Scitex Digital Printing, Inc.

Homer D Durst

Bruce A Bowling

John N Blum

David J Stephens

Sven Sonnenberg

In an ink jet printer having a printhead and a printhead docking station, an improvement is provided in installation and retention of the printhead in the printhead docking station. Straight line travel of the printhead relative to the printhead docking station is ensured using guide posts or other guiding mechanisms. Non-abrupt actuation, such as a screw drive actuator is used to translate the printhead relative to the docking station. The screw drive actuator is oriented at near right angles to the direction of translation of the printhead relative to the printhead docking station. The printhead and the printhead docking station are then aligned so that electrical and fluid connections can be made concurrently. During the installation, a consistent insertion force, such as a spring loaded toggle mechanism, is applied to the printhead, regardless of part tolerances.

Retaining and installing a printhead in a printhead docking station

An ink jet printer includes an ink jet printhead having a drop generator and an ink drop charging and catching assembly. An elastomeric seal mounted on a lever arm about a pivot remote from the charging and catching assembly seals the ink drop generator and charging and catching assembly when the ink jet printer is not in use.

Seal for ink jet printhead

The present invention constitutes in an ink jet printing apparatus, an improved ink replenishment system. An ink supply housing of the improved ink replenishment system includes a pair of opposed side walls having a plurality of attachments spaced in respective opposing vertical columns and detachable detents coupled to one of the attachments. An attachable ink supply conduit is associated an associated ink supply module includes a container of ink having an ink egress constructed to attach to the conduit, and a housing having bottom and side wall members supporting the container. The side walls have a vertical edge with a plurality of removable sections located in spaced relations corresponding to the column spacing of the attachments and sized to correspond to the detents. Only an ink supply module having proper sections removed can be moved into the housing to an extent sufficient for its egress to connect to the supply conduit.

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Springfield, OH, United States of America

Homer D Durst