropriate where           actuators require high           electric field           strength, such as           electrostatic and           piezoelectric           actuators.       Multiple actuators   Multiple smaller   Increases the force available   Actuator forces may not add linearly,   IJ12, IJ13, IJ18, IJ20           actuators are used   from an actuator   reducing efficiency   IJ22, IJ28, IJ42, IJ43           simultaneously to   Multiple actuators can be           move the ink. Each   positioned to control ink flow           actuator need   accurately           provide only a portion           of the force required.       Linear Spring   A linear spring is   Matches low travel actuator   Requires print head area for the spring   IJ15           used to transform a   with higher travel           motion with small   requirements           travel and high force   Non-contact method of motion           into a longer travel,   transformation           lower force motion.       Reverse spring   The actuator loads a   Better coupling to the ink   Fabrication complexity   IJ05, IJ11           spring. When the       High stress in the spring           actuator is turned off,           the spring releases.           This can reverse the           force/distance curve           of the actuator to           make it compatible           with the force/time           requirements of the           drop ejection.       Coiled actuator   A bend actuator is   Increases travel   Generally restricted to planar   IJ17, IJ21, IJ34, IJ35           coiled to provide   Reduces chip area   implementations due to extreme           greater travel in a   Planar implementations are   fabrication difficulty in other           reduced chip area.   relatively easy to fabricate.   orientations.       Flexure bend   A bend actuator has   Simple means of increasing   Care must be taken not to exceed the   IJ10, IJ19, IJ33       actuator   a small region near   travel of a bend actuator   elastic limit in the flexure area           the fixture point,       Stress distribution is very uneven           which flexes much       Difficult to accurately model with finite           more readily than       element analysis           the remainder of the           actuator. The           actuator flexing is           effectively converted           from an even           coiling to an angular           bend, resulting in           greater travel of           the actuator tip.       Gears   Gears can be used to   Low force, low travel actuators   Moving parts are required   IJ13           increase travel at   can be used   Several actuator cycles are required           the expense of   Can be fabricated using   More complex drive electronics           duration. Circular   standard surface MEMS   Complex construction           gears, rack and pinion,   processes   Friction, friction, and wear are possible           ratchets, and other           gearing methods can           be used.       Catch   The actuator controls   Very low actuator energy   Complex construction   IJ10           a small catch. The   Very small actuator size   Requires external force           catch either enables       Unsuitable for pigmented inks           or disables movement of           an ink pusher that is           controlled in a bulk           manner.       Buckle plate   A buckle plate can be   Very fast movement achievable   Must stay within elastic limits of the   S. Hirata et al, “An Ink-           used to change a       materials for long device life   jet Head . . . ”, Proc.           slow actuator into a       High stresses involved   IEEE MEMS, February           fast motion. It can       Generally high power requirement   1996, pp 418-423.           also convert a high           IJ18, IJ27           force, low travel           actuator into a high           travel, medium force           motion.       Tapered magnetic   A tapered magnetic   Linearizes the magnetic   Complex construction   IJ14       pole   pole can increase   force/distance curve           travel at the expense           of force.       Lever   A lever and fulcrum   Matches low travel actuator   High stress around the fulcrum   IJ32, IJ36, IJ37           is used to transform   with higher travel           a motion with small   requirements           travel and high force   Fulcrum area has no linear           into a motion with   movement, and can be used           longer travel and   for a fluid seal           lower force. The           lever can also           reverse the direction           of travel.       Rotary impeller   The actuator is   High mechanical advantage   Complex construction   IJ28           connected to a rotary   The ratio of force to travel of   Unsuitable for pigmented inks           impeller. A small   the actuator can be matched           angular deflection of   to the nozzle requirements by           the actuator results   varying the number of           in a rotation of the   impeller vanes           impeller vanes, which           push the ink against           stationary vanes and           out of the nozzle.       Acoustic lens   A refractive or   No moving parts   Large area required   1993 Hadimioglu et al,           diffractive (e.g. zone       Only relevant for acoustic ink jets   EUP 550,192           plate) acoustic lens           1993 Elrod et al, EUP           is used to concentrate           572,220           sound waves.       Sharp conductive   A sharp point is used   Simple construction   Difficult to fabricate using standard   Tone-jet       point   to concentrate an       VLSI processes for a surface ejecting           electrostatic field.       ink-jet                   Only relevant for electrostatic ink                   jets                    
         [0050]    [0050]                                                     ACTUATOR MOTION            Actuator                       motion   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Volume   The volume of the   Simple construction   High energy is typically required to   Hewlett-Packard       expansion   actuator changes,   in the case   achieve volume expansion. This leads to   Thermal InkJet           pushing the ink in   of thermal ink jet   thermal stress, cavitation, and kogation   Canon Bubblejet           all directions.       in thermal ink jet implementations       Linear,   The actuator moves in   Efficient coupling   High fabrication complexity may be   IJ01, IJ02, IJ04, IJ07       normal to   a direction normal   to ink drops   required to achieve perpendicular motion   IJ11, IJ14       chip surface   to the print head   ejected normal to           surface. The nozzle   the surface           is typically in the           line of movement.       Linear,   The actuator moves   Suitable for planar   Fabrication complexity   IJ12, IJ13, IJ15, IJ33,       parallel to   parallel to the print   fabrication   Friction   IJ34, IJ35, IJ36       chip surface   head surface. Drop       Stiction           ejection may still be           normal to the surface.       Membrane push   An actuator with a   The effective   Fabrication complexity   1982 Howkins U.S. Pat. No.           high force but small   area of the   Actuator size   4,459,601           area is used to push   actuator becomes   Difficulty of integration in a VLSI           a stiff membrane that   the membrane area   process           is in contact with           the ink.       