Spittoon and roller arrangement for guiding media in print engine

• US 10,675,891 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Inventors: Profaca, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Huan H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shenderson, Alexander D
• Application Number:
  US16/141,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20190092020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 347 29
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0045 Guides for printing material curl smoothing B41J11/0005; platens B41J11/02, B41J11/06; guiding webs B41J15/046
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/165 Prevention or detection of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16505 Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16535 using wiping constructions B41J2/16552 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17523 Ink connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/16582 Maintenance means fixed on the print head or its carriage
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 25/304 Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/02 Framework

Abstract

A print engine includes: a media support chassis having a plurality of guide rollers mounted between opposite sidewalls thereof, the plurality of guide rollers defining a curved media feed path; a plurality of spittoons, each spittoon being positioned between a neighboring pair of guide rollers and each spittoon having an upper guide portion; and a plurality of printheads, each printhead opposing a respective spittoon. The upper guide portion at least partially intersects a common tangential plane defined between a neighboring pair of rollers, such that print media fed along the curved media path contact the rollers and upper guide portions of the spittoons.

Claims

1. A print engine comprising:

a media support chassis having a plurality of guide rollers mounted between opposite sidewalls thereof, the plurality of guide rollers defining a curved media feed path;

a plurality of spittoons, each spittoon being positioned between a neighboring pair of guide rollers and each spittoon having an upper guide portion; and

a plurality of printheads, each printhead opposing a respective spittoon,

wherein;

the upper guide portion at least partially intersects a common tangential plane defined between a neighboring pair of rollers, such that print media fed along the curved media path contact the rollers and upper guide portions of the spittoons; and

the upper guide portion of each spittoon comprises an upstream leading edge sloped towards the media feed path and a downstream trailing edge sloped away from the media feed path.

2. The print engine of claim 1 wherein each spittoon is height-adjustable.

3. The print engine of claim 1, wherein a spittoon pit is positioned between the leading and trailing edges.

4. The print engine of claim 1, wherein a maintenance chassis is mounted on the media support chassis.

5. The print engine of claim 4, wherein the maintenance chassis comprises a plurality of fixedly mounted maintenance modules.

6. The print engine of claim 4, wherein a print bar chassis is movably mounted on the maintenance chassis.

7. The print engine of claim 6, wherein the print bar chassis comprises a plurality of print modules, each print module comprising a respective one of the printheads.

8. The print engine of claim 7, wherein each printhead extends and retracts through a space defined by a respective maintenance module into printing position proximally opposed a respective spittoon and a maintenance position distally opposed the respective spittoon.

9. A print engine comprising:

a media support chassis having a plurality of guide rollers mounted between opposite sidewalls thereof, the plurality of guide rollers defining a curved media feed path;

a maintenance chassis mounted on the media support chassis;

a print bar chassis movably mounted on the maintenance chassis;

a plurality of spittoons, each spittoon being positioned between a neighboring pair of guide rollers and each spittoon having an upper guide portion; and

a plurality of printheads mounted on the print bar chassis, each printhead opposing a respective spittoon,

wherein;

the upper guide portion at least partially intersects a common tangential plane defined between a neighboring pair of rollers, such that print media fed along the curved media path contact the rollers and upper guide portions of the spittoons.

10. The print engine of claim 9, wherein the maintenance chassis comprises a plurality of fixedly mounted maintenance modules.

11. The print engine of claim 10, wherein each printhead extends and retracts through a space defined by a respective maintenance module into printing position proximally opposed a respective spittoon and a maintenance position distally opposed the respective spittoon.

12. The print engine of claim 9, wherein the print bar chassis comprises a plurality of print modules, each print module comprising a respective one of the printheads.