Processing of digital images using autofocus settings for image enhancement

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/112,750 filed on Jul. 10, 1998, now Issued U.S. Pat. No. 6,727,948.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an image processing method and apparatus and, in particular, discloses a process for utilizing autofocus information in a digital image camera.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

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.

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

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.

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:

capturing a focused image using an automatic focusing technique generating focus settings;

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.

Preferably the focus settings include a current position of a zoom motor of the digital camera.

In a preferred embodiment the digital image manipulating process includes a step of locating an object within the focused image utilizing the focus settings.

The method may include the step of printing out the manipulated image by means of a printing mechanism incorporated into the digital camera.

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

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:

• • FIG. 1 illustrates the method of the preferred embodiment; and
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the ARTCAM type camera.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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'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.

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.

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 & 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.

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.

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.

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 in the memory device 34. 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.

Next, the depth value is utilised in a face detection algorithm 10 running on the ACP 32 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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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:

• • low power (less than 10 Watts)
  • high resolution capability (1,600 dpi or more)
  • photographic quality output
  • low manufacturing cost
  • small size (pagewidth times minimum cross section)
  • high speed (<2 seconds per page).

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.

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

For ease of manufacture using standard process equipment, the print head is designed to be a monolithic 0.5micron 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.

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

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	6227652	Radiant Plunger Ink Jet Printer
IJ02US	6213588	Electrostatic Ink Jet Printer
IJ03US	6213589	Planar Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet
IJ04US	6231163	Stacked Electrostatic Ink Jet Printer
IJ05US	6247795	Reverse Spring Lever Ink Jet Printer
IJ06US	6394581	Paddle Type Ink Jet Printer
IJ07US	6244691	Permanent Magnet Electromagnetic Ink Jet
		Printer
IJ08US	6257704	Planar Swing Grill Electromagnetic Ink Jet
		Printer
IJ09US	6416168	Pump Action Refill Ink Jet Printer
IJ10US	6220694	Pulsed Magnetic Field Ink Jet Printer
IJ11US	6257705	Two Plate Reverse Firing Electromagnetic Ink
		Jet Printer
IJ12US	6247794	Linear Stepper Actuator Ink Jet Printer
IJ13US	6234610	Gear Driven Shutter Ink Jet Printer
IJ14US	6247793	Tapered Magnetic Pole Electromagnetic Ink
		Jet Printer
IJ15US	6264306	Linear Spring Electromagnetic Grill Ink Jet
		Printer
IJ16US	6241342	Lorenz Diaphragm Electromagnetic Ink Jet
		Printer
IJ17US	6247792	PTFE Surface Shooting Shuttered Oscillating
		Pressure Ink Jet Printer
IJ18US	6264307	Buckle Grip Oscillating Pressure Ink Jet Printer
IJ19US	6254220	Shutter Based Ink Jet Printer
IJ20US	6234611	Curling Calyx Thermoelastic Ink Jet Printer
IJ21US	6302528	Thermal Actuated Ink Jet Printer
IJ22US	6283582	Iris Motion Ink Jet Printer
IJ23US	6239821	Direct Firing Thermal Bend Actuator Ink Jet
		Printer
IJ24US	6338547	Conductive PTFE Ben Activator Vented Ink Jet
		Printer
IJ25US	6247796	Magnetostrictive Ink Jet Printer
IJ26US	6557977	Shape Memory Alloy Ink Jet Printer
IJ27US	6390603	Buckle Plate Ink Jet Printer
IJ28US	6362843	Thermal Elastic Rotary Impeller Ink Jet Printer
IJ29US	6293653	Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Ink Jet Printer
IJ30US	6312107	Thermoelastic Bend Actuator Using PTFE and
		Corrugated Copper Ink Jet Printer
IJ31US	6227653	Bend Actuator Direct Ink Supply Ink Jet Printer
IJ32US	6234609	A High Young's Modulus Thermoelastic Ink
		Jet Printer
IJ33US	6238040	Thermally actuated slotted chamber wall ink jet
		printer
IJ34US	6188415	Ink Jet Printer having a thermal actuator
		comprising an external coiled spring
IJ35US	6227654	Trough Container Ink Jet Printer
IJ36US	6209989	Dual Chamber Single Vertical Actuator Ink Jet
IJ37US	6247791	Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Fulcrum
		Actuator Ink Jet
IJ38US	6336710	Dual Nozzle Single Horizontal Actuator Ink
		Jet
IJ39US	6217153	A single bend actuator cupped paddle ink jet
		printing device
IJ40US	6416167	A thermally actuated ink jet printer having a
		series of thermal actuator units
IJ41US	6243113	A thermally actuated ink jet printer including a
		tapered heater element
IJ42US	6283581	Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic Ink Jet
IJ43US	6247790	Inverted Radial Back-Curling Thermoelastic
		Ink Jet
IJ44US	6260953	Surface bend actuator vented ink supply ink
		jet printer
IJ45US	6267469	Coil Acutuated Magnetic Plate Ink Jet Printer

Tables of Drop-on-Demand Inkjets

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

The information associated with the aforementioned 11 dimensional matrix are set out in the following tables.

	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages	Examples

ACTUATOR MECHANISM (APPLIED ONLY TO SELECTED INK DROPS)

