Exponential horn printer

Claim 1

PRINTING MEANS FO THE TYPE WHEREIN NO DIRECT FORCE IS EXERTED BETWEEN A CHARACTER FORMING MEANS AND THE SURFACE TO BE PRINTED UPON COMPRISING: (A) A PLURALITY OF SHOCK WAVE CONDUCTING HORN MEANS ARRANGED IN A CHARACTER FORMING MATRIX OF ROWS AND COLUMNS, EACH HORN MEANS HAVING A SMALL FIRST AND A LARGER SECOND OPEN END, ALTERNATE OF SAID HORN MEANS IN EACH ROW AND COLUMN OF SAID MATRIX BEING OF GREATER LENGTH THAN THE OTHER OF SAID HORN MEANS; (B) MEANS MOUNTING SAID HORN MEANS WHEREBY A CLOSER ARRANGEMENT OF THE FIRST OPENINGS MAY BE ATTAINED WITH THE SMALLER FIRST OPEN ENDS OF ALL SAID HORN MEANS BEING ARRANGED ADJACENT AND PARALLEL WITH THE SAID SURFACE TO BE PRINTED UPON AND THE LARGER SECOND OPEN ENDS OF THE HORN MEANS OF GREATER LENGTH EXTENDING BEYOND THE LARGER SECOND OPEN ENDS OF SAID OTHER HORN MEANS; (C) AN INK SUPPLY MOUNTED SO AS TO COMPLETELY IMMERSE EACH OF SAID SECOND OPEN ENDS IN SAID INK SUPPLY; (D) A PLURALITY OF SHOCK WAVE PRODUCING TRANSDUCER MEANS, EACH PLACED WITHIN SAID INK SUPPLY AND CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH THE LARGER SECOND OPEN END OF INDIVIDUAL ONES OF SAID HORN MEANS; (E) AND MEANS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SIGNALS AND IN RESPONSE THERETO MOMENTARILY TO EXCITE SELECTED ONES OF SAID SHOCK WAVE PRODUCING MEANS TO PRODUCE SHOCK WAVES IN SAID INK, SAID WAVES TRAVELING BETWEEN SAID SECOND AND SAID FIRST OPEN ENDS OF THEIR ASSOCIATED HORN MEANS AND FORCING A PORTION OF SAID INK OUT OF SAID FIRST OPEN END TO IMPINGE UPON SAID SURFACE, EACH IMPINGEMENT OF SAID INK UPON SAID SURFACE FORMING AN INK SPOT THEREON, SAID INK SPOTS COOPERATING IN THE FORMING OF A CHARCTER ON SAID SURFACE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PATTERN OF THE SELECTED SHOCK WAVE PRODUCING MEANS.