Printhead having sequenced nozzle firing on integrated circuit

Abstract

A printhead is provided having an integrated circuit having at least one row including a plurality of sets of n adjacent nozzles, each of the nozzles being configured to expel ink in response to fire signals, and a controller for supplying the fire signals to the integrated circuit such that (a) a fire signal is provided to nozzles at a first and nth position in each set of nozzles, then (b) a fire signal is provided to the next inward pair of nozzles in each set, then in the event n is an even number, (b) is repeated until all of the nozzles in each set has been fired, or in the event n is an odd number, (b) is repeated until all of the nozzles but a central nozzle in each set have been fired, and then the central nozzle is fired.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.