Lexmark International, Inc.

Funai Electric Company Ltd.

Trevor Daniel Gray

James Daniel Anderson, Jr

Robert Henry Muyskens

Matthew Joe Russell

Gregory Thomas Webb

David Emerson Greer

Jason McReynolds

Timothy Lorn Howard

John Richard Fowler

Steven Robert Komplin

David Amos Ward

Jason Todd Vanderpool

James Paul Drummond

Bruce David Gibson

Sam Norasak

Johnnie A Coffey

Charles Stanley Aldrich

Gina Marie Johns

Bhaskar T Ramakrishnan

David T Shadwick

David Wayne DeVore

Jon Brock Whitney

Ann Marie Trebolo

Marvin Nicholson

Gerald Floyd Davis

Jerry Earl Stokesbary

Julie Ann Whitney

Steve R Komplin

James D Anderson

A container for holding a volume of fluid and having a housing defining an interior for retaining the volume of fluid; at least one in-tank tilt sensor connected to a controller and disposed inside the housing for generating a signal corresponding to a level of fluid inside the housing; and a support material attached to the housing and connected to the at least one in-tank tilt sensor to mechanically support the at least one in-tank tilt sensor such that the at least one in-tank tilt sensor is not in direct contact with the fluid inside the housing. The in-tank tilt sensor detects a change in fluid level which may only be caused by tilting of the imaging device. When tilting is registered, protective action is taken to prevent fluid from leaking.

Fluid tilt sensor within ink tank supply item for micro-fluid applications

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of ink. An interior retains the ink while exit and return ports define openings through a housing to fluidly communicate the interior to the imaging device. The opening of the return port is larger than the opening of the exit port. The design slows the return of fluid to the housing which minimizes air bubbles or frothiness in the fluid. During use, ink depletes toward a bottom surface of the interior beneath which the ink is prevented from occupying. A housing section below the interior retains a portion of the exit port so that a bottom of the opening of the exit port is substantially horizontally aligned with the bottom surface. It prevents stranding ink beneath the exit port. Further embodiments include port configuration, construction, and modular components, to name a few.

Consumable supply item, fluid reservoir and recirculation system for micro-fluid applications

A consumable supply item for an imaging device holds an initial or refillable volume of fluid. Its housing defines an interior having a pair of opposed electrodes. The electrodes define a capacitance that varies in response to an amount of liquid between them. A volume space filled by the liquid varies along a length of the electrodes. The design facilitates abrupt changes in capacitance values at each change in the volume space. Devices can recalibrate fluid levels at these changes. Electrode interior surfaces face one another. At least one electrode has an open region, such as a hole or a cutout of material. In another design, a support material connects to each electrode to provide mechanical stability and create a region preventing filling by the liquid. Further embodiments contemplate material selection, construction, and modularity, to name a few.

Consumable supply item with capacitive fluid level detection for micro-fluid applications

A micro-fluid ejection head structure and a method for assembling a micro-fluid ejection head structure. The micro-fluid ejection head structure includes a molded, non-fibrous wicking and filtration structure. The wicking and filtration structure is fixedly attached to a filtered fluid reservoir of the micro-fluid ejection head structure for flow of filtered fluid to a micro-fluid ejection head attached to the head structure.

Filter/wicking structure for micro-fluid ejection head

An ink jet pen that is equipped with a free ink chamber. The ink jet pen has a free ink chamber in fluid communication with a negative pressure producing chamber. The negative pressure producing chamber is in communication with a printhead. The ink jet pen has a power source and a surface detection device. The surface detection device is adapted to move along a surface of the substrate.

Ink jet pen having a free ink chamber

An ink cartridge comprising: (a) an ink cartridge body including a floor and an exterior wall partially defining an interior volume, the ink cartridge body including a capillary producing medium; and (b) an ink cartridge cap mounted to the ink cartridge body to substantially enclose the interior volume, the ink cartridge cap including two vents in direct communication with the interior volume, wherein a first vent incorporates an ink supply port. The invention also includes the utilization of a universal ink tank lid for use both in replacement and starter ink tank configurations, as well as methods of utilizing a universal ink tank lid to reduce production costs and complexities.

