In car entertainment unit including printer

• US 7,506,943 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Issued: 03/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, King, Tobin Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo; Anh T. N.
• Application Number:
  US11/592,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20070052737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 347/2, 347/4, 347/13, 347/42, 347/85, 347/86, 347/104, 347/108, 348/207.2, 701/35
• US Class Current: 347/2
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/0081 Sheet-storing packages, e.g. for protecting the sheets against ambient influences, e.g. light, humidity, changes in temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 13/103 for the sheet feeding section
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/15 for serial printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/1752 Mounting within the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17553 Outer structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/00 Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed

Abstract

An in-car entertainment unit provides a radio, a CD player and/or a DVD player, a display and a printing unit. The printing unit comprising includes a printhead, a replaceable cartridge containing a stack of print media sheets and an ink reservoir for supply of ink to the printing unit. The supply of print media sheets and the ink reservoir are arranged in stacked relationship relative to one another within the cartridge. A chassis receives the cartridge in use and provides ink hoses for coupling the printhead to the ink reservoir and a feed system for feeding print media sheets from the stack to the printhead.

Claims

1. An in-car entertainment unit comprising:

at least one of a radio, a CD player and a DVD player;

a display; and

a printing unit disposed within the in-car entertainment unit;

the printing unit comprising;

a printhead;

a replaceable cartridge containing a stack of print media sheets and an ink reservoir for supply of ink to the printhead, wherein the supply of print media sheets and the ink reservoir are arranged in stacked relationship relative to one another within the cartridge; and

a chassis adapted to receive the cartridge in use, the chassis including;

ink hoses for coupling the printhead to the ink reservoir; and

,

a feed system for feeding print media sheets from the stack to the printhead for printing thereon.

2. An in-car entertainment unit according to claim 1 wherein the feed system comprises:

a pick-up roller for engaging sheets of paperprint media sheets in the stack;

a first motor; and

,

a first gear train for coupling the first motor to the pick-up roller

a drive roller positioned between the pick-up roller and the printhead to feed print media sheets to the printhead;

a second motor; and

,

a second gear train for coupling the second motor to the drive roller.

3. A in-car entertainment unit according to claim 2, the cartridge including a sprung roller, wherein in use the sprung roller is urged toward the drive roller, the print media sheets being fed between the drive roller and the sprung roller.

4. A in-car entertainment unit according to claim 2, the cartridge including two first racks for engaging corresponding cogs mounted to an axle on the chassis to thereby prevent skewing of the cartridge as the cartridge is inserted into and removed from the chassis.

5. A in-car entertainment unit according to claim 4, the cartridge including a second rack for engaging the first gear train such that operation of the gear train can be used to feed the cartridge into the chassis.

6. A in-car entertainment unit according to claim 5, the printer including a reversing mechanism adapted to selectively coupled the first gear train to the second rack or the pick-up roller.

7. A in-car entertainment unit according to claim 2, the cartridge including:

i. A floor;

ii. A platen for receiving the stack of print media sheets in use;

iii. A plurality of leaf springs for urging the platen away from the floor, to thereby urge the stack of print media sheets toward the pick-up roller.

8. A in-car entertainment unit according to claim 1, the ink outlet including a rupterable seal, the chassis including an ink supply manifold having respective pins, each pin being in fluid communication with a respective the ink supply hose and being adapted to rupture the seal on the respective ink outlet.

9. The in-car entertainment unit of claim 1, wherein the stack of sheets are received in a receptacle within the cartridge.

10. The in-car entertainment unit of claim 9, wherein the receptacle is displaceably arranged relative to a floor of the cartridge.

11. The in-car entertainment unit of claim 10, wherein the ink reservoir has at least one ink storage zone, the ink reservoir being arranged between the floor of the cartridge and the receptacle.

12. The in-car entertainment unit of claim 11, wherein said at least one ink storage zone comprises a channel defining portion and a flexible membrane closing off said channel, said flexible membrane collapsing into the channel, in use, for inhibiting ingress of air into said channel as ink is withdrawn from the channel.

13. The in-car entertainment unit of claim 9, wherein the supply of ink is arranged between the receptacle and a cover of the unit.

14. The in-car entertainment unit of claim 1, wherein the printer is a full color printer.

15. The in-car entertainment unit of claim 1 in which the printhead is a pagewidth inkjet printhead.

16. A in-car entertainment unit according to claim 1, the ink reservoir including:

an ink supply molding defining a plurality of ink supply channels for containing respective colours of ink;

a flexible membrane for sealing the molding;

an ink outlet coupled to each channel for coupling the ink channel to a respective ink hose.