Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett-packard Company Intellectual Property Administration

Martin Urrutia

Antonio Monclus

Joan Carles Vives

Brian P Canfield

Jesus Garcia Maza

Jesus Garcia

Eric Joseph Johnson

David Claramunt

Richard H Lewis

Gonzalo Gaston

Jose Luis Valero

Jordi Gimenez

Eduardo Martin

Lidia Calvo

Richard A Becker

Inigo Oraa

Pablo Arteaga

Corrina Hall

Curt Torgersson

Jes&uacute;s Garcia

Antoni Moncl&uacute;s

Antonella De Ceano

Joseba Ormaechea

Jose Jurjo Soleda

Juan Manuel Valero

A system to transport a medium comprises a medium carrier, a negative pressure device, a vacuum chamber and a flow control device. The medium carrier is to carry the medium on a first side. The negative pressure device is to generate a negative pressure that is below an ambient pressure. The vacuum chamber is disposed on a second side of the medium carrier opposite to the first side and fluidly coupled to the negative pressure device. The flow control device is to manipulate a fluid flow from the vacuum chamber towards the negative pressure device. The flow control device is operated in response to the medium carrier changing its operational state.

Transporting a medium

A printer, comprising a moveable carriage having at least one print head mounted thereon; and at least one flexible conduit connected at a first end to the carriage. An intermediate portion of the conduit is supported in a guide allowing the conduit to follow reciprocating movement of the carriage across a print zone of the printer. A retainer is moveable between first and second positions. In the first position the retainer permits the conduit to follow the movement of the carriage. In the second position the retainer is arranged to grip the conduit at a location between the intermediate portion and the first end.

Printer having conduit grip and method of gripping conduit

The method comprises the steps of feeding media from a media roll, arranged about an axis, through an input driving device and an output driving device of the media advance mechanism, wherein the output driving device engages the media with lower friction than said input driving device; releasing said input driving device such that it does not engage the media; and causing the media to move in the media advance mechanism such that the media is pulled taut between the roll and the output driving device and later the media slips with respect to said output driving device, whereby the media is aligned at right angles to the roll axis by effect of the friction between the media and the output driving device.

Method for reducing media skew in a media advance mechanism

A inkjet printing device comprising a drum platen, the platen having a recess in its circumferential surface. The recess is adapted to accept an inkjet servicing device. The inkjet servicing device, for example a spittoon, may be permanently or semi-permanently located in the recess. Alternatively, The inkjet servicing device, for example a printhead wiper element, may from time to time pass into or through the recess.

Printing apparatus and method

A printer apparatus comprising one or more printing elements arranged to print on print media located in a print position, the apparatus further comprising first and second media paths respectively adapted to feed media to and away from the print position, the apparatus being arranged to selectively divert a print media sheet from the second media path to the print position, the apparatus being arranged to implement a servicing routine comprising marking the diverted sheet with one or more of the printing elements.

Printer device and method

Absorbent pads are provided at various positions on a substrate of a service station. The substrate may be in the form of a device intended to be implemented during a capping operation of an ink ejection elements, e.g., printheads, pens, etc. The various positions on the substrate generally correspond to various locations on the ink ejection element that are known to accumulate ink and other debris. During use, the substrate is drawn near the ink ejection element to thereby cause contact between the absorbent pads and the various locations. The relative movement between the substrate and the ink ejection element is substantially vertical to thereby greatly reduce the possibility of the absorbent pad damaging the nozzles of the ink ejection element. Absorbent pads are also provided on upstanding members of the substrate to substantially remove ink and debris that may accumulate on the sides of the ink ejection element.

System and method for cleaning ink ejection elements

Absorbent pads are provided at various positions on a substrate of a service station. The substrate may be in the form of a device intended to be implemented during a capping operation of ink ejection elements, e.g., printheads, pens, etc. Ink accumulated in the absorbent pads may be substantially removed and stored in a receptacle to thereby enable to absorbent pads to be capable of absorbing additional amounts of ink. The transfer of ink from the absorbent pads to the receptacle may be facilitated by a transfer member connecting the two components. The absorbent pads may selectively contact and disengage from the transfer member at various moments during, for example, a servicing routine. The receptacle may be a spittoon that may also be implemented to receive spit ink from the ink ejection element.

