Abstract: A print head having an ink reservoir therein is made by forming, in a one-shot plastic injection molding step, a rigid monolithic frame including high melt temperature material having an opening therein extending from a first side to a second side, and first and second bonding surfaces surrounding the opening and facing the first and second sides, respectively. First and second thin flexible films are adhesively secured to the first and second bonding surfaces, respectively. The adhesive material may be a hot melt adhesive or dry adhesive films pre-formed to the shape of the bonding surfaces. By securing the flexible films to the bonding surfaces adhesively, rather than by heat staking, it is not necessary to form the frame of different materials during two separate molding steps.

Abstract: A print head having an ink reservoir therein is made by forming, in a one-shot plastic injection molding step, a rigid monolithic frame comprising high melt temperature material having an opening therein extending from a first side to a second side, and first and second bonding surfaces surrounding the opening and facing the first and second sides, respectively. First and second thin flexible films are adhesively secured to the first and second bonding surfaces, respectively. The adhesive material may be a hot melt adhesive or dry adhesive films pre-formed to the shape of the bonding surfaces. By securing the flexible films to the bonding surfaces adhesively, rather than by heat staking, it is not necessary to form the frame of different materials during two separate molding steps.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead body includes one or more zones for cleaning, guiding and stabilizing a printhead wiper of an ink jet printer. The printhead body includes a receptacle providing a reservoir for ink, and the receptacle includes a wall having an outer surface. The wall includes a region at which location of one or more ink discharge nozzles is established. A plurality of ribs is located in each of the wiper cleaning zones, which in turn is located to be adjacent the wall region. The orientation of the ribs may be defined with reference to a first axis extending in the plane of the outer wall surface and intersecting the wall region in a first direction, and by a second axis, or axis of symmetry, extending in the plane of the outer wall surface and extending substantially parallel to an edge of the wall and through a central portion of the region to perpendicularly intersect the first axis.

Abstract: An ink-jet printer cartridge having a center reservoir chamber and two side reservoir chambers for holding inks of three different colors is provided with ink flow pathways of special configuration for connecting the reservoir chambers to exit ports at the print element. The ink flow pathways are provided with ridges extending along substantially their entire lengths so that air bubbles cannot completely block ink flow through the pathways. The ink flow pathways are disposed such that they have a vertical component of direction over their entire length and the pathways connecting the side reservoir chambers to exit ports include duct portions disposed at compound angles relative to the axes of the cartridge so that air bubbles, because of their buoyancy, will naturally tend to drift upwardly through the inclined ducts toward the reservoir chambers during normal usage, or drift toward the exit openings when the cartridge is inverted for priming.

Abstract: The invention is directed to an ink jet cartridge assembly, including a cartridge body and a print head. The cartridge body includes a die cavity and at least one groove disposed in communication with the die cavity and with an ambient environment. The print head is disposed at least partially within the die cavity. An adhesive is disposed within the die cavity between the body and the print head for bonding the print head to the body. The at least one groove defines a vent to the ambient atmosphere for a gas which may be produced during curing of the adhesive.

Abstract: A cartridge for an ink-jet printer includes a nozzle plate having nozzles therein. A region around the nozzles is sealed when a maintenance cap is moved into contact with a surface of the cartridge surrounding the nozzle plate. Vent passages are provided in the cartridge body for venting the sealed region to the atmosphere. The vent passages are formed as grooves in a surface of the cartridge body, the open sides of the grooves being closed by an adhesive preform which attaches a tab circuit to the surface. One end of each passage vents to the atmosphere at a second surface of the cartridge body underneath a portion of the tab circuit which is not adhesively attached to the second surface. A second end of each vent passage extends into a region of the first surface that is not covered by the adhesive preform and tab circuit so that the vent passages communicate with the sealed region formed when the cap is moved into contact with the cartridge.