EP0888893B1 - Colour ink-jet print head - Google Patents

Colour ink-jet print head Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0888893B1
EP0888893B1 EP98111420A EP98111420A EP0888893B1 EP 0888893 B1 EP0888893 B1 EP 0888893B1 EP 98111420 A EP98111420 A EP 98111420A EP 98111420 A EP98111420 A EP 98111420A EP 0888893 B1 EP0888893 B1 EP 0888893B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
ink
yellow
amount
magenta
cyan
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP98111420A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0888893A3 (en
EP0888893A2 (en
Inventor
Enrico Manini
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Olivetti Tecnost SpA
Original Assignee
Olivetti Tecnost SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Olivetti Tecnost SpA filed Critical Olivetti Tecnost SpA
Publication of EP0888893A2 publication Critical patent/EP0888893A2/en
Publication of EP0888893A3 publication Critical patent/EP0888893A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0888893B1 publication Critical patent/EP0888893B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
    • B41J2/17503—Ink cartridges
    • B41J2/17513—Inner structure

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a printhead used in equipment for producing black and colour images on a printing medium, usually though not exclusively a sheet of paper, by means of the thermal type ink jet technology, and, more particularly, to a head provided with a tank containing the inks, whether of the type that is integrated in the head itself, or of the interchangeable type.
  • composition and general mode of operation of an ink jet printer as also those of the associated ink jet printhead, are already widely known in the sector art, and will not therefore be described in detail herein, the description accordingly being limited to a more detailed account of some characteristics of relevance to the understanding of the present invention.
  • a typical ink jet printer schematically comprises:
  • the printheads in addition to the emission resistors, also comprise a tank containing a certain amount of ink, a tank that may be an integral part of the head, in the case of the so-called monobloc or disposable heads; or it may be interchangeable being removably fitted on the head, in the case of the so-called refillable type heads.
  • the tank in the heads for colour printing irrespective of which of the types described above they belong to, is generally divided into at least three independent compartments not in communication with each other, each containing one of the three primary colours, yellow, magenta and cyan: a typical example of a printhead of this type is described in detail in the US Patent No. 4,771,295.
  • a printhead 10 Partially represented in Fig. 1 is a printhead 10 according to the principles of the cited Patent, with enlarged views of its characteristic components; in particular, a body 20 of the tank of ink is shown, internally comprising three identical tank compartments 21, 22 and 23, as indicated by the dashed lines drawn on the exterior of the body 20.
  • the body 20 also comprises a support surface 33 to which is affixed the printhead true and proper (not shown in the figure), or head for generation of the droplets of ink, which bears the components (resistors) for the generation of the bubbles of ink and the nozzles through which the droplets of ink are emitted.
  • the support surface 33 is bounded by side walls 34 and is provided with three passages 35, 36 and 37 for the ink and which communicate respectively with the three tank compartments 21, 22 and 23.
  • Colour heads that are divided into four independent compartments are also known in the art, the fourth compartment containing a black ink, or into five independent compartments, the fifth compartment containing a further black ink of a different type from the previous one. In any case, however, the amounts of ink of the three primary colours contained in the tank are substantially the same.
  • the object of the present invention is to define a colour ink jet printhead that considerably reduces the problem of wastage of heads (or of tanks still partly full) due to one of the three primary colours running out before the other two.
  • Another object of the invention is to define a colour ink jet printhead in which the tank of primary inks (whether incorporated or interchangeable type) contains a greater amount of one of the coloured inks, in particular yellow, than that of each of the other two.
  • the results of the verification carried out showed that, on average, the number of droplets of yellow ink required to print the specimen of images varies between 40 and 60 % of the total number of droplets of the three primary colour inks, yellow, magenta and cyan, for an average of about 50 %.
  • a colour ink jet printhead characterized as defined in the main claim, is capable of fully achieving the above objects.
  • Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of a partial enlarged view of a colour printhead 40 of the monobloc type according to the invention, similar in construction to the known head 10 of Fig. 1 and wherein the same parts have been given the same numbering as the head 10;
  • the head 40 comprises a body 60 of an integrated tank internally divided into three tank compartments 41, 42 and 43 respectively housing sponge bodies 50, 51 and 52, each of which containing, by capillary means, a yellow ink, a magenta ink and a cyan ink, in the order cited.
  • the volume of the sponge body 50 is substantially double the volume of the sponge bodies 51 and 52, which are substantially the same; similarly, the volume of the tank compartment 41 of the tank 20 is substantially double the volume of the tank compartments 42 and 43, which are substantially the same.
  • the ink contained in the sponge bodies 50, 51 and 52 passes through the corresponding filters 25, 26 and 27, and subsequently by means of the three passages 35, 36 and 37, reaches the ink droplet generating head (not shown in the figure) which bears the components (resistors) for the generation of the ink bubbles and the nozzles through which the said ink droplets are emitted.
  • the greater amount of yellow ink contained in the printhead 40 compensates for the greater amount of this ink consumed during the printing of a plurality of colour images, with the result that the three primary inks, yellow, magenta and cyan, run out substantially simultaneously, in this way, use of the ink contained in the tank is optimized and the actual duration of the head is increased, with obvious economic advantages for the user.
  • the remaining portion of ink contained in the tank may be divided into non-equal parts between magenta ink and cyan ink.
  • ink jet printhead that comprises, as well as the coloured inks, one or more black inks, whether physically and chemically compatible with the coloured inks or not.
  • a printhead provided with a tank, whether of the integrated or removable type, in which the ink is contained not in a sponge body by capillary means, but in a housing of rigid or flexible walls, such a container being either completely bereft internally of capillary elements (for example, sponges, felt, nibs or non-woven textiles) or filled only partially with the latter.
  • capillary elements for example, sponges, felt, nibs or non-woven textiles

