Lexmark International, Inc.

Square D Company

David Emerson Greer

James Daniel Anderson, Jr

Terry A Cassity

Jeffery James Buchanan

Michael Clark Campbell

Johnnie A Coffey

Matthew Joe Russell

Trevor Daniel Gray

Jonathan Hans Van Camp

Jason Todd Vanderpool

Ganesh Vinayak Phatak

Gina Marie Johns

Stephen Porter Bush

Timothy Lorn Howard

John Yeung Conway

Christopher Elliot Lingle

John Richard Fowler

Lane Thomas Butler

Jeffrey James Buchanan

Steven Robert Komplin

Brian Dale Cook

Thomas Allen Bailey

Steve M Ledbetter

Frank Edward Anderson

Christopher Alan Adkins

Carl Edmond Sullivan

Timothy Lowell Strunk

Paul Timothy Spivey

David Amos Ward

Curtis Ray Droege

James Paul Drummond

Kent Lee Ubellacker

Mark Walter Fagan

Brian Jones

Hamid Sattari Abroy

Stacey Vaughan Mitchell

David T Shadwick

Melissa Marie Waldeck

Kin Ming Kwan

Gregory Alan Long

William Joseph Thornhill

Donald Fred Croley

Jon Brock Whitney

Daniel Joseph Westhoff

Ann Marie Trebolo

Michael Kurt Gordon

Jeffrey Allen Ardery

Gerald Floyd Davis

Brian David Smith

Kim D Wheeler

James Andrew Kerr

Edward A Hyatt

John Kenneth Leppla

Julie Ann Whitney

Steve R Komplin

George Fitzsimmons

James D Anderson

Christopher W Pevahouse

Sara M Coneway

Brian T Jones

Mark W Fagan

A micro-fluid ejection head structure and a method for assembling a micro-fluid ejection head structure. The micro-fluid ejection head structure includes a molded, non-fibrous wicking and filtration structure. The wicking and filtration structure is fixedly attached to a filtered fluid reservoir of the micro-fluid ejection head structure for flow of filtered fluid to a micro-fluid ejection head attached to the head structure.

Filter/wicking structure for micro-fluid ejection head

Narrow ink tank with serpentine air vent

Single reservoir tank with serpentine air vent

Tri-color tank with serpentine air vents

Ink delivery systems for an ink jet printer and methods for manufacturing the same. In an embodiment, the system comprises a separable ink tank, a printhead body having an opening, ink ejectors associated with the printhead body, and a retainer engaged with the tower portion of the printhead body and with an exit port of the ink tank. A filter is attached to least one of the printhead opening and the retainer, such as by insert molding or heat staking for example. A filter cover member, such as a wick or a septum for instance, is disposed adjacent the filter.

Printhead filter systems and methods for manufacturing the same

An apparatus for mounting a removable ink tank having an ink output port to a printhead body that mounts a micro-fluid ejection device, the printhead body defining a filtered ink/air reservoir, includes a filter cap configured for attachment to the printhead body. The filtered ink/air reservoir is located in a region between the filter cap and the micro-fluid ejection device. The filter cap has a filter cap body configured to operably engage the ink output port of the removable ink tank and has an ink tank latching mechanism configured to secure the removable ink tank to the filter cap in a releasable manner.

Apparatus for mounting a removable ink tank in an imaging apparatus

A printhead body includes a floor having an interior side and an exterior side. A first set of body vias extend through the floor from the interior side to the exterior side. The first set of body vias is positioned to supply ink to a first micro-fluid ejection chip. A second set of body vias extend through the floor from the interior side to the exterior side. The second set of body vias is positioned to supply ink to a second micro-fluid ejection chip. A plurality of ink flow channels are formed on the interior side of the floor. Each individual ink flow channel of the plurality of ink flow channels is in fluid communication with a particular body via of the first set of body vias and is in fluid communication with a particular body via of the second set of body vias.

Printhead assembly having ink flow channels to accommodate offset chips

A micro-fluid ejection head structure, method of sealing a removable fluid cartridge to a micro-fluid ejection head structure, and a cartridge carrier for removable fluid cartridges containing a micro-fluid ejection head structure. The micro-fluid ejection head structure includes a molded, multi-function member for attachment to the filter tower structure for a micro-fluid ejection head. The multi-function member has at least one biasing device retainer and at least one wick retainer positioned laterally adjacent to the biasing device retainer.

