Inkjet printer with a controller cradle and printing cartridge
View Patent ↗An inkjet printer has a cradle for receiving a printer cartridge. The cradle has a controller board with a pressurized air supply. The cartridge has a printhead integrated circuit, a rotor element, an air delivery channel and a plurality of reservoirs for discretely storing printing fluids for supply to the printhead integrated circuit. A power and data interface interfaces with the controller board.
1. An inkjet printer comprising:
a printer cartridge cradle having a controller board and a pressurised air supply; and
a printer cartridge having a pagewidth printhead integrated circuit, a rotor element, an air delivery channel arranged in communication with the air supply and configured to deliver air along a length of the printhead integrated circuit, a plurality of reservoirs for discretely storing printing fluids for supply to the printhead integrated circuit, a refill port for facilitating refilling of the reservoirs from a refill cartridge, and a power and data interface for interfacing with the controller board which controls operation of the printhead integrated circuit and rotor element.
2. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the printer cartridge cradle has a rotor element drive assembly for operating the rotor element and a print media transport assembly for passing a printing medium across the printhead integrated circuit during printing and the printer cartridge cradle includes an air compressor for providing compressed air to the printhead integrated circuit.
3. The printer of claim 2 , wherein the printer cartridge cradle has a motor coupled to the rotor element drive assembly, the print media transport assembly and the air compressor with a transmission assembly which has a direct drive coupling from a spindle of the motor to an impeller of the air compressor and a worm-gear and cog transmission to the rotor element and print media transport assembly.
4. The printer of claim 2 , wherein the rotor element drive assembly is configured to rotate the rotor element between a blot position where the element blots the printhead integrated circuit, a seal position where the element seals the nozzle arrangements, and a platen position where the element supports and positions the printing medium proximate the printhead integrated circuit.
5. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the printer cartridge has a body with a base molding which houses a membrane defining at least one fixative reservoir.
6. The printer of claim 1 , wherein the printhead integrated circuit is attached to a fluid delivery molding arranged in fluid communication with the reservoirs.
7. The printer of claim 6 , wherein the fluid delivery molding has a plurality of elongate conduits disposed along the length thereof and configured to distribute printing fluids from the reservoirs to the printhead integrated circuit.