Landscapes

  • Ink Jet (AREA)
  • Particle Formation And Scattering Control In Inkjet Printers (AREA)
  • Ink Jet Recording Methods And Recording Media Thereof (AREA)
EP98111420A 1997-06-30 1998-06-22 Colour ink-jet print head Expired - Lifetime EP0888893B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO970571 1997-06-30
IT97TO000571A IT1293393B1 (it) 1997-06-30 1997-06-30 Testina di stampa a colori a getto di inchiostro.

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0888893A2 EP0888893A2 (en) 1999-01-07
EP0888893A3 EP0888893A3 (en) 1999-11-03
EP0888893B1 true EP0888893B1 (en) 2003-12-03

Family

ID=11415821

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98111420A Expired - Lifetime EP0888893B1 (en) 1997-06-30 1998-06-22 Colour ink-jet print head

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0888893B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE69820161T2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
IT (1) IT1293393B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Family Cites Families (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5763285A (en) * 1980-10-03 1982-04-16 Seiko Epson Corp Ink cartridge tank
DE3401071A1 (de) * 1984-01-13 1985-07-25 Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin und 8000 München Vorrichtung zum nachfuellen von tintenbehaeltern in tintenschreibeinrichtungen
US4771295B1 (en) 1986-07-01 1995-08-01 Hewlett Packard Co Thermal ink jet pen body construction having improved ink storage and feed capability
JPH01242256A (ja) * 1988-03-24 1989-09-27 Ricoh Co Ltd カラー液体噴射記録ヘッド
IT1232551B (it) * 1989-07-13 1992-02-19 Olivetti & Co Spa Testina di stampa per una stampante termica a getto d'inchiostro
CA2093981C (en) * 1992-08-12 2001-03-20 George T. Kaplinsky Collapsible ink reservoir structure and printer ink cartridge
JP3218737B2 (ja) * 1992-11-06 2001-10-15 セイコーエプソン株式会社 インクジェット記録方法及び印刷装置
US5997121A (en) * 1995-12-14 1999-12-07 Xerox Corporation Sensing system for detecting presence of an ink container and level of ink therein

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0888893A3 (en) 1999-11-03
ITTO970571A0 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1997-06-30
IT1293393B1 (it) 1999-03-01
DE69820161D1 (de) 2004-01-15
ITTO970571A1 (it) 1998-12-30
EP0888893A2 (en) 1999-01-07
DE69820161T2 (de) 2004-09-30

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