Lexmark International, Inc.

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

International Business Machines Corporation

Edmund Hulin James, Iii

Randal Scott Williamson

Steven Robert Komplin

John Philip Bolash

Neal Douglas McFarland

David Michael Cseledy

Gina Marie Johns

Christopher Patrick Murphy

Michael Anthony Marra, Iii

George Keith Parish

Thomas Eugene Pangburn

Adam Jude Ahne

Randall David Mayo

Mark Joseph Edwards

John Wayne Gassett

Johnnie A Coffey

Donald Norman Spitz

Paul Harrington, Iii

Monty L Francis

David Howard White

Gregory Willis Peterson

Christopher Alan Adkins

Barry Baxter Stout

Robert Wilson Cornell

Bruce David Gibson

Peter J Mendel

Michael Clark Campbell

Kent Lee Ubellacker

Thomas Allen Bailey

David Kyle Murray

Louann Behymer Samuels

Fred Young Brandon

Stacey Vaughan Mitchell

Shirish Padmaker Mulay

Curtis Duane Woodson

Michael David Lattuca

Jerry Wesley Raider

Darell Dean Cronch

Chad Michael Piening

Alexander Lloyd Chapman

Angel Macuha Alagos

Michael Kelley Webb

Michael K Bullock

Nicholas Jon Post

Kurt Matthew Korfhage

Hassan Bahrami

Terry Lee King

Dennis R Hedrick

Christopher Keith Caspar

Robert C Redding

Nolan Francis Luckett

Miles Edward Anderson

David Christopher Tattershall

Sarah Marie Springer

Richard G Zumbach

Richard H Marvin

Dariush Aboonasry

Separation strips in a dam aid in the separation of adjacent sheets of media being fed from a stack of sheets so that only one sheet is fed to a process station and, more particularly, to separating the uppermost or top sheet of a stack of sheets from the next adjacent sheet during feeding of the top sheet from the stack of sheets of media. When a lift plate is present that adjusts the height of the media stack, rotation of the separation strips to maintain a constant separation angle improves media feed reliability. Curvature of the separation strips may also maintain the separation angle as the lift plate raises the position of the top media sheet.

Variable separation pads based on lift height, and methods to rotate or curve the pads

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of fluid. Users orient a housing to deplete the fluid in a direction of gravity toward a bottom surface of the interior en route to an exit port. The imaging device has a rotating latch to keep in place the supply item during use Users activate the latch to eject the supply item. The latch mates with a notch on the supply item. A first face of the notch angles to allow the latch to swing into and away from contact with the notch while a second face substantially parallels a side of the latch when the latch is engaged with the first face. The faces have differing angles and differing lengths. Further embodiments note angular degrees, biasing members, container slots, and consumer features of the supply item, to name a few.

Fluid container having latching interface for micro-fluid applications

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of ink. Users orient a housing to deplete the ink in a direction of gravity toward a bottom of the interior. The imaging device has a rotating latch. The latch mates with a top of the supply item to keep in place the supply item. Fluid exit and air venting ports reside on a side of the housing that gets inserted first into a container slot of the imaging device. A space separates the ports so a biasing member can push against the housing to assist in ejecting the supply item upon users activating the latch. The ports are separated a maximum distance to facilitate the ejection, while the exit port remains near a bottom to minimize stranding ink. Further embodiments note arrangements, distances and consumer features, to name a few.

Fluid container having fluid interface for micro-fluid applications

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of pigmented ink. Its housing defines an interior and exterior. The interior retains the ink and an exit port supplies it to an imaging device. Users orient the housing to deplete the ink in a direction of gravity toward a bottom surface of the interior en route to the exit port. The ink passes through a mixing chamber having inlet ports arranged to restrict to multiple different heights the entrance of the volume of ink from the interior. As ink draws from various heights into the chamber, sediments in the pigment mix together. The design overcomes settling. It also avoids mechanical stirring and other complex mixing techniques. Further embodiments include chamber shapes, configuration of inlet ports, and construction of the supply item, to name a few.

