Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080238985 | Printhead Maintenance Station For A Pagewidth Printer Having An Air Supply And Vacuum Assembly For Purging Excess Ink From The Printhead - Provided is a printhead maintenance station for a pagewidth printer. The maintenance station includes a capper having an open-ended capping chamber with a perimeter gasket for operatively engaging with a printhead of the printer to form a protective seal around the printhead. Also included is an engagement mechanism configured to actuate said capper into and out of sealing engagement with the printhead, as well as an air supply and vacuum assembly with valve arrangements arranged in fluid communication with the capping chamber to facilitate in purging excess ink from the printhead when the capper is engaged with said printhead. | 10-02-2008 |
20080238986 | Pagewidth Printer With A Printhead Maintenance Station Having A Capping Chamber With Inlet And A Vacuum Channels - Provided is a printhead maintenance station for a pagewidth printer. The maintenance station includes a capper having an open-ended capping chamber with a perimeter gasket for operatively engaging with a printhead of the printer to form a protective seal around the printhead. The maintenance station also includes an engagement mechanism configured to actuate said capper into and out of sealing engagement with the printhead. | 10-02-2008 |
20080246798 | PRINTER ARRANGEMENT WITH PRINTHEAD AND INK TRANSPORT ASSEMBLY - A printer arrangement having a printhead mounted on a carrier, the printhead connected to a printhead controller by means of encapsulated wire bonds. The arrangement also includes an ink supply manifold having a plurality of ink reservoirs for supplying the printhead with ink, and an ink transport assembly configured to facilitate purging of ink from the printhead when the assembly is in a cleaning position. | 10-09-2008 |
20080246799 | PRINTHEAD MAINTENANCE ASSEMBLY HAVING A CAPPER WITH A CONSTRICTION MEMBER - Provided is a printhead maintenance assembly having an ink manifold with a printhead, the manifold operatively supplying the printhead with ink, and a capper arrangement. The capper arrangement includes a capper operatively fitted to the manifold over the printhead, the capper defining a capper chamber with a constriction member splitting said chamber into an air inlet channel and a vacuum channel. The constriction member is located proximate the printhead to define a blast channel therewith between the inlet channel and the vacuum channel. | 10-09-2008 |
20080246800 | PRINTHEAD MAINTENANCE ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING A DABBING DEVICE - A printhead maintenance assembly having an ink manifold with a printhead, the manifold operatively supplying the printhead with ink. The assembly also includes a capper arrangement having a capper operatively fitted to the manifold over the printhead, the capper defining a capper chamber with a constriction member splitting said chamber into an air inlet channel and a vacuum channel, the constriction member located proximate the printhead to define a blast channel therewith between the inlet channel and the vacuum channel. The assembly also includes a dabbing device to dab the printhead after disengagement of the capper with the printhead. | 10-09-2008 |
20080246802 | Printhead Maintenance Station Incorporating A Dabbing Device - Provided is a printhead maintenance station for a pagewidth printer. The maintenance station includes a capper having an open-ended capping chamber with a perimeter gasket for operatively engaging with a printhead of the printer to form a protective seal around the printhead. The station also includes an engagement mechanism configured to actuate said capper into and out of sealing engagement with the printhead. Also included is a dabbing device with a microfibre film which is operatively fed between a pair of spools to dab a non-printing portion of the printhead after the capper is disengaged from the printhead. | 10-09-2008 |
20090085991 | PRINTHEAD MAINTENANCE SYSTEM FOR FLOODING PRINTHEAD - A printhead maintenance system is provided having a fluid supply system for flooding fluid from a printhead onto a printing face of the printhead, a roller arranged to be substantially coextensive with the printhead for receiving the flooded fluid from the printing face, and a transport mechanism for feeding the roller through a transfer zone and away from the printhead. | 04-02-2009 |
