Hewlett-packard Company

James E. Clark

Tofigh Khodapanah

David W. Swanson

George T. Kaplinsky

George T Kaplinsky

David W Swanson

James E Clark

Timothy J Carlin

Joseph Edward Scheffelin

Mindy A Hamlin

Kenneth J Courian

Brian D Gragg

James G Salter

John Paul Harmon

Elizabeth Zapata

Mark E Young

W Wistar Rhoads

Ross R Allen

David S Hunt

Mark Andreas Van Veen

Joseph R Elliot

J P Harmon

Jaime H Bohorquez

James H Sykora

Amy V Liew

A closed ink replenishment system for replenishing the supply of ink in negative pressure spring-bag reservoirs in a printer/plotter. A tube runs between each cartridge reservoir and an auxiliary reservoir mounted to the printer/plotter frame to form the closed ink system. As ink is depleted from the spring-bag reservoir during printing operation, the negative pressure in the cartridge increases, drawing ink through the tube from the auxiliary reservoir into the cartridge until the negative pressure decreases to an equilibrium point. As a result, the volume of ink within the spring-bag reservoir remains substantially constant so long as there is ink remaining within the auxiliary reservoir. This maintains the print quality. The auxiliary reservoir is a flat bag mounted on a spring-biased platform, which acts as a height regulating system. As ink is depleted from the auxiliary bag, the height of the platform and bag increases to maintain a constant pressure and elevation head at the spring-bag reservoir.

Continuous refill of spring bag reservoir in an ink-jet swath printer/plotter

An ink-jet cartridge is formed by a rigid outer protective case and an inner ink reservoir having a flexible wall portion and a rigid wall portion which together form a sealed compartment. The flexible wall portion includes two opposing membranes sealed at their periphery to an inner loop-like frame which is integrated with a portion of the outer case. The outer protective case also covers a snout having a shortened length in the media advance direction to allow media positioning rollers closely adjacent to the print zone. The snout includes internal filters in an ink passageway from the reservoir to print nozzles at the end of the snout.

Double compartment ink-jet cartridge with optimum snout

An inkjet printhead is mounted on a cartridge which has an outer casing member, an inner collapsible reservoir formed by non-elastic flexible walls, and an internal spring means inside the reservoir for creating negative pressure in the collapsible reservoir during the filling and storage of ink in the collapsible reservoir as well as during the dispensing of ink from the collapsible reservoir to the printhead.

Negative pressure ink delivery system

A method for designing a second ink-jet cartridge characterized by a datum structure, an ink reservoir system and a printhead structure, given a first cartridge design, wherein the printhead structure of the two cartridges are different. The method uses a common datum structure and ink reservoir system for both the first and second cartridges, to save on development and tooling expenses. The cartridges differ in the shapes or configurations of the headland structures, the flexible interconnect circuits, the nozzle plates, the ink channels or the printhead substrates.

Common ink-jet cartridge platform for different printheads

An ink-jet swath printer employing a cartridge with a spring bag primary reservoir and an auxiliary ink reservoir interconnected via a tube to form a closed ink replenishment system. The primary reservoir creates a negative pressure which draws ink from the auxiliary reservoir as ink is expelled from the cartridge printhead during printing operations. The auxiliary reservoir can either be mounted on the cartridge carriage or on the printer body. The auxiliary reservoir is a large capacity collapsible bag mounted below the level of the printhead to establish an ink pressure head at the primary reservoir connection which is not so large as to destroy or diminish the negative pressure and allow ink to drool from the printhead, yet is sufficient to permit replenishment of the primary reservoir to avoid printhead ink starvation.

Ink-jet swath printer with auxiliary ink reservoir

A method for ink-jet printing including providing a collapsible ink reservoir structure to facilitate assembly of a replaceable or refillable printer ink cartridge, the cartridge being formed of a relatively rigid frame (20) and flexible membranes (22, 24) forming an ink reservoir having side walls which collapse to a substantially flat shape to minimize the amount of ink remaining in the reservoir structure after computer generated printing has depleted the ink from the cartridge. The ink reservoir structure is a separate unit which is assembled and mounted in an outer housing (10) to form an ink cartridge and preferably contains an ink pressure regulator (30) which maintains a negative pressure therein.

Method for ink-jet printing using a collapsible ink reservoir structure

A thin pen cartridge for a thermal ink-jet (TIJ) printer, to be carried in a pen carriage along a carriage scan axis above the print medium. The pen height and depth are at least twice the pen width measured along the scan axis in order to achieve a high volume pen. The reduction in pen width permits the carriage width along the scan axis to be reduced, in turn reducing the footprint size of the TIJ printer.

Thin pen structure for thermal ink-jet printer

A collapsible ink reservoir structure (25) to facilitate assembly of a replaceable or refillable printer ink cartridge is comprised of a relatively rigid frame (20) and flexible membranes (22, 24) forming an ink reservoir having side walls which collapse to a substantially flat shape to minimize the amount of ink remaining in the reservoir structure after computer generated printing has depleted the ink from the cartridge. The structure (25) is a separate unit which is assembled and mounted in an outer housing (10) to form an ink cartridge. The structure preferably contains an ink pressure regulator (30) which maintains a negative pressure therein.

Collapsible ink reservoir structure and printer ink cartridge

A system for monitoring ink volume in an ink reservoir carried on-board the print head carriage and replenishing the ink as needed to maintain an adequate volume of ink in the print head carriage ink reservoir, such replenishment coming from an off-board ink supply not positioned on the print head carriage.

Ink volume sensing and replenishing system

In a computer-driven ink-jet printer, a carriage-borne ink reservoir system adjacent a print head, having a housing and a movable wall within and in sealing contact with the housing, the movable wall being observable and forming a portion of a variable volume ink chamber within the housing, the position of the movable wall being related to the volume of ink contained in the carriage-borne ink reservoir.

Volume indicating ink reservoir cartridge system

An ink-jet print cartridge is formed by a rigid outer protective case and an inner ink reservoir having a flexible wall portion and a rigid wall portion which together form a sealed compartment. The flexible wall portion includes two opposing membranes sealed at their periphery to an inner loop-like frame which is integrated with a portion of the outer case. The outer protective case also covers a snout having a shortened length in the media advance direction to allow media positioning rollers closely adjacent to the print zone. The snout includes internal filters in an ink passageway from the reservoir to print nozzles at the end of the snout.

Ink-jet printer including ink cartridge with optimum snout and alignment

Continuous refill of spring bag reservoir in an ink-jet swath

A thermal ink-jet pen cartridge including an ink reservoir for maintaining ink under negative pressure. The ink reservoir is coupled to the printhead via a discharge port. To prevent air bubbles from entering the reservoir via the discharge port and printhead after ink is expelled via the thermal process, a check valve is placed in the fluid path between the ink reservoir and the printhead at the discharge port. The check valve is a mesh having a very small mesh opening sufficient to prevent air bubbles from passing through under normal pressures. The check valve also serves the function of a particulate filter to prevent contamination of the printhead by particles from the ink reservoir.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

George T Kaplinsky