Rotary   The actuator causes   Rotary levers may   Device complexity   IJ05, IJ08, IJ13, IJ28           the rotation of some   be used to   May have friction at a pivot point           element, such a grill   increase travel           or impeller   Small chip area               requirements       Bend   The actuator bends   A very small   Requires the actuator to be made from   1970 Kyser et al U.S. Pat. No.           when energized. This   change in   at least two distinct layers, or to   3,946,398           may be due to   dimensions can   have a thermal difference across the   1973 Stemme U.S. Pat. No.           differential thermal   be converted   actuator   3,747,120           expansion, piezo-   to a large       IJ03, IJ09, IJ10, IJ19           electric expansion,   motion.       IJ23, IJ24, IJ25, IJ29           magnetostriction,           IJ30, IJ31, IJ33, IJ34           or other form of           IJ35           relative dimensional           change.       Swivel   The actuator swivels   Allows operation   Inefficient coupling to the ink motion   IJ06           around a central   where the net           pivot. This motion is   linear force on           suitable where there   the paddle is           are opposite forces   zero           applied to opposite   Small chip area           sides of the paddle,   requirements           e.g. Lorenz force.       Straighten   The actuator is   Can be used   Requires careful balance of stresses to   IJ26, IJ32           normally bent, and   with shape   ensure that the quiescent bend is           straightens when   memory alloys   accurate           energized.   where the               austenic phase               is planar       Double bend   The actuator bends in   One actuator can   Difficult to make the drops ejected by   IJ36, IJ37, IJ38           one direction when one   be used to power   both bend directions identical.           element is energized,   two nozzles.   A small efficiency loss compared to           and bends the other way   Reduced chip size.   equivalent single bend actuators.           when another element is   Not sensitive to           energized.   ambient temperature       Shear   Energizing the actuator   Can increase the   Not readily applicable to other actuator   1985 Fishbeck U.S. Pat. No.           causes a shear motion in   effective travel   mechanisms   4,584,590           the actuator material.   of piezoelectric               actuators       Radial   The actuator squeezes   Relatively easy   High force required   1970 Zoltan U.S. Pat. No.       constriction   an ink reservoir,   to fabricate   Inefficient   3,683,212           forcing ink from a   single nozzles   Difficult to integrate with VLSI           constricted nozzle.   from glass   processes               tubing as               macroscopic               structures       Coil/uncoil   A coiled actuator   Easy to fabricate   Difficult to fabricate for non-planar   IJ17, IJ21, IJ34, IJ35           uncoils or coils more   as a planar   devices           tightly. The motion of   VLSI process   Poor out-of-plane stiffness           the free end of the   Small area           actuator ejects the ink.   required, therefore               low cost       Bow   The actuator bows (or   Can increase the   Maximum travel is constrained   IJ16, IJ18, IJ27           buckles) in the   speed of travel   High force required           middle when energized.   Mechanically rigid       Push-Pull   Two actuators control   The structure is   Not readily suitable for inkjets which   IJ18           a shutter. One   pinned at both   directly push the ink           actuator pulls the   ends, so has a           shutter, and the other   high out-of-           pushes it.   plane rigidity       Curl inwards   A set of actuators curl   Good fluid flow   Design complexity   IJ20, IJ42           inwards to reduce   to the region           the volume of ink that   behind the           they enclose.   actuator increases               efficiency       Curl outwards   A set of actuators   Relatively simple   Relatively large chip area   IJ43           curl outwards,   construction           pressurizing ink in           a chamber surrounding           the actuators, and           expelling ink from a           nozzle in the chamber.       Iris   Multiple vanes enclose   High efficiency   High fabrication complexity   IJ22           a volume of ink. These   Small chip area   Not suitable for pigmented inks           simultaneously rotate,           reducing the volume           between the vanes.       Acoustic vibration   The actuator vibrates   The actuator can   Large area required for efficient   1993 Hadimioglu et al,           at a high frequency.   be physically   operation at useful frequencies   EUP 550,192               distant from the   Acoustic coupling and crosstalk   1993 Elrod et al, EUP               ink   Complex drive circuitry   572,220                   Poor control of drop volume and                   position       None   In various ink jet   No moving parts   Various other tradeoffs are required   Silverbrook, EP 0771           designs the actuator       to eliminate moving parts   658 A2 and related           does not move.           patent applications                       Tone-jet                    
         [0051]    [0051]                                                     NOZZLE REFILL METHOD            Nozzle refill                       method   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Surface tension   After the actuator   Fabrication simplicity   Low speed   Thermal inkjet           is energized, it   Operational simplicity   Surface tension force relatively small   Piezoelectric inkjet           typically returns       compared to actuator force   IJ01-IJ07, IJ10-IJ14           rapidly to its normal       Long refill time usually dominates the   IJ16, IJ20, IJ22-IJ45           position. This rapid       total repetition rate           return sucks in air           through the nozzle           opening. The ink           surface tension at           the nozzle then           exerts a small force           restoring the meniscus           to a minimum area.       Shuttered   Ink to the nozzle   High speed   Requires common ink pressure oscillator   IJ08, IJ13, IJ15, IJ17       oscillating ink   chamber is provided   Low actuator energy, as the   May not be suitable for pigmented inks   IJ18, IJ19, IJ21       pressure   at a pressure that   actuator need only open or           oscillates at twice   close the shutter, instead of           the drop ejection   ejecting the ink drop           frequency. When a drop           is to be ejected, the           shutter is opened for           3 half cycles: drop           ejection, actuator           return, and refill.       Refill actuator   After the main actuator   High speed, as the nozzle is   Requires two independent actuators per   IJ09           has ejected a drop a   actively refilled   nozzle           second (refill) actuator           is energized. The refill           actuator pushes ink           into the nozzle chamber.           The refill actuator           returns slowly, to           prevent its return from           emptying the chamber           again.       Positive ink   The ink is held a slight   High refill rate, therefore a   Surface spill must be prevented   Silverbrook, EP 0771       pressure   positive pressure. After   high drop repetition rate is   Highly hydrophobic print head surfaces   658 A2 and related           the ink drop is ejected,   possible   are required   patent applications           the nozzle chamber fills           Alternative for:           quickly as surface           IJ01-IJ07, IJ10-IJ14           tension and ink pressure           IJ16, IJ20, IJ22-IJ45           both operate to refill           the nozzle.                    