Fluid container having mixing chambers for micro-fluid applications

Color ink tank with micro fluid applications

Ink tank for micro-fluid applications

A method of printing multiple swaths with a hand-operated printer having a target sight includes printing at least one alignment mark for a subsequent print swath during a printing of a current print swath; and aligning the target sight with the alignment mark prior to beginning printing of the subsequent print swath.

Alignment method for hand-operated printer

An imaging apparatus includes a printhead carrier configured for mounting a printhead cartridge and a cam rotatably coupled to the printhead carrier, the cam having a cam surface positioned opposite the datum pad, the cam surface being positioned for direct contact with the datum pad. A rotation of the cam causes the cam surface to translate the printhead along the media feed direction.

Apparatus and method for performing mechanical printhead alignment in an imaging apparatus

A hand-operated printer includes a body, a printhead mounted to the body, a target sight mounted to the body, and a display device mounted to the body. The display device is configured to display an image and a representation of the target sight in relation to the image, and wherein the relation between the representation of the target sight and the image that are displayed on the display device corresponds to a relationship between the target sight and a print position for the image.

Hand-operated printer having a user interface

A docking station includes a housing operable to receive and releasably secure a handheld printer, and a freeing mechanism, where the freeing mechanism is operable to release the handheld printer from the housing. The docking station also includes a print head cap operable to receive a print head of the handheld printer when the handheld printer is secured in the housing, and a print head wiper, where the print head wiper is operable to wipe the print head of the handheld printer during the release of the handheld printer from the housing.

Maintenance and docking station for a hand-held printer

An automatic edge guide assembly comprises a sheet feeding mechanism, a slide housing mounted within the sheet feeding mechanism and an edge guide slidably connected to the slide housing. The edge guide is biased by a first biasing force and a second biasing force, wherein the first force is greater than the second force, allowing for automatic edge alignment within a predetermined range of widths.

Automatic edge guide assembly using springs and tapered surfaces

An imaging apparatus includes a print engine having a print zone. A print media feed system transports a sheet of print media in a media feed direction along a media feed path through the print zone. The print media feed system includes a plurality of exit rollers positioned across a width of the media feed path. Each of a plurality of pressure rollers engages a respective one of the plurality of exit rollers to define a plurality of exit nips. A support structure mounts the plurality of exit rollers and the plurality of pressure rollers. The support structure positions the plurality of exit nips in an arrangement to define a transverse path across the width of the media feed path in the direction transverse to the media feed direction, the transverse path having a central portion and elevated portions on each side of the central portion.

Exit roller system for an imaging apparatus

An imaging apparatus includes a sheet separation surface positioned along the sheet feed path downstream from a media tray. A plurality of pivoting arms is mounted in the imaging apparatus. The pivoting arms are moveable between a first position and a second position. The pivoting arms are positioned and individually spaced along a width of the sheet feed path. Each of the pivoting arms has a media stack engaging surface. When the pivoting arms are in the first position, the media stack engaging surface is non-parallel to the sheet separation surface. When the plurality of pivoting arms is in the second position, the media stack engaging surface is parallel to the sheet separation surface.

Imaging apparatus having an automatic sheet feeder

An encoder including a light source for emitting light, a photodetector for detecting at least part of the light emitted by the light source, and an encoder film including a plurality of alternating bars and windows and being located between the light source and the photodetector. The encoder includes a mask including a plurality of alternating bars and windows, the mask being located between the light source and the photodetector. The encoder further includes a spacer located between the mask and the encoder film, the encoder film contacting the spacer to maintain a predetermined spacing between the mask and the encoder film.

Encoder with mask spacer contacting the encoder film

A maintenance unit for use in an ink jet printer includes a maintenance frame coupled to a printer frame, a maintenance sled moveably coupled to the maintenance frame and a spreader mechanism coupled to the maintenance sled, wherein the spreader mechanism disperses waste ink over a waste ink accumulation region as the maintenance sled moves relative to the maintenance frame.

Apparatus for increasing waste ink accumulation capacity in an ink jet

Growing community of inventors

Lexington, KY, United States of America

Edmund Hulin James, Iii