Hewlett-packard Company

Ngoc-Diep T Nguyen

David Ridgway Otis, Jr

James E Clark

David O Merrill

John A Barinaga, Jr

Kenneth R Williams

John A Barinaga

Mark D Lund

James M Cameron

Robert L Battey

Gary L Miller

Charles S Woodruff

Thomas G Cocklin

John Sturman

John G Wydronek

Gary D Tarver

Truman Kenneth Jones

Glen Aukstikalnis

Disclosed is a system in an inkjet printer for determining the amount of a fixer to be applied to a medium. The system comprises a fixer generation circuit where the fixer generation circuit determines an amount of a fixer to be applied to a dot location on a medium based on an amount of ink to be applied to the dot location. A bloom encoder circuit is also disclosed for identifying amounts of fixer to be deposited adjacent to dot locations containing ink.

Fixer usage generation technique for inkjet printers

One aspect of the present invention is a removable ink supply for forming a fluid connection with a fluid inlet of an ink-jet printer into which the ink supply can be installed. The ink-jet printer has a fluid conduit for supplying liquid ink to an ink-jet printhead. The removable ink supply includes a quantity of liquid ink and a fluid outlet. The fluid outlet includes (i) a hollow boss having a first end in fluid communication with the quantity of liquid ink, a neck formed in a second end of the boss, the neck defining a scaling surface and an opening; (ii) a sealing member positioned within the boss, the sealing member being movable between a first position in which the sealing member seals the opening and a second position in which liquid ink can flow through the boss opening; and (iii) a biasing structure for biasing the sealing member toward the first position. The ink supply is adapted for installation in the fluid inlet of the ink-jet printer. Upon installation the sealing member is engaged and displaced from the first position to the second position such that the sealing surface engages against a structure of the fluid inlet to create an ink seal.

Replaceable ink container with fluid interconnect for coupling to an

A module for a printing composition delivery system of a printing device that is a separable unit from the printing composition delivery system is disclosed. An embodiment of the module includes a printing composition supply station connector, a printing member connector, and a flexible conduit. The printing composition supply station connector is releasably attached to a printing composition supply station of the printing composition delivery system and has a coupler fluidly connectable to a printing composition supply of the printing composition supply station. The printing member connector is releasably attached to the printing device and has a coupler fluidly connectable to the printing member. The flexible conduit includes a first end fluidly connected to the coupler of the printing composition supply station connector and a second end fluidly connected to the coupler of the printing member connector to supply printing composition from the printing composition supply to the printing member. The module may additionally include a housing covering a portion of the coupler of the printing member connector and enclosing a portion of the flexible conduit adjacent the printing member connector. The printing composition supply station connector, the printing member connector, the flexible conduit, and the housing, if present, are a separable unit from the printing composition delivery system. A method of installing and removing the module is also disclosed.

Replaceable module for a printing composition delivery system of a

An ink supply for an inkjet printer is provided with a main reservoir, which is typically maintained at ambient pressure. The main reservoir, which has flexible side walls supported by a rigid frame, is coupled to a variable volume chamber via a check valve which allows the flow of ink from the reservoir to the chamber and limits the flow of ink from the chamber to the reservoir. The chamber is coupled to a fluid outlet which is normally closed to prevent the flow of ink. However, when the ink supply is installed in a printer, the fluid outlet establishes a fluid connection between the chamber and the printer. The chamber is part of a pump provided with the ink supply that can be actuated to supply ink from the reservoir to the printer.

Ink supply having an integral pump

A fluid interconnect connects an ink pen to a carriage on an ink-jet printer. The ink pen has an inlet assembly having a septum. The carriage has an outlet assembly that includes a collar and a needle with a lateral hole. The inlet assembly is insertable into the outlet assembly to move the collar from a closed position, in which the collar covers the lateral hole, into an open position, in which the lateral hole is exposed within the inlet assembly, to allow ink to flow through the outlet assembly into the inlet assembly. The septum occludes fluid flow from the inlet assembly when the inlet and outlet assemblies are uncoupled. The septum has a blister that seals the inlet assembly against the outlet assembly when the inlet and outlet assemblies are coupled. The inlet assembly also has a ridge for attracting, by capillary attraction, any fluid that may escape from the interconnect.

Fluid interconnect for ink-jet pen

A fluid interconnect for coupling an ink supply to an ink-jet printer includes a fluid outlet and a fluid inlet. The fluid outlet has a housing with one end in fluid communication with the ink supply and the other end sealed by a septum. A sealing member is positioned within the housing and is biased against the septum by a spring to form a second seal. The fluid inlet includes a hollow needle having one end in fluid communication with the print head and the other end defining a hole. A sliding collar surrounds the needle and is biased into a sealing position in which it seals the hole. The fluid inlet and fluid outlet can be coupled by pressing them together. During the coupling process, the needle pierces the septum to enter the housing and press the sealing member away from the septum. This allows fluid to flow from the ink supply, into the housing, passed the sealing member, into the hole in the needle and to the print head. Upon decoupling, the needle is withdrawn to seal the septum. In addition, the sealing member is biased back into place against the septum to reform the second seal and the sliding collar is again biased into its sealing position.

Self-sealing fluid inerconnect with double sealing septum

Growing community of inventors

Vancouver, WA, United States of America

Ngoc-Diep T Nguyen