Abstract: A bristled scraper cleaning system for cleaning a scraper, which has removed ink residue from wipers following an inkjet printhead wiping routine where the residue was first removed from the printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism, has a reservoir filled with an ink solvent. A pair of bristle brushes are soaked in the ink solvent bath, then rotated to scrub ink residue from the scraper. Following this scrubbing routine, the scrapers are now ready for a fresh scraping routine, and the brushes are returned to the solvent bath to dissolve ink residue from the bristles. A method of cleaning an inkjet printhead, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a bristled scraper cleaning system, are also provided.

Abstract: A spittoon system is provided for an inkjet printing mechanism to handle waste inkjet ink spit from an inkjet printhead during a nozzle clearing, purging or “spitting” routine. The spittoon system includes a frame defining a spittoon chamber having an entrance mouth, and a chimney passageway extending between the mouth and the chamber. A hard porous plastic liner lines this passageway from the mouth and into the chamber, with the liner material having no troublesome fibers projecting from a spit target platform so the platform can be located closer to the printhead than the earlier fiberous liners. This close spit target to printhead spacing, along with a larger spit target area traps inkjet aerosol and misdirected ink droplets ejected during a spitting routine. A method of purging ink residue from an inkjet printhead, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a spittoon system, are also provided.

Abstract: A universal capping system seals the printhead of either a single-chamber or a multi-chamber style inkjet cartridge, such as a black ink cartridge or a multi-color ink cartridge installed in an inkjet printing mechanism. In an imaging inkjet cartridge system, the normal single-chamber black cartridge for printing text is replaced with a multi-chamber imaging cartridge. Some imaging cartridges carry ink formulations having reduced colorant concentrations, which, when used in conjunction with a full color cartridge carrying full colorant concentrations of color inks, provides near photographic image quality, as well as crisp black text and line art. The printing mechanism is provided with a universal capping system, including several banks of flexible sealing sublips, capable of sealing either style cartridge when installed. One sublip has an asymmetrical cross section selected to control the direction of bending. The cap is spring-biased to push the sealing lips into engagement with the installed printhead.

Abstract: A handheld inkjet printing mechanism is provided for printing a selected image on a print surface of a solid hard body or a semi-flexible body, such as on human skin for face-painting at carnivals, for temporary tattoos, body decorations and the like, on walls and furniture for printing designs, on packages and building materials for labeling purposes, etc. The printing mechanism has a chassis which supports a controller that stores the selected image. An inkjet printhead supported by the chassis selectively ejects inkjet ink onto the print surface in response to the controller as an operator moves the printing mechanism over the print surface to record the selected image thereon. A printhead-to-print surface spacing device controls the spacing between the printhead and the print surface while printing.

Abstract: A wet wiping system is provided that is particularly useful for wiping an inkjet printhead that uses pigment based ink. A wet wiping method has an admitting step, where ink is admitted though printhead nozzles, either by firing the inkjet cartridge with a low thermal turn on energy, or through capillary action provided by placing the printhead in contact with a wicking pad. In a dissolving step, any accumulated ink residue adjacent the nozzles is dissolved with the admitted ink. In a wiping step, the admitted ink and any dissolved ink residue is wiped from the printhead. One wet wiper has a cellulose acetate polyester blade supported on at least one side by a foam block. The wicking pad may have a ramped portion for gradually contacting the printhead, or a domed wicking surface that is compressed upon contact with the printhead to facilitate the capillary action.

Abstract: A monitoring system monitors a pressure wave developed in the surrounding ambient environment during inkjet droplet formation. The monitoring system uses either acoustic, ultrasonic, or other pressure wave monitoring mechanisms, such as a laser vibrometer, an ultrasonic transducer, or an accelerometer sensor, for instance, a microphone to detect droplet formation. One sensor is incorporated in the printhead itself, while others may be located externally. The monitoring system generates information used to determine current levels of printhead performance, to which the printer may respond by adjusting print modes, servicing the printhead, adjusting droplet formation, or by providing an early warning before an inkjet cartridge is completely empty. During printhead manufacturing, an array of such sensors may be used in quality assurance to determine printhead performance. An inkjet printing mechanism is also equipped for using this monitoring system, and a monitoring method is also provided.

Abstract: A method of automatically optimizing the controllable parameters related to producing printed material on a hardcopy output device is provided, along with a hardcopy output device configured for implementing this method. Users require different types of printed objects to have different characteristics. Specifically, business graphics need to be sharp and vivid, photographic images should look realistic, and text must be black, crisp and clear. By extracting, analyzing and conditioning data generated during a printing stream, the various regions of text, graphics and photographic images on a sheet are distinguished, characterized, and printed. The resulting hardcopy output has a custom balancing of color which is pleasing to the human eye for each type of image printed, and which has print characteristics tailored for the specific elements on the page.

Abstract: A storage and spittoon system is provided for an inkjet printing mechanism to handle waste inkjet ink that has been spit from an inkjet printhead during a nozzle clearing, purging or “spitting” routine. A rotating spit wheel has a rim with a concave cross sectional shape which receives ink residue spit from the printhead. A compliant scraper is spring biased to contact the spit wheel rim at a substantially tangential orientation to scrape the ink residue from the rim as the wheel is rotated past the scraper. The scraper directs the ink residue into a storage container as a string-like strip which is then packed to into a storage container as the spit wheel rotates. A method of purging ink residue from an inkjet printhead, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a waste ink storage and spittoon system, are also provided.

