Platen assembly for sheet fed printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11685159-B2
Application number	US-202117217725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2021
Priority date	May 12, 2017
Publication date	Jun 27, 2023
Grant date	Jun 27, 2023

Abstract

A printer includes: a platen having an ink-collection slot extending across its width; a wick bar received in the ink-collection slot, wherein an upstream gap and a downstream gap are defined at either side of the wick bar relative to a media feed direction; a printhead positioned over the wick bar; and a vacuum chamber in fluid communication with the ink-collection slot. The wick bar is mounted on a rotatable shaft and the vacuum chamber comprises a scraper positioned for scraping the wick bar as it rotates past the scraper.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A printer comprising:
a platen having an ink-collection slot extending at least partially across a width thereof;
a wick bar received in the ink-collection slot, wherein an upstream gap and a downstream gap are defined at either side of the wick bar relative to a media feed direction;
a printhead positioned at least partially over the wick bar; and
a vacuum chamber in fluid communication with the ink-collection slot,

wherein:
the wick bar is mounted on a rotatable shaft; and the
vacuum chamber comprises a scraper positioned for scraping the wick bar as it rotates past the scraper.

2. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the wick bar is recessed within the ink-collection slot.

3. The printer of claim 1 , wherein an airflow through the upstream gap is greater than an airflow through the downstream gap.

4. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the upstream gap is wider than the downstream gap.

5. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the ink-collection slot has sidewalls extending towards the vacuum chamber.

6. The printer of claim 1 , wherein a lower end of at least one sidewall has a guard for minimizing ink migration along a lower surface of the platen.

7. The printer of claim 5 , wherein a downstream sidewall is chamfered from the platen surface towards the wick bar.

8. The printer of claim 7 , wherein the downstream sidewall is chamfered at an angle of between 5 and 20 degrees.

9. The printer of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the sidewalls flares outwardly towards the vacuum chamber.

10. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the wick surface is sloped upwards at between 1 and 10 degrees relative to a plane parallel with the platen.

11. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the wick surface is positioned below a platen surface of the platen.

12. The printer of claim 1 , wherein an upstream longitudinal edge region of the wick surface is curved.

13. The printer of claim 1 , wherein a downstream longitudinal edge of the wick surface is angular.

14. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the platen comprises a plurality of raised ribs for supporting print media, and wherein a platen surface comprises upper surfaces of the ribs.

15. The printer of claim 14 , wherein the platen defines a plurality of vacuum apertures for drawing print media onto the platen surface.

16. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the wick bar is absent from a mid-portion of the platen.

17. The printer of claim 16 , wherein the mid-portion of the platen is aligned, in the media feed direction, with an upstream media picker.

18. The printer of claim 1 comprising first and second printheads, wherein the platen has first and second ink-collection slots extending at partially along a width thereof and each ink-collection slot has a respective wick bar received therein, and wherein the first and second printheads are positioned over respective wick bars.

19. The printer of claim 17 , wherein the platen extends between the first and second printheads and defines a common platen surface for supporting print media fed past the first and second printheads.

20. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the wick bar has a wick surface sloped upwards from the upstream gap towards the downstream gap.

Assignees

• Memjet Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Baterna Dan
• Balala Rommel

Classifications

• 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

• B41J2/1721 Primary

  Collecting waste ink; Collectors therefor · CPC title

• B41J2/185

  Ink-collectors; Ink-catchers · CPC title