Actuator
Mechanism
Thermal bubble	An electrothermal heater heats the ink to	Large force generated	High power	Canon Bubblejet 1979 Endo
	above boiling point, transferring	Simple construction	Ink carrier limited to water	et al GB patent
	significant heat to the aqueous ink. A	No moving parts	Low efficiency	2,007,162
	bubble nucleates and quickly forms,	Fast operation	High temperatures required	Xerox heater-in-pit
	expelling the ink.	Small chip area required for actuator	High mechanical stress	1990 Hawkins et al USP
	The efficiency of the process is low, with		Unusual materials required	4,899,181
	typically less than 0.05% of the electrical		Large drive transistors	Hewlett-Packard TIJ
	energy being transformed into kinetic energy of the		Cavitation causes actuator failure	1982 Vaught et al USP
	the drop.		Kogation reduces bubble formation	4,490,728
			Large print heads are difficult to fabricate
Piezoelectric	A piezoelectric crystal such as lead	Low power consumption	Very large area required for actuator	Kyser et al USP
	lanthanum zirconate (PZT) is electrically	Many ink types can be used	Difficult to integrate with electronics	3,946,398
	activated, and either expands, shears, or	Fast operation	High voltage drive transistors required	Zoltan USP 3,683,212
	bends to apply pressure to the ink,	High efficiency	Full pagewidth print heads impractical due	1973 Stemme USP
	ejecting drops.		to actuator size	3,747,120
			Requires electrical poling in high field strengths	Epson Stylus
			during manufacture	Tektronix
				IJ04
Electro-strictive	An electric field is used to activate	Low power consumption	Low maximum strain (approx. 0.01%)	Seiko Epson, Usui et all JP
	electrostriction in relaxor materials such	Many ink types can be used	Large area required for actuator due to low	253401/96
	as lead lanthanum zirconate titanate	Low thermal expansion	strain	IJ04
	(PLZT) or lead magnesium niobate	Electric field strength required (approx.	Response speed is marginal (~10 μs)
	(PMN).	3.5 V/μm) can be	High voltage drive transistors required
		generated without difficulty	Full pagewidth print heads impractical due
		Does not require electrical	to actuator size
		poling
Ferroelectric	An electric field is used to induce a phase	Low power consumption	Difficult to integrate with electronics	IJ04
	transition between the antiferroelectric	Many ink types can be used	Unusual materials such as PLZSnT are
	(AFE) and ferroelectric (FE) phase.	Fast operation (<1 μs)	required
	Perovskite materials such as tin modified	Relatively high longitudinal	Actuators require a large area
	lead lanthanum zirconate titanate	strain
	(PLZSnT) exhibit large strains of up to	High efficiency
	1% associated with the AFE to FE phase	Electric field strength of
	transition.	around 3 V/μm can be readily
		provided
Electrostatic	Conductive plates are separated by a compressible	Low power consumption	Difficult to operate electrostatic devices in	IJ02, IJ04
plates	or fluid dielectric (usually	Many ink types can be used	an aqueous environment
	air). Upon application of a voltage, the	Fast operation	The electrostatic actuator will normally
	plates attract each other and displace ink,		need to be separated from the ink
	causing drop ejection. The conductive		Very large area required to achieve high
	plates may be in a comb or honeycomb		forces
	structure, or stacked to increase the surface area and		High voltage drive transistors may be
	and therefore the force.		required
			Full pagewidth print heads are not
			competitive due to actuator size
Electrostatic	A strong electric field is applied to the	Low current consumption	High voltage required	1989 Saito et al, USP
pull on ink	ink, whereupon electrostatic attraction	Low temperature	May be damaged by sparks due to air	4,799,068
	accelerates the ink towards the print		breakdown	1989 Miura et al, USP
	medium.		Required field strength increases as the drop size	4,810,954
			decreases	Tone-jet
			High voltage drive transistors required
			Electrostatic field attracts dust
Permanent	An electromagnet directly attracts a	Low power consumption	Complex fabrication	IJ07, IJ10
magnet electromagnetic	permanent magnet, displacing ink and	Many ink types can be used	Permanent magnetic material such as Neodymium
	causing drop ejection. Rare earth	Fast operation	Iron Boron (NdFeB) required.
	magnets with a field strength around l	High efficiency	High local currents required
	Tesla can be used. Examples are:	Easy extension from single	Copper metalization should be used for
	Samarium Cobalt (SaCo) and magnetic	nozzles to pagewidth print	long electromigration lifetime and low
	materials in the neodymium iron boron	heads	resistivity
	family (NdFeB, NdDyFeBNb,		Pigmented inks are usually infeasible
	NdDyFeB, etc)		Operating temperature limited to the Curie
			temperature (around 540 K)
Soft magnetic	A solenoid induced a magnetic field in a	Low power consumption	Complex fabrication	IJ01, IJ05, IJ08, IJ10
core electromagnetic	soft magnetic core or yoke fabricated	Many ink types can be used	Materials not usually present in a CMOS	IJ12, IJ14, IJ15, IJ17
	from a ferrous material such as	Fast operation	fab such as NiFe, CoNiFe, or CoFe are
	electroplated iron alloys such as CoNiFe	High efficiency	required
	[1], CoFe, or NiFe alloys. Typically, the	Easy extension from single	High local currents required
	soft magnetic material is in two parts,	nozzles to pagewidth print	Copper metalization should be used for
	which are normally held apart by a	heads	long electromigration lifetime and low
	spring. When the solenoid is actuated, the		resistivity
	two parts attract, displacing the ink.		Electroplating is required
			High saturation flux density is required
			(2.0-2.1 T is achievable with CoNiFe [1])
Magnetic	The Lorenz force acting on a current	Low power consumption	Force acts as a twisting motion	IJ06, IJ11, IJ13, IJ16
Lorenz force	carrying wire in a magnetic field is	Many ink types can be used	Typically, only a quarter of the solenoid
	utilized.	Fast operation	length provides force in a useful direction
	This allows the magnetic field to be	High efficiency	High local currents required
	supplied externally to the print head, for	Easy extension from single	Copper metalization should be used for
	example with rare earth permanent	nozzles to pagewidth print	long electromigration lifetime and low
	magnets.	heads	resistivity
	Only the current carrying wire need be		Pigmented inks are usually infeasible
	fabricated on the print-head, simplifying
	materials requirements.
Magnetostriction	The actuator uses the giant	Many ink types can be used	Force acts as a twisting motion	Fischenbeck, USP
	magnetostrictive effect of materials such	Fast operation	Unusual materials such as Terfenol-D are	4,032,929
	as Terfenol-D (an alloy of terbium,	Easy extension from single	required	IJ25
	dysprosium and iron developed at the	nozzles to pagewidth print	High local currents required
	Naval Ordnance Laboratory, hence Ter-	heads	Copper metalization should be used for
	Fe-NOL). For best efficiency, the	High force is available	long electromigration lifetime and low
	actuator should be pre-stressed to approx.		resistivity
	8 MPa.		Pre-stressing may be required
Surface tension	Ink under positive pressure is held in a	Low power consumption	Requires supplementary force to effect drop	Silverbrook, EP 0771
reduction	nozzle by surface tension. The surface	Simple construction	separation	658 A2 and related patent
	tension of the ink is reduced below the	No unusual materials required	Requires special ink surfactants	applications
	bubble threshold, causing the ink to	in fabrication	Speed may be limited by surfactant
	egress from the nozzle.	High efficiency	properties
		Easy extension from single
		nozzles to pagewidth print
		heads
Viscosity	The ink viscosity is locally reduced to	Simple construction	Requires supplementary force to effect drop	Silverbrook, EP 0771
reduction	select which drops are to be ejected. A	No unusual materials required	separation	658 A2 and related
	viscosity reduction can be achieved	in fabrication	Requires special ink viscosity properties	patent applications
	electrothermally with most inks, but	Easy extension from single	High speed is difficult to achieve
	special inks can be engineered for a	nozzles to pagewidth print	Requires oscillating ink pressure
	100:1 viscosity reduction.	heads	A high temperature difference (typically 80
			degrees) is required
Acoustic	An acoustic wave is generated and	Can operate without a nozzle	Complex drive circuitry	1993 Hadimioglu et al, EUP
	focussed upon the drop ejection region.	plate	Complex fabrication	550,192
			Low efficiency	1993 Elrod et al, EUP
			Poor control of drop position	572,220
			Poor control of drop volume
Thermoelastic	An actuator which relies upon	Low power consumption	Efficient aqueous operation requires a	IJ03, IJ09, IJ17, IJ18
bend actuator	differential thermal expansion upon Joule	Many ink types can be used	thermal insulator on the hot side	IJ19, IJ20, IJ21, IJ22
	heating is used.	Simple planar fabrication	Corrosion prevention can be difficult	IJ23, IJ24, IJ27, IJ28
		Small chip area required for	Pigmented inks may be infeasible, as	IJ29, IJ30, IJ31, IJ32
		each actuator	pigment particles may jam the bend	IJ33, IJ34, IJ35, IJ36
		Fast operation	actuator	IJ37, IJ38 ,IJ39, IJ40
		High efficiency		IJ41
		CMOS compatible voltages
		and currents
		Standard MEMS processes can
		be used
		Easy extension from single
		nozzles to pagewidth print
		heads
High CTE	A material with a very high coefficient of	High force can be generated	Requires special material (e.g. PTFE)	IJ09, IJ17, IJ18, IJ20
thermoelastic	thermal expansion (CTE) such as	PTFE is a candidate for low	Requires a PTFE deposition process, which	IJ21, IJ22, IJ23, IJ24
actuator	polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is used.	dielectric constant insulation in	is not yet standard in ULSI fabs	IJ27, IJ28, IJ29, IJ30
	As high CTE materials are usually non-	ULSI	PTFE deposition cannot be followed with	IJ31, IJ42, IJ43, IJ44
	conductive, a heater fabricated from a	Very low power consumption	high temperature (above 350° C.) processing
	conductive material is incorporated. A 50 μm	Many ink types can be used	Pigmented inks may be infeasible, as
	long PTFE bend actuator with	Simple planar fabrication	pigment particles may jam the bend
	polysilicon heater and 15 mW power	Small chip area required for	actuator
	input can provide 180 μN force and 10 μm	each actuator
	deflection. Actuator motions include:	Fast operation
	1) Bend	High efficiency
	2) Push	CMOS compatible voltages
	3) Buckle	and currents
	4) Rotate	Easy extension from single
		nozzles to pagewidth print
		heads
Conductive	A polymer with a high coefficient of	High force can be generated	Requires special materials development	IJ24
polymer	thermal expansion (such as PTFE) is	Very low power consumption	(High CTE conductive polymer)
thermoelastic	doped with conducting substances to	Many ink types can be used	Requires a PTFE deposition process, which
actuator	increase its conductivity to about 3 orders	Simple planar fabrication	is not yet standard in ULSI fabs
	of magnitude below that of copper. The	Small chip area required for	PTFE deposition cannot be followed with
	conducting polymer expands when	each actuator	high temperature (above 350° C.) processing
	resistively heated.	Fast operation	Evaporation and CVD deposition
	Examples of conducting dopants include:	High efficiency	techniques cannot be used
	1) Carbon nanotubes	CMOS compatible voltages	Pigmented inks may be infeasible, as
	2) Metal fibers	and currents	pigment particles may jam the bend
	3) Conductive polymers such as doped	Easy extension from single	actuator
	polythiophene	nozzles to pagewidth print
	4) Carbon granules	heads
Shape memory	A shape memory alloy such as TiNi (also	High force is available	Fatigue limits maximum number of cycles	IJ26
alloy	known as Nitinol —Nickel Titanium alloy	(stresses of hundreds of MPa)	Low strain (1%) is required to extend
	developed at the Naval Ordnance	Large strain is available (more	fatigue resistance
	Laboratory) is thermally switched	than 3%)	Cycle rate limited by heat removal
	between its weak martensitic state and its	High corrosion resistance	Requires unusual materials (TiNi)
	high stiffness austenic state. The shape of	Simple construction	The latent heat of transformation must be
	the actuator in its martensitic state is	Easy extension from single	provided
	deformed relative to the austenic shape.	nozzles to pagewidth print	High current operation
	The shape change causes ejection of a	heads	Requires pre-stressing to distort the
	drop.	Low voltage operation	martensitic state
Linear Magnetic	Linear magnetic actuators include the	Linear Magnetic actuators can	Requires unusual semiconductor materials	IJ12
Actuator	Linear Induction Actuator (LIA), Linear	be constructed with high thrust,	such as soft magnetic alloys (e.g. CoNiFe
	Permanent Magnet Synchronous	long travel, and high efficiency	[1])
	Actuator (LPMSA), Linear Reluctance	using planar semiconductor	Some varieties also require permanent
	Synchronous Actuator (LRSA), Linear	fabrication techniques	magnetic materials such as Neodymium
	Switched Reluctance Actuator (LSRA),	Long actuator travel is	iron boron (NdFeB)
	and the Linear Stepper Actuator (LSA).	available	Requires complex multi-phase drive
		Medium force is available	circuitry
		Low voltage operation	High current operation

