Abstract: A carriage support member for an inkjet printer printhead carriage includes a bar shaped structure with a first contact area and a second contact area. A pivotable carriage attachment is located between the first contact area and the second contact area. The first contact area and the second contact area slide or roll along the secondary guide rail. The carriage is attached to the carriage attachment. The bar shaped structure pivots relative to the carriage by the carriage attachment.

Abstract: A carriage support member for an inkjet printer printhead carriage includes a bar shaped structure with a first contact area and a second contact area. A pivotable carriage attachment is located between the first contact area and the second contact area. The first contact area and the second contact area slide or roll along the secondary guide rail. The carriage is attached to the carriage attachment. The bar shaped structure pivots relative to the carriage by the carriage attachment.

Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a carriage mounted on a guide. The carriage provides a transverse movement to a printhead. The carriage includes an upper carriage component adjacent to a rear support wall of the ink jet printer and a lower carriage component mounted to the upper carriage component. A slider is disposed between the upper carriage and the rear support wall. The slider includes a rigid substrate with a hole or an eyelet forming a hole. A pin secured to the carriage engages the hole and allows the slider to rotate up to 360 degrees around the pin. The slider includes a fabric with extended fibers secured to the substrate or directly to the carriage in order to resist static charge accumulations and lower friction.

Abstract: An ink jet printer apparatus is adapted to secure a print cartridge which includes an open container having a top opening; a porous ink-absorbent in the container; a print head in ink communication with the porous ink-absorbent; a top cover lid adapted to be placed on the container, over the top opening, to close the container; and an ink conduit needle mounted on the top cover lid to longitudinally extend in a horizontal orientation above the porous ink-absorbent when the cover lid is placed on the container, so that a print ink can descend freely by the force of gravity from the ink conduit needle onto the porous ink-absorbent and from the porous ink-absorbent down to the print head.

Abstract: An ink drying apparatus for an ink jet printer includes an internal heating apparatus. The heating apparatus comprises gas flow restrictors for air that enters the heating apparatus. The gas flow restrictors may be formed as dual horizontal slots which are sized to maintain a higher air pressure in the heating apparatus as compared to the air pressure in a region within the ink drying apparatus that is outside of the heating apparatus.

Abstract: An ink drying apparatus for an ink jet printer includes an internal heating apparatus. The heating apparatus comprises gas flow restrictors for air that enters the heating apparatus. The gas flow restrictors may be formed as dual horizontal slots which are sized to maintain a higher air pressure in the heating apparatus as compared to the air pressure in a region within the ink drying apparatus that is outside of the heating apparatus.

Abstract: A device and method for supplying ink to ink jet printer heads comprising first and second carriage portions non-rigidly coupled such that the two carriage portions are free to rotate independently about their guide rod axis, but are constrained to move together axially. The first carriage portion contains one or more ink jet cartridges supplied with ink via connecting tubes having self-sealing septum attached to corresponding ink outlets on the second carriage portion. The ink outlets on the second carriage portion preferably comprise valves with actuators. The actuators preferably act to secure the septum within the ink outlets, and are preferably disposed such that the valve is closed when the actuator is raised, and open when the actuator is lowered.