         [0052]    [0052]                                                     METHOD OF RESTRICTING BACK-FLOW THROUGH INLET            Inlet                       back-flow       restriction       method   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Long inlet   The ink inlet channel   Design simplicity   Restricts refill rate   Thermal inkjet       channel   to the nozzle chamber   Operational simplicity   May result in a relatively large chip   Piezoelectric inkjet           is made long and   Reduces crosstalk   area   IJ42, IJ43           relatively narrow,       Only partially effective           relying on viscous           drag to reduce           inlet back-flow.       Positive ink   The ink is under a   Drop selection and separation   Requires a method (such as a nozzle rim   Silverbrook, EP 0771       pressure   positive pressure,   forces can be reduced   or effective hydrophobizing, or both) to   658 A2 and related           so that in the   Fast refill time   prevent flooding of the ejection surface   patent applications           quiescent state some       of the print head.   Possible operation of the           of the ink drop already           following:           protrudes from the           IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ12           nozzle. This reduces           IJ14, IJ16, IJ20, IJ22,           the pressure in the           IJ23-IJ34, IJ36-IJ41           nozzle chamber which           IJ44           is required to eject           a certain volume of           ink. The reduction in           chamber pressure           results in a           reduction in ink           pushed out through           the inlet.       Baffle   One or more baffles   The refill rate is not as   Design complexity   HP Thermal Ink Jet           are placed in the   restricted as the long   May increase fabrication complexity   Tektronix piezoelectric           inlet ink flow. When   inlet method.   (e.g. Tektronix hot melt Piezoelectric   inkjet           the actuator is   Reduces crosstalk   print heads).           energized, the rapid           ink movement           creates eddies which           restrict the flow           through the inlet.           The slower refill           process is unre-           stricted, and does           not result in eddies.       Flexible flap   In this method   Significantly reduces back-flow   Not applicable to most inkjet config-   Canon       restricts inlet   recently disclosed by   for edge-shooter thermal ink   urations           Canon, the expanding   jet devices   Increased fabrication complexity           actuator (bubble)       Inelastic deformation of polymer flap           pushes on a flexible       results in creep over extended use           flap that restricts           the inlet.       Inlet filter   A filter is located   Additional advantage of ink   Restricts refill rate   IJ04, IJ12, IJ24, IJ27           between the ink inlet   filtration   May result in complex construction   IJ29, IJ30           and the nozzle chamber.   Ink filter may be fabricated           The filter has a   with no additional process           multitude of small   steps           holes or slots,           restricting ink flow.           The filter also           removes particles           which may block the           nozzle.       Small inlet   The ink inlet channel   Design simplicity   Restricts refill rate   IJ02, IJ37, IJ44       compared to   to the nozzle chamber       May result in a relatively large chip       nozzle   has a substantially       area           smaller cross section       Only partially effective           than that of the nozzle,           resulting in easier ink           egress out of the nozzle           than out of the inlet.       Inlet shutter   A secondary actuator   Increases speed of the ink-   Requires separate refill actuator and   IJ09           controls the position   jet print head operation   drive circuit           of a shutter, closing           off the ink inlet when           the main actuator is           energized.       The inlet is   The method avoids   Back-flow problem is   Requires careful design to minimize the   IJ01, IJ03, IJ05, IJ06       located behind   the problem of inlet   eliminated   negative pressure behind the paddle   IJ07, IJ10, IJ11, IJ14       the ink-pushing   back-flow by arrang-           IJ16, IJ22, IJ23, IJ25       surface   ing the ink-pushing           IJ28, IJ31, IJ32, IJ33           surface of the           IJ34, IJ35, IJ36, IJ39           actuator between the           IJ40, IJ41           inlet and the nozzle.       Part of the   The actuator and a   Significant reductions in back-   Small increase in fabrication complexity   IJ07, IJ20, IJ26, IJ38       actuator moves   wall of the ink   flow can be achieved       to shut off   chamber are arranged   Compact designs possible       the inlet   so that the motion           of the actuator           closes off the inlet.       Nozzle actuator   In some configura-   Ink back-flow problem is   None related to ink back-flow on   Silverbrook, EP 0771       does not result   tions of ink jet,   eliminated   actuation   658 A2 and related       in ink back-flow   there is no expan-           patent applications           sion or movement of           Valve-jet           an actuator which may           Tone-jet           cause ink back-flow           IJ08, IJ13, IJ15, IJ17           through the inlet.           IJ18, IJ19, IJ21                    