BASIC OPERATION MODE

Operational
mode
Actuator directly	This is the simplest mode of operation:	Simple operation	Drop repetition rate is usually limited to	Thermal inkjet
pushes ink	the actuator directly supplies sufficient	No external fields required	less than 10 KHz. However, this is not	Piezoelectric inkjet
	kinetic energy to expel the drop. The	Satellite drops can be avoided	fundamental to the method, but is related to	IJ01, IJ02, IJ03, IJ04
	drop must have a sufficient velocity to overcome	if drop velocity is less than 4 m/s	the refill method normally used	IJ05, IJ06, IJ07, IJ09
	the surface tension.	Can be efficient, depending	All of the drop kinetic energy must be	IJ11, IJ12, IJ14, IJ16
		upon the actuator used	provided by the actuator	IJ20, IJ22, IJ23, IJ24
			Satellite drops usually form if drop velocity	IJ25, IJ26, IJ27, IJ28
			is greater than 4.5 m/s	IJ29, IJ30, IJ31, IJ32
				IJ33, IJ34, IJ35, IJ36
				IJ37, IJ38, IJ39, IJ40
				IJ41, IJ42, IJ43, IJ44
Proximity	The drops to be printed are selected by some manner	Very simple print head	Requires close proximity between the print	Silverbrook, EP 0771
	(e.g. thermally induced	fabrication can be used	head and the print media or transfer roller	658 A2 and related
	surface tension reduction of pressurized	The drop selection means does	May require two print heads printing	patent applications
	ink). Selected drops are separated from	not need to provide the energy	alternate rows of the image
	the ink in the nozzle by contact with the	required to separate the drop	Monolithic color print heads are difficult
	print medium or a transfer roller.	from the nozzle
Electrostatic	The drops to be printed are selected by	Very simple print head	Requires very high electrostatic field	Silverbrook, EP 0771
pull on Ink	some manner (e.g. thermally induced	fabrication can be used	Electrostatic field for small nozzle sizes is	658 A2 and related
	surface tension reduction of pressurized	The drop selection means does	above air breakdown	patent applications
	ink). Selected drops are separated from	not need to provide the energy	Electrostatic field may attract dust	Tone-Jet
	the ink in the nozzle by a strong electric	required to separate the drop
	field.	from the nozzle
Magnetic pull on	The drops to be printed are selected by	Very simple print head	Requires magnetic ink	Silverbrook, EP 0771
ink	some manner (e.g. thermally induced	fabrication can be used	Ink colors other than black are difficult	658 A2 and related
	surface tension reduction of pressurized	The drop selection means does	Requires very high magnetic fields	patent applications
	ink). Selected drops are separated from	not need to provide the energy
	the ink in the nozzle by a strong magnetic	required to separate the drop
	field acting on the magnetic ink.	from the nozzle
Shutter	The actuator moves a shutter to block ink	High speed (>50 KHz)	Moving parts are required	IJ13, IJ17, IJ21
	flow to the nozzle. The ink pressure is	operation can be achieved due	Requires ink pressure modulator
	pulsed at a multiple of the drop ejection	to reduced refill time	Friction and wear must be considered
	frequency.	Drop timing can be very	Stiction is possible
		accurate
		The actuator energy can be
		very low
Shuttered grill	The actuator moves a shutter to block ink	Actuators with small travel can	Moving parts are required	IJ08, IJ15, IJ18, IJ19
	flow through a grill to the nozzle. The	be used	Requires ink pressure modulator
	shutter movement need only be equal to	Actuators with small force can	Friction and wear must be considered
	the width of the grill holes.	be used	Stiction is possible
		High speed (>50 KHz)
		operation can be achieved
Pulsed magnetic	A pulsed magnetic field attracts an ‘ink	Extremely low energy	Requires an external pulsed magnetic field	IJ10
pull on Ink	pusher’ at the drop ejection frequency.	operation is possible	Requires special materials for both the
pusher	An actuator controls a catch, which	No heat dissipation problems	actuator and the ink pusher
	prevents the ink pusher from moving		Complex construction
	when a drop is not to be ejected.

AUXILIARY MECHANISM (APPLIED TO ALL NOZZLES)

Auxiliary
Mechanism
None	The actuator directly fires the ink drop, and there is	Simplicity of construction	Drop ejection energy must be supplied by	Most inkjets, including
	no external field or other mechanism required.	Simplicity of operation	individual nozzle actuator	piezoelectric and
		Small physical size		thermal bubble.
				IJ01-IJ07, IJ09, IJ11
				IJ12, IJ14, IJ20, IJ22
				IJ23-IJ45
Oscillating Ink	The ink pressure oscillates, providing	Oscillating ink pressure can	Requires external ink pressure oscillator	Silverbrook, EP 0771
pressure	much of the drop ejection energy. The	provide a refill pulse, allowing	Ink pressure phase and amplitude must be	658 A2 and related
(Including	actuator selects which drops are to be	higher operating speed	carefully controlled	patent applications
acoustic	fired by selectively blocking or enabling	The actuators may operate with	Acoustic reflections in the ink chamber	IJ08, IJ13, IJ15, IJ17
stimulation)	nozzles. The ink pressure oscillation may	much lower energy	must be designed for	IJ18, IJ19, IJ21
	be achieved by vibrating the print head,	Acoustic lenses can be used to
	or preferably by an actuator in the ink	focus the sound on the nozzles
	supply.
Media proximity	The print head is placed in close	Low power	Precision assembly required	Silverbrook, EP 0771
	proximity to the print medium. Selected	High accuracy	Paper fibers may cause problems	658 A2 and related
	drops protrude from the print head	Simple print head construction	Cannot print on rough substrates	patent applications
	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 a transfer roller	High accuracy	Bulky	Silverbrook, EP 0771
	instead of straight to the print medium. A	Wide range of print substrates	Expensive	658 A2 and related
	transfer roller can also be used for	can be used	Complex construction	patent applications
	proximity drop separation.	Ink can be dried on the transfer		Tektronix hot melt
		roller		piezoelectric inkjet
				Any of the IJ series
Electrostatic	An electric field is used to accelerate	Low power	Field strength required for separation of	Silverbrook, EP 0771
	selected drops towards the print medium.	Simple print head construction	small drops is near or above air breakdown	658 A2 and related
				patent applications
				Tone-Jet
Direct magnetic	A magnetic field is used to accelerate	Low power	Requires magnetic ink	Silverbrook, EP 0771
field	selected drops of magnetic ink towards	Simple print head construction	Requires strong magnetic field	658 A2 and related
	the print medium.			patent applications
Cross magnetic	The print head is placed in a constant	Does not require magnetic	Requires external magnet	IJ06, IJ16
field	magnetic field. The Lorenz force in a	materials to be integrated in the	Current densities may be high, resulting in
	current carrying wire is used to move the	print head manufacturing	electromigration problems
	actuator.	process
Pulsed magnetic	A pulsed magnetic field is used to	Very low power operation is	Complex print head construction	IJ10
field	cyclically attract a paddle, which pushes	possible	Magnetic materials required in print head
	on the ink. A small actuator moves a	Small print head size
	catch, which selectively prevents the
	paddle from moving.

