Print cartridge supporting apparatus

Apparatus for supporting a print cartridge having a latch feature on a top surface thereof, comprising:

• a chute for receiving the print cartridge;
• a latch arm hingeably attached to said chute for rotation about a latch arm rotation axis;
• a clamp structure supported by said latch arm and supporting a clamp blade to be resiliently deflected about a clamp rotation axis and resiliently deflected along a clamp translation axis when the clamp blade is pushed against the print cartridge by rotation of the latch arm to a latched position;
• wherein said clamp blade slides along the top surface of the print cartridge toward the latch feature and eventually contacts and engages the latch feature as said latch arm is rotated to said latched position;
• and
• wherein said clamp blade pushes on the top surface generally along a Z-axis as it slides toward the latch feature, said clamp blade pushes on the latch feature generally along a Y-axis that is orthogonal to the Z-axis when it contacts the latch feature, and said clamp blade pushes on the latch feature generally along Y-axis and the Z-axis when it is engaged with the latch feature.

Apparatus for supporting a print cartridge, comprising:

• a chute for receiving the print cartridge and having carriage Y-axis datums and Z-axis datums;
• a resilient pad disposed at a rear portion of said chute and engageable by a rear portion of the print cartridge;
• a latch arm hingeably attached to said chute for rotation about a latch arm rotation axis;
• a pivoting clamp base supported by said latch arm for rotation about a clamp rotation axis;
• a sliding clamp arm supported by said pivoting clamp base and slidable relative thereto;
• a clamp blade supported by said sliding clamp arm;
• and
• wherein said clamp blade pivotingly pushes the print cartridge generally along a Z-axis, as said latch arm is rotated toward a latched position, so that the print cartridge contacts said Z-axis datums, and further pushes the print cartridge against said resilient pad and generally along a Y-axis that is orthogonal to the Z-axis, as said latch arm is further rotated toward the latched position, so that the print cartridge rotates about an X-axis that is orthogonal to said Z-axis and said Y-axis, and contacts said Y-axis datums.

Apparatus for supporting a print cartridge having a latch feature on a top surface thereof, comprising:

• a chute for receiving the print cartridge and having carriage Y-axis datums and Z-axis datums;
• a latch arm hingeably attached to said chute for rotation about a latch arm axis;
• a clamp base supported by said latch arm to pivot about a clamp rotation axis that is generally parallel to said latch arm axis;
• a clamp arm slidably supported by said clamp base for displacement along a clamp translation axis;
• a clamp blade disposed at a distal end of said clamp arm;
• wherein an acute angle is formed by an imaginary line segment that extends from the clamp rotation axis to the latch arm rotation axis and said clamp translation axis;
• a first resilient structure for resiliently resisting rotation of said clamp base toward said clamp arm;
• a second resilient structure for resiliently resisting translation of said clamp arm toward said clamp rotation axis;
• and
• wherein said clamp blade is moved into engagement with the latch feature by rotation of the latch arm to a latched position.

Apparatus for supporting a print cartridge having a latch feature on a top surface thereof, comprising:

• a chute for receiving the print cartridge;
• a latch arm hingeably attached to said chute for rotation about a latch arm rotation axis;
• and
• clamping means supported by said latch arm for initially pushing down on the print cartridge generally along a Z-axis as the latch arm is rotated toward a latched position, and subsequently pushing on the latch feature along a Y-axis that is orthogonal to the Z-axis;
• and
• said clamping means further for engaging the latch feature to continually bias the print cartridge along the Z-axis and the Y-axis.

A method of latching a print cartridge having a latching feature in a printing apparatus, comprising:

• sliding a clamp blade across a top surface of the print cartridge toward the latching feature;
• while sliding the clamp blade, pushing the clamp blade against the top surface of the print carriage to apply a first clamping force to a top surface of the print cartridge along a first direction;
• contacting the latch feature with the clamp blade;
• applying a second clamping force to a front surface of the latching feature along a second direction that is generally orthogonal to the first direction;
• and
• applying the first clamping force to a top of the latching feature.