         [0053]    [0053]                                                     NOZZLE CLEARING METHOD            Nozzle Clearing                       method   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Normal nozzle   All of the nozzles are   No added complexity on the   May not be sufficient to displace dried   Most ink jet systems       firing   fired periodically,   print head   ink   IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ12           before the ink has a           IJ14, IJ16, IJ20, IJ22           chance to dry. When           IJ23-IJ34, IJ36-IJ45           not in use the nozzles           are sealed (capped)           against air.           The nozzle firing is           usually performed           during a special clear-           ing cycle, after first           moving the print head           to a cleaning station.       Extra power to   In systems which heat   Can be highly effective if the   Requires higher drive voltage for   Silverbrook, EP 0771       ink heater   the ink, but do not   heater is adjacent to the   clearing   658 A2 and related           boil it under normal   nozzle   May require larger drive transistors   patent applications           situations, nozzle           clearing can be           achieved by over-           powering the heater           and boiling ink at           the nozzle.       Rapid succession   The actuator is fired   Does not require extra drive   Effectiveness depends substantially   May be used with:       of actuator pulses   in rapid succession.   circuits on the print head   upon the configuration of the inkjet   IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ11           In some configurations,   Can be readily controlled and   nozzle   IJ14, IJ16, IJ20, IJ22           this may cause heat   initiated by digital logic       IJ23-IJ25, IJ27-IJ34           build-up at the nozzle           IJ36-IJ45           which boils the ink,           clearing the nozzle.           In other situations,           it may cause sufficient           vibrations to dislodge           clogged nozzles.       Extra power to   Where an actuator is   A simple solution where   Not suitable where there is a hard limit   May be used with:       ink pushing   not normally driven   applicable   to actuator movement   IJ03, IJ09, IJ16, IJ20       actuator   to the limit of its           IJ23, IJ24, IJ25, IJ27           motion, nozzle clearing           IJ29, IJ30, IJ31, IJ32           may be assisted by           IJ39, IJ40, IJ41, IJ42           providing an enhanced           IJ43, IJ44, IJ45           drive signal to the           actuator.       Acoustic   An ultrasonic wave is   A high nozzle clearing   High implementation cost if system does   IJ08, IJ13, IJ15, IJ17       resonance   applied to the ink   capability can be achieved   not already include an acoustic actuator   IJ18, IJ19, IJ21           chamber. This wave is   May be implemented at very           of an appropriate   low cost in systems which           amplitude and fre-   already include acoustic           quency to cause   actuators           sufficient force at           the nozzle to clear           blockages. This is           easiest to achieve if           the ultrasonic wave           is at a resonant           frequency of the ink           cavity.       Nozzle clearing   A microfabricated plate   Can clear severely clogged   Accurate mechanical alignment is re-   Silverbrook, EP 0771       plate   is pushed against the   nozzles   quired   658 A2 and related           nozzles. The plate has       Moving parts are required   patent applications           a post for every nozzle.       There is risk of damage to the nozzles           The array of posts       Accurate fabrication is required       Ink pressure pulse   The pressure of the   May be effective where other   Requires pressure pump or other   May be used with all IJ           ink is temporarily   methods cannot be used   pressure actuator   series ink jets           increased so that ink       Expensive           streams from all of       Wasteful of ink           the nozzles. This may           be used in con-           junction with actuator           energizing.       Print head wiper   A flexible ‘blade’   Effective for planar print head   Difficult to use if print head surface is   Many ink jet systems           is wiped across the   surfaces   non-planar or very fragile           print head surface.   Low cost   Requires mechanical parts           The blade is usually       Blade can wear out in high volume print           fabricated from a       systems           flexible polymer, e.g.           rubber or synthetic           elastomer.       Separate ink   A separate heater is   Can be effective where other   Fabrication complexity   Can be used with many       boiling heater   provided at the   nozzle clearing methods       IJ series ink jets           nozzle although the   cannot be used           normal drop e-ection   Can be implemented at no           mechanism does not   additional cost in some inkjet           require it. The   configurations           heaters do not require           individual drive           circuits, as many           nozzles can be cleared           simultaneously, and           no imaging is required.                    
