Print assembly for a mobile telecommunications device with capping structure

• US 7,465,048 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2007
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Walmsley, Simon Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Culler, Jill E.
• Application Number:
  US11/944,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20080068406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 347/104
• 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 2/04573 Timing; Delays
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/0458 controlling heads based on heating elements forming bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/04593 Dot-size modulation by changing the size of the drop
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras

Abstract

A print assembly for a mobile telecommunications device is provided. The print assembly includes a media-width printhead for printing on a printing medium having a positional indicator thereon, and a media feed assembly for feeding the medium past the printhead. Also included is a capper assembly movable between a capped position covering the printhead and an uncapped position exposing the printhead, with the capper assembly being adapted for engagement with the medium to displace said capper assembly from the capped position to the uncapped position. The Print assembly further includes a print controller having a reader configured to operatively read the positional indicator to provide the print controller with a signal indicative of a position of the medium relative to the printhead, said controller being configured to derive a feed speed of the medium from the signal, and to correlate printing of the printhead with such feed speed.

Claims

1. A print assembly for a mobile telecommunications device, said assembly comprising:

a media-width printhead for printing on a printing medium having a positional indicator thereon;

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

a capper assembly movable between a capped position covering the printhead and an uncapped position exposing the printhead, the capper assembly being adapted for engagement with the medium to displace said capper assembly from the capped position to the uncapped position; and

a print controller having a reader configured to operatively read the positional indicator to provide the print controller with a signal indicative of a position of the medium relative to the printhead, said controller being configured to derive a feed speed of the medium from the signal, and to correlate printing of the printhead with such feed speed.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the media feed assembly has a media feed roller which the print controller monitors to sense a number of complete and partial rotations of the media feed roller to generate the signal indicative of the position of the medium relative to the printhead.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the media feed assembly has a drive shaft driven by a piezo-electric resonant linear drive system with a media engagement surface for enhanced contact friction with the media substrate.

4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the capper assembly is configured to grip the medium after printing such that it partially extends from the print assembly for manual retrieval.

5. The assembly of claim 1, which is incorporated into a replaceable cartridge for insertion into a print media feed path within a mobile telecommunications device.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the cartridge includes at least one ink reservoir for supplying ink to the printhead, said ink reservoir including at least one absorbent structure for inducing a negative hydrostatic pressure in the ink at ink ejection nozzles of the printhead.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the ink reservoir includes:

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.