ACTUATOR AMPLIFICATION OR MODIFICATION METHOD

Actuator
amplification
None	No actuator mechanical amplification is	Operational simplicity	Many actuator mechanisms have	Thermal Bubble Inkjet
	used. The actuator directly drives the		insufficient travel, or insufficient force, to	IJ01, IJ02, IJ06, IJ07
	drop ejection process.		efficiently drive the drop ejection process	IJ16, IJ25, IJ26
Differential	An actuator material expands more on	Provides greater travel in a	High stresses are involved	Piezoelectric
expansion bend	one side than on the other. The expansion	reduced print head area	Care must be taken that the materials do not	IJ03, IJ09, IJ17-IJ24
actuator	may be thermal, piezoelectric,	The bend actuator converts a	delaminate	IJ27, IJ29-IJ39, IJ42,
	magnetostrictive, or other mechanism.	high force low travel actuator	Residual bend resulting from high	IJ43, IJ44
		mechanism to high travel,	temperature or high stress during formation
		lower force mechanism.
Transient bend	A trilayer bend actuator where the two	Very good temperature	High stresses are involved	IJ40, IJ41
actuator	outside layers are identical. This cancels	stability	Care must be taken that the materials do not
	bend due to ambient temperature and	High speed, as a new drop can	delaminate
	residual stress. The actuator only	be fired before heat dissipates
	responds to transient heating of one side	Cancels residual stress of
	or the other.	formation
Actuator stack	A series of thin actuators are stacked. This can be	Increased travel	Increased fabrication complexity	Some piezoelectric ink
	appropriate where actuators	Reduced drive voltage	Increased possibility of short circuits due to	jets
	require high electric field strength, such		pinholes	IJ04
	as electrostatic and piezoelectric
	actuators.
Multiple	Multiple smaller actuators are used simultaneously	Increases the force available	Actuator forces may not add linearly,	IJ12, IJ13, IJ18, IJ20
actuators	to move the ink. Each	from an actuator	reducing efficiency	IJ22, IJ28, IJ42, IJ43
	actuator need provide only a portion of	Multiple actuators can be
	the force required.	positioned to control ink flow
		accurately
Linear Spring	A linear spring is used to transform a	Matches low travel actuator	Requires print head area for the spring	IJ15
	motion with small travel and high force	with higher travel requirements
	into a longer travel, lower force motion.	Non-contact method of motion
		transformation
Reverse spring	The actuator loads a spring. When the	Better coupling to the ink	Fabrication complexity	IJ05, IJ11
	actuator is turned off, the spring releases.		High stress in the spring
	This can reverse the force/distance curve
	of the actuator to make it compatible
	with the force/time requirements of the
	drop ejection.
Colled actuator	A bend actuator is coiled to provide	Increases travel	Generally restricted to planar	IJ17, IJ21, IJ34, IJ35
	greater travel in a reduced chip area.	Reduces chip area	implementations due to extreme fabrication
		Planar implementations are	difficulty in other orientations.
		relatively easy to fabricate.
Flexure bend	A bend actuator has a small region near	Simple means of increasing	Care must be taken not to exceed the elastic	IJ10, IJ19, IJ33
actuator	the fixture point, which flexes much	travel of a bend actuator	limit in the flexure area
	more readily than the remainder of the		Stress distribution is very uneven
	actuator. The actuator flexing is		Difficult to accurately model with finite
	effectively converted from an even		element analysis
	coiling to an angular bend, resulting in
	greater travel of the actuator tip.
Gears	Gears can be used to increase travel at	Low force, low travel actuators	Moving parts are required	IJ13
	the expense of duration. Circular gears,	can be used	Several actuator cycles are required
	rack and pinion, ratchets, and other	Can be fabricated using	More complex drive electronics
	gearing methods can be used.	standard surface MEMS	Complex construction
		processes	Friction, friction, and wear are possible
Catch	The actuator controls a small catch. The	Very low actuator energy	Complex construction	IJ10
	catch either enables or disables	Very small actuator size	Requires external force
	movement of an ink pusher that is		Unsuitable for pigmented inks
	controlled in a bulk manner.
Buckle plate	A buckle plate can be used to change a	Very fast movement	Must stay within elastic limits of the	S. Hirata et al, “An Ink-
	slow actuator into a fast motion. It can	achievable	materials for long device life	jet Head ... ”, Proc.
	also convert a high force, low travel		High stresses involved	IEEE MEMS, Feb.
	actuator into a high travel, medium force		Generally high power requirement	1996, pp 418-423.
	motion.			IJ18, IJ27
Tapered	A tapered magnetic pole can increase	Linearizes the magnetic	Complex construction	IJ14
magnetic pole	travel at the expense of force.	force/distance curve
Lever	A lever and fulcrum is used to transform	Matches low travel actuator	High stress around the fulcrum	IJ32, IJ36, IJ37
	a motion with small travel and high force	with higher travel requirements
	into a motion with longer travel and	Fulcrum area has no linear
	lower force. The lever can also reverse	movement, and can be used for
	the direction of travel,	a fluid seal
Rotary Impeller	The actuator is connected to a rotary	High mechanical advantage	Complex construction	IJ28
	impeller. A small angular deflection of	The ratio of force to travel of	Unsuitable for pigmented inks
	the actuator results in a rotation of the	the actuator can be matched to
	impeller vanes, which push the ink	the nozzle requirements by
	against stationary vanes and out of the	varying the number of impeller
	nozzle.	vanes
Acoustic lens	A refractive or diffractive (e.g. zone	No moving parts	Large area required	1993 Hadimioglu et al,
	plate) acoustic lens is used to concentrate		Only relevant for acoustic ink jets	EUP 550,192
	sound waves.			1993 Elrod et al, EUP
				572,220
Sharp	A sharp point is used to concentrate an	Simple construction	Difficult to fabricate using standard VLSI	Tone-jet
conductive	electrostatic field.		processes for a surface ejecting ink-jet
point			Only relevant for electrostatic ink jets

ACTUATOR MOTION

Actuator motion
Volume	The volume of the actuator changes,	Simple construction in the case	High energy is typically required to achieve	Hewlett-Packard
expansion	pushing the ink in all directions.	of thermal ink jet	volume expansion. This leads to thermal	Thermal Inkjet
			stress, cavitation, and kogation in thermal	Canon Bubblejet
			ink jet implementations
Linear, normal	The actuator moves in a direction normal	Efficient coupling to ink drops	High fabrication complexity may be	IJ01, IJ02, IJ04, IJ07
to chip surface	to the print head surface. The nozzle is	ejected normal to the surface	required to achieve perpendicular motion	IJ11, IJ14
	typically in the line of movement.
Linear, parallel	The actuator moves parallel to the print	Suitable for planar fabrication	Fabrication complexity	IJ12, IJ13, IJ15, IJ33,
to chip surface	head surface. Drop ejection may still be		Friction	IJ34, IJ35, IJ36
	normal to the surface.		Stiction
Membrane push	An actuator with a high force but small	The effective area of the	Fabrication complexity	1982 Howkins USP
	area is used to push a stiff membrane that	actuator becomes the	Actuator size	4,459,601
	is in contact with the ink.	membrane area	Difficulty of integration in a VLSI process
Rotary	The actuator causes the rotation of some	Rotary levers may be used to	Device complexity	IJ05, IJ08, IJ13, IJ28
	element, such a grill or impeller	increase travel	May have friction at a pivot point
		Small chip area requirements
Bend	The actuator bends when energized. This	A very small change in	Requires the actuator to be made from at	1970 Kyser et al USP
	may be due to expansion, piezoelectric expansion,	a large motion.	thermal difference across the actuator	1973 Stemme USP
	magnetostriction, or other form of			3,747,120
	relative dimensional change.			IJ03, IJ09, IJ10, IJ19
				IJ23, IJ24, IJ25, IJ29
				IJ30, IJ31, IJ33, IJ34
				IJ35
Swivel	The actuator swivels around a central	Allows operation where the net	Inefficient coupling to the ink motion	IJ06
	pivot. This motion is suitable where there	linear force on the paddle is
	are opposite forces applied to opposite	zero
	sides of the paddle, e.g. Lorenz force.	Small chip area requirements
Straighten	The actuator is normally bent, and	Can be used with shape	Requires careful balance of stresses to	IJ26, IJ32
	straightens when energized.	memory alloys where the	ensure that the quiescent bend is accurate
		austenic phase is planar
Double bend	The actuator bends in one direction when	One actuator can be used to	Difficult to make the drops ejected by both	IJ36, IJ37, IJ38
	one element is energized, and bends the	power two nozzles.	bend directions identical.
	other way when another element is	Reduced chip size.	A small efficiency loss compared to
	energized.	Not sensitive to ambient	equivalent single bend actuators.
		temperature
Shear	Energizing the actuator causes a shear	Can increase the effective	Not readily applicable to other actuator	1985 Fishbeck USP
	motion in the actuator material.	travel of piezoelectric actuators	mechanisms	4,584,590
Radial	The actuator squeezes an ink reservoir,	Relatively easy to fabricate	High force required	1970 Zoltan USP
constriction	forcing ink from a constricted nozzle.	single nozzles from glass	Inefficient	3,683,212
		tubing as macroscopic	Difficult to integrate with VLSI processes
		structures
Coll/uncoil	A coiled actuator uncoils or coils more	Easy to fabricate as a planar	Difficult to fabricate for non-planar devices	IJ17, IJ21, IJ34, IJ35
	tightly. The motion of the free end of the	VLSI process	Poor out-of-plane stiffness
	actuator ejects the ink.	Small area required, therefore
		low cost
Bow	The actuator bows (or buckles) in the	Can increase the speed of	Maximum travel is constrained	IJ16, IJ18, IJ27
	middle when energized.	travel	High force required
		Mechanically rigid
Push-Pull	Two actuators control a shutter. One	The structure is pinned at both	Not readily suitable for inkjets which	IJ18
	actuator pulls the shutter, and the other	ends, so has a high out-of-	directly push the ink
	pushes it.	plane rigidity
Curl inwards	A set of actuators curl inwards to reduce	Good fluid flow to the region	Design complexity	IJ20, IJ42
	the volume of ink that they enclose.	behind the actuator increases
		efficiency
Curl outwards	A set of actuators curl outwards,	Relatively simple construction	Relatively large chip area	IJ43
	pressurizing ink in a chamber
	surrounding the actuators, and expelling
	ink from a nozzle in the chamber.
Iris	Multiple vanes enclose a volume of ink.	High efficiency	High fabrication complexity	IJ22
	These simultaneously rotate, reducing the	Small chip area	Not suitable for pigmented inks
	volume between the vanes.
Acoustic	The actuator vibrates at a high frequency.	The actuator can be physically	Large area required for efficient operation	1993 Hadimioglu et al,
vibration		distant from the ink	at useful frequencies	EUP 550,192
			Acoustic coupling and crosstalk	1993 Elrod et al, EUP
			Complex drive circuitry	572,220
			Poor control of drop volume and position
None	In various ink jet designs the actuator	No moving parts	Various other tradeoffs are required to	Silverbrook, EP 0771
	does not move.		eliminate moving parts	658 A2 and related
				patent applications
				Tone-jet

