Lexmark International, Inc.

Matthew Joe Russell

John Richard Fowler

James Harold Powers

Timothy Lorn Howard

Trevor Daniel Gray

James Daniel Anderson, Jr

David Emerson Greer

Steven Robert Komplin

Gregory Alan Long

Jon Brock Whitney

David Amos Ward

James Paul Drummond

Ann Marie Trebolo

Julie Ann Whitney

Frank Edward Anderson

Kristi Maggard Rowe

Paul Timothy Spivey

Ronald Lloyd Roe

Ganesh Vinayak Phatak

Kent Lee Ubellacker

Paul W Graf

Bhaskar Gopalanarayanan

David T Shadwick

Stephen Francis DeFosse

Gerald Lee Fish

Johnathan Lee Barnes

Jeffrey Louis Sangalli

Gerald Floyd Davis

James Joseph Semler

Leea Danielle Haarz

James M Rioux

Jeremy Lavern Daum

Joseph Andrew Schaefer

James Andrew Kerr

Sudha Chopra

James D Anderson

Jeannette Quinn Bracken

Steve R Komplin

Todd Joseph Svoboda

The present disclosure relates to controlling a performance characteristic of an image forming device component having a surface which may include removal of a portion of the surface to expose a plurality of voids and a surface between the voids. The surface between the voids may have a surface roughness Ra in the range of 0.1 to 5.0 microns and the relationship SA/(SA+SA) is equal to 1-50%, where SAis the surface area of the voids and SAis the remaining surface area of the component. The performance characteristic may include the control of toner mass conveyed and/or toner filming and/or the amount of residual toner removed from a photoconductive surface.

Toner mass control by surface roughness and voids

A printhead comprising a first ink reservoir in fluid communication with an outlet nozzle and downstream from a first ink filter, and a pump assembly in fluid communication with the first ink reservoir and operative to withdraw gas from the first ink reservoir and subsequently inhibit fluid communication between the withdrawn gas and the first ink reservoir. The present invention also includes method of removing gas in fluid communication with an ink reservoir, the method comprising purging gas from a gas accumulation area of an ink reservoir, where purging act includes manipulating a valve assembly downstream from an ink filter, the valve assembly operative to separate the gas accumulation area of the ink reservoir from an external environment, the valve assembly operative to facilitate unidirectional volumetric flow of the gas between the gas accumulation area and the external environment.

Methods and devices for purging gases from an ink reservoir

An ink jetting assembly includes a body, and an ink jet chip attached to the body. The ink jet chip has a mounting surface, a face surface, an ink channel extending to the face surface, and at least one actuator associated with the ink channel. The actuator includes a plurality of electrical contact pads formed on the face surface. A plurality of passageways extends through the ink jet chip from the mounting surface to the face surface. The ink jetting assembly also includes a plurality of electrodes. Each of the plurality of electrodes passes through a respective passageway of the plurality of passageways and is electrically connected to a respective contact pad of the plurality of electrical contact pads at the face surface.

Ink jetting assembly

An inkjet assembly comprising a vented ink reservoir for containing a liquid ink therein, the vented ink reservoir defining an internal volume occupied at least in part by a semipermeable membrane in fluid communication with a vent that automatically adjusts for pressure differentials by enabling gaseous diffusion between an environment external to the vented ink reservoir and the internal volume of the vented ink reservoir, while inhibiting liquid diffusion therethrough. A method is also disclosed for mounting the semipermeable membrane to at least one of an ink reservoir cap and an ink tank.

Semipermeable membrane for an ink reservoir and method of attaching the same

A multi-chamber inkjet print head includes a plurality of individual print head ink chambers that share a common ink filter and are in fluid communication with an ink flow regulator. An associated method of assembling a print head base having at least two separate fluid conduit paths filtered by a single piece of filter includes the steps of: (a) positioning a single piece filter between at least two separate ink receptacles associated with a print head and at least two respective ink conduits; and (b) sealing at least two separate ink paths between the at least two separate ink receptacles associated with the print head and the at least two ink conduits, such that the single piece of filter is in concurrent fluid communication with the at least two separate ink paths.

