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US 8,506,061 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for purging and supplying ink to an inkjet printing apparatus
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorDaniel Clark Park
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ink delivery system is configured to supply ink to an ink reservoir fluidly coupled to inkjet ejectors and remove ink from a receptacle mounted proximate to the ink reservoir using a single conduit. The ink reservoir is configured to prevent air from being pulled through a reservoir membrane, and a reversible pump is configured to produce positive and negative pressure in the conduit to supply ink to the ink reservoir and remove ink from the receptacle, respectively.
Claims12
An inkjet printing apparatus comprising:
- an ink reservoir configured to store ink,
- a port extending into the ink reservoir that fluidly communicates with the ink reservoir;
- a weir extending from a floor of the ink reservoir to a position within the ink reservoir that divides the ink reservoir into a first chamber and a second chamber;
- a wall extending from a ceiling of the ink reservoir to a position within the first chamber that is below the position to which the weir extends, a portion of a volume between the wall, the ceiling of the ink reservoir, and a side of the first chamber being configured to hold a predetermined volume of air;
- a membrane having pores that is positioned in the first chamber of the ink reservoir below the wall and between the weir and the port in the ink reservoir to enable all ink passing from the port to the second chamber to flow through pores in the membrane;
- a plurality of inkjet ejectors in fluid communication with the second chamber, each inkjet ejector configured to receive ink from the second chamber and eject ink from an aperture formed in each inkjet ejector;
- and
- a receptacle mounted proximate to the plurality of inkjet ejectors, the receptacle having a first opening that is configured to receive ink purged from the ink reservoir and a second opening that fluidly communicates with the port in the ink reservoir.
5 more elements
A system for moving ink into and out of an inkjet printing apparatus comprising:
- an inkjet printing apparatus having an ink reservoir and a port extending into the ink reservoir that fluidly communicates with the ink reservoir, a weir extending from a floor of the ink reservoir to a position within the ink reservoir that divides the ink reservoir into a first chamber and a second chamber, a wall extending from a ceiling of the ink reservoir to a position within the first chamber that is below the position to which the weir extends, a portion of a volume between the wall, the ceiling of the ink reservoir and a side of the first chamber being configured to hold a predetermined volume of air, a membrane having pores positioned in the first chamber of the ink reservoir below the wall and between the weir and the port in the ink reservoir to enable all ink passing from the port to the second chamber to flow through pores in the membrane, and a plurality of inkjet ejectors in fluid communication with the second chamber, each inkjet ejector configured to receive ink from the second chamber and eject ink from an aperture formed in each inkjet ejector;
- a receptacle mounted proximate the plurality of inkjet ejectors, the receptacle having a first opening that is configured to receive ink purged from the plurality of inkjet ejectors and a second opening that fluidly communicates with the port in the ink reservoir;
- a container of liquid ink having at least an outlet;
- a conduit configured to connect fluidly the outlet of the liquid ink container to the port of the ink reservoir and to the second opening of the receptacle;
- a check valve positioned at the second opening in the receptacle, the check valve being configured to enable ink and air to flow from the receptacle through the second into the conduit and to block ink and air flow from the conduit into the receptacle through the second opening;
- and
- a pump configured to operate in a first direction and a second direction, operation of the pump in the first direction moves ink from the container of liquid ink through the conduit to the ink reservoir through the port, and operation of the pump in the second direction pulls ink from the receptacle through the second opening into the conduit.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.