Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-29
2004-08-03
Vo, Anh T. N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S029000, C347S087000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769761
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to apparatus and methods of protecting ink ejection orifices of inkjet printer cartridges with protective tape, and more particularly relates to an inkjet printer having ink cartridge tape removal capability and method of assembling the printer.
An inkjet printer produces images on a recorder medium by ejecting ink drops onto the recorder medium in an image-wise fashion. The advantages of non-impact, low-noise, low energy use, and low cost operation, in addition to the ability of the printer to print on plain paper are largely responsible for the wide acceptance of inkjet printers in the marketplace.
Inkjet printers comprise a print head including a plurality of ink cartridges, each ink cartridge having a plurality of ink ejection orifices. At every orifice a pressurization means is used to produce an ink drop. In this regard, either one of two types of pressurization means may be used. These two types of pressurization means are heat pressurization means and piezoelectric pressurization means. With respect to piezoelectric pressurization means, a piezoelectric material is used. The piezoelectric material possesses piezoelectric properties such that an electric field is produced when a mechanical stress is applied. The converse also holds true; that is, an applied electric field will produce a mechanical stress in the material. When a piezoelectric pressurization means is used for inkjet printing, an electric pulse is applied to the piezoelectric material causing the piezoelectric material to bend, thereby squeezing an ink drop from an ink body in contact with the piezoelectric material. The ink drop thereafter travels toward and lands on the recorder medium to place a mark on the recorder medium. One such piezoelectric inkjet printer is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 titled “Method And Apparatus For Recording With Writing Fluids And Drop Projection Means Therefor” issued Mar. 23, 1976 in the name of Edmond L. Kyser, et al.
With respect to heat pressurization means, such as found in thermal inkjet printers, a heater heats the ink and a quantity of the ink phase changes into a gaseous steam bubble. The steam bubble raises the internal ink pressure sufficiently for an ink drop to be expelled towards the recorder medium. Thermal inkjet printers are well-known and are discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,500,895 to Buck, et al.; 4,794,409 to Cowger, et al.; 4,771,295 to Baker, et al.; 5,278,584 to Keefe, et al.; and the Hewlett-Packard Journal, Vol. 39, No. 4 (August 1988), the disclosures of which are all hereby incorporated by reference.
The print head itself may be a carriage mounted print head that reciprocates transversely with respect to the recorder medium (i.e., across the width of the recorder medium) as a controller connected to the print head selectively fires individual ones of the ink ejection orifices, in order to print a swath of information on the recorder medium. After printing the swath of information, the printer advances the recorder medium the width of the swath and the print head prints another swath of information in the manner mentioned immediately hereinabove. This process is repeated until the desired image is printed on the recorder medium. Alternatively, the print head may be a page-width print head that is stationary and that has a length sufficient to print across the width of the recorder medium. In this case, the recorder medium is moved continually and normal to the stationary print head during the printing process.
Inks useable with piezoelectric and thermal inkjet printers, whether those printers have carriage-mounted or page-width print heads, are specially formulated to provide suitable images on the recorder medium. Such inks typically include a colorant, such as a pigment or dye, and an aqueous liquid, such as water, and/or a low vapor pressure solvent. More specifically, the ink is a liquid composition comprising a solvent or carrier liquid, dyes or pigments, humectants, organic solvents, detergents, thickeners, preservatives and other components. Once applied to the recorder medium, the liquid constituent of the ink is removed from the ink by evaporation or polymerization in order to fix the colorant to the recorder medium. Various liquid ink compositions are disclosed, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,381,946 titled “Ink Composition For Ink-Jet Recording” issued May 3, 1983 in the name of Masafumi Uehara, et al.
Frequently, the inkjet printer includes an ink cartridge when the printer is shipped from the manufacturer. The printer includes the cartridge for the convenience of the end user of the printer. In this manner, the end user need not separately purchase the cartridge before beginning operation of the printer. Rather, the end user merely needs to retrieve the printer from a shipping container, connect the printer to a source of electrical power and to an image source, insert paper, install the ink cartridge in the printer and then begin using the printer.
However, it is important during transport and storage of the printer to temporarily seal the ink ejection orifices against ingress of air and also dirt, dust and other particulate matter. Prolonged contact of the ink with air may evaporate preservatives present in the ink thereby drying-out the ink. Excessive drying-out of the ink substantially increases viscosity of the ink such that the ink obtains less than optimal performance during printing. Moreover, dirt, dust and other particulate matter may accumulate on the surface of the print head surrounding the ink ejection orifices and even inside the ink ejection orifices to thereby interfere with proper ejection and trajectory of ink drops from the ink ejection orifices. In addition, vibration and shock during transport of the printer may cause ink to weep, seep and otherwise leak out the ink ejection orifices. Therefore, in the prior art, a removable adhesive tape is temporarily adhered to the ink cartridge so as to cover the ink ejection orifices and surface area surrounding the ink ejection orifices. Presence of the tape blocks ingress of air and also dirt, dust and other particulate matter into the ink ejection orifices and blocks deposit of the dirt, dust and other particulate matter on the cartridge surface surrounding the ink ejection orifices. Presence of the tape also blocks ink weeping, seeping and otherwise leaking out the ink ejection orifices. Typically, this tape is applied to the cartridge by the manufacturer of the printer, and before the printer is shipped to a wholesaler, retailer, or end user, as the case may be. Of course, the tape must be removed by the end user before first use of the printer, so that ink drops can eject from the cartridges disposed in the printer. Instructional materials disclosing method of removal of the tape are typically included with the printer when the printer is received by the end user. Thus, removal of the tape requires the end user of the printer to read and understand the instructional materials included with the printer.
However, it has been observed that the end user often may not understand or even read the instructional materials prior to operating the printer with included ink cartridge. This is undesirable because operation of the printer with the tape still blocking the ink ejection orifices interferes with proper operation of the printer. The end user then erroneously assumes the printer is malfunctioning when in fact it is the end user's neglect to remove the protective tape from the cartridge that results in the printer's inability to print. Nonetheless, believing that the printer and/or ink cartridge is malfunctioning, the end user will contact the printer manufacturer and seek relief under the manufacturer's printer warranty. The printer manufacturer must then address the complaint made by the end user. Such complaints potentially increase customer dissatisfaction. Also, such complaints increase the manufacturer's cost of goods sold because the manufacturer of the printer then
Beilman Thomas R.
Scherich Bonnie
Shirazi Majid
Hewlett--Packard Development Company, L.P.
Vo Anh T. N.
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