Single piece filtration for an ink jet print head

A low-profile ink jet cartridge assembly for an ink jet printer. The low profile ink jet cartridge assembly includes a substantially rectangular ink jet cartridge body having a printhead side, opposing side surfaces attached to the printhead side and a length, a height, and a width, wherein the length is greater than the height and the width. A printhead containing a semiconductor substrate is attached to the printhead side of the ink cartridge. A flexible circuit having a width, a length, a first edge along the length thereof, a second edge along the length thereof, first printer contact pads along at least a portion of the length thereof adjacent the first edge, and second printer contact pads along at least a portion of the length thereof adjacent the second edge is attached to the ink cartridge on the opposing side surfaces of the cartridge body.

Low profile ink jet cartridge assembly

A regulator adapted to regulate the throughput of an ink between an ink source and a print head includes: (a) a pressurized chamber including an ink inlet in fluid communication with the ink source, an ink outlet in fluid communication with the print head, and at least one flexible wall; and (b) a lever including a flexible arm extending along a portion of the flexible wall and an opposing arm operatively coupled to a seal biased to close the ink inlet when the lever is in a first position and to open the ink inlet to allow fluid communication between the ink inlet and the pressurized chamber when the lever is pivoted to a second position; where a lower pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate the flexible arm, pivoting the lever to the first position (inlet closed), where a higher pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate the flexible arm to pivot the lever to the second position (inlet open), and where a pressure change from the lower pressure differential to the higher pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate and flex the flexible arm without causing the lever to pivot.

Ink source regulator for an inkjet printer

An ink jet printhead assembly for a pressure controlled ink jet printhead. The assembly includes an ink reservoir made of a first material having a first melting point and having an open top cavity defined by sidewalls, a bottom wall and a peripheral edge. A pressure control structure made of a polymeric material having a second melting point lower than the first melting point is included. The pressure control structure has a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, a side surface, and an aperture therein. A sealing structure for forming a liquid tight seal is provided between the sidewalls of the ink reservoir and the side surface of the pressure control structure. A pressure regulating film is attached over the aperture to the first surface of the pressure control structure. A cover is attached to the ink reservoir.

Pressure controlled ink jet printhead assembly

A regulator adapted to regulate the throughput of an ink between an ink source and a print head includes: (a) a pressurized chamber including an ink inlet in fluid communication with and ink source, an ink outlet in fluid communication with a print head, and at least one flexible wall; and (b) a lever including a flexible arm extending along a portion of the flexible wall and an opposing arm operatively coupled to a seal biased to close the ink inlet when the lever is in a first position and to open the ink inlet to allow fluid communication between the ink inlet and the pressurized chamber when the lever is pivoted to a second position; where a lower pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate the flexible arm, pivoting the lever to the first position (inlet closed), where a higher pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate the flexible arm to pivot the lever to the second position (inlet open), and where a pressure change from the lower pressure differential to the higher pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate and flex the flexible arm without causing the lever to pivot.

A print head and regulator assembly for a printer including: (a) a print head; (b) an ink source; and, (c) a regulator for regulating the flow of ink between the ink source and the print head, the regulator including: (i) a pressurized chamber having an ink inlet in fluid communication with the ink source, an ink outlet in fluid communication with the print head, an opening extending through a chamber wall, and a flexible film covering the opening, the flexible film having an inner surface facing an interior of the pressurized chamber and an outer surface in contact with the ink in the ink source; and, (ii) a lever including a flexible arm positioned in proximity to the inner surface of the flexible film and an opposing arm operatively coupled to a seal that closes the ink inlet when the lever is in a first position and opens the ink inlet when the lever is pivoted to a second position, the lever being biased to the first position, where a higher pressure differential across the flexible film brings about a higher force acting upon the flexible arm to overcome the bias and pivot the lever to the second position opening the ink inlet, and, where a lower pressure differential across the flexible film brings about a lesser force acting upon the flexible arm resulting in the lever succumbing to the bias and repositioning the seal at the first position, closing the ink inlet.

