The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 19, 2002
Filed:
Jan. 31, 2001
Russell P. Yearout, Brush Prairie, WA (US);
Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A modular ink absorbent system for channeling waste ink spit from a printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism to a permanent storage location while isolating the ink from contaminating other components in the mechanism. An absorbent core has a spit target that receives the waste ink and an exit surface. A pair of support walls of a flexible or rigid, fluid impervious material sandwich the core between them. The exit surface is in fluid communication with the storage location and the support walls channel the ink from the target surface to the permanent storage location. The support walls have mounting structures which mate easily with mounting structures on the printer service station frame to accurately locate the target from the printhead. A method of conducting ink spit through a printing mechanism, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a modular ink absorbent system, are also provided.