Printhead assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9944086-B2
Application number	US-201615383523-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	May 30, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A printhead assembly including an ink cartridge body made of a material selected from the group of materials consisting of: nylon, polyethersulfone, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyoxymethylene and other materials that are compatible with ketone, acetate and alcohol based inks, an ink reservoir disposed within the ink cartridge body and adapted to receive and contain ink, and a printhead chip provided on the ink cartridge body and in fluid communication with the ink reservoir so as to receive ink from the ink reservoir for ejection of the ink onto a print medium.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printhead assembly, comprising:
an ink cartridge body made of a material selected from the group of materials consisting of: nylon, polyethersulfone, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyoxymethylene and other materials that are compatible with ketone, acetate and alcohol based inks;
an ink reservoir disposed within the ink cartridge body and adapted to receive and contain ink;
a printhead chip provided on the ink cartridge body and in fluid communication with the ink reservoir so as to receive ink from the ink reservoir for ejection of the ink onto a print medium;
a tower portion that defines an ink entrance passage that receives ink from the ink reservoir;
a filter cap disposed over the tower portion, the filter cap defining an ink passage that allows ink to flow from the ink reservoir to the tower portion of the ink cartridge body; and
a filter disposed below the tower portion that filters ink delivered to the printhead chip,
wherein the ink passage comprises a smaller diameter upper passage portion proximate the ink reservoir and a larger diameter lower passage portion proximate the tower portion.

2. The printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the filter cap is made of nylon.

3. The printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the filter is made of at least one of a mesh, screen or weave material.

4. The printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the filter is made of a weave material, and the weave material is at least one of a metal weave or a polymer weave material.

5. The printhead assembly of claim 1 , wherein the ink reservoir comprises:
a frame member;
parallel opposed side walls attached to the frame member;
parallel opposed pressure regulator side plates disposed inwardly relative to the side walls; and
a spring member disposed between and in contact with the side plates that biases the side plates away from one another so as to regulate back pressure within the ink reservoir.

6. The printhead assembly of claim 5 , wherein the side walls are made of thermally formed polymeric film material.

7. The printhead assembly of claim 5 , wherein the side plates are made of stainless steel.

8. The printhead assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a sealing member that forms a seal between the ink reservoir and the filter cap.

9. The printhead assembly of claim 8 , wherein the sealing member is a gasket.

10. An inkjet printer comprising:
a housing;
a carriage adapted to reciprocate along a shaft disposed within the housing;
one or more printhead assemblies arranged on the carriage so that the printhead assemblies eject ink onto a print medium as the carriage reciprocates along the shaft in accordance with a control mechanism, wherein at least one the one or more printhead assemblies comprises:
an ink cartridge body made of a material selected from the group of materials consisting of: nylon, polyethersulfone, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyoxymethylene and other materials that are compatible with ketone, acetate and alcohol based inks;
an ink reservoir disposed within the ink cartridge body and adapted to receive and contain ink;
a printhead chip provided on the ink cartridge body and in fluid communication with the ink reservoir so as to receive ink from the ink reservoir for ejection of the ink onto a print medium;
a tower portion that defines an ink entrance passage that receives ink from the ink reservoir;
a filter cap disposed over the tower portion, the filter cap defining an ink passage that allows ink to flow from the ink reservoir to the tower portion of the ink cartridge body; and
a filter disposed below the tower portion that filters ink delivered to the printhead chip,
wherein the ink passage comprises a smaller diameter upper passage portion proximate the ink reservoir and a larger diameter lower passage portion proximate the tower portion.

11. The inkjet printer of claim 10 , wherein the ink reservoir comprises:
a frame member;
parallel opposed side walls attached to the frame member;
parallel opposed pressure regulator side plates disposed inwardly relative to the side walls; and
a spring member disposed between and in contact with the side plates that biases the side plates away from one another so as to regulate back pressure within the ink reservoir.

12. The inkjet printer of claim 10 , wherein the filter cap is made of nylon.

13. The printhead assembly of claim 10 , wherein the filter is made of at least one of a mesh, screen or weave material.

14. The printhead assembly of claim 10 , wherein the filter is made of a weave material, and the weave material is at least one of a metal weave or a polymer weave material.

15. The inkjet printer of claim 10 , further comprising a sealing member that forms a seal between the ink reservoir and the filter cap.

16. The inkjet printer of claim 15 , wherein the sealing member is a gasket.

Assignees

• Funai Electric Co

Inventors

• Anderson Jr James Daniel
• Weaver Sean
• Long Greg

Classifications

• B41J2/1753

  Details of contacts on the cartridge, e.g. protection of contacts · CPC title

• B41J2/17503

  Ink cartridges · CPC title

• B41J2/17563 Primary

  Ink filters · CPC title

• B41J2/17553

  Outer structure · CPC title

• B41J2/17513 Primary

  Inner structure · CPC title