Printhead assembly arranged within a media tray assembly

• US 6,935,736 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2004
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zamtec Limited (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirshfeld, Andrew H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Crenshaw, Marvin P.
• Application Number:
  US10/943,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20050046685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• Field of Search: 347/103, 347/104, 347/2, 347/171, 347/108, 347/214, 101/348, 400/624, 400/625, 400/628, 400/629
• US Class Current: 347/103
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0095 Detecting means for copy material, e.g. for detecting or sensing presence of copy material or its leading or trailing end
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/42 Controlling printing material conveyance for accurate alignment of the printing material with the printhead; Print registering
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/076 Construction of rollers; Bearings therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 19/202 Drive control means for carriage movement
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/00 Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed mounting, arrangement or disposition of types or dies B41J1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0057 where an intermediate transfer member receives the ink before transferring it on the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04528 aiming at warming up the head
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04543 Block driving
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04551 using several operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04563 detecting head temperature; Ink temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04586 controlling heads of a type not covered by groups B41J2/04575 - B41J2/04585, or of an undefined type
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04591 Width of the driving signal being adjusted
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/155 for line printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/165 Preventing or detecting of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16508 connected with the printer frame
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/023 with reduced dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/04 Means for attaching machines to baseboards
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/17 Cleaning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/38 : Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 : Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 : for printing on both faces of the printing material
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/10 : using a liquid developer
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/50 : Machine control of apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern, e.g. regulating differents parts of the machine, multimode copiers, microprocessor control sequencing control G03G21/14
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6529 : Transporting G03G15/6555 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 2221/1642 : for the transfer unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 : Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 : Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/12 : Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/00 : Methods or arrangements for marking the record carrier in digital fashion
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/02 : using printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/102 : using ink jet print heads
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/16 : Means for paper feeding or form feeding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1814 : including print-ready data, i.e. data already matched to the printing process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 15/1815 : Receiving print data in mixed format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/23 : Reproducing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32561 : using a programmed control device, e.g. a microprocessor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32587 : Controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32593 : Using a plurality of controllers, e.g. for controlling different interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32603 : Multi-bus systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/41 : Bandwidth or redundancy reduction by scanning H04N1/17 ; methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/504 : Reproducing the colour component signals line-sequentially

Abstract

An inkjet printer includes a housing that defines a receiving formation for a media tray assembly. A chassis is positioned in the housing. A media tray assembly is displaceably engageable with the chassis to permit the tray assembly to be received in, and withdrawn from, the receiving formation. The media tray assembly and the housing define a print medium feed path. The media tray assembly includes a media tray in which a stack of print medium sheets can be stored. A feed mechanism is positioned on the media tray to feed the sheets from the tray. A printhead assembly is positioned downstream of the media tray to carry out a printing operation on the sheets as the sheets are fed from the tray.

Claims

1. A printhead assembly arranged within a media tray assembly, the media tray assembly configured for releasable engagement with a housing of a printer, the printhead assembly comprising:

at least one ink reservoir mounted on a downstream end of the media tray, the ink reservoir spanning the feed path;

at least one printhead chip connected to the ink reservoir to receive ink therefrom;

at least one transfer roller operatively positioned with respect to the printhead chip so that the printhead chip can carry out a printing operation on the transfer roller,

a retaining mechanism positioned on the media tray so that the feed path extends between the retaining mechanism and the transfer roller, the retaining mechanism being configured to urge each sheet of print medium against the transfer roller during printing, so that ink printed out on the transfer roller is transferred to the sheet of print medium.

2. A printhead assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printhead assembly comprises:

a pair of printhead chips configured for printing on both sides of the printing medium; and

a pair of transfer rollers, each transfer roller being operatively positioned with respect to an associated printhead chip so that the printhead chips can carry out a printing operation on the respective transfer rollers, the transfer rollers being positioned with respect to each other so that the feed path is defined between the transfer rollers such that ink printed on the transfer rollers is transferred to each side of the sheet.

3. A printhead assembly, as claimed in claim 2, the assembly including a pair of ink reservoirs, one on each side of the path, wherein each of the printing chips is mounted to a corresponding ink supply arrangement.