Ink cartridge venting

Some embodiments of the present invention provide an inkjet printhead within which a removable ink cartridge can be installed. Upon installation, the ink cartridge can be coupled to one or more wicks in the printhead for establishing fluid communication between one or more chambers in the ink cartridge and nozzles through which ink exits the printhead during operation. The wick can extend from a cartridge receptacle to a filter in order to transport ink from the removable cartridge to the filter. In some embodiments, the wick is retained in place within the printhead by a cap, which can be coupled to one or more filter towers. The wick can have upstream and downstream interfaces that can be the same or different in shape and/or size.

Wick for an inkjet printhead

An inkjet assembly comprising a vented ink reservoir for containing a liquid ink therein, the vented ink reservoir defining an internal volume occupied at least in part by a semipermeable membrane in fluid communication with a vent that automatically adjusts for pressure differentials by enabling gaseous diffusion between an environment external to the vented ink reservoir and the internal volume of the vented ink reservoir, while inhibiting liquid diffusion therethrough. A method is also disclosed for mounting the semipermeable membrane to at least one of an ink reservoir cap and an ink tank.

Semipermeable membrane for an ink reservoir and method of attaching the same

A regulator adapted to regulate the throughput of an ink between an ink source and a print head includes: (a) a pressurized chamber including an ink inlet in fluid communication with the ink source, an ink outlet in fluid communication with the print head, and at least one flexible wall; and (b) a lever including a flexible arm extending along a portion of the flexible wall and an opposing arm operatively coupled to a seal biased to close the ink inlet when the lever is in a first position and to open the ink inlet to allow fluid communication between the ink inlet and the pressurized chamber when the lever is pivoted to a second position; where a lower pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate the flexible arm, pivoting the lever to the first position (inlet closed), where a higher pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate the flexible arm to pivot the lever to the second position (inlet open), and where a pressure change from the lower pressure differential to the higher pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate and flex the flexible arm without causing the lever to pivot.

Ink source regulator for an inkjet printer

A regulator adapted to regulate the throughput of an ink between an ink source and a print head includes: (a) a pressurized chamber including an ink inlet in fluid communication with and ink source, an ink outlet in fluid communication with a print head, and at least one flexible wall; and (b) a lever including a flexible arm extending along a portion of the flexible wall and an opposing arm operatively coupled to a seal biased to close the ink inlet when the lever is in a first position and to open the ink inlet to allow fluid communication between the ink inlet and the pressurized chamber when the lever is pivoted to a second position; where a lower pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate the flexible arm, pivoting the lever to the first position (inlet closed), where a higher pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate the flexible arm to pivot the lever to the second position (inlet open), and where a pressure change from the lower pressure differential to the higher pressure differential across the flexible wall causes the flexible wall to actuate and flex the flexible arm without causing the lever to pivot.

A print head and regulator assembly for a printer including: (a) a print head; (b) an ink source; and, (c) a regulator for regulating the flow of ink between the ink source and the print head, the regulator including: (i) a pressurized chamber having an ink inlet in fluid communication with the ink source, an ink outlet in fluid communication with the print head, an opening extending through a chamber wall, and a flexible film covering the opening, the flexible film having an inner surface facing an interior of the pressurized chamber and an outer surface in contact with the ink in the ink source; and, (ii) a lever including a flexible arm positioned in proximity to the inner surface of the flexible film and an opposing arm operatively coupled to a seal that closes the ink inlet when the lever is in a first position and opens the ink inlet when the lever is pivoted to a second position, the lever being biased to the first position, where a higher pressure differential across the flexible film brings about a higher force acting upon the flexible arm to overcome the bias and pivot the lever to the second position opening the ink inlet, and, where a lower pressure differential across the flexible film brings about a lesser force acting upon the flexible arm resulting in the lever succumbing to the bias and repositioning the seal at the first position, closing the ink inlet.

Submersible ink source regulator for an inkjet printer

A method of reducing the size of an ink flow regulator in fluid communication between an ink source and a print head nozzle. The method including the steps of: (a) positioning an ink flow regulator and an ink outlet of the ink flow regulator in a first section of the flow regulator; and (b) orienting a pivotable lever, having a first leg coupled to an inlet closure of the regulator and a second leg operatively coupled to an actuating wall of the regulator such that a fulcrum of the pivotable lever separates the first section from a second section of the ink flow regulator, wherein the first section and the second section are in fluid communication with one another.

Growing community of inventors

Midway, KY, United States of America

Trevor Daniel Gray