         [0054]    [0054]                                                     NOZZLE PLATE CONSTRUCTION            Nozzle plate                       construction   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Electroformed   A nozzle plate is   Fabrication simplicity   High temperatures and pressures are   Hewlett Packard       nickel   separately fabricated       required to bond nozzle plate   Thermal Inkjet           from electroformed       Minimum thickness constraints           nickel, and bonded       Differential thermal expansion           to the print head chip.       Laser ablated or   Individual nozzle holes   No masks required   Each hole must be individually formed   Canon Bubblejet       drilled polymer   are ablated by an   Can be quite fast   Special equipment required   1988 Sercel et al.,           intense UV laser in a   Some control over nozzle   Slow where there are many thousands   SPIE, Vol. 998 Excimer           nozzle plate, which   profile is possible   of nozzles per print head   Beam Applications,           is typically a polymer   Equipment required is   May produce thin burrs at exit holes   pp. 76-83           such as polyimide or   relatively low cost       1993 Watanabe et al.,           polysulphone           U.S. Pat. No.                       5,208,604       Silicon micro-   A separate nozzle   High accuracy is attainable   Two part construction   K. Bean, IEEE       machined   plate is micromachined       High cost   Transactions on           from single crystal       Requires precision alignment   Electron Devices, Vol.           silicon, and bonded       Nozzles may be clogged by adhesive   ED-25, No. 10, 1978,           to the print head           pp 1185-1195           wafer.           Xerox 1990 Hawkins et                       al., U.S. Pat. No.                       4,899,181       Glass   Fine glass capillaries   No expensive equipment   Very small nozzle sizes are difficult to   1970 Zoltan U.S.       capillaries   are drawn from glass   required   form   Pat. No. 3,683,212           tubing. This method   Simple to make single nozzles   Not suited for mass production           has been used for           making individual           nozzles, but is           difficult to use for           bulk manufacturing of           print heads with           thousands of nozzles.       Monolithic,   The nozzle plate is   High accuracy (&lt;1 μm)   Requires sacrificial layer under the   Silverbrook, EP 0771       surface micro-   deposited as a layer   Monolithic   nozzle plate to form the nozzle chamber   658 A2 and related       machined using   using standard VLSI   Low cost   Surface may be fragile to the touch   patent applications       VLSI litho-   deposition techniques.   Existing processes can be       IJ01, IJ02, IJ04, IJ11       graphic   Nozzles are etched in   used       IJ12, IJ17, IJ18, IJ20       processes   the nozzle plate using           IJ22, IJ24, IJ27, IJ28           VLSI lithography and           IJ29, IJ30, IJ31, IJ32           etching.           IJ33, IJ34, IJ36, IJ37                       IJ38, IJ39, IJ40, IJ41                       IJ42, IJ43, IJ44       Monolithic,   The nozzle plate is a   High accuracy (&lt;1 μm)   Requires long etch times   IJ03, IJ05, IJ06, IJ07       etched through   buried etch stop in   Monolithic   Requires a support wafer   IJ08, IJ09, IJ10, IJ13       substrate   the wafer. Nozzle   Low cost       IJ14, IJ15, IJ16, IJ19           chambers are etched in   No differential expansion       IJ21, IJ23, IJ25, IJ26           the front of the           wafer, and the wafer           is thinned from the           back side. Nozzles are           then etched in the           etch stop layer.       No nozzle plate   Various methods have   No nozzles to become clogged   Difficult to control drop position accu-   Ricoh 1995 Sekiya et al           been tried to eliminate       rately   U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,413           the nozzles entirely,       Crosstalk problems   1993 Hadimioglu et al           to prevent nozzle           EUP 550,192           clogging. These include           1993 Elrod et al EUP           thermal bubble mecha-           572,220           nisms and acoustic lens           mechanisms       Trough   Each drop ejector has   Reduced manufacturing   Drop firing direction is sensitive to   IJ35           a trough through   complexity   wicking.           which a paddle moves.   Monolithic           There is no nozzle           plate.       Nozzle slit   The elimination of   No nozzles to become clogged   Difficult to control drop position accu-   1989 Saito et al       instead of   nozzle holes and       rately   U.S. Pat. No.       individual   replacement by a       Crosstalk problems   4,799,068       nozzles   slit encompassing           many actuator posi-           tions reduces nozzle           clogging, but in-           creases crosstalk due           to ink surface waves                    
         [0055]    [0055]                                                     DROP EJECTION DIRECTION            Ejection                       direction   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Edge   Ink flow is along the   Simple construction   Nozzles limited to edge   Canon Bubblejet 1979       (‘edge shooter’)   surface of the chip,   No silicon etching required   High resolution is difficult   Endo et al GB patent           and ink drops are   Good heat sinking via sub-   Fast color printing requires one print   2,007,162           ejected from the chip   strate   head per color   Xerox heater-in-pit 1990           edge.   Mechanically strong       Hawkins et al U.S.               Ease of chip handing       Pat. No. 4,899,181                       Tone-jet       Surface   Ink flow is along the   No bulk silicon etching   Maximum ink flow is severely restricted   Hewlett-Packard TIJ       (‘roof shooter’)   surface of the chip,   required       1982 Vaught et al           and ink drops are   Silicon can make an effective       U.S. Pat. No.           ejected from the chip   heat sink       4,490,728           surface, normal to   Mechanical strength       IJ02, IJ11, IJ12, IJ20           the plane of the chip.           IJ22       Through chip,   Ink flow is through   High ink flow   Requires bulk silicon etching   Silverbrook, EP 0771       forward   the chip, and ink   Suitable for pagewidth print       658 A2 and related       (‘up shooter’)   drops are ejected   High nozzle packing density       patent applications           from the front sur-   therefore low manufacturing       IJ04, IJ17, IJ18, IJ24           face of the chip.   cost       IJ27-IJ45       Through chip,   Ink flow is through   High ink flow   Requires wafer thinning   IJ01, IJ03, IJ05, IJ06       reverse   the chip, and ink   Suitable for pagewidth print   Requires special handling during   IJ07, IJ08, IJ09, IJ10       (‘down shooter’)   drops are ejected   High nozzle packing density   manufacture   IJ13, IJ14, IJ15, IJ16           from the rear surface   therefore low manufacturing       IJ19, IJ21, IJ23, IJ25           of the chip.   cost       IJ26       Through actuator   Ink flow is through   Suitable for piezoelectric   Pagewidth print heads require several   Epson Stylus           the actuator, which   print heads   thousand connections to drive circuits   Tektronix hot melt           is not fabricated as       Cannot be manufactured in standard   piezoelectric ink jets           part of the same       CMOS fabs           substrate as the       Complex assembly required           drive transistors.                    
