Printing and display device incorporating a replaceable ink cartridge

• US 7,570,389 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2004
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Park; Chan S
• Application Number:
  US10/803,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20040184045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,965 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.8, 358/1.1, 358/3.06, 358/3.07, 358/1.15, 358/1.5, 358/450, 358/1.3, 400/416, 400/419, 361/600, 347/3, 347/37, 347/101, 347/108, 710/104
• US Class Current: 358/1.8
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/14427 Structure of ink jet print heads with thermal bend detached actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/175 Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2002/14435 Moving nozzle made of thermal bend detached actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/28 for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes , envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64

Abstract

A printing and display device comprising: a flat panel display for displaying images from a computer; a stand for holding the flat panel display in an operative position; and a printer, the printer including a printhead for printing onto paper; wherein the stand includes at least one receptacle configured to accept at least one replaceable ink cartridge for supplying ink to the printer.

Claims

1. A printing and display device for use with an external computer, the printing and display device comprising:

a flat panel display for displaying images from the external computer;

a printer including a printhead for printing onto paper;

a stand attached to the flat panel display for supporting the flat panel display and the printer;

a display data connection for selectively connecting to the external computer to receive display data used to provide the images displayed; and

a print data connection for selective connection to the external computer to receive print data from the external computer;

wherein,

the stand includes at least one receptacle configured to accept at least one replaceable ink cartridge for supplying ink to the printer, wherein

the printing and display device is configured such that the paper to be printed is fed manually into a paper path that directs the paper from a region adjacent the upper edge of the flat panel display, past the printhead for printing, then out of the device adjacent a lower edge of the flat panel display.

2. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein a viewable size of the printing and display device exceeds 40 cm measured along a diagonal of the printing and display device.

3. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one receptacle is formed in a base portion of the stand.

4. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, further including at least one ink duct configured to supply ink from the cartridge to the printhead when the cartridge is engaged with the receptacle.

5. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer includes at least two the printheads, the printheads being disposed on either side of a path through which print media is fed for printing, thereby enabling substantially simultaneous printing of both sides of the print media.

6. A printing a display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display data connection includes at least one socket for accepting at least one corresponding data cable.

7. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the print data connection includes a wireless receiver for receiving the print data and/or the display data.

8. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the print data connection is a Universal Synchronous Bus (USB) connection.

9. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, further including a paper feed mechanism for feeding the paper to the printhead for printing, the printhead being arranged to print onto the paper.

10. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the paper feed mechanism is configured to position the paper substantially parallel in at least one direction with respect to a plane defined by the flat panel display.

11. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the paper feed mechanism is configured to accept a single sheet of paper at a time for printing.

12. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 9 or 10, wherein the paper feed mechanism includes a paper separator for feeding a single sheet of paper to the printhead from a stack of sheets of paper.

13. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer is a process color printer.

14. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer is an inkjet printer.

15. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the printer has more than 5,000 inkjet nozzles.

16. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1 or 14, wherein the printer is a page-width printer.

17. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flat panel display measures at least 14 inches on the diagonal.

18. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, including at least two of the printheads, the printheads being disposed on either side of a path through which the paper is fed for printing, thereby enabling substantially simultaneous printing of both sides of a sheet of paper.

19. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, configured to enable printing of standard A4 or Letter sized sheets of paper.

20. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, further including a curved paper guide disposed, when the device is in use, beneath the flat panel display, such that the paper that has been printed is urged horizontally as it exits the device.

21. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flat panel display is of one of the following types:

a. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD);

b. Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED)

c. Field Emission Display (FED)

d. Plasma Display Panel (PDP).

22. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printhead is configured to receive halftoned print data to be printed onto the print media.

23. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, further including a halftoning unit for generating halftoned image data and supplying the halftoned image data to the printhead for printing.

24. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printhead is configured to print photographic images.

25. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printhead is configured to print image and text data.

26. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a data connection hub which provides the display data connection and the print data connection.

27. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein during printing, the paper being printed passes between the flat panel display and the printhead, or passes behind the flat panel display and the printhead relative to a viewing position of the flat panel display.

28. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a multi-sheet paper holder; and

,

a paper sheet separator configured to separate a single paper sheet from the paper in the paper holder for supply to the printhead.

29. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the printer includes at least two pagewidth printheads, the pagewidth printheads being disposed on either side of a path through which print media is fed for printing, thereby enabling substantially simultaneous printing of both sides of the print media.

30. A printing and display device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an interface for user input to generate a print command;

wherein,

the printing and display device is configured to transmit a print request to the external computer in response to a print command; and

,

receive, from the external computer and in response to the print request, a document to be printed; and

print the document.

31. A printing and display device comprising:

a flat panel display for displaying images;

a printer including a printhead for printing onto print media;

a stand attached to the flat panel display for supporting the flat panel display and the printer; and

a print media feed path for feeding the print media pass the printhead, the feed path having an entry located at the top of the flat panel display, and an exit located at the bottom of the flat panel display, wherein

the stand supports the flat panel display the printer in a suspended position above a base of the stand, allowing print media to be fed out from the exit unobstructed, and

the stand includes a receptacle configured to accept a replaceable ink cartridge for supplying ink to the printer.