Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd

Memjet Technology Limited

Zamtec Limited

Kia Silverbrook

Attila Bertok

Paul Ian Mackey

Geoffrey Philip Dyer

Christopher Hibbard

Tobin Allen King

Gregory Michael Tow

Makomo Tsubono

Paul Lapstun

Norman Micheal Berry

David Alvin Tyvoll

John Christian Love

David William Jensen

Antoni S Murcia

Robert John Brice

Matthew John Underwood

Nicholas Kenneth Abraham

Biagio Agostinelli

Jeffrey D Lueschen

Javier Escobedo

Jeffrey Johnson

Antonio Joao Ubach

Paul Daniel Faucher

Arnold Peregrino

David Petersen

Dan Baterna, Jr

A printer having a media width printhead; a media path from a media input area to the printhead; a door hingedly mounted to a body of the printer which can be opened to expose the media path a media diverter mounted to the door such that when the door is in a closed position the door and the diverter define guiding portions of the path, the diverter being pivotally mounted to the door so that the diverter pivots out of the way upon opening of the door; and a displacement mechanism configured to retract the diverter with the opening movement of the door and to reposition the diverter for media guiding with the closing movement of the door.

Printer having media clearance mechanism

A media clearance mechanism for a printer, the media clearance mechanism having a door hingedly mounted to a body of the printer which can be opened to expose a media width of a media path to a media width printhead of the printer; a media diverter mounted to the door such that when the door is in a closed position the door and the diverter define guiding portions of the path, the diverter being pivotally mounted to the door so that the diverter pivots out of the way upon opening of the door; and a displacement mechanism configured to retract the diverter with the opening movement of the door and to reposition the diverter for media guiding with the closing movement of the door.

Media clearance mechanism for printer

A sheet feed mechanism includes a chassis for supporting a stack of sheets; a top sheet engaging member for engaging a top most sheet of the stack; a stack engaging structure, a first end of the stack engaging structure engaging the stack of sheets to bias a top most sheet of the stack of sheets against the top sheet engaging member, the stack engaging structure being supported from the chassis by a resilient member; a friction surface extending perpendicularly from a second end of the stack engaging structure opposite to the first end; a lock mechanism having a lock arm hingedly connected to the chassis, the lock mechanism including a biased contact foot for engaging the friction surface to retard a rectilinear movement of the stack engaging structure; and an actuator for engaging and disengaging the contact foot from the friction surface.

Sheet feed mechanism

A fluid coupling for establishing a sealed connection between a first conduit and a second conduit. The second conduit has a seal seat and a compression member. The compression member is movable relative to the seal seat. A seal is positioned in the seal seat. An engagement mechanism moves the compression member toward the seal seat to compress the seal to form a sealed fluid connection. The engagement mechanism has an input arm hinged to the compression member at a hinge connection. The input arm has a compression lever fixed at an angle to the longitudinal extent of the input arm. The input arm is arranged to push against the compression member as the input arm rotates about the hinge connection to the compression member. The compression member in turn pushes against the second conduit to move the second conduit relative to the first conduit, until the input arm reaches a predetermined angle about the hinge where the compression lever engages the second conduit such that further rotation of the input arm moves the compression member relative to the second conduit to compress the seal.

Fluid coupling

An inkjet printer has a body mounting first and second gear assemblies. The first assembly cooperating with a motor gear and having a code feature. The second assembly rotatably cooperating with the first assembly and a capper for capping a printhead. The code feature cooperates with a holding feature of a mounting arrangement used to mount the second assembly so that the cooperation maintains the first assembly at a predetermined position during the mounting of the second assembly. The first assembly has first and second gears connected by a common shaft. The first gear meshes with the motor gear and the second gear meshes with the second assembly. The second assembly has a third gear mounted to the body by a pin which meshes with the second gear. The third gear is an eccentric gear.

Printer having eccentrically coded capping mechanism

A method of assembling a gear arrangement for a capper of an inkjet printer includes the steps of: mounting a first gear assembly to the printer to cooperate with a motor gear for driving rotation of the first gear assembly, the first gear assembly including a driving gear from which a code feature protrudes, the driving gear meshed with the motor gear; engaging the printer with a jig; and mounting a second gear assembly to the printer using the jig, the second gear assembly mounted to cooperate with the first gear assembly to be rotatable therewith and to further cooperate with a capper for capping a printhead so that the rotation of the second gear assembly moves the capper out of and into capping position. The step of mounting the second gear assembly further includes a step of sliding a slider block of the holding feature about the code feature of the driving gear, whereby the code feature cooperate with the holding feature to maintain the first gear assembly at a predetermined position during the mounting of the second gear assembly.

Method of assembling printhead capping mechanism

A printhead maintenance facility is provided having a storage reservoir for storing fluid ejected by a printhead and a core movable relative to the printhead. The has an internal structure defining the storage reservoir and having a port in fluid communication with the storage reservoir, and an external structure movable relative to the internal structure and having a drain movable into registration with the port to establish fluid communication between the drain and storage reservoir.