20090147041 | Method Of Removing Foreign Particulates From Pagewidth Printhead - A method of removing foreign particulates from an ink ejection face of a pagewidth printhead mounted on a substrate. The substrate has a film guide positioned adjacent the printhead. The method comprises the steps of: (a) flooding the face with ink and dispersing the particulates into the flooded ink; (b) positioning a polymer film in a transfer zone so as to define a cavity defined by the ink ejection face, the film guide and the polymer film; and (c) guiding the polymer film through the transfer zone. The movement of the film in the transfer zone transfers the flooded ink onto the polymer film. | 06-11-2009 |
20090153614 | Printhead Assembly Comprising Ink Reservoir Containing Cleaning Liquid - An inkjet printer comprising: (a) an inkjet printhead; (b) a plurality of reservoirs in fluid communication with nozzles in the printhead, at least one of the reservoirs being an ink reservoir containing printing ink, and at least one of the reservoirs being a cleaning reservoir containing a cleaning liquid for cleaning an ink ejection face of the printhead; (c) a pressure device for positively pressurizing the cleaning reservoir; (d) a conduit providing fluid communication between the cleaning reservoir and the printhead; and (e) a valve in the conduit for controlling a supply of cleaning liquid to the printhead. | 06-18-2009 |
20090179963 | PRINTHEAD WITH EXTERIOR SURFACE PROFILED FOR WIPING MAINTENANCE STATION - A printhead assembly with an elongate printhead IC having a nozzle face defining an array of nozzles, and a support structure for supporting the elongate printhead IC on an external surface such that its length is transverse to a media feed direction through the printer. The external surface has a section that is flush with a long side edge of the elongate printhead IC. | 07-16-2009 |
20090289988 | Method Of Cleaning A Printhead Using Liquid Foam - A method of cleaning an inkjet printhead, by generating a liquid foam on the ink ejection face such that particulate contaminants on the ejection surface disperse into the foam, then transferring the foam, together with the particulate contaminants dispersed within, onto a rotatable transfer surface moving relative said ejection face and, rotating the rotatable transfer surface into contact with a removal surface to remove the foam and the particulate contaminants dispersed within. Ink consumption is minimized by use of a foam and damage to the face is avoided since the rotatable transfer surface does not contact the face. | 11-26-2009 |
20100002047 | PRINTHEAD PURGING SYSTEM WITH HAMMER ACTION - A printhead purging system comprises an ink conduit for supplying ink to a printhead, a hammer head for hammering a wall of a compressible part of the conduit, a spring-loading mechanism for priming the hammer head, and a release mechanism for releasing the primed hammer head. Release of the primed hammer head compresses the ink conduit and results in purging of ink from the printhead. | 01-07-2010 |
20100013888 | Method Of Maintaining Printhead Using Maintenance Roller - A method of maintaining a printhead comprises the steps of: (i) providing a maintenance roller having a contact surface for sealing engagement with the printhead; (ii) moving the roller into a first position in which the contact surface is sealingly engaged with the printhead; (iii) moving the roller into a second position in which the contact surface is disengaged from said printhead; and (iv) rotating the roller such that the contact surface is conveyed away from the printhead. The maintenance roller does not rotate when the contact surface is sealingly engaged with the printhead. | 01-21-2010 |
20100073422 | Inkjet Printer With Maintenance Assembly Having Non-Absorbent Roller - An inkjet printer having a printhead maintenance assembly for maintaining a printhead in an operable condition. The maintenance assembly comprises a maintenance roller having an elastically-deformable non-absorbent contact surface for sealing engagement with an ink ejection face of the printhead. An engagement mechanism moves the roller between a first position in which the contact surface is sealingly engaged with the face and a second position in which the contact surface is disengaged from the face. | 03-25-2010 |
