Ink jet printer with print roll and printhead assemblies

• US 6,733,116 B1
• Filed: 09/22/2003
• Issued: 05/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, HUAN HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/666,265
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075718A1
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 347/85, 347/86, 347/87, 347/94
• US Class Current: 347/85
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/044 Cassettes or cartridges containing continuous copy material, tape, for setting into printing devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04506 aiming at correcting manufacturing tolerances
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04541 Specific driving circuit
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04553 detecting ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04565 detecting heater resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0457 Power supply level being detected or varied
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04571 detecting viscosity
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04573 Timing; Delays
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04585 controlling heads based on thermal bent actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04588 using a specific waveform
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04596 Non-ejecting pulses
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1623 bonding and adhesion
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1626 etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1628 dry etching
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1631 : photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1632 : machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1634 : laser machining
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1635 : dividing the wafer into individual chips
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1637 : molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1639 : sacrificial molding
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1642 : thin film formation by CVD [chemical vapor deposition]
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1646 : thin film formation by sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1648 : Production of print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 : Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17563 : Ink filters
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14362 : Assembling elements of heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14419 : Manifold
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14491 : Electrical connection
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2202/19 : Assembling head units
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49401 : Fluid pattern dispersing device making, e.g., ink jet

Abstract

A printer includes a platen assembly. A print roll assembly is mounted on the platen assembly. A feed mechanism is mounted on the platen assembly. A printhead assembly is positioned on the platen assembly to carry out a printing operation on the print media. The printhead assembly includes an elongate manifold that defines a plurality of ink passages and is dimensioned to span a print area. Printhead chips are mounted on the manifold also to span the print area. The printhead chips have a plurality of ink inlets. The ink inlets are in fluid communication the ink passages. An elongate baffle unit is mounted on the manifold. An elongate housing is mounted on the baffle unit. The baffle unit and the housing define ink storage chambers and inlets in fluid communication with the ink storage chambers.

Claims

1. A printer that comprises

a platen assembly;

a print roll assembly that is mounted on the platen assembly;

a feed mechanism that is mounted on the platen assembly for feeding print media from the print roll assembly over the platen assembly; and

a printhead assembly that is positioned on the platen assembly, downstream of the print roll assembly to carry out a printing operation on the print media, wherein

the printhead assembly comprises

an elongate manifold that defines a plurality of ink passages and is dimensioned to span a print area;

at least one elongate printhead chip that is mounted on the manifold also to span the print area, the printhead chip having a plurality of ink inlets, each ink inlet being in fluid communication with a respective ink passage of the manifold;

an elongate baffle unit that is mounted on the manifold so that the manifold is interposed between the at least one printhead chip and the baffle unit;

an elongate housing that is mounted on the baffle unit, the baffle unit and the housing defining at least one ink storage chamber and at least one respective inlet in fluid communication with the at least one ink storage chamber; and

a data and power supply arrangement that is connected to the at least one printhead chip so that control signals can be transmitted to the at least one printhead chip.

2. A printer as claimed in claim 1, in which the in which the manifold is in the form of a molded, unitary structure that defines at least three sets of ink supply passages, each set corresponding with a respective ink to be used by the printhead chips, the manifold further defining an elongate recess in which the printhead chips can be received, the ink supply passages opening into the recess.

3. A printer as claimed in claim 2, in which the baffle unit and the housing define at least three longitudinally extending ink storage chambers, the manifold being received in the baffle unit with each set of ink supply passages being in fluid communication with one respective ink storage chamber, the baffle unit defining a series of spaced baffle members in each storage chamber to inhibit excessive ink movement upon movement of the printhead assembly.

4. A printer as claimed in claim 2, in which the baffle unit has a pair of opposed end walls and a pair of spaced longitudinal walls so that, with the housing, one ink storage chamber is defined between the end walls and the longitudinal walls and two ink storage chambers are defined between the end walls and respective longitudinal walls and side walls of the housing, one of the end walls defining three inlets in fluid communication with respective ink storage chambers.

5. A printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing defines a number of hydrophobically sealed breather holes to permit the passage of air through the holes while inhibiting the passage of liquid through the holes.

6. A printer as claimed in claim 1, in which the data and power supply arrangement includes a pair of bus bars that are mounted on the housing and a tape-automated bonding strip that extends about the housing and interconnects the bus bars and the printhead chips.

7. A printer as claimed in claim 1, which includes a cover member that engages the housing to enclose the bus bars and the tape-automated bonding strip.

8. A printer as claimed in claim 1, in which a cutting mechanism is mounted on the platen assembly, downstream of the print roll assembly, for cutting the print media once the printing operation has been carried out on the print media.

9. A printer as claimed in claim 8, in which a drive mechanism is mounted on the platen assembly to drive the feed mechanism and the cutting mechanism.

10. A printer as claimed in claim 1, in which the print roll assembly includes a print roll former positioned centrally within a housing so that a length of print media can be wound about the print roll former, the print roll former being hollow and an ink supply being positioned within the print roll former, the ink supply being connected to the inlets defined by the baffle unit and the housing via ink transmission conduits interposed between the print roll assembly and the print head assembly.