Fluid interconnect with sealant
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsZia Rehman, John L. Taylor, Raymond J. Adamic
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Abstract
A fluid interconnect for a component of a printer is disclosed. The component may, for example, be an inkjet printhead removably attached to a printer and having an ink inlet configured to receive ink from an ink supply. The fluid interconnect has a sealing surface configured to form a seal when contacted against a opposing sealing surface on another component of a printer ink delivery system, and carries a surfactant sealant.
Claims29
A component configured to be removably attached to a printer, the printer having an ink delivery system, the component comprising:
- a casing;
- an ink interconnect configured to fluidically couple the ink delivery system and the casing;
- and
- a sealing surface disposed on the ink interconnect, the sealing surface being configured to form a seal when in contact with an opposing sealing surface on the ink delivery system, wherein the sealing surface carries a surfactant sealant.
A printhead configured to be removably attached to a printer, the printer having an ink delivery system, the printhead comprising:
- a casing;
- an ink inlet configured to accept ink from the ink delivery system into the casing;
- an ink ejection mechanism configured to eject ink from the casing;
- and
- a sealing surface disposed on the ink inlet, the sealing surface being configured to form a seal when in contact with an opposing sealing surface on the ink delivery system, wherein the sealing surface carries a surfactant sealant.
A printer, comprising:
- an ink supply;
- a printhead;
- an ink transfer structure extending between the ink supply and the printhead to accommodate the transfer of ink from the ink supply to the printhead;
- and
- a seal disposed between the ink supply and the printhead, the seal including two opposed sealing surfaces and a surfactant sealant disposed between the opposed sealing surfaces to block air passage between the opposed sealing surfaces.
A method of protecting printer ink in a printer from vapor loss and air leakage, the printer including an ink supply, an ink delivery system, and a printhead, the ink delivery system providing fluid communication from the ink supply to the printhead, with at least one seal disposed between the printhead and the ink supply, the seal including a first sealing surface and an opposing second sealing surface, the method comprising:
- applying a surfactant to at least one of the first sealing surface and the opposing second sealing surface;
- and
- contacting the first sealing surface to the opposing second sealing surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.