Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Felix Ruiz

Elizabeth Zapata

Mark E Young

Robert R Giles

Max Stephen Gunther

Rosa Calatayud

Eric Joseph Johnson

Erich E Coiner

Brian P Canfield

Jesus Garcia

Ronald D Stephens, Jr

Don Boutin

Rick Becker

Doug Watson

Ignacio Olazabal

Antonio Flores

Josep Casadella

Inigo Oraa

Manel Martinez

Jonathan Negro

Printer module includes a media processing member and a bumper that is arranged to be adjusted in height to provide for a parallel arrangement of the media processing member with respect to a printer roller.

Printer module with bumper

An inkjet printing system having a replaceable set of ink-related components which are installed together and replaced together with a single ink delivery system for each different color of ink. The set includes an ink printhead with an inlet port, an ink supply module, and a printhead service module, each of which is manually mountable by a user onto an inkjet printer. The ink supply module contains enough ink to completely replenish an entire printhead reservoir several times before the expected useful life of the printhead has expired, at which time a user can replace the entire set of ink-related components for a particular color. Similarly, the printhead service module is designed for reliable performance for the expected useful life of the printhead. This system enables the entire ink delivery system to be replaced for different printing needs, such as replacing indoor dye-based inks with outdoor pigment based inks.

Inkjet printing with replaceable set of ink-related components (printhead/service module/ink supply) for each color of ink

A replaceable ink supply module which provides replenishment of an inkjet printhead includes a collapsible bag, an enclosure box, a connective tube, and an on/off valve. These four components are incorporated into a composite sealed system which remains intact during shipment, storage, installation and operation. The collapsible bag is placed inside of the protective enclosure box and has an end-connect outlet permanently attached to one end of the connective tube. The other end of the connective tube carries a permanently attached on/off valve designed for periodic engagement with an inlet valve of an inkjet printhead.

Replaceable ink supply module (bag/box/tube/valve) for replenishment of on-carriage inkjet printhead

An inkjet printing system having a replaceable set of ink-related components which are installed together and replaced together as a single ink delivery system for each different color of ink. The set includes an ink printhead cartridge with an inlet port, an ink supply module, and a printhead service module, each of which is manually mountable by a user onto an inkjet printer. The ink supply module contains enough ink to completely replenish an entire printhead reservoir several times before the expected useful life of the printhead cartridge has expired, at which time a user can replace the entire set of ink-related components for a particular color. Similarly, the printhead service module is designed for reliable performance for the expected useful life of the printhead cartridge. This system enables the entire ink delivery system to be replaced for different printing needs, such as replacing indoor dye-based inks with outdoor pigment based inks.

Inkjet printing with replaceable set of ink-related components

An inkjet printing system provides an automated mechanism for the connection/disconnection of an ink supply valve to inkjet printheads without having to remove the printheads from a carriage. The automated mechanism includes a bracket for holding a plurality of ink supply valves in a passive first position displaced from a corresponding number of inlet ports on inkjet printheads mounted in the carriage which moves back and forth across a print zone. During normal printing operations there is no connection between the ink supply valves and the inkjet printheads. When it becomes necessary to replenish ink in the printheads from a supplemental ink container connected to the ink supply valve, the carriage comes to a rest position away from the print zone, and a motor causes the bracket to move toward the carriage so that an ink supply valve can directly engage an inlet port on the inkjet printhead. In an exemplary embodiment, an ink cartridge having a reservoir capacity of about 40 cc. can receive about 15 cc. of ink from the supplemental ink container through the ink supply valve during a relatively short time period of approximately two minutes. Since the bracket moves all the ink supply valves as a group, all of the printheads are replenished at the same time, even through only one printhead may have reached a threshold level which triggered the replenishment procedure.

Printer apparatus for periodic automated connection of ink supply valves

Replaceable ink supply module (bag/box/tube/valve) for replenishment of

An inkjet printing system with an automated ink replenishment station for replenishing printhead ink reservoirs mounted in a carriage from removable off-carriage ink supply containers. The system includes a printer frame and a scanning carriage mounted on the frame for traversing back and forth along a scan axis through a print zone. At least one printhead is mounted on the carriage, and has a sealed printhead ink reservoir and a normally closed inlet valve in fluid communication with the printhead ink reservoir for receiving ink. The ink replenishment station is located on the frame at one end of the scan axis, and includes an ink supply. A normally closed supply valve is provided at the ink replenishment station in communication with the ink supply capable of periodic connection to said inlet valve. With the carriage positioned at the replenishment station, an automated motorized mechanism moves the supply valve into engagement with the inlet valve to provide a fluid path for ink to flow from the ink supply to the printhead ink reservoir without manual intervention.

Periodic ink replenishment station with removable off-carriage ink

Printer

Growing community of inventors

Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain

Felix Ruiz