         [0056]    [0056]                                                     INK TYPE            Ink type   Description   Advantages   Disadvantages   Examples               Aqueous, dye   Water based ink   Environmentally friendly   Slow drying   Most existing inkjets           which typically   No odor   Corrosive   All IJ series ink jets           contains: water,       Bleeds on paper   Silverbrook, EP 0771           dye, surfactant,       May strikethrough   658 A2 and related           humectant, and       Cockles paper   patent applications           biocide.           Modern ink dyes           have high water-           fastness, light           fastness       Aqueous, pigment   Water based ink   Environmentally friendly   Slow drying   IJ02, IJ04, IJ21, IJ26           which typically   No odor   Corrosive   IJ27, IJ30           contains: water,   Reduced bleed   Pigment may clog nozzles   Silverbrook, EP 0771           pigment, surfactant,   Reduced wicking   Pigment may clog actuator mechanisms   658 A2 and related           humectant, and   Reduced strikethrough   Cockles paper   patent applications           biocide.           Piezoelectric ink-jets           Pigments have an           Thermal ink jets (with           advantage in reduced           significant           bleed, wicking           restrictions)           and strikethrough.       Methyl Ethyl   MEK is a highly vola-   Very fast drying   Odorous   All IJ series ink jets       Ketone (MEK)   tile solvent used for   Prints on various substrates   Flammable           industrial printing   such as metals and plastics           on difficult surfaces           such as aluminum cans.       Alcohol   Alcohol based inks   Fast drying   Slight odor   All IJ series ink jets       (ethanol, 2-   can be used where   Operates at sub-freezing   Flammable       butanol, and   the printer must   temperatures       others)   operate at tempera-   Reduced paper cockle           tures below the   Low cost           freezing point of           water. An example of           this is in-camera           consumer photographic           printing.       Phase change   The ink is solid at   No drying time - ink instantly   High viscosity   Tektronix hot melt       (hot melt)   room temperature, and   freezes on the print medium   Printed ink typically has a ‘waxy’ feel   piezoelectric ink jets           is melted in the   Almost any print medium can   Printed pages may ‘block’   1989 Nowak U.S. Pat.           print head before jet-   be used   Ink temperature may be above the curie   No. 4,820,346           ting. Hot melt inks   No paper cockle occurs   point of permanent magnets   All IJ series ink jets           are usually wax based,   No wicking occurs   Ink heaters consume power           with a melting point   No bleed occurs   Long warm-up time           around 80° C. After   No strikethrough occurs           jetting the ink freezes           almost instantly upon           contacting the print           medium or a transfer           roller.       Oil   Oil based inks are   High solubility medium for   High viscosity: this is a significant   All IJ series ink jets           extensively used in   some dyes   limitation for use in inkjets, which           offset printing. They   Does not cockle paper   usually require a low viscosity. Some           have advantages in   Does not wick through paper   short chain and multi-branched oils           improved characteris-       have a sufficiently low viscosity.           tics on paper (especi-       Slow drying           ally no wicking or           cockle). Oil soluble           dies and pigments are           required.       Microemulsion   A microemulsion is a   Stops ink bleed   Viscosity higher than water   All IJ series ink jets           stable, self forming   High dye solubility   Cost is slightly higher than water based           emulsion of oil, water,   Water, oil, and amphiphilic   ink           and surfactant. The   soluble dies can be used   High surfactant concentration required           characteristic drop   Can stabilize pigment   (around 5%)           size is less than   suspensions           100 nm, and is deter-           mined by the preferred           curvature of the           surfactant.                    
       Ink Jet Printing  
       [0057]    A large number of new forms of ink jet printers have been developed to facilitate alternative ink jet technologies for the image processing and data distribution system. Various combinations of ink jet devices can be included in printer devices incorporated as part of the present invention. Australian Provisional Patent Applications relating to these ink jets which are specifically incorporated by cross reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding US patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.  
                                           Austra-                   lian       Provi-           US Patent/Patent       sional           Application       Number   Filing Date   Title   and Filing Date                   PO8066   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,227,652               and Apparatus (IJ01)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8072   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,213,588               and Apparatus (IJ02)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8040   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,213,589               and Apparatus (IJ03)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8071   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,231,163               and Apparatus (IJ04)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8047   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,247,795               and Apparatus (IJ05)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8035   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,394,581               and Apparatus (IJ06)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8044   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,244,691               and Apparatus (IJ07)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8063   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,257,704               and Apparatus (IJ08)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8057   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,416,168               and Apparatus (IJ09)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8056   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,220,694               and Apparatus (IJ10)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8069   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,257,705               and Apparatus (IJ11)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8049   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,247,794               and Apparatus (IJ12)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8036   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,234,610               and Apparatus (IJ13)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8048   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,247,793               and Apparatus (IJ14)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8070   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,264,306               and Apparatus (IJ15)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8067   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,241,342               and Apparatus (IJ16)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8001   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,247,792               and Apparatus (IJ17)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8038   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,264,307               and Apparatus (IJ18)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8033   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,254,220               and Apparatus (IJ19)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8002   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,234,611               and Apparatus (IJ20)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8068   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,302,528               and Apparatus (IJ21)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8062   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,283,582               and Apparatus (IJ22)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8034   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,239,821               and Apparatus (IJ23)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8039   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,338,547               and Apparatus (IJ24)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8041   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,247,796               and Apparatus (IJ25)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8004   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   09/113,122               and Apparatus (IJ26)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8037   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,390,603               and Apparatus (IJ27)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8043   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,362,843               and Apparatus (IJ28)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8042   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,293,653               and Apparatus (IJ29)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8064   15 Jul. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,312,107               and Apparatus (IJ30)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9389   23 Sep. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,227,653               and Apparatus (IJ31)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9391   23 Sep. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,234,609               and Apparatus (IJ32)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0888   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,238,040               and Apparatus (IJ33)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0891   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,188,415               and Apparatus (IJ34)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0890   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,227,654               and Apparatus (IJ35)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0873   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,209,989               and Apparatus (IJ36)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0993   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,247,791               and Apparatus (IJ37)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0890   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation Method   6,336,710               and Apparatus (IJ38)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP1398   19 Jan. 1998   An Image Creation   6,217,153               Method and Apparatus   (Jul. 10, 1998)               (IJ39)       PP2592   25 Mar. 1998   An Image Creation   6,416,167               Method and Apparatus   (Jul. 10, 1998)               (IJ40)       PP2593   25 Mar. 1998   Image Creation Method   6,243,113               and Apparatus (IJ41)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP3991   9 Jun. 1998   Image Creation Method   6,283,581               and Apparatus (IJ42)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP3987   9 Jun. 1998   Image Creation Method   6,247,790               and Apparatus (IJ43)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP3985   9 Jun. 1998   Image Creation Method   6,260,953               and Apparatus (IJ44)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP3983   9 Jun. 1998   Image Creation Method   6,267,469               and Apparatus (IJ45)   (Jul. 10, 1998)                  
 
       Ink Jet Manufacturing  
       [0058]    Further, the present application may utilize advanced semiconductor fabrication techniques in the construction of large arrays of ink jet printers. Suitable manufacturing techniques are described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding US patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.  
