Solid ink stick with retrieval feature
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsRahul R. Marwah, Jonathan R. Ritter, Brian Walter Aznoe, Christopher R. Gold
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Abstract
A solid ink stick for use in an imaging device, such as a phase change inkjet printer, is provided. The solid ink stick has a retrieval feature located on a top surface thereof. When the ink stick is incorrectly loaded through the insertion opening of a feed channel of the printer, the retrieval feature has a vertical dimension such that the ink stick can be grasped, such as by two fingers of a user, to remove the ink stick through the insertion opening. The retrieval feature generally includes two lower surfaces interconnected with at least one upper surface.
Claims20
An ink stick configured to be removable from the feed channel of an associated imaging device, the ink stick comprising:
- an ink stick body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, a rear surface, and two side surfaces;
- and
- a retrieval feature along the top surface, the retrieval feature having a vertical dimension sufficient to permit the retrieval feature to be grasped between two fingers.
An ink stick configured to be manually removed from the feed channel of an associated ink printer, the ink stick comprising:
- an ink stick body having a top surface;
- and
- a retrieval feature along the top surface, the retrieval feature comprising two opposing faces that have a vertical dimension sufficient to permit the retrieval feature to be grasped between two fingers.
A method of manually removing an ink stick from a feed channel of an associated ink printer, comprising:
- inserting an ink stick through an insertion opening into the feed channel;
- extending two fingers through the insertion opening to grasp a retrieval feature along a top surface of the ink stick, the retrieval feature having a vertical dimension sufficient to permit the retrieval feature to be grasped between two fingers;
- and
- pulling the ink stick through the insertion opening to remove the feed stick from the feed channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.