20100073445 | Printer With Ink Pressure Regulator - An inkjet printer includes a printhead integrated circuit (IC) with an array of nozzles for ejecting ink on to print media; an ink supply reservoir for storing ink; an ink supply line defining a flow path from the ink supply reservoir to the printhead IC; a valve in the ink supply line proximate the printhead IC selectively closing the flow path to the printhead IC; an ink purge actuator for forcing a volume of ink out of the printhead under pressure; a printhead maintenance system having a collection roller for rotating such that the collection roller surface collects ink purged from the printhead and draws the ink away; and a pressure regulator provided in the ink supply reservoir downstream from the ink supply reservoir. The pressure regulator is normally biased shut, and operable to open upon a threshold pressure difference between ink upstream of the pressure regulator and ink downstream of the pressure regulator. | 03-25-2010 |
20100079536 | PRINTHEAD MAINTENANCE SYSTEM FOR APPLYING FOAM TO PRINTHEAD - A printhead maintenance system for maintaining a printhead having an ink ejection face is provided. The maintenance system comprises: (a) a foaming system for providing liquid foam on the face, (b) a foam transfer surface for receiving the foam from said face, (c) a transport mechanism for feeding said transfer surface through a transfer zone and away from said printhead, and (d) a valve configurable in first and second positions, the first position for establishing fluid communication between said printhead and an ink supply system and the second position for establishing fluid communication between said printhead and said foaming system. The transfer zone is adjacent to and spaced apart from said ink ejection face. | 04-01-2010 |
20100103219 | Inkjet Printer With Maintenance Roller Mounted On Chassis - An inkjet printer has an inkjet printhead and a printhead maintenance station. The maintenance station includes a maintenance roller which is rotatable and moveable between a first position in which a capping portion is sealingly engaged with the printhead and a second position in which the capping portion is disengaged from the printhead. The maintenance roller is mounted on a chassis which is reciprocally moveable between the first and second positions. The printer includes an engagement mechanism for moving the chassis between the first and second positions by complementary engagement with engagement formations on the chassis. | 04-29-2010 |
20100134577 | Inkjet Printhead With Pressure Pulse Priming - An inkjet printer that has a printhead with an array of ink ejection nozzles, an upstream ink line for connecting the printhead to an ink supply, a downstream ink line for connecting the printhead to a sump, a pump in the downstream ink line for drawing fluid out of the printhead, a gas inlet in communication with the printhead, the gas inlet being configured to open to atmosphere during a printhead de-priming operation, and close to atmosphere during a printhead priming operation and, an accumulator positioned in the upstream ink line for generating a positive pressure pulse for priming the printhead. | 06-03-2010 |
20100141706 | NON-CONTACT METHOD OF MAINTAINING INKJET PRINTHEAD - A method of maintaining an ink ejection face of a pagewidth printhead. The method includes the steps of: flooding the face with ink; positioning a transfer roller adjacent the face and without contacting the face; rotating the transfer roller and simultaneously transferring flooded ink from the ink ejection face onto the transfer roller; and removing ink from the transfer roller. | 06-10-2010 |
20100149251 | PRINTHEAD CARTRIDGE INCORPORATING INK SUPPLY AND MOVEABLE MAINTENANCE STATION - A printhead cartridge for an inkjet printer is removably receivable in the printer. The cartridge comprises: a pagewidth printhead, an ink delivery system and a maintenance station. The maintenance station comprises: a chassis reciprocally moveable between a first position and a second position, and a printhead maintenance system mounted on the chassis. The printhead maintenance system is moveable by the chassis between the first position in which the printhead is maintained by the maintenance system and the second position in which the maintenance system is disengaged from the printhead. The chassis comprises an engagement formation for complementary engagement with an engagement arm of an engagement mechanism in the printer. The chassis is moveable by means of the engagement mechanism. | 06-17-2010 |
20100182383 | INKJET PRINTERWITH ACTIVE CONTROL OF INK PRESSURE - An inkjet printer comprises an inkjet printhead and an ink reservoir contained in a pressurizable chamber, with an ink conduit interconnecting the ink reservoir and the printhead. An air compressor is in fluid communication with the chamber and a valve is positioned between the air compressor and the chamber. A first air conduit interconnects an outlet of the air compressor and the valve, while a second air conduit interconnects an inlet of the air compressor and the valve. The valve is switchable between a first configuration in which the valve interconnects the outlet and the chamber via the first air conduit, and a second configuration in which the valve interconnects the inlet and the chamber via the second air conduit. | 07-22-2010 |
