Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Other

Owens-illinois Closure, Inc.

Susan M Hmelar

Eric L Gasvoda

David O Merrill

Norman E Pawlowski

John A Underwood

John A Barinaga

James E Clark

Glen E Schmidt

Bruce Cowger

Michael L Bullock

Paul David Gast

Jan Hippen

Charles R Steinmetz

Stephen G Brown

David M Thorpe

Thomas J Krall

Rhonda Lynn Wilson

Richard H Lewis

David C Kamp

Dennis W Houpt

William E Fillmore

Donald R McClelland

Robert L Battey

Jared E Neff

Winthrop D Childers

Curt G Gonzales

Mark Joseph Green

Thomas G Cocklin

John Farrar Wilson

Steven B Elgee

David Ridgway Otis, Jr

William Contaxis, Iii

James M Cameron

Mark R Hock

Ivan J Baiges

James Kenneth Wallace

Ricardo G Diaz-Felipe

Juan-Antonio Sabate Saumell

J Kenneth Wallace

Javier Valentin-Sivico

Kevin Ronald Ryczek

Norman E Pawlowski, Jr

Fluid container

The present invention is a replaceable ink container for use in an off-axis printing system. The printing system is responsive to electrical signals from the replaceable ink container for controlling printer parameters. The ink container has a leading edge and a trailing edge relative to the direction of insertion into the printing system. The replaceable ink container includes a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the leading edge toward a first side. The plurality of electrical contacts are configured for engaging corresponding electrical printer contacts associated with the printing system. Also included is a fluid outlet disposed on the leading edge toward a second side opposite the first side and spaced from the plurality of electrical contacts. The fluid outlet is in fluid communication with the replaceable ink container. The fluid outlet is configured for engaging a fluid inlet associated with the printing system.

Electrical and fluidic interface for an ink supply

The present invention is a replaceable ink container for providing ink to an off-axis printing system. The printing system responsive to electrical signals from the replaceable ink container for controlling printer parameters. The ink container has a leading edge and a trailing edge relative to a direction of insertion of the ink container into the printing system. The replaceable ink container includes a fluid outlet disposed toward the leading edge. The fluid outlet is configured for fluid connection to a hollow needle associated with the printing system. The hollow needle extends in a direction opposite the insertion direction. Included in the ink container is a plurality of electrical contacts disposed on the ink container. The plurality of electrical contacts are configured for engagement with complementary electrical contacts associated with the printing system. Also included in the ink container is a guide member extending from the ink container along the insertion direction. The guide member is configured for engaging a tapered guide member receiving slot associated with the printing system. This engaging repositions the complementary electrical contacts relative to the hollow needle to ensure proper alignment of complementary electrical contacts with the plurality of electrical contacts during insertion of the ink container into the printing system.

Replaceable ink container adapted to form reliable fluid, air and electrical connection to a printing system

An ink container for an off-carriage printing system including an ink supply station. The ink container contains a collapsible reservoir filled with ink that is in fluidically connectable to a conduit that leads to a pressure regulator. The outlet of the regulator delivers ink to a printhead. A pressure vessel surrounds the reservoir. The system pressurizes the pressure vessel, which results in pressurized ink being delivered to the regulator. The ink container has a sensor that infers the actual volume of ink in the reservoir by sensing the relative position of the reservoir walls. This sensor is mounted between the pressure vessel and the collapsible reservoir. The sensor is electrically connected to pads that are accessible from the outside of the ink container. Leads route from the pads, through a seal zone, and to the sensor. The seal is provided by a compressed o-ring.

Ink container providing pressurized ink with ink level sensor

The present invention is a replaceable ink container for use in a printing system. The printing system is of the type having a printhead mounted in a scanning carriage and a supply station for receiving the replaceable ink container. The supply station is in fluid communication with the printhead. The replaceable ink container includes a fluid outlet configured for engaging corresponding fluid inlet portions on the supply station. Also included is a first and second guide feature disposed on an outer surface of the replaceable ink container. The first and second guide features'are disposed and arranged to engage corresponding first and second guiding features disposed on opposite ends of the supply station to guide the replaceable ink container into the supply station to fluidically couple the fluid outlet and corresponding fluid inlet.

Ink container configured for use with compact supply station

An ink container for holding a supply of liquid ink for use in an inkjet printing system. The container includes a collapsible ink reservoir for holding a supply of liquid ink, and a multiple functioned chassis. The chassis rigidly supports an air inlet for receiving pressurized air from the printing system and an ink outlet for delivering pressurized ink to the system. The chassis supports a collapsible ink container by providing an attach surface over which the collapsible container is attached. The attach surface allows a relatively simple pleated bag construction to be used by providing a surface whose normal is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container. The chassis is adapted to engage with a pressure vessel opening, providing a seal that separates the pressure vessel from an outside atmosphere. The chassis provides a surface for outside electrical contacts along with locating means for a mating electrical connector, and provides pathways for them to be routed into the pressure vessel region. An efficient method of assembly of an ink container is described.

Ink container having a multiple function chassis

The present disclosure relates to an ink supply container for containing ink. The ink supply container is configured for providing ink to an ink jet printing system. The ink container includes a first feature indicative of an ink family of a plurality of ink families associated with ink contained in the container. Also included is a second feature spaced from the first feature. The second feature is indicative of an ink color of a plurality of ink colors associated with ink in the container.

Method and apparatus for keying ink supply containers

The present invention is an ink container for use in an ink jet printing system. The printing system has a printhead under control of printing system electronics and an ink container receiving station for providing ink to the printhead. The replaceable ink container includes a plurality of container interfacing features positioned on the ink container to engage corresponding ink container receiving station interfacing features. The ink container interfacing features are disposed and arranged to allow a plurality of different sizes of the ink container to be installed at a particular location of the receiving station. The ink container also includes an information storage device that provides information indicative of a volume of ink contained in said ink container.

Ink container having electronic and mechanical features enabling plug compatibility between multiple supply sizes

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

The present invention is a replaceable marking media container for use in an off-axis printing system. The printing system includes a printer portion responsive to electrical signals from the replaceable ink container for controlling printer parameters. The replaceable marking media container includes a plurality of electrical contacts with each of the plurality of electrical contacts electrically connected with a memory element. The memory element contains information for controlling printing system parameters. Included in the replaceable ink container a housing having an outer surface facing outwardly and an inner surface. The inner surface defines a cavity within the housing. The plurality of electrical contacts are attached within the cavity, so disposed and arranged, to engage corresponding electrical contacts associated with the printing system. The corresponding electrical contacts associated with the printing system are positioned within the cavity of the marking media container with proper positioning of the marking media container within the off-axis printing system. The use of these electrical contacts allow information to be exchanged between the memory element and the printer.

Electrical interconnect for replaceable ink containers

Growing community of inventors

Corvallis, OR, United States of America

Susan M Hmelar