Stackable printer module with two pairs of printheads
View Patent ↗A printer module includes a housing. The housing surrounds a frame and defines footing holes. A print engine is housed within the housing and includes a pair of opposed print head assemblies for enabling double-sided printing on print media to be effected. Each printhead assembly includes a print media engaging roller and a pair of adjacent printheads configured to eject ink. Feet extend from the housing and are spaced apart to engage in respective footing holes defined in the housing of another printer module so that the printer modules can be stacked together.
1. A printer module comprising:
a housing surrounding a frame and defining footing holes;
a print engine housed within the housing and having a pair of opposed print head assemblies for enabling double-sided printing on print media to be effected, each printhead assembly including a print media engaging roller and a pair of adjacent printheads configured to eject ink, each printhead having a molding defining an edge portion which is arcuate and a plurality of ink inlets and an ink ejecting integrated circuit mounted to an end of the molding in fluid communication with the ink inlets; and
feet extending from the housing and spaced apart to engage in respective footing holes defined in the housing of another printer module so that the printer modules can be stacked together; wherein,
the arcuate edge portion has a radius of curvature approximating that of the print media engaging roller to allow the print media engaging roller to nest adjacent the arcuate edge portion such that during use the ink ejecting integrated circuit is positioned on the arcuate edge portion proximate a point of contact between the print media engaging roller and the print media.
2. A printer module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the arcuate edge portion of each molding has a radius of curvature which approximates that of the radius of the print media engaging rollers.
3. A printer module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each foot has a bayonet fitting so that, when the foot is inserted into a corresponding hole, the foot can be turned to lock the foot in the hole.
4. A printer module as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the foot can be turned a quarter of a turn.
5. A printer module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a pair of opposite covers interconnected by a pair of opposed side walls.
6. A printer module as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the footing holes are arranged to form a plurality of spaced apart sets with each set comprising a row of spaced apart footing holes.