20100188446 | INKJET PRINTER EMPLOYING DISPOSABLE SHEET FOR PRINTHEAD MAINTENANCE - An inkjet printer comprises a printhead having an ink ejection face and an ink supply system including a face flooding system. A sheet feed arrangement feeds a disposable sheet past the printhead and through a maintenance zone spaced apart from the face, and a print media feed arrangement feeds print media past the printhead and through a print zone. The maintenance zone is nearer the face than the print zone, and no part of the disposable sheet makes contact with the printhead. | 07-29-2010 |
20100188460 | NON-CONTACT METHOD OF REMOVING FLOODED INK FROM PRINTHEAD FACE - A method of removing flooded ink from an ink ejection face of a printhead. The method comprises moving a surface past said face and transferring the flooded ink onto the moving surface, wherein no part of the surface contacts the face. | 07-29-2010 |
20100201742 | PRINTHEAD MAINTENANCE METHOD WITH PURGING, INK REMOVAL AND PRINTING STEPS - A method of purging and printing from an inkjet printhead. The method comprises the steps of: (i) purging the printhead using a purging ink, thereby flooding an ink ejection face of the printhead; (ii) removing the flooded ink from the ink ejection face by feeding a transfer surface past the printhead, wherein no part of the transfer surface makes contact with the printhead; and (iii) printing from the printhead using a printing ink. | 08-12-2010 |
20100220144 | METHOD OF MAINTAINING INKJET PRINTHEAD USING NON-CONTACT ROLLER - A method of maintaining an ink ejection face of an inkjet printhead. The method comprises the steps of: (i) flooding the ink ejection face with ink from nozzles in the printhead; and (ii) rotating a roller adjacent the face, such that flooded ink is transferred from the face onto an outer surface of the roller. The outer surface of the roller does not contact the face during rotation of the roller. | 09-02-2010 |
20100271442 | PRINTER WITH FOAMING SYSTEM FOR CLEANING EJECTING FACE - An inkjet printer that has a printhead with an ink ejection face, an ink supply system for supplying ink to the printhead and a foaming system for generating a liquid foam on the ejection face. The liquid foam is a matrix of liquid membranes forming randomly-packed Voronoi polyhedra. | 10-28-2010 |
20100277544 | INKJET PRINTER WITH MAINTENANCE STATION HAVING NON-CONTACT FILM - An inkjet printer has a carrier frame supporting an ink supply manifold; a pagewidth printhead with an ink ejection surface; an encapsulant defining a film guide and a maintenance station. The maintenance station includes: a chassis; a plurality of rollers mounted on the chassis; a film wound in a loop around the rollers; and a drive motor operatively connected to one of the rollers such that actuation of the drive motor rotates the film around said rollers. The chassis is moveable between a printing position in which the film is remote from the printhead and a cleaning position in which the film engages the film guide so that a cavity is defined by the film, the encapsulant and the ink ejection surface. | 11-04-2010 |
20100277553 | INKJET PRINTER WITH INK SUPPLY CONFIGURABLE FOR BOTH PRINTING AND PURGING - A printer includes an inkjet printhead and an ink supply system. The ink supply system includes: an ink reservoir for storing ink, the ink reservoir being contained in a pressurizable chamber; an ink conduit providing fluid communication between the ink reservoir and the printhead; an air compressor for positively pressurizing the chamber; and a valve in the ink conduit for controlling a supply of ink to the printhead. | 11-04-2010 |
20100309267 | INKJET PRINTER HAVING ROBUST BUBBLE-POINT INK PRESSURE REGULATOR - An inkjet printer includes an inkjet printhead and an ink pressure regulator in fluid communication with the printhead via an ink line. The regulator includes an ink chamber having an ink outlet connected to the ink line; an air inlet; a regulator channel having a first end communicating with the air inlet and a second end defining a bubble outlet; and a wetting system for maintaining liquid in the regulator channel. The regulator channel is dimensioned to control a Laplace pressure of air bubbles drawn from the bubble outlet as result of supplying ink to the printhead, thereby regulating a hydrostatic pressure of the ink. | 12-09-2010 |
