Particle collection system for an inkjet printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464328-B2
Application number	US-201815977992-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2018
Priority date	May 12, 2017
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A printer includes: a printhead; a platen positioned below the printhead for supporting print media conveyed along a media feed direction through a print zone, the platen defining a particle-collection slot upstream of the print zone relative to the media feed direction; and a vacuum chamber in fluid communication with the particle-collection slot. An upper surface of the platen has a plurality of raised ribs extending along the platen in the media feed direction and a dam wall extending across the platen transverse to the ribs. The dam wall is positioned at a downstream side of the particle-collection slot and the ribs extend towards the dam wall from an upstream side of the particle-collection slot.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printer comprising:
a printhead;
a platen positioned below the printhead for supporting print media conveyed along a media feed direction through a print zone, the platen defining at least one particle-collection slot upstream of the print zone relative to the media feed direction; and
a vacuum chamber in fluid communication with the particle-collection slot,
wherein:
an upper surface of the platen comprises a plurality of raised ribs extending along the platen in the media feed direction and a dam wall extending across the platen transverse to the ribs;
the platen defines an ink-collection slot extending parallel with the dam wall, the ink-collection slot being positioned in the print zone downstream of the dam wall;
the dam wall is positioned at a downstream side of the particle-collection slot; and
the ribs extend towards the dam wall from an upstream side of the particle-collection slot.

2. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the dam wall divides the ink-collection slot from the particle-collection slot.

3. The printer of claim 1 , wherein a wick bar is received within the ink-collection slot.

4. The printer of claim 1 , wherein upper surfaces of the ribs and dam wall are coplanar.

5. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the particle-collection slot is divided into a plurality of discrete particle-collection traps.

6. The printer of claim 1 , wherein each rib bridges across the particle-collection slot and meets with the dam wall.

7. The printer of claim 1 , wherein each rib terminates at an upstream side of the particle-collection slot.

8. The printer of claim 7 , wherein each rib has an end portion curved downwards towards the particle-collection slot.

9. The printer of claim 7 , wherein a plurality of fins extend from the dam wall parallel with the ribs, each fin bridging across the particle-collection slot.

10. The printer of claim 9 , wherein the fins are offset from the ribs.

11. The printer of claim 10 , wherein each rib is disposed midway between a pair of fins.

12. The printer of claim 9 , wherein a portion of the dam wall and a pair of neighboring fins define a particle-collection trap.

13. The printer of claim 12 , wherein each rib has an end portion surrounded by a respective particle-collection trap.

14. The printer of claim 9 , wherein the fins extend beyond an upstream side of the particle-collection slot.

15. The printer of claim 14 , wherein each fin has a chamfered upstream end portion.

16. The printer of claim 9 , wherein upper surfaces of the ribs, dam wall and fins are coplanar.

Assignees

• Memjet Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Balala Rommel
• Baterna Dan

Classifications

• B41J2/1721 Primary

  Collecting waste ink; Collectors therefor · CPC title

• B41J2/185

  Ink-collectors; Ink-catchers · CPC title

• B41J2/1714 Primary

  Conditioning of the outside of ink supply systems, e.g. inkjet collector cleaning, ink mist removal (B41J2/08, B41J2/16517, B41J2/18 take precedence) · CPC title