Abstract: A recharged toner cartridge assembly is disclosed in which a sealing member is provided between the toner hopper and the feed roller compartment to prevent leakage of the recharged toner powder. In particular, the sealing member is fixed to the bottom surface of the feed roller compartment before the compartment is brought to engage with the toner hopper, thus avoiding any inadvertent messing of the toner powder in the toner hopper.

Abstract: An ink supply system for an impulse ink jet apparatus includes a hand held peristaltic device for priming. Ink is supplied by a removable container by gravity feed through a valve mechanism.

Abstract: A dense array of ink jets is achieved by a fanning-in of chambers to a linear array of orifices. The ends of the chambers remote from the orifices have actuation locations which are coupled to elongated transducers having axes of elongation which are parallel to the axes of ejection of droplets from the orifices.

Abstract: A work station user selects a desired printer default configuration. Thereupon an address exclusively associated with the selected default configuration is appended to the print data sent from the work station to the printer. Default configuration setting circuitry provided, e.g., in a circuit card installed in the printer receives the address and, via a look-up table, provides instructions for implementing the default configuration associated with the address. The printer is then configured in accordance with the selected default configuration.

Abstract: In an electronic network having a computer, a spooler and a printer, the network address of the printer is automatically detected by a method and a system in which a non-print job, which includes a job header identifying the sending computer, is generated by the computer and transmitted via the spooler to the printer. The printer responds by transmitting an acknowledgment which includes the network address of the printer, to the sending computer. The sending computer identifies and stores the printer address therein. Thereafter, the printer address stored at the computer can be used to provide direct communications with the printer, for purposes of certain printer related functions such as determining the printer configuration or set-up, or monitoring the printer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for emulating font cartridges with virtual cartridges. Virtual cartridges may be loaded onto a data storage device, and desired virtual cartridges may be selected for use from those stored.

Abstract: A printer 10 stores print image data in memory 56 as the print image data is used by a print engine 12 to print an image in accordance with the print image data. In one embodiment, separate data buses (17, 46) and separate processors (40, 50) are used to transfer the print image data to the print engine and the memory so that the transfer operations can occur independently and in parallel. In another aspect, the print image data is compressed before it is stored in the memory. In yet another aspect, an overrun condition is detected when the transfer of data to the memory falls behind the transfer of data to the print engine. During the overrun condition, transfer of data to the memory is suspended until after the page has been printed.

Abstract: A cartridge of the type used with a printer is provided for supplying liquid to the printer. The cartridge includes a container that has first through sixth walls and a partition in the form of an inner wall that substantially divides the container into first and second compartments. The partition extends from the third wall to near the fourth wall to form a communication gap between the partition and the fourth wall. The container also has a first opening in the first compartment for allowing air to enter, and a second opening in the first compartment for interfacing with the printer's print head. A stranded material is disposed in the first compartment so that it extends along the first partition to a location between the end of the first partition and the fourth wall. A foam material is disposed in and substantially fills the remainder of the first compartment.

Abstract: An ink jet apparatus comprising an array of impulse ink jets is disclosed. Each of the ink jets includes a chamber having an orifice and a transducer coupled to the chamber, a signal generator applying firing signals to each transducer of each of the ink jets to eject droplets of ink on demand, and a controller for controlling the phase of the firing signals to prevent the simultaneous application of the firing signals to adjacent ink jets in the array. The orifices are linearly aligned and adjacent ink jets produce ink drops offset by less than the diameter of the drops. The natural ringing of the piezo crystals of the ink jet transducers has been found to occur at a frequency of about 46 kHz (period=22 .mu.s), and so a delay of about 25 ms, one-half the ringing period, is used to minimize cross-talk among neighboring channels.

Abstract: A gas assisted liquid jet apparatus, suitable for use in ink jet printers, includes a transducer housing having a plurality of ink passages and is designed to be used with solid or hot melt ink. The apparatus operates with a compressed air source to provide a laminar air flow through an orifice from where ink is ejected. As a result, ink ligaments and droplets uniformly accelerate toward the printing medium, and the high speed laminar flow reduces friction at the orifice, thus reducing the formation of ink ligaments or satellite droplets. The apparatus may be made by attaching different layered members together. This improves the efficiency and ease of fabrication of multiple array liquid jet apparatus. Because of the layered structure, ink passages and air chambers each may be placed in a selected layered member or in more than one layered member. The location of the ink passages in the same layer or structure, such as the transducer housing, as a heater provides improved heating capabilities.

Abstract: A printer and a method for printing hot melt ink in which an ink jet is surrounded by an enclosure and including a heater for heating the air within the enclosure. The enclosure has an opening so that the heated air can be directed towards a medium for heating the medium prior to ejecting droplets of hot melt ink onto the medium. The ink droplets cool and solidify into a shape having a low contact angle.

