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:
Oct. 26, 2010
Filed:
Mar. 21, 2007
Brian Robert Brown, Balmain, AU;
Norman Micheal 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 Micheal 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 integrated circuit (IC) with an array of nozzles for ejecting ink, and a support structure for mounting the printhead IC within the printer. The support structure has ink conduits for supplying the array of nozzles with ink, the ink conduits have a meniscus anchor for pinning part of an advancing meniscus of ink to divert the advancing meniscus from a path the advancing meniscus would otherwise take. If a printhead consistently fails to prime correctly because a meniscus pins at one or more points, then the advancing meniscus can be directed so that the advancing meniscus does not contact these critical points. Deliberately incorporating a discontinuity into an ink conduit immediately upstream of the problem area can temporarily pin to the meniscus and skew the meniscus to one side of the conduit and away from the undesirable pinning point. Once flow has been initiated into the side branch or downstream of the undesirable pinning point, it is not necessary for the anchor to hold the ink meniscus any longer and priming can continue.