NOZZLE REFILL METHOD

Nozzle refill
method
Surface tension	After the actuator is energized, it	Fabrication simplicity	Low speed	Thermal inkjet
	typically returns rapidly to its normal	Operational simplicity	Surface tension force relatively small	Piezoelectric inkjet
	position. This rapid return sucks in air		compared to actuator force	IJ01-IJ07, IJ10-IJ14
	through the nozzle opening. The ink		Long refill time usually dominates the total	IJ16, IJ20, IJ22-IJ45
	surface tension at the nozzle then exerts a		repetition rate
	small force restoring the meniscus to a
	minimum area.
Shuttered	Ink to the nozzle chamber is provided at	High speed	Requires common ink pressure oscillator	IJ08, IJ13, IJ15, IJ17
oscillating ink	a pressure that oscillates at twice the drop	Low actuator energy, as the	May not be suitable for pigmented inks	IJ18, IJ19, IJ21
pressure	ejection frequency. When a drop is to be	actuator need only open or
	ejected, the shutter is opened for 3 half	close the shutter, instead of
	cycles: drop ejection, actuator return, and refill.	ejecting the ink drop
Refill actuator	After the main actuator has ejected a	High speed, as the nozzle is	Requires two independent actuators per	IJ09
	drop a second (refill) actuator is	actively refilled	nozzle
	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 positive pressure.	High refill rate, therefore a	Surface spill must be prevented	Silverbrook, EP 0771
pressure	After the ink drop is ejected, the nozzle	high drop repetition rate is	Highly hydrophobic print head surfaces are	658 A2 and related
	chamber fills quickly as surface tension	possible	required	patent applications
	and ink pressure both operate to refill the			Alternative for:
	nozzle.			IJ01-IJ07, IJ10-IJ14
				IJ16, IJ20, IJ22-IJ45

METHOD OF RESTRICTING BACK-FLOW THROUGH INLET

Inlet back-flow
restriction
method
Long inlet	The ink inlet channel to the nozzle	Design simplicity	Restricts refill rate	Thermal inkjet
channel	chamber is made long and relatively	Operational simplicity	May result in a relatively large chip area	Piezoelectric inkjet
	narrow, relying on viscous drag to reduce	Reduces crosstalk	Only partially effective	IJ42, IJ43
	inlet back-flow.
Positive ink	The ink is under a positive pressure, so	Drop selection and separation	Requires a method (such as a nozzle rim or	Silverbrook, EP 0771
pressure	that in the quiescent state some of the ink	forces can be reduced	effective hydrophobizing, or both) to	658 A2 and related
	drop already protrudes from the nozzle.	Fast refill time	prevent flooding of the ejection surface of	patent applications
	This reduces the pressure in the nozzle		the print head.	Possible operation of
	chamber which is required to eject a			the following:
	certain volume of ink. The reduction in			IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ12
	chamber pressure results in a reduction in			IJ14, IJ16, IJ20, IJ22,
	ink pushed out through the inlet.			IJ23-IJ34, IJ36-IJ41
				IJ44
Baffle	One or more baffles are placed in the	The refill rate is not as	Design complexity	HP Thermal Ink Jet
	inlet ink flow. When the actuator is	restricted as the long inlet	May increase fabrication complexity (e.g.	Tektronix piezoelectric
	energized, the rapid ink movement	method.	Tektronix hot melt Piezoelectric print	ink jet
	creates eddies which restrict the flow	Reduces crosstalk	heads).
	through the inlet. The slower refill
	process is unrestricted, and does not
	result in eddies.
Flexible flap	In this method recently disclosed by	Significantly reduces back-	Not applicable to most inkjet configurations	Canon
restricts inlet	Canon, the expanding actuator (bubble)	flow for edge-shooter thermal	Increased fabrication complexity
	pushes on a flexible flap that restricts the	ink jet devices	Inelastic deformation of polymer flap
	inlet.		results in creep over extended use
Inlet filter	A filter is located between the ink inlet	Additional advantage of ink	Restricts refill rate	IJ04, IJ12, IJ24, IJ27
	and the nozzle chamber. The filter has a	filtration	May result in complex construction	IJ29, IJ30
	multitude of small holes or slots,	Ink filter may be fabricated
	restricting ink flow. The filter also	with no additional process
	removes particles which may block the	steps
	nozzle.
Small inlet	The ink inlet channel to the nozzle	Design simplicity	Restricts refill rate	IJ02, IJ37, IJ44
compared to	chamber has a substantially smaller cross		May result in a relatively large chip area
nozzle	section than that of the nozzle, resulting		Only partially effective
	in easier ink egress out of the nozzle than
	out of the inlet.
Inlet shutter	A secondary actuator controls the	Increases speed of the ink-jet	Requires separate refill actuator and drive	IJ09
	position of a shutter, closing off the ink	print head operation	circuit
	inlet when the main actuator is energized.
The inlet is	The method avoids the problem of inlet	Back-flow problem is	Requires careful design to minimize the	IJ01, IJ03, IJ05, IJ06
located behind	back-flow by arranging the ink-pushing	eliminated	negative pressure behind the paddle	IJ07, IJ10, IJ11, IJ14
the ink-pushing	surface of the actuator between the inlet			IJ16, IJ22, IJ23, IJ25
surface	and the nozzle.			IJ28, IJ31, IJ32, IJ33
				IJ34, IJ35, IJ36, IJ39
				IJ40, IJ41
Part of the	The actuator and a wall of the ink	Significant reductions in back-	Small increase in fabrication complexity	IJ07, IJ20, IJ26, IJ38
actuator moves	chamber are arranged so that the motion	flow can be achieved
to shut off the	of the actuator closes off the inlet.	Compact designs possible
inlet
Nozzle actuator	In some configurations of ink jet, there is	Ink back-flow problem is	None related to ink back-flow on actuation	Silverbrook, EP 0771
does not result	no expansion or movement of an actuator	eliminated		658 A2 and related
in ink back-flow	which may cause ink back-flow through			patent applications
	the inlet.			Valve-jet
				Tone-jet
				IJ08, IJ13, IJ15, IJ17
				IJ18, IJ19, IJ21

