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:
Feb. 02, 2010
Filed:
Mar. 21, 2007
Brian Robert Brown, Balmain, AU;
Norman Michael Berry, Balmain, AU;
Garry Raymond Jackson, Balmain, AU;
Paul Timothy Sharp, Balmain, AU;
John Douglas Peter Morgan, Balmain, AU;
Kia Silverbrook, Balmain, AU;
Akira Nakazawa, Balmain, AU;
Michael John Hudson, Balmain, AU;
Christopher Hibbard, Balmain, AU;
Samuel George Mallinson, Balmain, AU;
Paul Justin Reichl, Balmain, AU;
Brian Robert Brown, Balmain, AU;
Norman Michael Berry, Balmain, AU;
Garry Raymond Jackson, Balmain, AU;
Paul Timothy Sharp, Balmain, AU;
John Douglas Peter Morgan, Balmain, AU;
Kia Silverbrook, Balmain, AU;
Akira Nakazawa, Balmain, AU;
Michael John Hudson, Balmain, AU;
Christopher Hibbard, Balmain, AU;
Samuel George Mallinson, Balmain, AU;
Paul Justin Reichl, Balmain, AU;
Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd, Balmain, New South Wales, AU;
Abstract
A printhead for an inkjet printer, that has a printhead IC with an array of nozzles for ejecting ink and a support structure for mounting the printhead IC in the printer adjacent a paper path. The printhead IC is mounted on a face of the support structure that, in use, faces the paper path. A flexible printed circuit board (flex PCB) has drive circuitry for operating the array of nozzles on the printhead IC. The drive circuitry has circuit components connected by traces in the flex PCB, and contacts for receiving print data from the print engine controller. The flex PCB being mounted to the support structure at the contacts onto a face that does not face the paper path such that the flex PCB extends through a bent section between the printhead IC and the contacts. The printhead IC and the circuit components are adjacent each other and separated from the contacts by the bent section of the flex PCB. The bent section reduces the likelihood of trace cracking by holding the flex PCB at a set radius rather than allowing the flex to follow an irregular curve and thereby risking localized points of high stress on the traces.