Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-14
2001-06-26
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Fluid or fluid source handling means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06250749
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cartridges used in supplying liquid ink to a printhead in a thermal ink jet printing apparatus.
Thermal ink jet printing is well understood in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,121 describes several aspects of such printing.
In existing thermal ink jet printing, the printhead comprises one or more ink filled channels communicating with a relatively small supply chamber, or manifold, at one end, and having an opening at the opposite end, referred to as a nozzle. In current practical embodiments of drop on demand thermal ink jet printers, it has been found that the printers work most effectively when the pressure of the ink in the printhead nozzle is kept within a predetermined range of gauge pressures. Specifically, at those times during operation in which an individual nozzle or an entire printhead is not actively emitting a droplet of ink, it is important that a certain negative pressure, or “back pressure”, exist in each of the nozzles and, by extension, within the ink supply manifold of the printhead. The attributes of creating and maintaining such back pressure are described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,212, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The ink is supplied to the printhead from an ink cartridge. The ink cartridge contains a supply of ink, and is typically configured to maintain the required negative pressure. The ink cartridge is typically a user-replaceable unit that mates with the printhead of the printing apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a fluid cartridge, such as an ink cartridge for an ink jet printhead. The cartridge includes a housing having a plurality of walls to define an interior chamber. A vent opening extends through one of the housing walls to provide fluid communication into the interior chamber. An outlet opening through one of the housing walls provides fluid communication into the interior chamber. A fluid conduit has a first end near the vent opening and a second end near the outlet opening from the chamber.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4677448 (1987-06-01), Mizusawa et al.
patent: 5289212 (1994-02-01), Carlotta
patent: 5875615 (1999-03-01), Ito et al.
patent: 5953030 (1999-09-01), Ishinaga et al.
patent: 5997121 (1999-12-01), Altfather et al.
patent: 06226390 (1996-04-01), None
Carrese Edward M.
Lengyel Dennis M.
Merz Eric A.
Nguyen Hiep H.
Arthur David J.
Le N.
Vo Anh T. N.
Xerox Corporation
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