NOZZLE CLEARING METHOD

Nozzle Clearing
method
Normal nozzle	All of the nozzles are fired periodically,	No added complexity on the	May not be sufficient to displace dried ink	Most ink jet systems
firing	before the ink has a chance to dry. When	print head		IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ12
	not in use the nozzles are sealed (capped)			IJ14, IJ16, IJ20, IJ22
	against air.			IJ23-IJ34, IJ36-IJ45
	The nozzle firing is usually performed
	during a special clearing cycle, after first
	moving the print head to a cleaning
	station.
Extra power to	In systems which heat the ink, but do not	Can be highly effective if the	Requires higher drive voltage for clearing	Silverbrook, EP 0771
ink heater	boil it under normal situations, nozzle	heater is adjacent to the nozzle	May require larger drive transistors	658 A2 and related
	clearing can be achieved by over-			patent applications
	powering the heater and boiling ink at the
	nozzle.
Rapid	The actuator is fired in rapid succession.	Does not require extra drive	Effectiveness depends substantially upon	May be used with:
succession of	In some configurations, this may cause	circuits on the print head	the configuration of the inkjet nozzle	IJ01-IJ07, IJ09-IJ11
actuator pulses	heat build-up at the nozzle which boils	Can be readily controlled and		IJ14, IJ16, IJ20, IJ22
	the ink, clearing the nozzle. In other	initiated by digital logic		IJ23-IJ25, IJ27-IJ34
	situations, it may cause sufficient			IJ36-IJ45
	vibrations to dislodge clogged nozzles.
Extra power to	Where an actuator is not normally driven	A simple solution where	Not suitable where there is a hard limit to	May be used with:
ink pushing	to the limit of its motion, nozzle clearing	applicable	actuator movement	IJ03, IJ09, IJ16, IJ20
actuator	may be assisted by providing an			IJ23, IJ24, IJ25, IJ27
	enhanced drive signal to the actuator.			IJ29, IJ30, IJ31, IJ32
				IJ39, IJ40, IJ41, IJ42
				IJ43, IJ44, IJ45
Acoustic	An ultrasonic wave is applied to the ink	A high nozzle clearing	High implementation cost if system does	IJ08, IJ13, IJ15, IJ17
resonance	chamber. This wave is of an appropriate	capability can be achieved	not already include an acoustic actuator	IJ18, IJ19, IJ21
	amplitude and frequency to cause	May be implemented at very
	sufficient force at the nozzle to clear	low cost in systems which
	blockages. This is easiest to achieve if	already include acoustic
	the ultrasonic wave is at a resonant	actuators
	frequency of the ink cavity.
Nozzle clearing	A microfabricated plate is pushed against	Can clear severely clogged	Accurate mechanical alignment is required	Silverbrook, EP 0771
plate	the nozzles. The plate has a post for	nozzles	Moving parts are required	658 A2 and related
	every nozzle. The array of posts		There is risk of damage to the nozzles	patent applications
			Accurate fabrication is required
Ink pressure	The pressure of the ink is temporarily	May be effective where other	Requires pressure pump or other pressure	May be used with all IJ
pulse	increased so that ink streams from all of	methods cannot be used	actuator	series ink jets
	the nozzles. This may be used in		Expensive
	conjunction with actuator energizing.		Wasteful of ink
Print head wiper	A flexible ‘blade’ is wiped across the	Effective for planar print head	Difficult to use if print head surface is non-	Many ink jet systems
	print head surface. The blade is usually	surfaces	planar or very fragile
	fabricated from a flexible polymer, e.g.	Low cost	Requires mechanical parts
	rubber or synthetic elastomer.		Blade can wear out in high volume print
			systems
Separate ink	A separate heater is provided at the	Can be effective where other	Fabrication complexity	Can be used with many
boiling heater	nozzle although the normal drop e-ection	nozzle clearing methods cannot		IJ series ink jets
	mechanism does not require it. The	be used
	heaters do not require individual drive	Can be implemented at no
	circuits, as many nozzles can be cleared	additional cost in some inkjet
	simultaneously, and no imaging is	configurations
	required.

NOZZLE PLATE CONSTRUCTION

Nozzle plate
construction
Electroformed	A nozzle plate is separately fabricated	Fabrication simplicity	High temperatures and pressures are	Hewlett Packard
nickel	from electroformed nickel, and bonded to		required to bond nozzle plate	Thermal Inkjet
	the print head chip.		Minimum thickness constraints
			Differential thermal expansion
Laser ablated or	Individual nozzle holes are ablated by an	No masks required	Each hole must be individually formed	Canon Bubblejet
drilled polymer	intense UV laser in a nozzle plate, which	Can be quite fast	Special equipment required	1988 Sercel et al., SPIE,
	is typically a polymer such as polyimide	Some control over nozzle	Slow where there are many thousands of	Vol. 998 Excimer Beam
	or polysulphone	profile is possible	nozzles per print head	Applications, pp. 76-83
		Equipment required is	May produce thin burrs at exit holes	1993 Watanabe et al.,
		relatively low cost		USP 5,208,604
Silicon micromachined	A separate nozzle plate is micromachined	High accuracy is attainable	Two part construction	K. Bean, IEEE
	from single crystal silicon, and bonded to		High cost	Transactions on
	the print head wafer.		Requires precision alignment	Electron Devices, Vol.
			Nozzles may be clogged by adhesive	ED-25, No. 10, 1978,
				pp 1185-1195
				Xerox 1990 Hawkins et
				al., USP 4,899,181
Glass capillaries	Fine glass capillaries are drawn from	No expensive equipment	Very small nozzle sizes are difficult to form	1970 Zoltan USP
	glass tubing. This method has been used	required	Not suited for mass production	3,683,212
	for making individual nozzles, but is	Simple to make single nozzles
	difficult to use for bulk manufacturing of
	print heads with thousands of nozzles.
Monolithic,	The nozzle plate is deposited as a layer	High accuracy (<1 μm)	Requires sacrificial layer under the nozzle	Silverbrook, EP 0771
surface micromachined	using standard VLSI deposition	Monolithic	plate to form the nozzle chamber	658 A2 and related
using	techniques. Nozzles are etched in the	Low cost	Surface may be fragile to the touch	patent applications
VLSI	nozzle plate using VLSI lithography and	Existing processes can be used		IJ01, IJ02, IJ04, IJ11
lithographic	etching.			IJ12, IJ17, IJ18, IJ20
processes				IJ22, IJ24, IJ27, IJ28
				IJ29, IJ30, IJ31, IJ32
				IJ33, IJ34, IJ36, IJ37
				IJ38, IJ39, IJ40, IJ41
				IJ42, IJ43, IJ44
Monolithic,	The nozzle plate is a buried etch stop in	High accuracy (<1 μm)	Requires long etch times	IJ03, IJ05, IJ06, IJ07
etched through	the wafer. Nozzle chambers are etched in	Monolithic	Requires a support wafer	IJ08, IJ09, IJ10, IJ13
substrate	the front of the wafer, and the wafer is	Low cost		IJ14, IJ15, IJ16, IJ19
	thinned from the back side. Nozzles are	No differential expansion		IJ21, IJ23, IJ25, IJ26
	then etched in the etch stop layer.
No nozzle plate	Various methods have been tried to	No nozzles to become clogged	Difficult to control drop position accurately	Ricoh 1995 Sekiya et al
	eliminate the nozzles entirely, to prevent		Crosstalk problems	USP 5,412,413
	nozzle clogging. These include thermal			1993 Hadimioglu et al
	bubble mechanisms and acoustic lens			EUP 550,192
	mechanisms			1993 Elrod et al EUP
				572,220
Trough	Each drop ejector has a trough through	Reduced manufacturing	Drop firing direction is sensitive to	IJ35
	which a paddle moves. There is no	complexity	wicking.
	nozzle plate.	Monolithic
Nozzle slit	The elimination of nozzle holes and	No nozzles to become clogged	Difficult to control drop position accurately	1989 Saito et al USP
instead of	replacement by a slit encompassing many		Crosstalk problems	4,799,068
individual	actuator positions reduces nozzle
nozzles	clogging, but increases crosstalk due to
	ink surface waves

