Printhead carrier with rotatable bearings
AssigneeLexmark International, Inc.
InventorsRichard Gordon Boyatt, III, Peter Brown Pickett
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printhead carrier assembly in an ink jet printer includes a carrier moving along a linear path. At least one rotatable bearing is attached to the carrier. The at least one rotatable bearing has at least one axis of rotation. A rotatable shaft has a surface in contact with the at least one bearing such that the shaft is nonparallel to the at least one axis of rotation of the at least one rotatable bearing. The shaft is substantially parallel to the linear path of the carrier. Rotation of the shaft causes the at least one rotatable bearing to roll along a helical path on the surface of the shaft to thereby carry the carrier along the linear path.
Claims24
A printhead carrier assembly in an ink jet printer, said assembly comprising:
- a carrier configured to move along a linear path;
- at least one rotatable bearing attached to the carrier, said at least one rotatable bearing having at least one axis of rotation;
- and
- a rotatable shaft having a surface in contact with said at least one bearing such that said shaft is nonparallel to said at least one axis of rotation of said at least one rotatable bearing and said shaft is substantially parallel to said linear path of said carrier, said shaft being configured such that rotation of said shaft causes said at least one rotatable bearing to roll along a helical path on said surface of said shaft to thereby carry the carrier along said linear path.
A linear motion transmission apparatus for a printhead carrier in an ink jet printer, the carrier moving along a linear path, said apparatus comprising:
- at least one rotatable bearing having at least one axis of rotation, said at least one bearing being configured to be attached to the carrier;
- and
- a rotatable shaft having a surface in contact with said at least one bearing such that said shaft is nonparallel to said at least one axis of rotation of said at least one rotatable bearing, said shaft being configured to be oriented substantially parallel to the linear path of the carrier, said shaft being configured such that rotation of said shaft causes said at least one rotatable bearing to roll along a helical path on said surface of said shaft to thereby carry the carrier along a length of said shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.