Lexmark International, Inc.

Ronald Monroe Nowell, Jr

David Amos Ward

Michael David Lattuca

Ashok Murthy

Carl Edmond Sullivan

Benjamin Alan Askren

Donald Norman Spitz

Julie Ann Gordon Whitney

Michael Raulinaitis

Darrin Wayne Oliver

Shirish Padmakar Mulay

The invention described in the specification relates to an improved ink jet printer cartridge structure which includes a substrate carrier or nose piece upon which semiconductor devices for ink jet printheads are mounted. The substrate carrier has a top surface containing one or more substrate locator wells each well having well walls, a well base and at least one ink feed slot in each well base and side walls attached to the top surface along the perimeter thereof. One or more of the side walls contain fins for heat removal from the substrate carrier and at least two alignment devices attached adjacent at least one of the side walls for precisely aligning the substrate carrier in a printer carriage. Among the advantages of the substrate carrier is that it provides a suitable means for substrate alignment for multiple substrates, a means for cooling multiple substrates, a means for fixedly or removably attaching the carrier to a ink reservoir body and a means for accurately aligning the carrier and reservoir body in a carriage of a printer.

Ink jet cartridge structure

A printhead comprises a source of ink, a body, a mounting base, and an ink heater thermally coupled to the mounting base. A flowpath delivers ink from the ink source to the heater and is defined at least in part by the mounting base on the body. Three or more thermally conductive paths extend from the mounting base to the body. Preferably, one or more of the thermally conductive paths are heat conductive bridges extending from the mounting base to the body through an edge feed via.

Printhead configuration

A method and apparatus for reducing the amount of air entrained in ink of ink jet printer cartridges especially during filling of the ink cartridge is disclosed. The method includes providing ink suitable for ink jet printing heating the ink to a predetermined temperature range to liberate air entrained in the ink, and then filling the ink jet cartridge while maintaining the elevated temperature of the ink. The apparatus includes an ink holding tank in fluid communication via a conduit with an air removal device that includes a heater adapted to elevate the temperature of the ink and liberate air entrained therein. The air removal device is in turn in fluid communication via a second conduit with an ink cartridge. Preferably, the heater is a temperature controlled resistance heater while the air removal device further includes a baffled holding chamber adapted to allow the ink time to reach and maintain the elevated temperature. The second conduit may include a second resistance heater to help maintain the elevated temperature of the ink during transfer of the heated ink from the heater to the ink cartridge during filling.

Method and apparatus for reducing entrained air in ink for ink jet cartridges used in ink jet printers

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Lexington, KY, United States of America

Ronald Monroe Nowell, Jr