DROP EJECTION DIRECTION

Ejection
direction
Edge	Ink flow is along the surface of the chip,	Simple construction	Nozzles limited to edge	Canon Bubblejet 1979
(‘edge shooter’)	and ink drops are ejected from the chip	No silicon etching required	High resolution is difficult	Endo et al GB patent
	edge.	Good heat sinking via substrate	Fast color printing requires one print head	2,007,162
		Mechanically strong	per color	Xerox heater-in-pit
		Ease of chip handing		1990 Hawkins et al USP
				4,899,181
				Tone-jet
Surface	Ink flow is along the surface of the chip,	No bulk silicon etching	Maximum ink flow is severely restricted	Hewlett-Packard TIJ
(‘roof shooter’)	and ink drops are ejected from the chip	required		1982 Vaught et al USP
	surface, normal to the plane of the chip.	Silicon can make an effective		4,490,728
		heat sink		IJ02, IJ11, IJ12, IJ20
		Mechanical strength		IJ22
Through chip,	Ink flow is through the chip, and ink	High ink flow	Requires bulk silicon etching	Silverbrook, EP 0771
forward	drops are ejected from the front surface	Suitable for pagewidth print		658 A2 and related
(‘up shooter’)	of the chip.	High nozzle packing density		patent applications
		therefore low manufacturing		IJ04, IJ17, IJ18, IJ24
		cost		IJ27-IJ45
Through chip,	Ink flow is through the chip, and ink	High ink flow	Requires wafer thinning	IJ01, IJ03, IJ05, IJ06
reverse	drops are ejected from the rear surface of	Suitable for pagewidth print	Requires special handling during	IJ07, IJ08, IJ09, IJ10
(‘down shooter’)	the chip.	High nozzle packing density	manufacture	IJ13, IJ14, IJ15, IJ16
		therefore low manufacturing		IJ19, IJ21, IJ23, IJ25
		cost		IJ26
Through	Ink flow is through the actuator, which is	Suitable for piezoelectric print	Pagewidth print heads require several	Epson Stylus
actuator	not fabricated as part of the same	heads	thousand connections to drive circuits	Tektronix hot melt
	substrate as the drive transistors.		Cannot be manufactured in standard CMOS	piezoelectric ink jets
			fabs
			Complex assembly required

INK TYPE

Ink type
Aqueous, dye	Water based ink which typically	Environmentally friendly	Slow drying	Most existing inkjets
	contains: water, dye, surfactant,	No odor	Corrosive	All IJ series ink jets
	humectant, and biocide.		Bleeds on paper	Silverbrook, EP 0771
	Modern ink dyes have high water-		May strikethrough	658 A2 and related
	fastness, light fastness		Cockles paper	patent applications
Aqueous,	Water based ink which typically	Environmentally friendly	Slow drying	IJ02, IJ04, IJ21, IJ26
pigment	contains: water, pigment, surfactant,	No odor	Corrosive	IJ27, IJ30
	humectant, and biocide.	Reduced bleed	Pigment may clog nozzles	Silverbrook, EP 0771
	Pigments have an advantage in reduced	Reduced wicking	Pigment may clog actuator mechanisms	658 A2 and related
	bleed, wicking and strikethrough.	Reduced strikethrough	Cockles paper	patent applications
				Piezoelectric ink-jets
				Thermal ink jets (with
				significant restrictions)
Methyl Ethyl	MEK is a highly volatile solvent used for	Very fast drying	Odorous	All IJ series ink jets
Ketone (MEK)	industrial printing on difficult surfaces	Prints on various substrates	Flammable
	such as aluminum cans.	such as metals and plastics
Alcohol	Alcohol based inks can be used where the	Fast drying	Slight odor	All IJ series ink jets
(ethanol, 2-	printer must operate at temperatures	Operates at sub-freezing	Flammable
butanol, and	below the freezing point of water. An	temperatures
others)	example of this is in-camera consumer	Reduced paper cockle
	photographic printing.	Low cost
Phase change	The ink is solid at room temperature, and	No drying time-ink instantly	High viscosity	Tektronix hot melt
(hot melt)	is melted in the print head before jetting.	freezes on the print medium	Printed ink typically has a ‘waxy’ feel	piezoelectric ink jets
	Hot melt inks are usually wax based,	Almost any print medium can	Printed pages may ‘block’	1989 Nowak USP
	with a melting point around 80° C. After	be used	Ink temperature may be above the curie	4,820,346
	jetting the ink freezes almost instantly	No paper cockle occurs	point of permanent magnets	All IJ series ink jets
	upon contacting the print medium or a	No wicking occurs	Ink heaters consume power
	transfer roller.	No bleed occurs	Long warm-up time
		No strikethrough occurs
Oil	Oil based inks are extensively used in	High solubility medium for	High viscosity: this is a significant	All IJ series ink jets
	offset printing. They have advantages in	some dyes	limitation for use in inkjets, which usually
	improved characteristics on paper	Does not cockle paper	require a low viscosity. Some short chain
	(especially no wicking or cockle). Oil	Does not wick through paper	and multi-branched oils have a sufficiently
	soluble dies and pigments are required.		low viscosity.
			Slow drying
Microemulsion	A microemulsion is a stable, self forming emulsion	Stops ink bleed	Viscosity higher than water	All IJ series ink jets
	of oil, water, and surfactant.	High dye solubility	Cost is slightly higher than water based ink
	The characteristic drop size is less than	Water, oil, and amphiphilic	High surfactant concentration required (around 5%)
	100 nm, and is determined by the	soluble dies can be used
	preferred curvature of the surfactant.	Can stabilize pigment
		suspensions

Ink Jet Printing

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.

			U.S. Pat. No./
Australian			patent application
Provisional	Filing		Ser. No.
Number	Date	Title	and Filing Date
PO8066	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,227,652
	1997	Apparatus (IJ01)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8072	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,213,588
	1997	Apparatus (IJ02)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8040	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,213,589
	1997	Apparatus (IJ03)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8071	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,231,163
	1997	Apparatus (IJ04)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8047	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,247,795
	1997	Apparatus (IJ05)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8035	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,394,581
	1997	Apparatus (IJ06)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8044	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,244,691
	1997	Apparatus (IJ07)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8063	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,257,704
	1997	Apparatus (IJ08)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8057	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,416,168
	1997	Apparatus (IJ09)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8056	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,220,694
	1997	Apparatus (IJ10)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8069	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,257,705
	1997	Apparatus (IJ11)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8049	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,247,794
	1997	Apparatus (IJ12)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8036	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,234,610
	1997	Apparatus (IJ13)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8048	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,247,793
	1997	Apparatus (IJ14)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8070	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,264,306
	1997	Apparatus (IJ15)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8067	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,241,342
	1997	Apparatus (IJ16)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8001	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,247,792
	1997	Apparatus (IJ17)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8038	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,264,307
	1997	Apparatus (IJ18)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8033	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,254,220
	1997	Apparatus (IJ19)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8002	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,234,611
	1997	Apparatus (IJ20)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8068	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,302,528
	1997	Apparatus (IJ21)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8062	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,283,582
	1997	Apparatus (IJ22)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8034	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,239,821
	1997	Apparatus (IJ23)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8039	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,338,547
	1997	Apparatus (IJ24)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8041	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,247,796
	1997	Apparatus (IJ25)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8004	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	09/113,122
	1997	Apparatus (IJ26)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8037	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,390,603
	1997	Apparatus (IJ27)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8043	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,362,843
	1997	Apparatus (IJ28)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8042	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,293,653
	1997	Apparatus (IJ29)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8064	Jul. 15,	Image Creation Method and	6,312,107
	1997	Apparatus (IJ30)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO9389	Sep. 23,	Image Creation Method and	6,227,653
	1997	Apparatus (IJ31)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO9391	Sep. 23,	Image Creation Method and	6,234,609
	1997	Apparatus (IJ32)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0888	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	6,238,040
	1997	Apparatus (IJ33)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0891	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	6,188,415
	1997	Apparatus (IJ34)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0890	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	6,227,654
	1997	Apparatus (IJ35)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0873	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	6,209,989
	1997	Apparatus (IJ36)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0993	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	6,247,791
	1997	Apparatus (IJ37)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0890	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	6,336,710
	1997	Apparatus (IJ38)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP1398	Jan. 19,	An Image Creation Method	6,217,153
	1998	and Apparatus (IJ39)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP2592	Mar. 25,	An Image Creation Method	6,416,167
	1998	and Apparatus (IJ40)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP2593	Mar. 25,	Image Creation Method and	6,243,113
	1998	Apparatus (IJ41)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP3991	Jun. 9,	Image Creation Method and	6,283,581
	1998	Apparatus (IJ42)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP3987	Jun. 9,	Image Creation Method and	6,247,790
	1998	Apparatus (IJ43)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP3985	Jun. 9,	Image Creation Method and	6,260,953
	1998	Apparatus (IJ44)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP3983	Jun. 9,	Image Creation Method and	6,267,469
	1998	Apparatus (IJ45)	(Jul. 10, 1998)

Ink Jet Manufacturing

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.