20110025778 | PRINTHEAD ASSEMBLY WITH PROFILED EXTERIOR SURFACE - A printhead assembly for an inkjet printer is disclosed. The printhead assembly has an elongate printhead chip with a nozzle face defining an array of nozzles. A support structure supports the elongate printhead chip on an external surface thereof. An epoxy resin is also provided adjacent a long side edge of the elongate printhead chip. The epoxy resin is profiled such that the epoxy resin is flush with the nozzle face of the elongate printhead chip. The epoxy resin is thixotropic prior to setting. | 02-03-2011 |
20110164099 | INK CARTRIDGE WITH BUBBLE POINT PRESSURE REGULATOR DEFINED IN LAMINATED WALL - An ink cartridge for an inkjet printer having a laminated wall. The laminated wall defines: an air inlet; a regulator channel having a first end communicating with the air inlet and a second end defining a bubble outlet; and a wetting system for maintaining liquid in the regulator channel so as to ensure that air entering a headspace of the cartridge first passes through said liquid. The regulator channel is dimensioned to control a Laplace pressure of air bubbles drawn from the bubble outlet as result of supplying ink to a printhead, and thereby regulates a hydrostatic pressure of the ink. | 07-07-2011 |
20110216127 | PRINTHEAD WIPING SYSTEM - A maintenance system for maintaining a stationary printhead is disclosed. The maintenance system includes a porous wiper element movable longitudinally past the printhead. The wiper element contacts the printhead during movement in at least one direction of longitudinal movement. A pump is included for pumping liquid into the wiper element. A rotating means is included for spinning the wiper element to thereby spin liquid and contaminants from the wiper element. By spinning the wiper element the wetness thereof is reset to a known condition. Advantageously the wetness of the wiper element is then set to a desired level by controlling the amount of liquid pumped by the pump into the wiper element. In order to clean the wiper element, the wiper element is saturated with liquid before spinning the wiper element again, followed by another spinning operation. Other levels of wetness include a level for rehydrating the printhead, and another level for wiping the printhead. | 09-08-2011 |
20120098886 | PRINT HEAD MAINTENANCE SYSTEM - A print head maintenance system for maintaining a stationary print head is disclosed. The maintenance includes both cleaning and priming In one embodiment the system includes a suction nozzle, a pump for supplying suction to the suction nozzle, and a positioning mechanism for moving the suction nozzle longitudinally past the print head. In an alternative embodiment the system further includes an ejection nozzle closely spaced to the suction nozzle, and a further pump for supplying fluid to the ejection nozzle. The positioning mechanism moves the ejection and suction nozzles longitudinally past the print head. | 04-26-2012 |
20130038662 | PRINTHEAD MAINTENANCE ASSEMBLY HAVING FIRST AND SECOND TRANSFER ROLLERS - A printhead maintenance assembly for maintaining an ink ejection face of an inkjet printhead. The printhead maintenance assembly includes: a first transfer roller having a transfer surface for receiving ink from the ink ejection face; a drive mechanism configured for rotating the first transfer roller; and a second transfer roller for engagement with the first transfer roller. During use, the second transfer roller receives ink from the first transfer roller. | 02-14-2013 |
20130106950 | COMBINED CAPPER AND PLATEN FOR A STATIONARY PRINT HEAD | 05-02-2013 |
20130106951 | PRINT HEAD MAINTENANCE SYSTEM | 05-02-2013 |
20130229467 | NON-CONTACT METHOD OF REMOVING FLOODED INK FROM PRINTHEAD PAGE - An ink supply system for an inkjet printhead. The ink supply system includes: an ink reservoir for containing ink, the ink reservoir having a flexible wall; a spring contained within the ink reservoir, the spring being configured for biasing the flexible wall away from an opposite wall of the ink reservoir; an ink conduit providing fluid communication between the ink reservoir and the printhead; and a pressure device for positively pressurizing the flexible wall of the ink reservoir against the bias of the spring. The pressure device includes an air pump for positively pressurizing an air chamber communicating with the flexible wall, such that actuation of the air pump causes the wall to move towards the opposite wall against the bias of the spring. | 09-05-2013 |