Abstract: A liquid discharge head includes a discharge element including a discharge port, a liquid supply port, an electric connection terminal, and a heat transfer terminal. The discharge head also includes a supporting member including an electric connection terminal portion formed on a first surface thereof and electrically connected to the electric connection terminal, a heat transfer terminal junction portion formed on the first surface and connected to the heat transfer terminal, a plurality of through-holes extending between the first surface and a second surface of the supporting member, a partition wall portion separating the through-holes from each other, and a heat transfer path connected to the heat transfer terminal junction portion. An interval between the through-holes increases according to a direction from the first surface to the second surface. A volume of the heat transfer path increases according to the increase of the interval.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead integrated circuit includes a substrate. A drive circuitry layer is positioned on the substrate, the substrate and the drive circuitry layer defining a plurality of ink inlet channels. Nozzle chamber walls and roofs spanning the nozzle chamber walls are positioned on the substrate to define nozzle chambers in fluid communication with respective ink inlet channels, the roofs defining respective ink ejection ports. Ink ejection members are positioned in respective nozzle chambers and are displaceable with respect to the roofs to eject ink from the ink ejection ports. Fulcrum formations are fast with the substrate and each fulcrum formation has an effort formation arranged on one side and a load formation on an opposite side. Each ink ejection member is fast with a respective load formation.

Abstract: The inkjet printhead includes substrate having an ink feed hole formed to supply ink, a chamber layer stacked on the substrate, and including a plurality of main ink chambers formed therein with the ink feed hole therebetween and a plurality of compensation ink chambers formed therein between the main ink chambers that face each other; and a nozzle layer stacked on the chamber layer, and including a plurality of main nozzles corresponding to the main ink chambers and a plurality of compensation nozzles corresponding to the compensation ink chambers.

Abstract: Provided is a printhead assembly that includes a printhead mounted on a support structure, said printhead having an ink ejection face, and a print media guide mounted on the support structure for guiding print media past the printhead for printing. The assembly also includes a wicking element mounted on the support structure between the support structure and the print media guide, as well as a pad with an angled contact surface to operatively facilitate the transferal of ink from the printhead to the wicking element. The wicking element is formed from an absorbent material and is positioned in a cavity defined between the print media guide and the support structure.

Abstract: A printhead is provided having an ejection surface having a plurality of nozzles for ejecting droplets and a nozzle guard positioned over the ejection surface and having a plurality of channels therethrough aligned with the nozzles. The channels have hydrophobic sidewalls and are radially flared with respect to the ink ejection surface such that droplets which are ejected from the nozzles with misdirection rebound off the channel sidewalls to pass through the channels.

Abstract: An ink refill unit for a print cartridge, said unit comprises a housing defining a fluid path in fluid communication with an outlet and configured to be operatively engaged with the print cartridge; a fluid reservoir having an ejection port arranged in fluid communication with the fluid path inside the housing; a seal for sealing off one end of the fluid reservoir, the seal being movable within the fluid reservoir; an ejector assembly comprising a spring biased plunger engaged against the seal, the plunger having defined on a side thereof a number of groves; an actuator mechanism comprising a rod to which a pawl and an arm are attached, the pawl adapted to engage with the grooves to negate a biasing force of the plunger against the seal; and an actuator shaft attached to the housing, the actuator shaft being slidable with respect to housing so as to be exposed outside of the housing.

Abstract: Provided is a nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead. The nozzle arrangement includes a substrate with side walls and a roof portion together forming an ink chamber, the substrate defining an ink supply channel leading to the ink chamber, with one side wall defining an aperture. The arrangement also includes an elongate actuator extending through said aperture into the ink chamber, as well as a dynamic structure cantilevered from the side wall below the aperture. Further included is a static structure cantilevered from the side wall below the dynamic structure. The actuator is connected to the dynamic and static structures at a point distal from the aperture such that thermal expansion of the dynamic structure moves the actuator upwards in the chamber to eject ink from the chamber via a port defined in the roof portion.

Abstract: A method of micro-machining a semiconductor substrate to form one or more through slots therein. The semiconductor substrate has a device side and a fluid side opposite the device side. The method includes diffusing a p-type doping material into the device side of the semiconductor substrate in one or more through slot locations to be etched through a thickness of the substrates. The semiconductor substrate is then etched with a dry etch process from the device side of the substrate to the fluid side of the substrate so that one or more through slots having a reentrant profile are formed in the substrate.

Abstract: Provided is an inkjet printhead having a plurality of nozzle arrangements for ejecting ink onto a printing medium. Each nozzle arrangement includes a substrate defining an ink chamber having an ink inlet and a plurality of ink ejection ports, the chamber and ink supply channel being in fluid communication via the ink inlet. Each arrangement also includes a pivot anchor arranged on the substrate, and an actuator fast with the pivot anchor and arranged to cause selective ejection of ink from any one of the ejection ports while simultaneously causing an inflow of ink from the ink supply channel into the chamber via the ink inlet.

Abstract: A laminated film for attachment of printhead integrated circuits to an ink supply manifold. The film has a plurality of ink supply holes defined therein and film comprises: a central polymeric web; a first adhesive layer for bonding a first surface of the film to the ink supply manifold; and a second adhesive layer for bonding a second surface of the film to the printhead integrated circuits. The central polymeric web is sandwiched between the first and second adhesive layers. A first melt temperature of the first adhesive layer is at least 20° C. less than a second melt temperature of the second adhesive layer.

