Ejector mechanism for a print engine

Details Ejector mechanism for a print engine Ejector mechanism for a print engine

2000-06-30

2002-08-27

Tran, Huan (Department: 2861)

Incremental printing of symbolic information

Ink jet

Fluid or fluid source handling means

Reexamination Certificate

active

06439704

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a print engine. The invention has particular application in a print engine for use in an instantaneous print, digital camera. More particularly, the invention relates to an ejector mechanism for the print engine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The print engine of the present invention makes use of a removable print cartridge. Ink to be supplied to the print engine is supplied via the print cartridge and air is also supplied to the printhead of the page width printhead for blowing air over a nozzle guard of the printhead to maintain the printhead free of foreign particles and to inhibit blockage of the ink ejection devices. The ink and the air are fed to the printhead via ink and air inlet pins, respectively. When the print cartridge is removed from the print engine, these pins are exposed. It is necessary to close off the inlet openings of the pins to inhibit the ingress of detritus.
By “page width” is meant that the printhead prints one line at a time on the print media without traversing the print media, or rastering, as the print media moves past the printhead.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided an ejector mechanism for a print engine, the ejector mechanism including
a support member carrying a plurality of fluid conduits for feeding fluids from a source of each fluid to a printhead of the print engine, one of the fluid conduits being an air feed conduit for feeding air to the printhead;
a sealing means displaceably arranged relative to the support member for sealing inlet openings of the fluid conduits when the sealing means is in a first position and the sealing means being displaceable to a second position to expose the openings of the fluid conduits to place the fluid conduits in fluid communication with their respective sources of fluids; and
an urging means which acts on the sealing means for urging the sealing means to its first position.
The support arrangement may comprise an ink supply member which defines fluid channels for feeding the fluids to the printhead.
The printhead may print using various types of ink and the mechanism may then include a separate fluid conduit for each type of ink plus the air feed conduit. In particular, the printhead may print four different colors of ink being cyan, magenta, yellow and black or, instead, the printhead may print using three colors, being cyan, magenta and yellow with the fourth ink being an ink which is visible in the infrared light spectrum only.
Each fluid conduit may be in the form of a supply pin having a closed end and at least one inlet opening defined in a side wall of a pin. If desired, at least the ink conduits may have a pair of opposed openings defined in the side wall of the pin.
The sealing means may comprise a sealing member of an elastomeric material, the sealing member having a plurality of openings defined therein, each opening being dimensioned such that its associated pin is a snug fit therethrough.
The sealing member may define an opening for each ink supply pin with a land defined on a periphery of the sealing means for closing off the inlet opening of the air supply pin.
The sealing member may be mounted in a molding, the molding being displaceably arranged relative to the support member.
The molding may be held captive relative to the support member.
The urging means may be a coil spring sandwiched between the support member and the molding.


REFERENCES:
patent: 6033064 (2000-03-01), Pawlowski, Jr. et al.
patent: 765757 (1997-04-01), None
patent: 976564 (2000-02-01), None
patent: 2302843 (1997-02-01), None
patent: 9057986 (1997-03-01), None

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