System and method for draining ink from ink receiving devices

A unitary ink supply tube guiding system for a large format inkjet printer includes a tube guide having a bottom comprising a tube support surface, and generally upwardly, preferably vertically, extending front and rear walls and an anti-buckling wall for confining movement of the ink tubes to prevent tube buckling. The ink tubes are supported throughout a full length to convey ink from stationary reservoirs to printheads mounted on a transversely movable printhead carriage. The tubes are preferably bundled together in at least one vertically extending plane and extend through front and rear substantially parallel reaches joined by a bend. The ink tubes are bundled together along a portion of their length by a protective sheath having wear resistant outer ribs which contact the tube guide. Anti-buckling stretch resistant tension ribs are preferably located along one side of the protective carrier or sheath. The tubes may be arranged if desired in separate protective carriers in parallel vertically extending planes so that the tube carriers do not rub together. An in-line tubes driver is aligned with the tubes in the unitary guide and has a rigid arm for bundling and guiding the tubes from spaced parallel planes into a common horizontal plane for passage of the ink tubes over the top of the front wall of the unitary guide to the printhead carriage.

Ink supply tube guiding system for large format printer

An inkjet printing system with a translational inkjet service module. The system includes a carriage which moves along a scan axis over a print zone, with a plurality of printheads mounted on the carriage, each printhead having an array of nozzles for applying ink to the print media in the print zone. The service module has wipers for engagement with the array of nozzles during a period when the nozzles are not applying ink to the media. A motor moves the servicing module in a linear direction orthogonal to the scan axis in order to simultaneously wipe each array of nozzles. The servicing module also provides a capper function and a priming function.

Translational inkjet servicing module with multiple functions

A replaceable inkjet printhead service module is provided for each separate inkjet printhead. When the printhead for a particular color ink such as cyan has reached the end of its life cycle and requires replacement, the corresponding printhead service module can also be replaced. The printhead service module includes a handle to facilitate manual mounting in a service station carriage which includes identical individual spring-loaded slots with datum guides for securely holding the service module. The service station carriage moves from a user-accessible position for mounting/removing the service module, to various other printhead servicing positions in the path of the printhead carriage.

Manually replaceable printhead servicing module for each different inkjet printhead

An inkjet printer service carriage mounted for movement in a printhead servicing direction between a first position in which the carriage is remote from the printhead cartridges to be serviced and a second position in which the service carriage abuts the printhead carriage to service the printheads includes two independent motorized actuators, the first of which linearly moves the carriage in a horizontal x-axis direction and the second of which arcuately moves the carriage in a vertical z-axis plane perpendicular to the x-axis direction.

Modular printhead service station with self-contained motorized components

A method and apparatus are provided for aligning the printer carriage of an inkjet printer with a service station of the printer where for example capping, wiping or spitting of inkjet cartridges held by the printer carriage can be performed. The method utilizes an optical sensor mounted on the printer carriage to scan a reference mark within the service area. Preferably the reference mark exhibits a change in reflectance in the scanning direction of the printer carriage and is mounted on a service station carriage which also holds removable service modules. An embodiment employs an iterative method in which calibration steps are interspersed by capping operations so as to ensure accurate alignment is achieved.

Optical sensor system to calibrate a printhead servicing location in an

An inkjet printing system includes a replaceable printhead servicing module which incorporates multiple functions in a single unit. There is a separate servicing module associated with each different printhead, thus avoiding any contamination of either the printhead or the servicing module from interaction or mixing of different color inks. The servicing module includes a capper, a wiper, a spittoon, and a primer connection.

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Sant Cugat del Valles, Spain

Martin Urrutia