Appeal No. 1999-1560
Application No. 08/974,108
flexible cable with electrodes for driving the piezoelectric
elements, and a flexible member keeping the piezoelectric elements
and the flexible cable in contact have an oval shape. Claim 1 is
illustrative of the claimed invention, and it reads as follows:
1. An ink jet printing head comprising:
a head assembly, including:
an ink conduit plate,
pressure chambers arrayed on the ink conduit plate, each
pressure chamber having an ink inlet at a first end of the pressure
chamber and a nozzle at a second end of the pressure chamber,
an ink conduit connected to the ink inlet of each pressure
chamber,
a diaphragm disposed over and covering an end of each pressure
chamber, and
a plurality of piezoelectric elements attached to the diaphragm
in one-to-one correspondence with the pressure chambers, wherein each
piezoelectric element is operable to move a portion of the diaphragm
to vary a capacity of a pressure chamber corresponding to the
piezoelectric element to draw ink through the ink inlet and to expel
ink through the nozzle;
the ink jet printing head further comprising:
a main frame having a first surface that supports the head
assembly, a second surface, and a hollow portion that is oval in
shape at a center of the main frame;
a flexible cable that is oval in shape and positioned in the
hollow portion of the main frame, the flexible cable including a
group of electrodes for applying a drive voltage to the piezoelectric
elements;
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007