Printer having multi-chamber print cartridges and off-carriage regulator

A printing device comprising:

• a movable carriage for scanning along a carriage path;
• a print cartridge body mounted on the movable carriage and containing two ink chambers, said body containing a center wall separating said two ink chambers, said chamber containing different colors of ink;
• and
• a printhead including a substrate and including ink ejection elements on a front surface of said substrate, wherein a back surface of said substrate is connected to said center wall, said substrate having a first outer edge in fluid communication with a first of said two ink chambers and a second outer edge in fluid communication with a second of said two ink chambers, wherein ink within said first ink chamber flows around said first outer edge of said substrate to said front surface of said substrate and to a first set of ink ejection elements on said front surface of said substrate and wherein ink within said second ink chamber flows around said second outer edge of said substrate and to a second set of said ink ejection elements on said front surface of said substrate.

An ink delivery system for an inkjet printer, the inkjet printer including a fixed ink supply station, a media path and a movable scanning carriage, wherein said carriage scans along a scan axis perpendicular to said media path, said carriage having a printhead mounted thereon for ejecting ink onto media, said printer also including a fixed ink pressure regulator connected to said ink supply station, said regulator having an inlet and an outlet, said printer also including a cartridge for mounting on the carriage in fluid communication with said regulator, said cartridge including an ink chamber, said ink chamber being located on the movable carriage when said cartridge is mounted on said carriage, said ink chamber containing a variable amount of ink, said ink chamber having a flexible diaphragm having a surface forming at least a portion of a wall of said ink chamber, said surface being perpendicular to a scanning direction of said carriage, said ink delivery system comprising:

• an ink reservoir for removeably mounting to the fixed ink supply station on said printer, said ink reservoir having a fluid outlet port;
• and
• ink that flows out of said ink reservoir, through said inlet of said regulator, said regulator having a valve that opens and closes in response to a gauge pressure within said regulator, through said outlet of said regulator, and to said ink chamber of said cartridge, said movable carriage creating pressure spikes of said ink occurring solely in said ink chamber that are mitigated by said surface of said flexible diaphragm flexing.

A method performed by an inkjet printer, the printer including a scanning carriage, a print cartridge body mounted on said scanning carriage, a stationary pressure regulator, a fixed ink supply station, and an ink supply cartridge removeably mounted on said fixed ink supply station, said print cartridge body being mounted on the scanning carriage and including a printhead, an ink chamber in fluid communication with said printhead, said ink chamber containing a variable amount of ink, and a diaphragm, the diaphragm having a surface forming at least a portion of a wall of the ink chamber, said surface being perpendicular to a scanning direction of said carriage, the printer further including a flexible tube in fluid communication between said regulator and said ink chamber, the method comprising the steps of:

• supplying energization signals to said printhead as said scanning carriage scans across a medium, so as to eject droplets of ink from said printhead;
• supplying ink to said printhead comprising the steps of:
• creating a negative pressure in said ink chamber as said printhead ejects ink droplets onto said medium;
• supplying ink to said ink chamber through said flexible tube in fluid communication between said ink chamber and said stationary pressure regulator within said printer;
• and
• mitigating ink pressure spikes occurring solely in said ink chamber due to movement of said scanning carriage perpendicular to said surface of said diaphragm by flexing said surface of said diaphragm within said print cartridge body.

An ink delivery system for an inkjet printing system, said printing system having a media transport path for transporting media along a media axis, said printing system having a scanning carriage that moves along a scan axis substantially perpendicular to said media axis, said ink delivery system comprising:

• a stationary ink supply station;
• a plurality of releasably mounted ink supplies supported on said stationary ink supply station, said releasably mounted ink supplies including a first ink supply and a second ink supply;
• a print cartridge mounted in said scanning carriage, said print cartridge having at least two chambers including a first chamber and a second chamber, said first chamber receiving a first ink type from said first ink supply when said first ink supply is releasably mounted on said stationary ink supply station, said second chamber receiving a second ink type from said second ink supply when said second ink supply is releasably mounted to said stationary ink supply station, wherein said first ink type and said second ink type are different, said print cartridge including a printhead having first and second sets of ink ejection elements in fluid communication with said first and second chambers, respectively, said ink ejection elements for ejecting droplets of ink in a first direction onto media, said first chamber and said second chamber containing variable amounts of ink, said print cartridge further including a damping element having a surface forming at least a portion of one wall of said first chamber, said surface being perpendicular to a scanning direction of said carriage, said damping element for reducing ink pressure variations occurring solely in said first chamber caused by motion of said print cartridge and scanning carriage;
• and
• a plurality of fluid paths for establishing ink flow paths between said first ink supply and said first chamber and between said second ink supply and said second chamber.