			U.S. Pat. No./
Australian			patent application
Provisional			Ser. No.
Number	Filing Date	Title	and Filing Date
PO7935	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,224,780
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM01)
PO7936	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,235,212
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM02)
PO7937	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,280,643
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM03)
PO8061	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,284,147
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM04)
PO8054	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,214,244
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM05)
PO8065	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,071,750
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM06)
PO8055	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,267,905
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM07)
PO8053	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,251,298
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM08)
PO8078	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,258,285
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM09)
PO7933	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,225,138
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM10)
PO7950	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,241,904
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM11)
PO7949	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,299,786
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM12)
PO8060	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	09/113,124
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM13)
PO8059	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,231,773
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM14)
PO8073	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,190,931
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM15)
PO8076	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,248,249
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM16)
PO8075	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,290,862
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM17)
PO8079	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,241,906
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM18)
PO8050	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	09/113,116
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM19)
PO8052	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,241,905
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM20)
PO7948	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,451,216
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM21)
PO7951	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,231,772
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM22)
PO8074	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,274,056
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM23)
PO7941	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,290,861
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM24)
PO8077	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,248,248
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM25)
PO8058	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,306,671
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM26)
PO8051	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,331,258
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM27)
PO8045	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,110,754
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM28)
PO7952	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,294,101
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM29)
PO8046	Jul. 15, 1997	A Method of	6,416,679
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM30)
PO8503	Aug. 11, 1997	A Method of	6,264,849
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM30a)
PO9390	Sep. 23, 1997	A Method of	6,254,793
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM31)
PO9392	Sep. 23, 1997	A Method of	6,235,211
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM32)
PP0889	Dec. 12, 1997	A Method of	6,235,211
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM35)
PP0887	Dec. 12, 1997	A Method of	6,264,850
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM36)
PP0882	Dec. 12, 1997	A Method of	6,258,284
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM37)
PP0874	Dec. 12, 1997	A Method of	6,258,284
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM38)
PP1396	Jan. 19, 1998	A Method of	6,228,668
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM39)
PP2591	Mar. 25, 1998	A Method of	6,180,427
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM41)
PP3989	Jun. 9, 1998	A Method of	6,171,875
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM40)
PP3990	Jun. 9, 1998	A Method of	6,267,904
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM42)
PP3986	Jun. 9, 1998	A Method of	6,245,247
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM43)
PP3984	Jun. 9, 1998	A Method of	6,245,247
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM44)
PP3982	Jun. 9, 1998	A Method of	6,231,148
		Manufacture of an	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Image Creation
		Apparatus (IJM45)

Fluid Supply

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.

			U.S. Pat. No./
			patent
			application
Australian			Ser. No.
Provisional	Filing		and Filing
Number	Date	Title	Date
PO8003	Jul. 15,	Supply Method and Apparatus	6,350,023
	1997	(F1)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8005	Jul. 15,	Supply Method and Apparatus	6,318,849
	1997	(F2)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO9404	Sep. 23,	A Device and Method (F3)	09/113,101
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)

MEMS Technology

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.

			U.S. Pat. No./patent
Australian			application Ser.
Provisional	Filing		No. and Filing
Number	Date	Title	Date
PO7943	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS01)
	1997
PO8006	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS02)	6,087,638
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8007	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS03)	09/113,093
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8008	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS04)	6,340,222
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8010	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS05)	6,041,600
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8011	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS06)	6,299,300
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO7947	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS07)	6,067,797
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO7945	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS08)	09/113,081
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO7944	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS09)	6,286,935
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO7946	Jul. 15,	A device (MEMS10)	6,044,646
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO9393	Sep. 23,	A Device and Method	09/113,065
	1997	(MEMS11)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0875	Dec. 12,	A Device (MEMS12)	09/113,078
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0894	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method	09/113,075
	1997	(MEMS13)	(Jul. 10, 1998)

IR Technologies

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.

			U.S. Pat. No./
			patent
			application
Australian			Ser. No.
Provisional	Filing		and Filing
Number	Date	Title	Date
PP0895	Dec. 12,	An Image Creation Method	6,231,148
	1997	and Apparatus (IR01)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0870	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR02)	09/113,106
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0869	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR04)	6,293,658
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0887	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	09/113,104
	1997	Apparatus (IR05)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0885	Dec. 12,	An Image Production System	6,238,033
	1997	(IR06)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0884	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	6,312,070
	1997	Apparatus (IR10)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0886	Dec. 12,	Image Creation Method and	6,238,111
	1997	Apparatus (IR12)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0871	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR13)	09/113,086
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0876	Dec. 12,	An Image Processing Method	09/113,094
	1997	and Apparatus (IR14)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0877	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR16)	6,378,970
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0878	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR17)	6,196,739
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0879	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR18)	09/112,774
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0883	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR19)	6,270,182
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0880	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR20)	6,152,619
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)
PP0881	Dec. 12,	A Device and Method (IR21)	09/113,092
	1997		(Jul. 10, 1998)

DotCard Technologies

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.

			U.S. Pat. No./patent
Australian			application
Provisional			Ser. No. and
Number	Filing Date	Title	Filing Date
PP2370	Mar. 16,	Data Processing	09/112,781
	1998	Method and	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		Apparatus
		(Dot01)
PP2371	Mar. 16,	Data Processing	09/113,052
	1998	Method and	(Jul. 10, 1998
		Apparatus
		(Dot02)

Artcam Technologies

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.

			U.S. Pat. No./
Australian			patent application
Provisional			Ser. No.
Number	Filing Date	Title	and Filing Date
PO7991	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/113,060
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART01)
PO7988	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	6,476,863
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART02)
PO7993	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/113,073
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART03)
PO9395	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	6,322,181
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART04)
PO8017	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,747
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART06)
PO8014	Jul. 15, 1997	Media Device	6,227,648
		(ART07)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8025	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,750
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART08)
PO8032	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,746
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART09)
PO7999	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,743
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART10)
PO7998	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,742
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART11)
PO8031	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,741
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART12)
PO8030	Jul. 15, 1997	Media Device	6,196,541
		(ART13)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO7997	Jul. 15, 1997	Media Device	6,195,150
		(ART15)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO7979	Jul. 15, 1997	Media Device	6,362,868
		(ART16)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO8015	Jul. 15, 1997	Media Device	09/112,738
		(ART17)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO7978	Jul. 15, 1997	Media Device	09/113,067
		(ART18)	(Jul. 10, 1998)
PO7982	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	6,431,669
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998
		(ART19)
PO7989	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	6,362,869
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998
		(ART20)
PO8019	Jul. 15, 1997	Media Processing	6,472,052
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998
		(ART21)
PO7980	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	6,356,715
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART22)
PO8018	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,777
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART24)
PO7938	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/113,224
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART25)
PO8016	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	6,366,693
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART26)
PO8024	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	6,329,990
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART27)
PO7940	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/113,072
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART28)
PO7939	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/112,785
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART29)
PO8501	Aug. 11, 1997	Image Processing	6,137,500
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART30)
PO8500	Aug. 11, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,796
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART31)
PO7987	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/113,071
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART32)
PO8022	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	6,398,328
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998
		(ART33)
PO8497	Aug. 11, 1997	Image Processing	09/113,090
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART34)
PO8020	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	6,431,704
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998
		(ART38)
PO8023	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/113,222
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART39)
PO8504	Aug. 11, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,786
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART42)
PO8000	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	6,415,054
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART43)
PO7977	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/112,782
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART44)
PO7934	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/113,056
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART45)
PO7990	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/113,059
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART46)
PO8499	Aug. 11, 1997	Image Processing	6,486,886
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART47)
PO8502	Aug. 11, 1997	Image Processing	6,381,361
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART48)
PO7981	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	6,317,192
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998
		(ART50)
PO7986	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/113,057
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART51)
PO7983	Jul. 15, 1997	Data Processing	09/113,054
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART52)
PO8026	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,752
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul 10, 1998)
		(ART53)
PO8027	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,759
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART54)
PO8028	Jul. 15, 1997	Image Processing	09/112,757
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART56)
PO9394	Sep. 23, 1997	Image Processing	6,357,135
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998
		(ART57)
PO9396	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	09/113,107
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART58)
PO9397	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	6,271,931
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART59)
PO9398	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	6,353,772
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART60)
PO9399	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	6,106,147
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART61)
PO9400	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	09/112,790
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART62)
PO9401	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	6,304,291
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART63)
PO9402	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	09/112,788
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART64)
PO9403	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	6,305,770
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART65)
PO9405	Sep. 23, 1997	Data Processing	6,289,262
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART66)
PP0959	Dec. 16, 1997	A Data Processing	6,315,200
		Method and Apparatus	(Jul. 10, 1998)
		(ART68)
PP1397	Jan. 19, 1998	A Media Device	6,217,165
		(ART69)	(Jul. 10, 1998)