Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a recording head for discharging an ink includes a fuel cell unit and a water supply unit. The fuel cell unit generates power for the image forming apparatus and water when the power is generated in the fuel cell unit. The water supply unit supplies the water, generated by the fuel cell unit, to an ink accumulation area in the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: An algorithm for preliminary firing of ink droplets through inkjet nozzles prior to inkjet printing operation is disclosed. According to this algorithm, a calculation is made of a scheduled time of a next nozzle-cleaning operation which succeeds a time instant at which a last firing operation was implemented, by a predetermined reference-time-interval, and an operation is performed concerning a reduction in a frequency at which the nozzle-cleaning operation is repeated, by monitoring the calculated scheduled-time of nozzle-cleaning operation, on a time-line basis.

Abstract: The printing head has connection terminals for performing an electrical connection of signals including drive signals of print elements by contacting connection terminals on an apparatus side when the head is mounted onto an ink jet printing apparatus. Connections of all terminals can be guaranteed by detecting contacts of a part of terminals. Among the terminals in the head, terminals whose distances from the connection terminals in the printing apparatus become maximum when a deviation occurred in the mounting are used as terminals for contact detection. For example, from among the connection terminals arranged in a planar area, which is rectangular-shaped, terminals positioned in corners are used as the terminals for the contact detection. When the contacts of these terminals are detected, the connections of all the terminals inside the area can be guaranteed.

Abstract: A method of maintaining a printhead in an operable condition is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (i) providing a maintenance roller having an elastically deformable contact surface (ii) moving the roller into a first position in which a clean part of said contact surface is sealingly engaged with an ink ejection face of printhead; (iii) moving the roller into a second position in which the contact surface is disengaged from the face; and (iv) rotating the roller to clean ink from the contact surface.

Abstract: Method of printing from a printer, where the printer includes one or more maintenance firings from a printhead nozzle. Formatting a print job to be printed in determining which nozzles on a printhead require maintenance during printing of the print job. Modifying the formatted print job to include one or more maintenance firings for the nozzles requiring maintenance.

Abstract: An apparatus for maintaining an inkjet printer printhead in a working state, the printer defining an array of orifices from which in use jets of ink are projected. The apparatus may have a means for applying a pressure pulse to ink with the printhead sufficient to discharge ink from each orifice when not in use to project ink. The pressure pulse may have a relatively rapidly rising leading edge and a relatively slow falling trailing edge.

Abstract: A printing device has a printer head that contains a first device for applying the ink onto a substrate. The first device includes ink nozzles for applying the ink. A second device is provided for moving the printer head from its home position into a working area and back. A waste ink container is placed in the home position of the printer head and opposite of the ink nozzles in the home position of the printer head and the waste ink container contains an open-pore absorber material. The absorber material bears a hygroscopic material on its interior and/or exterior surfaces.

Abstract: A modular printhead assembly includes an elongate carrier. An elongate ink conduit is positioned in the carrier and is configured to feed ink along a length of the carrier. A plurality of printhead modules is serially arranged along and engaged with the ink conduit. The ink conduit is in fluid communication with the printhead modules and each printhead module includes a printhead integrated circuit for carrying out a printing operation. A pair of supports is fastenable to respective ends of the carrier. The printhead modules are located between the supports. At least one capping mechanism is arranged to cap the printhead integrated circuits. A camshaft is operatively engaged with the supports and extends between the supports and is arranged to move the, or each, capping mechanism so that the printhead integrated circuits can be capped.

Abstract: A method and system for purging bubbles from a fluid chamber of a micro-fluid ejection head containing a plurality of fluid chambers, an ejection actuator respectively associated with each of the fluid chambers, and a common fluid supply area for the fluid chambers. According to this exemplary method, one or more of the ejection actuators are pulsed with energy sufficient to expand a bubble present in one of the fluid chambers without substantially boiling the fluid in the common fluid supply area. A first temperature of the ejection head is maintained for a first period of time during bubble expansion so that the bubble in the fluid chamber is urged away from the fluid chamber. The ejection head temperature is decreased over a second period of time to lower the ejection head temperature to a second temperature lower then the first temperature.

Abstract: A pagewidth printhead assembly includes an elongate channel member having a floor and a pair of opposed sidewalls and being of a resiliently flexible material. An elongate ink distribution member is positioned on the floor and defines a number of longitudinally extending ink conduits for conveying respective inks and defining sets of apertures. The apertures of each set are in fluid communication with respective conduits. A series of inkjet printhead modules is mounted on the ink distribution member. Each inkjet printhead module has an ink distribution assembly in fluid communication with respective sets of the apertures. A printhead integrated circuit is mounted on the ink distribution assembly to receive ink. Each printhead module is dimensioned to be retained in position in the channel due to an inward bias of the sidewalls.