Unitary wick retainer and biasing device retainer for micro-fluid ejection head replaceable cartridge

An ink cartridge comprising: (a) an ink cartridge body including a floor and an exterior wall partially defining an interior volume, the ink cartridge body including a capillary producing medium; and (b) an ink cartridge cap mounted to the ink cartridge body to substantially enclose the interior volume, the ink cartridge cap including two vents in direct communication with the interior volume, wherein a first vent incorporates an ink supply port. The invention also includes the utilization of a universal ink tank lid for use both in replacement and starter ink tank configurations, as well as methods of utilizing a universal ink tank lid to reduce production costs and complexities.

Ink cartridge venting

A printhead comprising a first ink reservoir in fluid communication with an outlet nozzle and downstream from a first ink filter, and a pump assembly in fluid communication with the first ink reservoir and operative to withdraw gas from the first ink reservoir and subsequently inhibit fluid communication between the withdrawn gas and the first ink reservoir. The present invention also includes method of removing gas in fluid communication with an ink reservoir, the method comprising purging gas from a gas accumulation area of an ink reservoir, where purging act includes manipulating a valve assembly downstream from an ink filter, the valve assembly operative to separate the gas accumulation area of the ink reservoir from an external environment, the valve assembly operative to facilitate unidirectional volumetric flow of the gas between the gas accumulation area and the external environment.

Methods and devices for purging gases from an ink reservoir

An ink cartridge having ink reservoirs and foam located in a pocketed lid that fits into a cartridge body. Each pocket has an orifice located such as to deliver ink to as ejection device. The ink reservoirs are filled with ink when the pocketed lid is apart from the cartridge body by injecting the ink into the foam through the orifices in the pockets.

Ink cartridge with pocketed lid

A multi-fluid body and an ejection head substrate connected in fluid flow communication with the multi-fluid body for ejecting multiple fluids therefrom. The multi-fluid body includes at least two segregated fluid chambers. Independent fluid supply paths lead from each of the fluid chambers providing fluid to multiple fluid flow paths in the ejection head substrate. The ejection head substrate is attached adjacent an ejection head area of the body. The fluid flow paths in the ejection head substrate have a flow path density of greater than about one flow paths per millimeter.

Multi-fluid ejection device

An ink tank for an ink jet printer having one or more ink reservoir chambers, and a priming piston or pistons incorporated into the tank. The piston can be activated by a linkage in the printer such that when the tank is installed in the printer, the piston is depressed to the end of its travel. This forces a volume of ink out of the ink exit orifice, through the ink channels in the printhead, and into the ink ejector chip, thereby priming the printhead. The priming piston contains a sealing section with annular rings and a venting section with a circuitous venting path such as helical rings. The interaction of these two sections of the piston with orifices on the walls of the priming cylinder allows the ink reservoir chambers to be vented during shipping and storage, pressurized during priming, and vented after priming.

Inkjet ink tank with integral priming piston

The invention teaches placing labels over air diffusion vents on inkjet printheads depending upon a content of the inkjet printhead. In one embodiment, the inkjet printhead contains one or three inks in its interior and has three air diffusion vents in a lid that fluidly communicate with the interior. If the interior has one ink, a label covers the entirety of two of the three air diffusion vents to substantially prevent the two air diffusion vents from communicating with atmosphere. If the interior has three inks, a label only covers a portion of each of the three air diffusion vents and allows each to fluidly communicate with atmosphere. In this manner, single or tri-color inkjet printhead manufacturing can occur with a single lid having a multiplicity of label placement positions. The labels can have similar dimensions, dissimilar length dimensions or other.

Inkjet printheads having multiple label placement positions for air diffusion vents

A multi-chamber inkjet print head includes a plurality of individual print head ink chambers that share a common ink filter and are in fluid communication with an ink flow regulator. An associated method of assembling a print head base having at least two separate fluid conduit paths filtered by a single piece of filter includes the steps of: (a) positioning a single piece filter between at least two separate ink receptacles associated with a print head and at least two respective ink conduits; and (b) sealing at least two separate ink paths between the at least two separate ink receptacles associated with the print head and the at least two ink conduits, such that the single piece of filter is in concurrent fluid communication with the at least two separate ink paths.

Single piece filtration for an ink jet print head

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

David Emerson Greer