Hewlett-packard Company

James G Salter

David W Swanson

Mindy A Hamlin

James E Clark

George T Kaplinsky

W Wistar Rhoads

Deenadayalu Chundury

George F Nasworthy

Melissa D Boyd

Kenneth J Courian

Joseph R Elliot

John M Altendorf

Brian D Gragg

B Michael Eckard

Tofigh Khodapanah

Jaime H Bohorquez

Robert R Beeson

Corrina A Hall

Jeffrey A Thoman

Kenneth L Christensen

Julie Jo Bostater

George F Nasworthy Jr

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

A thermal ink-jet pen cartridge having a rigid external frame member fabricated of a rigid engineering plastic, and an interior frame structure attached thereto, formed of a softer, more ductile plastic material than the rigid engineering plastic. An ink reservoir is defined by the interior structure and a pair of flexible bag membranes formed of a plastic material impervious to the ink and compatible with the interior member material, allowing the membranes to be joined to the interior member to form a leak-proof joint The interior frame structure is fabricated from a polymer blend composition comprising (A) at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of a polyethylene and a copolymer of ethylene and an alpha-olefin and (B) at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of a polypropylene and a copolymer of propylene and ethylene, wherein (A) is different from (B). The present polymer compositions provide good chemical and heat stabilities and solvent resistance when subjected to inks used in printing. Further, the present polymer compositions are flexible and have excellent compatibility and adhesion to the various polymeric components used in the ink-jet cartridge.

Two material frame having dissimilar properties for thermal ink-jet

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

An ink-jet pen is disclosed that has a body of resilient felted polyurethane foam mounted in an ink chamber for ink retention and backpressure. A rectangular ink pipe extends from a bottom wall of the ink chamber between the walls of the ink chamber. A wire mesh filter is mounted to the ink pipe. The ink pipe and mesh filter extend into compressive contact with the foam to locally increase the capillarity of the foam. Any air that comes out of solution collects as a bubble in the rectangular ink pipe. This bubble does not block ink flow to the printhead, however, because the corners of the rectangular ink pipe provide a fluid capillary path. The bubble tends to form in a spheroid shape and does not extend into the corners of the ink pipe. In addition, rectangular filters are used, which reduces waste and expense compared to circular filters.

Ink-jet pen with rectangular ink pipe

A method for joining two materials together to form a compact leak-resistant seal, particularly suited for use in thermal inkjet print cartridge ink reservoirs. The seal employs a shrink fit to clamp the two materials together. The method includes the steps of forming the first material into a desired first shot structure, placing the first shot structure in a second shot mold, and injecting the second material into the mold under adequate pressure and at an appropriate temperature. The second material has a high degree of mold shrinkage. Upon cooling, the second material shrinks tightly onto the first shot structure to form a molded joint which keeps air out and ink in when wetted and during normal shipping, storage, and operating conditions.

Compact fluid coupler for thermal inkjet print cartridge ink reservoir

A method for filling an ink reservoir of an ink-jet cartridge. A cartridge is provided which includes a frame structure having an external frame structural member fabricated from a first rigid plastic material and an inner frame member fabricated from a second plastic material, the inner member lining an interior surface of the external frame member. The cartridge has first and second impervious membranes joined to the inner frame member to form, with the inner frame member, an ink reservoir for holding a supply of ink, and an ink fill port comprising a passage-way defined through the external frame member, the passage-way lined with said second material of said inner member and communicating with the interior of the reservoir. Ink is released into the reservoir from an ink supply through the fill port, which is then sealed. A method for forming a leak-resistent joint between the first and second plastic materials includes molding the second material into a predetermined first structure including a cavity defining the external periphery of an interior standpipe member, positioning the first structure into a mold for injecting the first material, injecting the first material in a molten state into the mold wherein the first material fills the outer periphery of the cavity and molds against the first structure to define the external periphery of the standpipe member, permitting the first material to cool, thereby forming a leak-resistent seal between the first and second materials about the standpipe member.

Method for filling and fabricating ink jet cartridge

A method for ink jet printing that includes the steps of determining an amount and direction of rotational misalignment of a left nozzle column and a right nozzle column of an ink jet printhead relative to a media advance axis; selecting one of the left nozzle column and the right nozzle column as a first to print nozzle column; determining a media advance correction to compensate the rotational misalignment; printing dots on a print media with the first to print nozzle column in a first carriage scan; moving the print media by the media advance correction; and printing dots on the print media with the other of the left nozzle column and the second nozzle column.

Print mode to compensate for microbanding

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

A thermal ink-jet pen cartridge having a rigid external frame member fabricated of a rigid engineering plastic, and an interior frame structure attached thereto, formed of a softer, more ductile plastic material than an engineering plastic. An ink reservoir is defined by the interior structure and a pair of flexible bag membranes formed of a plastic material impervious to the ink and compatible with the interior member material, allowing the membranes to be joined to the interior member to form a leak-proof joint. The external structure has locking features formed into an interior surface. When the interior member is injection molded to the external member, the molten material flows into and around the locking features, securing the interior member to the external member and resisting the shrinkage forces as the molten material cools. The ink reservoir is filled through a fill port passageway extending through the external frame member and the inner member. The passageway is lined with the softer material of the inner member, and is sealed by an oversized ball press fit into the passageway after the ink filling process.

A thermal ink-jet pen cartridge having a rigid external frame member fabricated of a rigid engineering plastic, and an interior frame structure attached thereto, formed of a sorer, more ductile plastic material than the rigid engineering plastic. An ink reservoir is defined by the interior structure and a pair of flexible bag membranes formed of a plastic material impervious to the ink and compatible with the interior member material, allowing the membranes to be joined to the interior member to form a leak-proof joint. The interior frame structure is fabricated from a polymer blend composition comprising (A) at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of a polyethylene and a copolymer of ethylene and an alpha-olefin and (B) at least one polymer selected from the group consisting of a polypropylene and a copolymer of propylene and ethylene, wherein (A) is different from (B). The present polymer compositions provide good chemical and heat stabilities and solvent resistance when subjected to inks used in printing. Further, the present polymer compositions are flexible and have excellent compatibility and adhesion to the various polymeric components used in the ink-jet cartridge.

Precise alignment between two or more nozzle plates affixed to print cartridges installed in a single carriage of an ink printer is achieved by machining datum projections on each print cartridge after its nozzle plate has been permanently secured to the print cartridge. The machined datum projections on the print cartridge contact surfaces on the carriage when the print cartridge is installed in the carriage such that the dimensions of the datums affect the position of the cartridge, and hence the nozzle plate, within the carriage.

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Sacramento, CA, United States of America

James G Salter