Systems and Methods for Storing Printer Cartridges
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorsWai Kong Fong, Surendran Ramachanthiran
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A printer may include a printer housing, a service station in the printer housing, an automated carriage assembly, and a print cartridge storage compartment. The service station defines an area for servicing one or more print cartridges. The automated carriage assembly is configured to carry the particular print cartridge through a printing area during a printing operation of the printer, and to carry the particular print cartridge to the service station area for servicing. The print cartridge storage compartment is defined by the printer housing and configured to store a spare print cartridge, the print cartridge storage compartment being separate from the service station and inaccessible to the carriage assembly.
Claims20
A printer, comprising:
- a printer housing;
- a service station in the printer housing, the service station defining an area for servicing one or more print cartridges;
- an automated carriage assembly configured to:
- carry the particular print cartridge through a printing area during a printing operation of the printer;
- and
- carry the particular print cartridge to the service station area for servicing;
- and
- a print cartridge storage compartment defined by the printer housing and configured to store a spare print cartridge, the print cartridge storage compartment being separate from the service station and inaccessible to the carriage assembly.
A method, comprising:
- operating a printer including a printer housing, a service station located in the printer housing and defining an area for servicing one or more print cartridges, and a carriage assembly for carrying a print cartridge;
- wherein during operation of the printer, the carriage assembly automatically carries a particular print cartridge through a printing area during a printing operation and to the service station for servicing;
- storing a spare print cartridge in a print cartridge storage compartment at least partially defined in the printer housing and configured for storing the spare print cartridge, the print cartridge storage compartment being separate from the service station and inaccessible to the carriage assembly;
- and
- manually transferring the spare print cartridge from the print cartridge storage compartment to the carriage assembly such that the carriage assembly may use the spare print cartridge for printing.
A capping system for capping a print cartridge for use in a printer, the capping system comprising:
- a capping seal configured to seal a print head of a spare print cartridge stored in a print cartridge storage compartment formed in a housing of a printer;
- and
- a biasing member configured to bias the capping seal against the print head of the spare print cartridge stored in the print cartridge storage compartment;
- wherein the capping system is located in the print cartridge storage compartment, the print cartridge storage compartment being separate from a service station area for servicing one or more print cartridges delivered by an automated movable print cartridge carriage assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.