Printer cradle for receiving an ink cartridge with a gear assembly

• US 7,887,171 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Memjet Technology Ltd. (Memjet Limited)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): Huffman; Julian D
• Application Number:
  US12/200,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20080316285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 347/37, 347/84, 347/86, 347/42, 347/85, 347/29, 347/87, 347/32
• US Class Current: 347/85
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17506 Refilling of the cartridge
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17509 Whilst mounted in the printer
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically

Abstract

Provided is a printer cradle for receiving an ink cartridge having a rotor element. The cradle includes a drive roller and an electrical motor having a drive shaft terminating in a worm gear that meshes with a cog affixed to the drive roller for driving said roller. The cradle also includes a flipper gear assembly that is operatively engaged with the drive roller to be driven by the drive roller between an engaged position, in which the flipper gear assembly engages the rotor element and a disengaged position in which the flipper gear assembly is disengaged from the rotor element. Further included is a controller arrangement having a controller board housing a print engine controller configured to control the motor to actuate or disengage the rotor element.

Claims

1. A printer cradle for receiving an ink cartridge having a rotor element, the cradle comprising:

a drive roller;

an electrical motor having a drive shaft terminating in a worm gear meshed with a cog affixed to the drive roller for driving said roller;

a flipper gear assembly engaged with the drive roller to be driven by the drive roller between an engaged position, in which the flipper gear assembly engages the rotor element and a disengaged position in which the flipper gear assembly is disengaged from the rotor element; and

a controller arrangement having a controller board housing a print engine controller configured to control the motor to actuate or disengage the rotor element, the controller arrangement further having a rotor element sensor connected to the controller board for detecting an orientation of the rotor element.

2. The printer cradle of claim 1, further comprising cam followers to engage cams attached to opposite ends of the rotor element, said cam followers being ring shaped and pivotally secured to the cradle.

3. The printer cradle of claim 2, wherein the cam followers include pivotally connected hinged jaws for clutching slider blocks of the rotor element.

4. The printer cradle of claim 1, wherein the flipper gear assembly includes a housing supporting an inner gear and an outer gear that interengage, the inner gear being fixed and coaxial with the drive roller, whereby the housing is free to rotate about said drive roller to displace the outer gear between a stopped position and an engaging position meshing with a drive cog of the rotor element.

5. The printer cradle of claim 1, wherein the cradle includes bearing mount assemblies for supporting the drive roller at either end thereof.

6. The printer cradle of claim 1, wherein the rotor element sensor includes a light source and a detector unit, said source configured to direct light rays onto the rotor element with the detector unit positioned to detect reflected rays when the rotor element is at a particular orientation.