Submersible ink source regulator for an inkjet printer

A method of reducing the size of an ink flow regulator in fluid communication between an ink source and a print head nozzle. The method including the steps of: (a) positioning an ink flow regulator and an ink outlet of the ink flow regulator in a first section of the flow regulator; and (b) orienting a pivotable lever, having a first leg coupled to an inlet closure of the regulator and a second leg operatively coupled to an actuating wall of the regulator such that a fulcrum of the pivotable lever separates the first section from a second section of the ink flow regulator, wherein the first section and the second section are in fluid communication with one another.

An ink reservoir having a bubble generator includes an enclosure defining an interior space and an exterior space, the interior space being adapted for containing a supply of ink, the enclosure having a passage formed therein which permits fluid communication between the interior space and the exterior space, the passage including a surface, the passage defining a first aperture and a second aperture, wherein the second aperture is adjacent the interior space. A sphere is positioned in the passage and contacts a portion of the surface of the passage, the surface having a shape that permits ink to pass between the sphere and the surface. A membrane is positioned over the first aperture to retain the sphere in the passage, the membrane including at least one hole being sized to define a bubble admission pressure difference across a thickness of the membrane.

Bubble generator for an ink jet print cartridge

The invention provides a flow feature structure for an ink jet printer. The structure includes a polymeric nozzle plate having a nozzle plate thickness, the nozzle plate containing a plurality of ink chambers, each ink chamber containing a nozzle hole in fluid communication therewith, a plurality of ink channels each having a channel width and an ink channel inlet for providing ink flow from an ink supply region to one each of the ink chambers and an air bubble interrupter device having a width dimension perpendicular to a flow axis through the ink channel. The width dimension of the air bubble interrupter is from about 0.5 to about 1.2 times the ink channel width and the interrupter device is disposed adjacent each of the ink channels and spaced from the ink channel inlet a distance of from about 0.5 to about 1.2 times the ink channel width. Such a structure provides improvement in ink flow by reducing the size of air bubbles which may form or accumulate in the flow areas of the nozzle plate so that the air bubbles do not block or inhibit the flow of ink to the ink chambers or affect the ejection of ink from the nozzle holes.

Ink jet flow distribution system for ink jet printer

A printhead apparatus for filtering ink which includes an elongate open-ended trough having a bottom wall and opposing end walls and opposing side walls attached to the bottom wall, an ink exit port attached to the bottom wall between the opposing end walls and side wall, a filter member disposed in the open-ended trough between the end walls and the side walls and an elongate cover assembly attached to the end walls and the side walls covering the trough defining a filter chamber containing filter element, the cover assembly containing an ink inlet valve and a gas outlet valve. The device is disposed between an ink cartridge and an ink jet pen containing one or more printheads and is activated automatically when a new ink cartridge is installed on the pen thereby removing unwanted air and gas bubbles from the filter chamber and providing gas free ink to the pen and one or more printheads.

Bubble elimination and filter tower structure

The invention provides an improved ink jet cartridge for an ink jet printer and a method for making the improved ink jet cartridge. The ink jet cartridge includes a substantially inflexible frame having at least one pressure port, the frame having at least one peripheral edge. At least one malleable web is provided having a first side and a second side the first side being attached to the peripheral edge of the frame defining a substantially closed cavity. The malleable web is conformed to the cavity by applying a subatmospheric pressure to the cavity before, after or while heating the malleable web in order to substantially conform the web to the cavity thereby creating a variable volume cavity having a substantially predictable pressure/volume relationship. A biasing element is disposed adjacent the first or second side of the malleable web for biasing the web relative to the cavity. Because the malleable web is conformed to the cavity with heat and differential pressure, ink flow in and out of the ink cartridge is more predictable and the pressure in the ink cartridge is easier to maintained at a desired level thereby improving print quality.

Growing community of inventors

Stamping Ground, KY, United States of America

Matthew Joe Russell