Pagewidth printhead cartridge having a longitudinally extending electrical contact

1. A cartridge unit for an inkjet printer comprising:

a body portion housing one or more ink storage compartments;

a pagewidth printhead assembly configured to receive ink from the one or more ink storage compartments and having a plurality of nozzles arranged in use to deliver the ink onto passing print media; and

an electrical connector in electrical communication with the nozzles of the printhead assembly and disposed along the length of the printhead assembly for mating with a corresponding connectors of the inkjet printer to control operation of the nozzles,

wherein the electrical connector is of sufficient length and flexibility to extend around the printhead assembly.

2. A cartridge unit according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of nozzles are provided on one or more integrated circuits extending substantially the length of the printhead assembly.

3. A cartridge unit according to claim 2 , wherein each integrated circuit has one or more contact pads formed along an edge thereof to which one end of the electrical connector is attached.

4. A cartridge unit according to claim 3 , wherein the free end of the electrical connector is provided with a plurality of contacts for receiving power and/or data signals from the inkjet printer for transmission to the corresponding contact pads of the integrated circuits.

5. A cartridge unit according to claim 4 , wherein the free end of the electrical connector is configured to be received along a surface of the body portion when the printhead assembly is secured thereto.

6. A cartridge unit according to claim 5 , wherein the free end of the electrical connector has a plurality of holes formed therealong, each of the said holes configured to receive a stud formed on the body portion to retain the free end of the electrical connector in position upon a surface of the body portion.

7. A cartridge unit according to claim 6 , wherein the electrical connector is a flexible printed circuit board.

8. A cartridge unit according to claim 5 , wherein when the free end of the electrical connector is retained in position upon a surface of the cartridge unit, the plurality of contacts are exposed upon the surface of the electrical connector.

9. The cartridge according to claim 1 wherein the inkjet printer comprises:

a media input tray for supplying print media for printing;

a print engine for printing an image on said print media; and

a media output tray for collecting the printed media;

wherein the print engine comprises the cartridge and a cradle having a body adapted to receive the removable inkjet cartridge and to control the operation of the printhead assembly for printing.

10. The cartridge according to claim 1 arranged for use in a print engine further comprising:

a cradle having a body adapted to receive the removable inkjet cartridge and to control the operation of the printhead for printing;

wherein the cradle is configured to be secured to the inkjet printer to receive print media from a media input tray and to deliver printed media to a media output tray.

11. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly is mountable to said body and configured to receive ink from the one or more compartments and to distribute the ink along the length of the printhead assembly.

12. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly is mountable to said body portion and is configured to receive ink from the one or more compartments for printing; the cartridge further comprising:

a capper unit mountable to said body portion so as to extend along the length of the printhead assembly, the capper unit housing a capping element which is movable with respect to the capper unit to contact a surface of the printhead assembly.

13. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly is configured to receive ink from ink storage compartments and distribute said ink to a plurality of nozzles arranged in use to deliver the ink onto passing print media; and

wherein the ink storage compartments comprise an absorption material which stores the ink therein under capillary action for supply to the nozzles of the printhead assembly.

14. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly comprises:

a body portion for receiving ink from one or more ink sources and distributing the ink along the length of the printhead assembly;

a plurality of integrated circuits extending the length of the printhead assembly, each integrated circuit having a plurality of nozzles formed in rows thereon, each of the nozzles being arranged in use to deliver the ink onto passing print media; and

an ink distribution member upon which the integrated circuits are fixed and which distributes the ink from the body portion to the nozzles of the integrated circuits;

wherein the integrated circuits are aligned in an abutting arrangement across the length of the ink distribution member.

15. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly comprises:

a body portion for receiving ink from one or more ink sources and distributing the ink along the length of the printhead assembly;

one or more integrated circuits extending substantially the length of the printhead assembly, the or each integrated circuit having a plurality of nozzles formed thereon, each of the nozzles being arranged in use to deliver the ink onto passing print media; and

an ink distribution member upon which the or each integrated circuit are fixed and which distributes the ink from the body portion to the nozzles of the or each integrated circuit;

wherein the body portion has one or more connectors formed thereon for securing the printhead assembly to the one or more ink sources to facilitate ink flow therebetween.

16. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly comprises:

a body portion for receiving ink from one or more ink sources and distributing the ink along the length of the printhead assembly;

one or more integrated circuits extending substantially the length of the printhead assembly, the or each integrated circuit having a plurality of nozzles formed thereon, each of the nozzles being arranged in use to deliver the ink onto passing print media; and

an ink distribution member upon which the or each integrated circuit is fixed and which distributes the ink from the body portion to the nozzles of the or each integrated circuit;

wherein an electrical connector in electrical communication with the or each integrated circuit extends along the length of the printhead assembly for mating with a corresponding electrical connector of the inkjet printer.

17. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly comprises:

a body portion for receiving ink from one or more ink sources and having one or more channels formed therein for distributing the ink substantially along the length of the printhead assembly;

one or more integrated circuits extending substantially the length of the printhead assembly, the or each integrated circuit having a plurality of nozzles, each of the nozzles being arranged in use to deliver the ink onto passing print media; and

an ink distribution member upon which the or each integrated circuit is fixed and which distributes the ink from the body portion to each of the integrated circuits;

wherein the ink distribution member is a unitary element having a plurality of conduits formed therethrough, each of the conduits having an inlet which receives ink from one of the channels of the body portion and an outlet which delivers the ink to a predetermined number of nozzles of the one or more integrated circuits.

18. The cartridge according to claim 1 , wherein the pagewidth printhead assembly comprises:

a body portion for receiving ink from one or more ink sources and having one or more channels formed therein for distributing the ink substantially along the length of the printhead assembly;

one or more integrated circuits extending substantially the length of the printhead assembly, each integrated circuit having a plurality of nozzles, each of the nozzles being arranged in use to deliver the ink onto passing print media; and

an ink distribution member upon which each integrated circuit is fixed and which distributes the ink from the body portion to each of the integrated circuits;

wherein the ink distribution member comprises a first layer which directs the ink from the one or more channels of the body portion for delivery to each integrated circuit, and a second layer attached to said first layer for receiving and securing each integrated circuit in a position to receive the ink from the first layer.

19. The cartridge according to claim 1 , the cartridge having a capping assembly for capping the pagewidth printhead, the capping assembly comprising:

a body configured to extend the length of the printhead; and

a capping element housed within said body and movable with respect to the body to cap at least a portion of said printhead;

wherein, the body includes a mounting element for removably mounting said capping assembly to said printhead.