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US 7,111,923 B2Granted
Inkjet printing system for containment and evaporation of waste ink
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorWalter J. Kulpa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A postage meter includes a print head, a purge unit for removing waste ink from the print head, and an ink tray assembly for receiving the waste ink. The ink tray assembly includes a tray and a vapor-permeable, liquid-impermeable cover membrane across the opening of the tray.
Claims19
A printer comprising:
- a print head;
- a purge unit for removing ink from the print head;
- and
- an ink tray assembly for receiving ink removed from the print head by the purge unit;
- wherein the ink tray assembly includes:
- a tray having an opening;
- an absorbent pad held in the tray under a cover membrane;
- the cover membrane is a vapor permeable membrane sealed across the opening of the tray and formed at least in part as a bellows;
- and
- a hole in the cover membrane for sealing to a port of the purge unit.
7 more elements
A printer comprising:
- a print head;
- a purge unit for removing ink from the print head;
- and
- an ink tray assembly for receiving ink removed from the print head by the purge unit;
- wherein the ink tray assembly includes:
- a tray;
- and
- barrier means, bonded to a rim of the tray, for substantially preventing waste ink from exiting the tray upon an upside-down orientation of the tray, wherein the barrier means includes a membrane that substantially closes an opening of the tray and wherein the membrane is formed at least in part as a bellows.
5 more elements
A waste ink tray assembly for use in a printer, the assembly comprising:
- a tray;
- an absorbent pad held in the tray;
- and
- barrier means, bonded to a rim of the tray, for substantially preventing waste ink from exiting the tray upon an upside-down orientation of the tray, wherein the barrier means includes a membrane that substantially closes an opening of the tray and wherein the membrane is formed at least in part as a bellows.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.