Ink jet printer with a belt-loading mechanism
View Patent ↗An ink jet printer includes a housing that defines a print media entrance opening and a print media exit opening. A support frame is arranged in the housing between the openings. A print media feed roller assembly is mounted on the frame proximal the entrance opening and a print media exit roller assembly is mounted on the frame proximal the exit opening. A print engine is mounted on the frame downstream of and adjacent to the feed roller assembly. A belt-loading mechanism is mounted on the frame and is interposed between the print engine and the exit roller assembly to load an initial portion of a sheet of print media between the roller assemblies prior to a printing operation to be carried out by the print engine.
1. An ink jet printer that comprises:
a housing that defines a print media entrance opening and a print media exit opening;
a support frame arranged in the housing between the openings;
a print media feed roller assembly mounted on the frame proximal the entrance opening and a print media exit roller assembly mounted on the frame proximal the exit opening;
a print engine mounted on the frame downstream of and adjacent to the feed roller assembly, the print media feed roller assembly, the print media exit roller assembly and the print engine aligned such that the print media traverses in a single direction between the print media feed roller assembly and the print media exit roller assembly; and
a belt loading mechanism mounted on the frame and interposed between the print engine and the exit roller assembly to load an initial portion of a sheet of print media between the roller assemblies prior to a printing operation to be carried out by the print engine, the belt-loading mechanism including a pair of opposed endless belts that are displaceable towards each other to engage the sheet of print media and away from each other to release the sheet of print media prior to printing.
2. An ink jet printer as claimed in claim 1 , in which the housing has a set of locking feet extending from one side and a set of holes for receiving locking feet of a further housing on another side, the locking feet and holes being configured so that a number of the housings can be stacked in an offset manner one on top of the other.
3. An ink jet printer as claimed in claim 1 , in which the print engine comprises a pair of opposed printhead assemblies for enabling double sided printing.
4. An ink jet printer as claimed in claim 3 , in which each printhead assembly comprises a first printhead and a second adjacent printhead for duplex printing.
5. An ink jet printer as claimed in claim 4 , in which each printhead includes an ink supply molding and a printhead integrated circuit mounted on the ink supply molding to receive ink fed from the ink supply molding.
6. An ink jet printer as claimed in claim 5 , in which the ink supply moldings have an arcuate profile to permit the printhead integrated circuits to be positioned proximal a contact region defined by a pair of rollers of the feed roller assembly and the print media, the arcuate profile corresponding generally with a circumferential profile of said pair of feed rollers.