Printer having self-referencing printing cartridge
View Patent ↗A printer is provided with a body having a slot for removably receiving a printing cartridge, a mesa feature arranged in the slot to cooperate with a complementary slot in the fluid distribution support of the printing cartridge upon mounting of the printing cartridge to the printer, and protrusions arranged in the slot to cooperate with a flat surface of a plurality of corners of the printing cartridge upon mounting of the printing cartridge to the printer The printing cartridge has at least one printhead integrated circuit with a plurality of fluid ejection nozzles and a fluid distribution support mounting the printhead integrated circuit. The cooperation of the mesa feature and complementary slot and the protrusions and corners provides information on the location of the nozzles.
1. A printer comprising a body having:
a slot for removably receiving a printing cartridge, the printing cartridge having at least one printhead integrated circuit comprising a plurality of fluid ejection nozzles and a fluid distribution support mounting the printhead integrated circuit;
a mesa feature arranged in the slot to cooperate with a complementary slot in the fluid distribution support of the printing cartridge upon mounting of the printing cartridge to the printer; and
protrusions arranged in the slot to cooperate with a flat surface of a plurality of corners of the printing cartridge upon mounting of the printing cartridge to the printer,
wherein the cooperation of the mesa feature and complementary slot, and the protrusion and corners provides information on the location of the nozzles.
2. A printer according to claim 1 , wherein the, or each, printhead integrated circuit is mounted along the fluid distribution support so that the nozzles create a printing zone which extends across a pagewidth.
3. A printer according to claim 2 , wherein the pagewidth is 100.9 millimeters.
4. A printer according to claim 2 , wherein each corner of the flat surface is arranged beyond the printing zone and each protrusion is arranged to correspond with the corresponding corner.
5. A printer according to claim 1 , further comprising print control circuitry for controlling operation of the nozzles of the received printing cartridge.
6. A printer according to claim 5 , wherein the print control circuitry is configured to use the information of the location of the nozzles to control said operation.
7. A printer according to claim 5 , wherein the print control circuitry incorporates an electrical connection interface arranged in the slot for communicating power and data to the nozzles via electrical contacts of the received printing cartridge.
8. A printer according to claim 7 , wherein the electrical connection interface defines at least one further protrusion configured to cooperate with a surface adjacent the electrical contacts of the printing cartridge.