Abstract: UV-blocking hot melt ink jet inks for printing on flexible and other media. An UV-blocking hot melt ink jet ink for flexo-graphic plating comprises a wax, a plasticizer, an UV blocker, and a dye. Such an ink is flexible and durable, gives good printing quality, and is also removable from the flexo plate substrates during the wash out cycle of the flexo-plating process. Another UV-blocking hot melt ink jet ink for printing on silk screens comprises a wax, a fatty acid, an UV blocker and a dye. Such an ink is readily removable from the silk screen without harming the screen.

Abstract: In an ink ribbon cartridge (or cartridge ribbon) in which a length of ink ribbon driven through the cartridge is re-inked by a rotatable foam cylinder or reinker saturated with ink, an improved transfer roller is provided for transferring ink from the reinker onto the surface of the ink ribbon as the ink ribbon is advanced past the transfer roller. The transfer roller is of generally cylindrical shape and is provided with a plurality of elongated raised ridges or teeth on the outer surface thereof. The teeth present a surface area which transfers a desired amount of ink from the reinker to the ink ribbon as the ink ribbon rotates the transfer roller, and thereby the reinker. At the same time, positive engagement of the transfer roller with the ink ribbon and the reinker is enhanced, for the given surface area presented by the teeth, by offsetting or staggering a lower arrangement of the teeth relative to an upper arrangement thereof on the outer surface of the transfer roller.

Abstract: A work station user selects a desired printer default configuration. Thereupon an address exclusively associated with the selected default configuration is appended to the print data sent from the work station to the printer. Default configuration setting circuitry provided, e.g., in a circuit card installed in the printer receives the address and, via a look-up table, provides instructions for implementing the default configuration associated with the address. The printer is then configured in accordance with the selected default configuration.

Abstract: A bi-level printer is controlled to selectively enhance each pel, based on an error diffusion process. However, each channel (e.g., RGB red, green and blue color channels; Lab luminance, red direction and blue direction channels; or other suitable channel division) is processed individually according to a suitable kernel to provide a multi-color image. In addition, an individual "threshold" level (by which the "actual" state of enhancement of a pel is determined) is calculated for each color channel, based on the minimum and maximum enhanced levels of all of the pels in the "desired" image. Also, the order of processing individual pels and the error diffusion matrix are both reversed for each subsequent line of pels. It has been found that each one and various combinations of these features significantly improves image clarity, sharpness and tone continuity.

Abstract: Phase change inks capable of passing light therethrough are suitable for color overhead transparencies, as well as plain paper printing. A composition for the ink carrier comprises an unsaturated bis-amide as a transparency enhancer, a low viscosity monoamide as a thinner material, and a polyamide resin as a base and binder.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning a corona wire in a toner supply and a toner cartridge employing the apparatus and method for cleaning a corona wire. The apparatus and method allow a user to free the corona wire from debris or excess toner without interrupting the use of a printer for long periods of time. The apparatus includes toner cartridge, a housing for the corona wire, and a compact cleaning cartridge tool. The cartridge cleaning tool further includes a cleaning support element, a cleaning element, a handle and a hook element.

Abstract: A novel hot melt ink jet ink is disclosed for use in an impulse ink jet apparatus. The disclosed ink comprises a dispersed solid pigment which is formulated in a wax, or high molecular weight fatty acid or alcohol vehicle to form a hot melt ink which is solid at room temperature. The provision of such a pigment containing ink provides a high quality ink which is stable for long periods of time at relatively high temperatures. In the preferred embodiments, a dispersed graphite in a non-evaporative oil carrier, such as mineral oil, is formulated with candelilla wax, stearic acid and/or behenic acid.

Abstract: A method of halftoning over a region of output pixels by defining large halftone cells corresponding to regions of contiguous pixels and partitioning the larger halftone cells into smaller halftone cells is disclosed. The number of levels of gray determined by the number of pixels within the larger halftone cell while resolution is defined by the size of the smaller halftone cells within the larger halftone cells. A predetermined level of gray determines the number of pixels to darken within the larger halftone cell and the pixels are darkened within the smaller halftone cell according to a spot function. The larger halftone cells are partitioned into smaller halftone cells such that the larger halftone cell has exactly one center smaller halftone cell.

Abstract: Ink jet chambers of an array of ink jet devices extend laterally outwardly from a linear array of elongated transducers. This configuration creates two sets of linear arrayed orifices utilizing a single linear array of transducers so as to provide large field, high density printing for use in, for example, printing bar codes.