Spill resistant spittoon for printer service stations
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsE. Lewis Barton, Antonio Monclus, Macia Sole, Lluis Hierro
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A spittoon for servicing an inkjet printhead is provided, where the spittoon includes a bottom and one or more walls. At least one wall of the spittoon has an inwardly extending lip. The walls of the spittoon, taken in combination with the bottom of the spittoon, define a waste ink reservoir. The presence of at least one lip on the spittoon walls helps retain the waste ink when the spittoon is moved or tilted, minimizing ink spills.
Claims25
A spittoon for servicing a printhead, the spittoon comprising:
- a reservoir for a waste ink;
- and
- a precipitating agent within the reservoir, wherein the precipitating agent is selected to react with a component of the waste ink to form a precipitate.
A spittoon for servicing a printhead, the spittoon comprising:
- a bottom;
- one or more walls, each wall having a top edge, the walls in combination with the bottom defining a waste ink reservoir having a capacity;
- an inwardly extending lip at the top edge of at least one wall;
- and
- a precipitating agent within the reservoir, wherein the precipitating agent is a salt of a multivalent cation or a multivalent organic acid.
An inkjet printer, comprising a printhead and a printhead service station, the service station including a spittoon with a bottom and one or more walls, each wall having a top edge, the walls in combination with the bottom defining a waste ink reservoir, a lip that extends inwardly from at least one wall, an absorbent pad within the reservoir;
- and a precipitating agent incorporated in the absorbent pad, wherein the precipitating agent is selected to react with a component of the waste ink to form a precipitate.
An inkjet printing mechanism, comprising:
- means for spitting ink into a spittoon;
- means for retaining said previously spit ink within said spittoon during tilting of said inkjet printing mechanism at an angle of up to 45 degrees;
- and
- means within said spittoon for initiating a precipitation reaction with at least one component of said previously spit ink.
A method of utilizing a spittoon in an inkjet printing mechanism, comprising:
- spitting ink into the spittoon positioned in a spit orientation;
- accumulating a supply of ink in said spittoon;
- precipitating at least one component of said ink in said spittoon;
- removing said spittoon with said supply from the inkjet printing mechanism;
- during said removing, tilting said spittoon from said spit orientation;
- and
- during said tilting, retaining said supply within said spittoon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.