                                           Austral-           US Patent/       ian           Patent       Provi-           Application       sional           and Filing       Number   Filing Date   Title   Date                   PO7935   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,224,780               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM01)       PO7936   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,235,212               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM02)       PO7937   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,280,643               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM03)       PO8061   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,284,147               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM04)       PO8054   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,214,244               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM05)       PO8065   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,071,750               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM06)       PO8055   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,267,905               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM07)       PO8053   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,251,298               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM08)       PO8078   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,258,285               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM09)       PO7933   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,225,138               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM10)       PO7950   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,241,904               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM11)       PO7949   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,299,786               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM12)       PO8060   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   09/113,124               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM13)       PO8059   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,231,773               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM14)       PO8073   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,190,931               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM15)       PO8076   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,248,249               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM16)       PO8075   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,290,862               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM17)       PO8079   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,241,906               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM18)       PO8050   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   09/113,116               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM19)       PO8052   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,241,905               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM20)       PO7948   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,451,216               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM21)       PO7951   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,231,772               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM22)       PO8074   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,274,056               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM23)       PO7941   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,290,861               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM24)       PO8077   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,248,248               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM25)       PO8058   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,306,671               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM26)       PO8051   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,331,258               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM27)       PO8045   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,110,754               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM28)       PO7952   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,294,101               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM29)       PO8046   15 Jul. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,416,679               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM30)       PO8503   11 Aug. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,264,849               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM30a)       PO9390   23 Sep. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,254,793               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM31)       PO9392   23 Sep. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,235,211               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM32)       PP0889   12 Dec. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,235,211               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM35)       PP0887   12 Dec. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,264,850               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM36)       PP0882   12 Dec. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,258,284               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM37)       PP0874   12 Dec. 1997   A Method of Manufacture   6,258,284               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM38)       PP1396   19 Jan. 1998   A Method of Manufacture   6,228,668               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM39)       PP2591   25 Mar. 1998   A Method of Manufacture   6,180,427               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM41)       PP3989   9 Jun. 1998   A Method of Manufacture   6,171,875               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM40)       PP3990   9 Jun. 1998   A Method of Manufacture   6,267,904               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM42)       PP3986   9 Jun. 1998   A Method of Manufacture   6,245,247               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM43)       PP3984   9 Jun. 1998   A Method of Manufacture   6,245,247               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM44)       PP3982   9 Jun. 1998   A Method of Manufacture   6,231,148               of an Image Creation   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IJM45)                  
 
       Fluid Supply  
       [0059]    Further, the present application may utilize an ink delivery system to the ink jet head. Delivery systems relating to the supply of ink to a series of ink jet nozzles are described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications, the disclosure of which are hereby incorporated by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding US patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.  
                                           Australian           US Patent/Patent       Provisional           Application and       Number   Filing Date   Title   Filing Date                   PO8003   15 Jul. 1997   Supply Method and   6,350,023               Apparatus (F1)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8005   15 Jul. 1997   Supply Method and   6,318,849               Apparatus (F2)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9404   23 Sep. 1997   A Device and   09/113,101               Method (F3)   (Jul. 10, 1998)                  
 
       MEMS Technology  
       [0060]    Further, the present application may utilize advanced semiconductor microelectromechanical techniques in the construction of large arrays of ink jet printers. Suitable microelectromechanical techniques are described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding US patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.  
                                           Australian           US Patent/Patent       Provisional           Application and       Number   Filing Date   Title   Filing Date                   PO7943   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS01)           PO8006   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS02)   6,087,638                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8007   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS03)   09/113,093                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8008   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS04)   6,340,222                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8010   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS05)   6,041,600                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8011   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS06)   6,299,300                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7947   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS07)   6,067,797                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7945   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS08)   09/113,081                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7944   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS09)   6,286,935                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7946   15 Jul. 1997   A device (MEMS10)   6,044,646                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9393   23 Sep. 1997   A Device and   09/113,065               Method (MEMS11)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0875   12 Dec. 1997   A device (MEMS12)   09/113,078                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0894   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   09/113,075               Method (MEMS13)   (Jul. 10, 1998)                  
 
       IR Technologies  
       [0061]    Further, the present application may include the utilization of a disposable camera system such as those described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding US patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.  
