Lexmark International, Inc.

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Nicholas Jon Post

Eric David Langevin

Kent Lee Ubellacker

Shirish Padmaker Mulay

Christopher Alan Adkins

Robert Wilson Cornell

Bruce David Gibson

Edmund Hulin James, Iii

Robert Henry Muyskens

Gina Marie Johns

Jason McReynolds

Neal Douglas McFarland

Ramkumar Singh Sankar Singh

A two pass print mode method and apparatus limits wind-related print defects produced during printing, utilizing a reciprocating carrier of a printer carrying a printhead having an array of columns of actuator-fired fluid-jetting nozzles along a bi-directional scanning path. Due to instructions from a controller, printing proceeds along an initial partial swath on a print medium during a first pass along the scanning path by firing actuators associated with a first plurality of segments of a given column of nozzles. Then, printing proceeds along a final partial swath on the print medium during a second pass along the scanning path by firing actuators associated with a second plurality of segments of the given column of nozzles. Each segment of nozzles of the first and second pluralities includes more than one consecutive nozzle so that gaps are created in the partial swath printing accommodating wind-related effects without causing wind-related print defects.

Two pass print mode method and apparatus for limiting wind-related print defects

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of pigmented ink. Its housing defines an interior and exterior. The interior retains the ink and an exit port supplies it to an imaging device. Users orient the housing to deplete the ink in a direction of gravity toward a bottom surface of the interior en route to the exit port. The ink passes through a mixing chamber having inlet ports arranged to restrict to multiple different heights the entrance of the volume of ink from the interior. As ink draws from various heights into the chamber, sediments in the pigment mix together. The design overcomes settling. It also avoids mechanical stirring and other complex mixing techniques. Further embodiments include chamber shapes, configuration of inlet ports, and construction of the supply item, to name a few.

Fluid container having mixing chambers for micro-fluid applications

A method of determining the state of a printhead/cartridge in a thermal inkjet printer. An inkjet printhead undergoes a jetting operation in which a jetting frequency is selected and a corresponding steady state printhead temperature is known. The printhead is heated to the steady state temperature. Then the printhead is jetted with all nozzles for a predetermined period of time. Temperature samples from the printhead are obtained and the change in the printhead temperature for a short period of time is used to determine a slope in the temperature change. From the slope of printhead temperature changes, the ink flow rate through the printhead can be determined. The flow rate of ink through the printhead can be used to determine the various states of the printhead, including out of ink, clogged, deprimed, a taped printhead, etc.

Method for measuring ink flow rate in an inkjet printhead

A method for determining the pulse width for driving printhead nozzles in a thermal inkjet printer. The printhead is preheated to a desired temperature during a maintenance mode. The printhead nozzle heaters are successively driven in respective heating intervals, where each successive heating interval is characterized by shorter drive pulse width pulses occurring at a higher pulse frequency. The printhead temperature data received during each heating interval is processed to determine a respective temperature slope. The temperature slopes are compared to a desired threshold temperature slope, and when a match is found, the pulse width associated with the matched temperature slope is used to drive the nozzle heaters during subsequent printer operations to print characters on a print medium.

Printhead nucleation detection using thermal response

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Nicholas Jon Post