Xerox Corporation

Renato P Apollonio

Robert V Lorenze, Jr

Cathie J Burke

Roberto E Proano

Daniel O Roll

Igal E Klein

A system is provided for refilling an ink reservoir associated with an ink jet printhead. The printhead is mounted on a movable carriage which, when refill is needed, and in a first embodiment, is automatically moved to a refill station. At the refill station, a refill ink source is brought into sealing engagement with the front nozzle face of the printhead. Ink from a refill container is forced into the printhead nozzles and flows through the nozzle channels back into the reservoir. The refill operation is then enabled by establishing a pressure gradient against the refill ink container forcing it through a pressure regulating drive seal, or a filter, into the nozzles. Alternatively, a vacuum is established through a vent tube connecting into the cartridge reservoir creating a negative differential at the vent hole and causing the ink from the refill container to pass through the nozzles into the supply reservoir. In another embodiment, a maintenance station wherein the printhead nozzles are periodically primed is selectively converted into a refill station under control of a system controller.

Automated system for refilling ink jet cartridges

A method and apparatus is provided for refilling an ink reservoir associated with an ink jet printhead. A refill ink source is brought into sealing engagement with the front nozzle face of the printhead. Ink from the refill reservoir is forced into the printhead nozzles and flows through the nozzle channels back into the reservoir. The refill operation can be enabled by establishing a pressure gradient against the refill ink supply forcing it through a pressure regulating drive seal, or a filter, into the nozzles. Alternatively, a vacuum is established through a vent tube to the cartridge reservoir creating a negative differential at the vent hole and causing the ink from the refill container to pass through the nozzles into the supply reservoir.

Method and apparatus for refilling ink jet cartridges

In a thermal ink jet printhead with a protective layer, the protective layer is made of a thin film material having a melting point not less than about 1000.degree. C. A deposition process for preparing the thin film material produces a thin film material having, at an operating temperature for the thermal ink jet printer, a thermal conductivity coefficient not less than about 10 W/m.K, a compressive yield strength not less than about 1400 MPa, and a compressive residual stress of not greater than about 1200 MPa. The protective layer is smooth, substantially free of pores and impervious to stress corrosion or hydrogen stress cracking at a hydrogen uptake rate of less than about 5 ppm. The protective layer may also contain an adhesion enhancing region between the protective layer and an underlying layer or an anodic region contiguous with an underlying thin film material of the protective layer. The adhesion enhancing region is a reaction product between an ambient gas and the thin film material of the protective layer and extends only to the grain boundaries of the protective layer. The contiguous anodic region is substantially free of pores, has a homogeneous composition, protects an underlying thin film material against corrosive species and hydrogen and is formed by anodization of the underlying thin film in an aqueous electrolytic process.

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Rochester, NY, United States of America

Renato P Apollonio