[54] APPARATUS FOR MIXING AND EJECTING MIXED COLORANT DROPS
[75] Inventors: Anthony R. Lubinsky, Penfield; Linda A. Kaszczuk, Webster; Xin Wen; David L. Cole, both of Rochester; Richard A. Landholm, Canandaigua, all of N.Y.
[73] Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y.
[21] Appl. No.: 09/084,617 [22] Filed: May 26, 1998
Related U.S. Application Data
[60] Provisional application No. 60/060,454, Sep. 29, 1997.
[51] Int. C I. B41J 2/205
[52] U.S. CI 347/15; 347/43; 347/68
[58] Field of Search 347/15, 7, 9, 21,
347/43, 68
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Primary Examiner—Richard Moses
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Raymond L. Owens
[57] ABSTRACT
An inkjet printing apparatus for printing continuous tone images on a receiver in response to a digital image, including a structure defining a plurality of colorant or colorant precursor receiving chambers, and another structure defining at least one mixing chamber for receiving a plurality of microdrops of colorants or colorant precursors from the colorant or colorant precursor receiving chambers to produce a desired colorant. The apparatus further includes a microdrop nozzle for each receiving chamber and in communication with the mixing chamber and a printing nozzle for each mixing chamber for causing a mixed drop to be delivered to the receiver. Further, the ejection of the desired number of microdrops is controlled and in response to the digital image and connected to the receiving chamber and the mixing chamber and for causing the desired number of microdrops to be ejected into the mixing chamber and then ejecting a mixed drop of colorant from the mixing chamber through the printing nozzle to the receiver.
6 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
