Mobile telecommunications device with printhead capper that is held in uncapped position by media

• US 20060250438A1
• Filed: 05/09/2005
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Granted Patent: US 7,517,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/29
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16508 connected with the printer frame

Abstract

A mobile telecommunications device comprising: a printhead with an array of nozzles for printing a media substrate; a capper assembly movable between a capped position covering the nozzles and an uncapped position spaced from the nozzles; wherein, the capper assembly is held in the uncapped position by the media such that it moves to the capped position upon disengagement with the media.

Claims

1. A mobile telecommunications device comprising:

a printhead with an array of nozzles for printing a media substrate;

a capper assembly movable between a capped position covering the nozzles and an uncapped position spaced from the nozzles;

wherein,

the capper assembly is held in the uncapped position by the media such that it moves to the capped position upon disengagement with the media.

2. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the sheet of media substrate is encoded and the print engine controller uses an optical sensor to determine the position of the sheet relative to the printhead.

3. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising a drive shaft for feeding the media past the printhead.

4. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 3 wherein the media substrate is a sheet and the trailing edge of the sheet disengages from the drive shaft before it is printed and is projected past the printhead by its momentum.

5. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 4 wherein the capper assembly lightly grips the sheet after it has been printed so that it partially extends from the mobile telecommunications device in readiness for manual collection.

6. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 5 wherein the capper assembly moves out of the capped position and toward the uncapped position upon engagement with the leading edge of the sheet.

7. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the printhead is incorporated into a cartridge that further comprises a print media feed path for directing the print media past the printhead in a feed direction during printing, and a drive mechanism for driving the print media past the printhead for printing.

8. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the printhead has an array of ink ejection nozzles and is incorporated into a cartridge that further comprises at least one ink reservoir for supplying ink to the printhead for ejection by the nozzles, each of the at least one ink reservoirs including at least one absorbent structure for inducing a negative hydrostatic pressure in the ink at the nozzles, and a capping mechanism for capping the printhead when not in use.

9. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising:

(a) a print media feed path for directing print media past the printhead in a feed direction during printing;

(b) a capping mechanism including a capper moveable between a capping position in which the capper is urged into a capping relationship with the printhead, and an uncapped position in which the printhead is able to print onto the print media, wherein in the uncapped position the capper is displaced away from the printhead; and

(c) a force transfer mechanism connected to the capper and configured such that a force provided by an edge of the media as it moves relative to the feed path is transferred to the capper by the force transfer mechanism, thereby to at least commence movement of the capper from the capped position to the uncapped position prior to the media reaching the capper.

10. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 4 further comprising:

(a) a print media feed path for directing print media past the printhead in a feed direction during printing;

(b) a capping mechanism including a capper moveable between a capping position in which the capper is urged into a capping relationship with the printhead, and an uncapped position in which the printhead is able to print onto the print media, wherein in the uncapped position the capper is displaced away from the printhead;

(c) a locking mechanism configured to hold the capper in the uncapped position until after a trailing edge of the media is clear of the printhead.

11. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the drive assembly has a drive shaft with a media engagement surface for feeding a media substrate along a feed path;

and,

a media guide adjacent the drive shaft for biasing the media substrate against the media engagement surface.

12. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a drive shaft for feeding the sheet of media substrate past the printhead;

wherein during use,

the sheet disengages from the drive shaft before completion of its printing such that the trailing edge of the sheet projects past the printhead by momentum to complete its printing.

13. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the printhead comprises:

an array of nozzles for ejecting ink;

print data circuitry for providing the nozzles with print data; and

,

a photosensor for optically receiving the print data from a beacon operated by a print engine controller.

14. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a drive shaft for feeding the sheet of media substrate past the printhead and a drive system to rotate the drive shaft;

wherein,

the drive system rotates the drive roller by friction.

15. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a media feed assembly for feeding the media past the printhead;

a print engine controller for operatively controlling the printhead; and

,

a position sensor for providing the print engine controller with a signal indicative of the position of the media substrate relative to the printhead;

such that,

the print engine controller differentiates the signal to derive the speed of the media substrate relative to the printhead and adjusts the operation of the printhead in response to variations in the speed.

16. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a drive shaft for feeding the media past the printhead; and

,

a print engine controller for operatively controlling the printhead;

wherein during use,

the print engine controller senses the number of complete and partial rotations of the drive shaft and adjusts the operation of the printhead in response to variations in the angular velocity of the drive shaft.

17. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one ink reservoir, the at least one reservoir comprising:

a housing defining an ink storage volume;

one or more baffles dividing the ink storage volume into sections, each of the sections having at least one ink outlet for sealed connection to the printhead; and

,

at least one conduit establishing fluid communication between the ink outlets of adjacent sections.

18. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the media substrate is a sheet with coded data disposed on at least part of its surface;

the mobile telecommunications device further comprising;

a media feed assembly for feeding the sheet of media substrate along a feed path past the printhead;

a print engine controller for operatively controlling the printhead; and

,

a sensor for reading the coded data and generating a signal indicative of at least one dimension of the sheet, and transmitting the signal to the print engine controller;

such that,

the print engine controller uses the signal to initiate the printing when the sheet is at a predetermined position relative to the printhead.

19. A mobile telecommunications device according to claim 1 wherein the media substrate is a sheet with coded data disposed on at least part of its surface;

the mobile telecommunications device further comprising;

a media feed assembly for feeding the sheet of media substrate along a feed path past the printhead;

a print engine controller for operatively controlling the printhead; and

,

a dual sensing facility for reading the coded data before, as well as after, it has past the printhead.