Abstract: An inkjet printing mechanism includes a vibration isolating attachment system for securing a drive belt to an inkjet printhead carriage for increasing print quality by isolating the carriage from multi-directional vibrations generated by a carriage drive motor while propelling the carriage during printing. The vibration isolating member is of a resilient material having a first end coupled to a drive mechanism interface member which is joined to the belt, a second end coupled to a carriage interface member supported by the carriage, and a body section between the first end and the second end. Two or more vibration isolating members may be used, with a preferred shape being an I-shaped cross section. An inkjet printing mechanism having such a vibration isolating attachment system, and a method of method of isolating an inkjet printhead carriage from vibrations generated by a carriage drive motor, are also provided.

Abstract: An indexing wiper scraper cleaning system for cleaning a scraper, which has removed ink residue from a wiper following an inkjet printhead wiping routine where the residue was first removed from the printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism, has a reservoir filled with an ink solvent. Rotary scraper member having a series of scraper bars projecting radially from a cylindrical body is supported to periodically soak at least one of the scraper bars in the ink solvent bath. Following this soaking, the scraper bars are rotated through an indexing motion into a scraping position to scrape the ink residue from the wiper. After the scraping operation, the scraper bars are returned to the solvent bath to ready them for the next scraping operation. A method of cleaning an inkjet printhead, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a indexing wiper scraper cleaning system are also provided.

Abstract: A replaceable inkjet printhead cleaner service station system has separate replaceable cleaning units for each printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism, which has a pallet that moves the cleaning units translationally to service the printheads. Each cleaning unit has a printhead wiper, a printhead snout wiper, a capping system, a spittoon, and optionally, an ink solvent application system. The application system has a reservoir body impregnated with an ink solvent, and a solvent distribution member including a unitary applicator wick having a ramped portion located to apply the ink solvent to the printhead when an edge of the printhead is brought into contact with the wick. A wick support spring is preloaded to supply a substantially consistent amount of ink solvent to the printhead, regardless of vertical spacing or tolerance variations therebetween. A method is provided for cleaning an inkjet printhead, along with a printing mechanism employing such a system.

Abstract: A fiber tracking management system controls fibers clinging to an inkjet printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism, to stop these fibers from trailing across freshly printed wet ink and leaving unsightly fiber tracks. The system includes a sled which supports a fiber crushing member that contacts the printhead when the sled is in the servicing position and crushes fibers dangling from the printhead against the printhead. The printhead carriage has a datum which extends over the print zone and collects fibers from a wiper following printhead wiping. The system also has a fiber remover which removes fibers deposited along the exterior surface of the datum. The fiber remover may be a clutch actuator or other mechanism which plucks the fibers off the carriage, or a compressible pad which smashes the fibers and scrubs ink residue from the datum. A method of controlling fibers clinging to an inkjet printhead is also provided.

Abstract: A unitary capping system for simultaneously sealing multiple inkjet printheads during periods of inactivity has a base, a sled and an elastomeric printhead sealing structure. The base defines a cap hole and a chamber which receives the sled. The sled has a planar surface that moves between sealing and rest positions. The sealing structure has a planar web sandwiched between the sled and the base inside the chamber. The sealing structure has a lip support surrounded by the web, with the lip support having an upper surface extending through the cap hole to encircle the printhead nozzles when the sled is in the sealing position. A deflection cavity is defined between the lip support and the sled planar surface, so a portion of the lip support may collapse into the deflection cavity when sealing the associated printhead. Vent troughs linking two or more supports are defined by the sled planar surface.

Abstract: A tapered screw spittoon system is provided for an inkjet printing mechanism to handle waste inkjet ink residue that has been spit from an inkjet printhead during a nozzle clearing or “spitting” routine. The spittoon system has a cylindrical reservoir with a tapered screw rotatably mounted therein. The reservoir defines an entranceway opening to receive the ink residue, which then lands on a spit region of the screw. The screw has a tapered shaft which increases in diameter from the entranceway opening toward an exit opening defined by the reservoir wall at a remote location. When rotated, the tapered screw transports the ink residue from the spit region toward the exit opening. During transport, the ink residue is compacted between the screw shaft and the reservoir, and is squeezed out of the reservoir through the exit opening for permanent storage in a container surrounding the reservoir.

Abstract: A rotary capping system services inkjet printheads in an inkjet printing mechanism. A rotary service station has a tumbler with a dual pivoting link that supports a cap platform. The cap platform is gimbal mounted to the link and spring-biased away from the tumbler. The platform has an extending arm that contacts the printhead carriage to align the cap and printhead. When the printhead is positioned for capping, rotation of the tumbler around an axis parallel to the printhead scanning direction brings the platform arm into contact with the carriage. Continued rotation of the tumbler pivots the link and the platform to sweep the cap through a non-linear, generally arcuate path into a capping position at the printhead. The illustrated cap has a multi-ridge lip for sealing over surface irregularities on the printhead nozzle face. A method of sealing inkjet printhead nozzles is also provided.

Abstract: A flexible frame onsert molded capping system has an elastomeric sealing lip onsert molded onto a flexible, flat, springy support frame, preferably with series of these sealing lips being molded on a single flexible frame to simultaneously seal several adjacent inkjet printheads. The frame has a border region with one or more cap bases attached to the frame by plural suspension spring elements. The suspension spring elements have both cantilever and torsional characteristics which allow the bases to tilt and twist independent of one another to seal each printhead, even when the orifice plates of adjacent printheads are not in a coplanar alignment. Use of a single piece frame, and onsert molding of the cap lips thereon, decreases the number of parts required to assemble an inkjet printing mechanism, leading to a more economical unit which is easier to assemble.