Printhead maintenance facility having fluid drainage

A force sensor particularly suited for use in an electronic stylus that senses an applied force on its nib for recording pen strokes and handwriting recognition. The sensor has a load bearing member for receiving an input force to be sensed and associated circuitry for converting the input force into an output signal indicative of the input force. A coupling at least partially transmits the applied force to be the input force acting on the load bearing member. The force transfer coupling transferring the forces so that the applied force and the input force are not co-linear.

Force sensor with angled coupling

A gear arrangement for a capper of an inkjet printer comprises a first gear assembly mounted to the printer so as to cooperate with a motor gear for driving rotation of the first gear assembly, the first gear assembly having a code feature; and a second gear assembly mounted to the printer so as to cooperate with the first gear assembly to be rotatable therewith, the second gear assembly, in use, cooperating with a capper for capping a printhead so that the rotation of the second gear assembly moves the capper out of and into its capping position. The code feature of the first gear assembly is arranged to cooperate with a holding feature of a mounting arrangement used to mount the second gear assembly to the printer, the code feature being configured so that the cooperation with the holding feature maintains the first gear assembly at a predetermined position during the mounting of the second gear assembly. A common shaft is mounted connecting the first gear and two second gears to the body so that each of the second gears mesh with the second gear assembly. A pin of two third gears is mounted to the body so that each of the third gears mesh with a respective one of the second gears of the first gear assembly.

Printhead capping mechanism having multiple gear assemblies and method of assembling same

A inkjet printhead maintenance facility that has an ink storage reservoir for holding ink ejected from the inkjet printhead during a maintenance operation and, an outlet coupling in fluid communication with the ink storage reservoir and configured for connection to a vacuum source to draw ink out of the ink storage reservoir.

Printhead maintenance facility with ink storage and driven vacuum drainage coupling

A printer is provided which has a support frame having a first slot, a plate having a tab configured to slidably engage with the first slot in order to mount the plate to the support frame and a bearing positioned in a hole of the plate, and at least one elongate roller supported at a longitudinal first end by the bearing and at a longitudinal second end by the support frame. The bearing is configured to allow pivotal movement of the roller about the second end during the sliding engagement of the plate and support frame and to allow, in use, rotation of the roller for transport of print media within the printer.

Printer having easily mountable media transport arrangement

A fluid coupling for establishing a sealed connection between a first conduit and a second conduit that has a seal seat and a compression member. The compression member is movable relative to the seal seat in which an annular seal is positioned. An engagement mechanism moves the second conduit from a disengaged position where there is no sealed fluid connection between the first and second conduits, to an engaged position where the compression member moves toward the seal seat to compress the annular seal to form a sealed fluid connection.

Low insertion force fluid coupling

A method of priming a printhead cartridge upon installation in a printer, the printhead cartridge having a printhead with a nozzle face defining an array of nozzles for ejecting ink on to a media substrate fed past the printhead in a media feed direction, by providing a printer with at least three ink tanks for storing the inks of different color, the printer also having a cradle for supporting the printhead cartridge adjacent a media feed path, a fluid interface in fluid communication with the ink tanks, and a latch for securing the printhead cartridge in the cradle, the latch being movable between an open position where access to the cradle is unobstructed, and a closed position where access to the cradle is obstructed, placing the printhead cartridge in the cradle while the latch is in the open position, the printhead cartridge having a fluid coupling positioned to align with the fluid interface when placed in the cradle, moving the latch to the closed position to secure the printhead cartridge in cradle, providing a mechanical linkage between the latch and the fluid interface such that the fluid interface sealingly engages the fluid coupling upon moving the latch to the closed position and, priming the printhead with ink from all of the ink tanks.

Printhead cartridge priming protocol

An inkjet printer that has a printhead cartridge with a pagewidth printhead defining an array of nozzles for ejecting ink onto a media substrate. The printhead cartridge has a fluid coupling in fluid communication with the array of nozzles. The printer also has a cradle for supporting the printhead cartridge such that the array of nozzles is adjacent a media feed path extending through the printer, the cradle having a latch mechanism for retaining the printhead cartridge, an ink reservoir for containing supply of ink and a complementary coupling for fluid communication with the ink reservoir. The fluid coupling and the complementary coupling are configured to establish a sealed fluid connection using mechanical advantage provided by user actuation of the latch mechanism to retain the printhead cartridge in the cradle.

Printer with zero insertion force printhead cartridge

A method of picking sheet media in a printer is provided. In the method a pick-up roller is caused to contact with sheet media of a supply of sheet media, the pick-up roller is rotatably driven with a motor via a gear assembly so that the pick-up roller picks up the sheet media and delivers the picked sheet media to a sheet media transport mechanism for transporting sheet media past a printhead, and substantially at the point of delivery of a leading edge of the picked sheet media to the sheet media transport mechanism by the pick-up roller, a first gear of the gear assembly is disengaged from a second gear of the gear assembly to cease the driving of the pick-up roller.

Growing community of inventors

Balmain, Australia

Attila Bertok