Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Development, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Company Intellectual Property Administration

Richard H Lewis

Eric L Gasvoda

Susan M Hmelar

Francesc Ros Cerro

Xavier Gasso Puchal

Norman E Pawlowski

Rhonda Lynn Wilson

Antoni S Murcia

John A Barinaga

Antonio Hinojosa

Christopher Taylor

Emilio Angulo

Marc Bautista Palacios

Marcos Arminana Terrasa

Antoni Monclus

Thomas J Krall

Kenneth R Williams

Eric Joseph Johnson

Tod S Heiles

William E Fillmore

Fernando Juan

Ted Tang Lee

Rajan Ramaswamy

Martin Urrutia Nebreda

Antonio Monclus

Robert R Giles

Xavier Girones

Joaquim Brugue

B Michael Eckard

Martin Urrutia

David C Kamp

Xavier Soler

Holli C Ogle

Ezequiel Jordi Rufes

Qiong Chen

Jordi Gimenez

Jose Antonio Alvarez

Mark R Hock

Albert Serra

Thomas G Cocklin

Dennis W Houpt

Ventura Caamano

James Kenneth Wallace

Jared E Neff

Christopher C Taylor

Gloria Hernandez Ballester

Soon Beng Koh

Antoni Murcia Serra

Richard Meyer

Ismael Chancion

Curt Torgersson

Jes&uacute;s Garcia

Binte Supati Rudyani

Antoni Moncl&uacute;s

Curtis N Torgerson

Robert F German

Andrew M Frost

Cheryl Kisicki

Jennifer P Palmatier

Xavier Regue

Alejandro R Cagigos

Pedro L Las Heras

An ink tank for use in a printer. In one embodiment, an ink tank includes an outer housing that defines an interior space, and an internal ink bag provided within the interior space, the ink bag being configured to be repeatedly be filled with and deliver ink, the ink tank including a metalized layer having a layer of polymeric material on which has been deposited a metal material.

Refillable ink tanks

An ink delivery system for a printer. In one embodiment, the system includes an ink supply that contains ink to be delivered to a printhead of the printer and an ink buffer positioned physically below the ink supply such that ink can flow to the ink buffer under gravity alone, the ink buffer being configured to be repeatedly filled with ink from the ink supply and to deliver that ink to the printhead.

Printer ink delivery with refill line pressure sensor

A connector for connecting to an ink container. In one embodiment, the connector includes a housing that defines an interior space, a latch lever pivotally mounted to the housing that is adapted to secure the connector to the ink container, and an internal switch provided within the interior space of the housing, the internal switch being configured to send a signal to a printer associated with the ink container when the switch is tripped, wherein the internal switch is tripped when the latch lever is pivoted by a user during disconnection of the connector from the ink container but before the connector is in fact disconnected.

Supply tube connectors for connection with an ink container

An ink delivery system for a printer. In one embodiment, the system includes an ink supply that contains ink to be delivered to a printhead of the printer and an ink buffer having a capacity that is smaller than a capacity of the ink supply, the ink buffer being configured to be repeatedly filled with ink from the ink supply and to deliver that ink to the printhead.

Printer ink delivery system with intermediate buffer ink tanks

An air pressurization system is incorporated as part of a replaceable auxiliary ink supply for an inkjet printer. The auxiliary ink-supply cartridge includes a pressurized container having air, ink and electrical-signal connections. The air pressure applied to the auxiliary ink supply is monitored to maintain it in a predetermined range in accordance with a start-up sequence, and operational sequence, a waiting time, and a close-down sequence.

Monitoring and controlling ink pressurization in a modular ink delivery system for an inkjet printer

A printing device comprising a plurality of drums each arranged to support a print media sheet, said device being arranged to transport said drums in a predetermined order around a closed path comprising a plurality of print positions, said device being arranged to print at each print position with a different inkjet print bar, said device being further arranged to rotate a drum located in a print position relative to said corresponding print bar to allow said print bar to incrementally print over the surface of a sheet supported on said drum.