                                           Austral-           US Patent/       ian           Patent       Provis-           Application       ional           and Filing       Number   Filing Date   Title   Date                   PP0895   12 Dec. 1997   An Image Creation   6,231,148               Method and   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IR01)       PP0870   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   09/113,106               Method (IR02)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0869   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   6,293,658               Method (IR04)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0887   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation   09/113,104               Method and   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IR05)       PP0885   12 Dec. 1997   An Image   6,238,033               Production   (Jul. 10, 1998)               System (IR06)       PP0884   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation   6,312,070               Method and   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IR10)       PP0886   12 Dec. 1997   Image Creation   6,238,111               Method and   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (IR12)       PP0871   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   09/113,086               Method (IR13)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0876   12 Dec. 1997   An Image   09/113,094               Processing   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Method and               Apparatus (IR14)       PP0877   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   6,378,970               Method (IR16)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0878   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   6,196,739               Method (IR17)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0879   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   09/112,774               Method (IR18)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0883   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   6,270,182               Method (IR19)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0880   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   6,152,619               Method (IR20)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0881   12 Dec. 1997   A Device and   09/113,092               Method (IR21)   (Jul. 10, 1998)                  
 
       DotCard Technologies  
       [0062]    Further, the present application may include the utilization of a data distribution system such as that described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding US patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.  
                                           Austra-           US Patent/       lian           Patent       Provis-           Application       ional           and Filing       Number   Filing Date   Title   Date                   PP2370   16 Mar. 1998   Data Processing   09/112,781               Method and   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus (Dot01)       PP2371   16 Mar. 1998   Data Processing   09/113,052               Method and   (Jul. 10, 1998)               Apparatus               (Dot02)                  
 
       Artcam Technologies  
       [0063]    Further, the present application may include the utilization of camera and data processing techniques such as an Artcam type device as described in the following Australian provisional patent specifications incorporated here by cross-reference. The serial numbers of respective corresponding US patent applications are also provided for the sake of convenience.  
                                           Austral-           US Patent/       ian           Patent       Provi-           Application       sional           and Filing       Number   Filing Date   Title   Date                   PO7991   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/113,060               and Apparatus (ART01)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7988   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,476,863               and Apparatus (ART02)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7993   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/113,073               and Apparatus (ART03)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9395   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,322,181               and Apparatus (ART04)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8017   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,747               and Apparatus (ART06)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8014   15 Jul. 1997   Media Device (ART07)   6,227,648                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8025   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,750               and Apparatus (ART08)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8032   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,746               and Apparatus (ART09)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7999   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,743               and Apparatus (ART10)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7998   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,742               and Apparatus (ART11)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8031   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,741               and Apparatus (ART12)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8030   15 Jul. 1997   Media Device (ART13)   6,196,541                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7997   15 Jul. 1997   Media Device (ART15)   6,195,150                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7979   15 Jul. 1997   Media Device (ART16)   6,362,868                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8015   15 Jul. 1997   Media Device (ART17)   09/112,738                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7978   15 Jul. 1997   Media Device (ART18)   09/113,067                   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7982   15 Jul 1997   Data Processing Method   6,431,669               and Apparatus (ART 19)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7989   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,362,869               and Apparatus (ART20)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8019   15 Jul. 1997   Media Processing Method   6,472,052               and Apparatus (ART21)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7980   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,356,715               and Apparatus (ART22)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8018   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,777               and Apparatus (ART24)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7938   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/113,224               and Apparatus (ART25)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8016   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,366,693               and Apparatus (ART26)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8024   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,329,990               and Apparatus (ART27)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7940   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/113,072               and Apparatus (ART28)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7939   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/112,785               and Apparatus (ART29)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8501   11 Aug. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,137,500               and Apparatus (ART30)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8500   11 Aug. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,796               and Apparatus (ART31)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7987   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/113,071               and Apparatus (ART32)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8022   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,398,328               and Apparatus (ART33)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8497   11 Aug. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/113,090               and Apparatus (ART34)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8020   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,431,704               and Apparatus (ART38)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8023   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/113,222               and Apparatus (ART39)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8504   11 Aug. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,786               and Apparatus (ART42)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8000   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,415,054               and Apparatus (ART43)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7977   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/112,782               and Apparatus (ART44)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7934   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/113,056               and Apparatus (ART45)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7990   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/113,059               and Apparatus (ART46)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8499   11 Aug. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,486,886               and Apparatus (ART47)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8502   11 Aug. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,381,361               and Apparatus (ART48)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7981   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,317,192               and Apparatus (ART50)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7986   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/113,057               and Apparatus (ART51)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO7983   15 Jul. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/113,054               and Apparatus (ART52)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8026   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,752               and Apparatus (ART53)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8027   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,759               and Apparatus (ART54)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO8028   15 Jul. 1997   Image Processing Method   09/112,757               and Apparatus (ART56)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9394   23 Sep. 1997   Image Processing Method   6,357,135               and Apparatus (ART57)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9396   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/113,107               and Apparatus (ART58)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9397   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,271,931               and Apparatus (ART59)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9398   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,353,772               and Apparatus (ART60)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9399   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,106,147               and Apparatus (ART61)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9400   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/112,790               and Apparatus (ART62)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9401   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,304,291               and Apparatus (ART63)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9402   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   09/112,788               and Apparatus (ART64)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9403   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,305,770               and Apparatus (ART65)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PO9405   23 Sep. 1997   Data Processing Method   6,289,262               and Apparatus (ART66)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP0959   16 Dec. 1997   A Data Processing Method   6,315,200               and Apparatus (ART68)   (Jul. 10, 1998)       PP1397   19 Jan. 1998   A Media Device (ART69)   6,217,165                   (Jul. 10, 1998)