Abstract: Ink type information is read by a read and write system (62) from a semiconductor storage system mounted on ink cartridges (9a to 9d) attached to a cartridge holder (8). A decision control system (61) decides whether or not ink type information has already been stored in ink type storage system (63), and stores the ink type information thus read when the ink type information is not stored. In the case in which the ink cartridge is exchanged, the ink type information is similarly read and it is decided whether or not the same ink type information is identical to the ink type information stored in the ink type storage system (63). If they are not identical to each other, the operation of the recording apparatus is inhibited and a display system (68) is caused to display an error message thereon.

Abstract: An inkjet recording head includes a recording-element substrate having arranged therein multiple sets of nozzles that discharge ink, energy-generating elements that generate energy used for discharging the ink, and supply ports that supply the ink to the nozzles; and a sealant disposed around the recording-element substrate. The supply ports include a first supply port disposed near a first edge of the recording-element substrate and a second supply port disposed near a second edge of the recording-element substrate, the second edge being opposite to the first edge as viewed in the arrangement direction of the multiple sets. As viewed in the arrangement direction, a distance between the second edge and the second supply port is shorter than a distance between the first edge and the first supply port, and a volume of the sealant near the second edge is smaller than a volume of the sealant near the first edge.

Abstract: A printhead comprising a plurality of inkjet nozzle assemblies is provided. Each nozzle assembly comprises a nozzle chamber formed on a substrate. The nozzle chamber comprises a roof spaced apart from the substrate and sidewalls extending between the roof and the substrate. The nozzle chamber has an ink ejection opening defined in the roof, a first ink inlet defined in one of the sidewalls, and a second ink inlet defined in a floor of the nozzle chamber. Each ink inlet is in fluid communication with a common ink reservoir. The nozzle assembly further comprises an actuator for ejection of ink through the ink ejection opening.

Abstract: A recording apparatus to which a recording liquid accommodating container having a recording liquid accommodating portion is mountable, wherein the recording liquid accommodating container including communicating means for bi-directional wireless communication with the recording apparatus, the recording apparatus including a communication antenna for wireless communication with the communicating means; wherein the communication antenna and the communicating means are adapted to be disposed opposed to each other with the recording liquid accommodating portion interposed therebetween, and wherein it is discriminated depending on a state of wireless communication between the communication antenna and the communicating means whether or not a remaining amount of the recording liquid in the recording liquid accommodating portion is not more than a predetermined amount.

Abstract: A printhead integrated circuit for an inkjet printer that has a monolithic wafer substrate supporting an array of droplet ejectors for ejecting drops of printing fluid onto print media. Each droplet ejector has nozzle and an actuator for ejecting a drop of printing fluid the nozzle. The array is formed on the monolithic wafer substrate by a succession of photolithographic etching and deposition steps involving a photo-imaging device that exposes an exposure area to light focused to project a pattern onto the monolithic substrate. The array has more than 10000 of the droplet ejectors configured to be encompassed by the exposure area. The invention arranges the nozzle array such that the droplet ejector density is very high and the number of exposure steps required is reduced.

Abstract: The present invention is a recording method for recording by ejecting liquid onto a medium. The medium is carried in a carrying direction, the medium carried is supported by a protruding section of a support member having a recessed section and the protruding section, and liquid is ejected from nozzles in opposition to the recessed section and the protruding section. Also, with the recording method of the present invention, when recording to a front end in the carrying direction of the medium, the medium is carried to position the front end between the recessed section and nozzles in opposition to the recessed section, and liquid is ejected from nozzles in opposition to the recessed section and nozzles in opposition to the protruding section. This recording method allows recording to be performed quickly and without making peripheral areas dirty when recording to the front end of a medium without creating margins.

Abstract: A protruding member is provided on a recording head side, a droplet receiving portion having a flat surface portion formed thereon is provided, and the flat surface portion of the droplet receiving portion is brought into contact with the protruding member on the recording head side to cap the recording head.

Abstract: There are provided a printing apparatus and printing method capable of achieving high-quality printing by fine ink droplets, and collecting unwanted ink droplets. According to the method, ink droplets discharged from a printhead are negatively charged by the negative ions in printing. A printing medium is charged positively opposite to the polarity of ink droplets. By the electrostatic force, discharged ink droplets travel toward the printing medium, and the amount of ink droplets attached to the printing medium is increased. In addition, an ink mist collecting unit having a positive electrode is employed to collect floating ink mist.

Abstract: An ink cartridge mounting device is presented including (1) a housing that forms a mounting space for mounting an ink cartridge, (2) a hollow ink drawing member that protrudes from an inner surface of the housing toward the mounting space, the ink drawing member being inserted into the ink cartridge to draw out an ink stored in the ink cartridge when the ink cartridge is mounted in the mounting space, and (3) an ink flow path forming portion that forms an ink flow path from the interior of the mounting space to the outside of the mounting space, along which ink from the ink drawing member flows when the ink cartridge is removed from the mounting space.

Abstract: In a multi-valued printer that uses discontinuous index patterns, if a tone correction table is generated using sampled density patches, a table which is different from a table to be obtained and has no inflection point is obtained, and the print density characteristics after tone correction suffer discontinuity. To solve this problem, an output gamma table used to output measurement patches is set to linearly correct the printer print characteristics. Patches are output and their densities are measured. A reverse table of a “signal value—density” table is generated, and is smoothed using a recursive curve. The smoothed reverse table is finely adjusted to generate an intermediate output gamma table. The generated table undergoes index component correction, thus generating a tone correction table.