Printing apparatus and method

A connector system substantially rigidly connects a carriage guide rod to a base support structure of a hardcopy apparatus and includes a connector element rigidly fixable to the base support structure. The connector system has a pin which is held in a first bore in the guide rod by a retaining screw in a second bore of the guide rod. The connector system can be adjusted with six degrees of freedom before final fixing. The introduction of a further screw in a threaded part of the first bore permits vertical adjustment of the pin. The connector system can alternatively be used to rigidly secure a printer platen.

Connector system for hardcopy apparatus

A method and printer for priming an inkjet printhead without removing the printhead from a carriage of the printer, by the controlled delivery of a predetermined volume of gas to an air chamber within the printhead so that the air chamber expands within the printhead body causing an increase in the ink pressure within the printhead and thus a controlled flow of ink into the nozzles of the printhead. An ink puddle may be formed on the nozzle plate of the printhead during priming and subsequently drawn back into the printhead.

Printer and method for priming an inkjet printhead

To assemble a printer chassis comprising three structural aluminium beams extending between two structural sideplates, the printer carriage beam is first attached to the sideplates by means of attachment points arranged along a straight line and then the printing beam and lower beam are attached to provide a vibration- and deformation-resistant chassis relative to which all the other printer components are referenced. Slider rods are mounted on the printer carriage beam by means of screws which hold the rods against the beam to keep them straight. The screws also pass through apertures in rod supports, the apertures being sized to permit longitudinal thermal movements of the rods relative to the beam.

Printer chassis construction

A unitary latching device moves between an open position allowing individual inkjet print cartridges to be installed or replaced and a closed position securely positioning a plurality of print cartridges in a carriage during printing, replenishing and servicing modes.

Unitary latching device for secure positioning of print cartridge during printing, priming and replenishment

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 air pressurization system is incorporated as part of a replaceable auxiliary ink supply for an ink jet printer. The auxiliary ink supply cartridge includes a pressurized container having air, ink and electrical signal connections. The air pressure applied to the auxiliary ink supply is monitored to be maintained in a predetermined range in accordance with a start-up sequence, an operational sequence, a waiting time, and a close-down sequence.

A modular ink delivery system is incorporated in an inkjet printer to facilitate replacement of individual ink supply modules. A rigid interface component on the printer carries an electrical connector, an ink connector, and an air connector which match corresponding connectors on the ink supply module. A separate interface component for each ink supply module is spring-loaded on a printer frame in order to rest in either a forward parking position against a backplate or a rearward floating position that allows the interface component to move and rotate some distance in all directions to achieve proper alignment position when engaged by the ink supply module.

Ink supply station with floating interface components for independent coupling with manually replaceable ink modules

A printer apparatus and method of actuating a fluid pump in a printer to deliver fluid to an ink jet printhead without removing the printhead from a printhead carriage particularly useful for priming inkjet printheads using an air displacement pump to deliver air under positive pressure to the printheads. The pump is located proximate a service station on the printer and is automatically actuated by movement of the carriage to service station. The pump may be arcuately positionable to align the pump with a selected one of air passageways provided in a printhead holddown cover on the printhead carriage. Algorithms are provided for locating the precise position of the pump outlet along the carriage scan axis relative to its intended design location and for arcuately positioning the pump relative to the carriage to engage the pump outlet with a selected one of conduits in the carriage connected to each printhead.

Method and apparatus for actuating a pump in a printer

A replaceable ink container for providing ink to a printing device. The ink container having leading and trailing edges with respect to an insertion direction for the ink container into the printing device. The ink container includes a fluid outlet disposed on the leading edge and configured for connection to corresponding printing device fluid inlet. The ink container also includes an engagement feature disposed toward the trailing edge and extending outwardly from an ink container outer surface. The engagement feature is configured for insertion into a recessed engagement feature associated with the printing device. With the ink container properly positioned within the printing device and biased in a direction opposite the insertion direction, the engagement feature associated with the ink container engages the recessed engagement feature associated with the printing device. The engagement of the engagement features on each of the ink container and printer maintains the fluid outlet in engagement with the corresponding printing device fluid inlet.

Method and apparatus for securing an ink container

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Santa Maria de Palautordera Barcelona, Spain

Richard H Lewis