Feed channel keying for solid ink stick feed
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsBrent R. Jones, Frederick T. Mattern, Timothy L. Crawford
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A solid ink feed system for a phase change printer includes a solid ink feed channel that has formed in it a feed channel key that either blocks a solid ink stick from complete insertion into the feed channel, or blocks passage of an ink stick along the length of the feed channel, unless the ink stick has a key element corresponding to the feed channel key. A solid ink stick is formed of a three dimensional ink stick body with a key element that extends along a surface of the ink stick body through the rear of the ink stick body.
Claims27
An ink stick for use in a solid ink feed system of a phase change ink jet printer, the ink stick comprising:
- an ink stick body, wherein the ink stick body comprises:
- a front;
- a rear;
- and
- one or more longitudinal surfaces connecting the front and the rear;
- and
- at least one key element formed in one of the longitudinal surfaces;
- wherein the key element extends along the longitudinal surface through the rear of the ink stick body.
An ink stick for use in a feed channel of a solid ink feed system of a phase change ink jet printer, the ink stick comprising:
- an ink stick body;
- keying means formed in the ink stick body for permitting the ink stick to pass through a keyed feed channel of the solid ink feed system.
A method of feeding solid ink to a melt plate of a phase change ink printer, the method comprising:
- placing an ink stick in a solid ink feed channel wherein:
- one end of the feed channel is adjacent the melt plate;
- moving the ink stick along the solid ink feed channel past a feed channel key in the solid ink feed channel if the ink stick has a key element corresponding to the feed channel key;
- and
- blocking the ink stick at the feed channel key in the solid ink feed channel if the ink stick does not have a key element corresponding to the feed channel key.
A solid ink feed system for a phase change ink jet printer, the feed system comprising:
- at least one solid ink feed channel;
- and
- keying means to block passage along the feed channel of an ink stick that does not have a corresponding ink stick keying means.
A plurality of ink sticks for use in a phase change ink jet printer, the ink sticks comprising:
- a first ink stick comprising a first ink stick body having a first ink stick length and a first key element extending along the first ink stick length;
- a second ink stick comprising a second ink stick body having a second ink stick length and a second key element extending along the second ink stick length;
- wherein the second key element is different from the first key element.
An ink stick for use in a feed channel of a solid ink feed system of a phase change ink jet printer, the ink stick comprising:
- a three dimensional ink stick body:
- a key element formed in the ink stick body for permitting the ink stick to pass a correspondingly shaped and positioned key in the feed channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.