Abstract: An inkjet image forming system and method of increasing a printing speed thereof. According to the system and method, at least a portion of a first lead time of a first process that includes processing printing data in a host and transmitting the printing data to an inkjet image forming apparatus is overlapped with at least a portion of a second lead time of a second process that includes performing a maintenance operation on a printhead using a maintenance unit, thereby increasing the printing speed of the inkjet image forming system.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead with an array of nozzles 3. A chamber 7 and a heater 14 correspond to each nozzle respectively. The heater has a heater element 10 extending between a pair of electrodes 15. The heater elemen 10 is suspended in the chamber 7 by the electrodes 15 to heat printing fluid and generate a vapour bubble to cause a drop of the printing fluid to eject through the nozzle 3. Integrated circuit metalization layers corresponding to each of the nozzles supply electrical energy to the heater 14. The heater 14 and the integrated circuit metalization layers 23 are substantially planar and at least partially overlapping, the metallization layers electrically connected to the heater electrodes 15 by vias, the cross sectional area of all the vias being greater than 50% of the surface area of one side of the heater 14. A relatively large number of vias lowers the electrical resistance between the electrodes and the CMOS metalization layers.

Abstract: One embodiment of the invention relates to an ink-jet recording apparatus comprising an ink-jet head with an ink passage having an inner volume and a preservative in the ink passage in a preservative residual ratio of no greater than 10%. Another embodiment of the invention relates to a preservative having water, a penetrant, and a humectant. A further embodiment of the invention relates to a processing method involving filling an inner volume of an ink passage in an ink-jet recording apparatus with a preservative and removing a portion of the preservative from the inner volume such that a preservative residual ratio is no greater than 10%.

Abstract: There is disclosed an ink jet printhead which comprises a plurality of nozzles and one or more heater elements 10 corresponding to each nozzle. Each heater element 10 is configured to heat a bubble forming liquid 11 in the printhead to a temperature above its boiling point to form a gas bubble 12 therein. The generation of the bubble 12 causes the ejection of a drop of an ejectable liquid (such as ink) through an ejection aperture 5 in each nozzle, to effect printing. In each nozzle, the heater element 10 requires an electrical pulse with a voltage less than 8 volts and a duration less than 1.5 microseconds, to form the vapor bubble that causes the ejection of the drop. With the realization that drive pulse voltages above, say, 12 volts are not a fixed parameter of printhead design, the benefits of low voltage printhead operation can be incorporated into a design that yields efficiencies that negate the circumstances that created the initial demand for high voltage operation.

Abstract: A printer module includes an elongate body. A motor assembly is operatively mounted to an end of the body. A quartet of rollers is rotationally mounted with respect to the body and extends along the inside of the body. The rollers include a pair of driven rollers coupled to the motor assembly and a pair of free rotation neutral rollers. The rollers are arranged in pinching pairs with each pair including a respective driven and neutral roller. An elongate printhead is operatively mounted to extend along the body, and is configured to print ink upon print media passing through the body and between the pairs of rollers.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes an energy-generating element arranged on a semiconductor substrate, a barrier layer deposited on the semiconductor substrate for forming a liquid chamber in the periphery of the energy-generating element, and a nozzle sheet bonded on the barrier layer and having a nozzle formed at a position opposing the energy-generating element, in which the liquid ejection head ejects liquid contained in the liquid chamber from the nozzle as liquid droplets by the energy-generating element, and the barrier layer is provided with a plurality of depressions, each having an independent contour, arranged within a range, which is separated from the border of the barrier layer, on an adhesive region adhering to the nozzle sheet.

Abstract: This patent specification describes an image forming apparatus which includes a carriage, a recording head mounted on the carriage, having a nozzle, and configured to form an image by ejecting recording liquid from the nozzle, a self-maintenance mechanism configured to maintain the recording head in a predetermined condition, which includes a cap member configured to cap the recording head and an absorption mechanism configured to absorb the unused recording liquid ejected into the cap member from the recording head, and a shielding member configured to prevent a flying liquid droplet generated when the absorption mechanism absorbs the unused recording liquid from attaching to a predetermined member of the image forming apparatus.

Abstract: A media web cartridge configured to store a media web and to be removably mountable to a printing system so as to introduce the media web thereto is provided. The cartridge has a shaft about which the media web is rotatably wound, a support member mounting the shaft to the cartridge so as to prevent rotation of the shaft relative to the cartridge, and a drive roller arranged to draw the media web from about the shaft so as to introduce the media web to the printing system when the cartridge is mounted thereto. A groove in the feed roller is engaged with a lunette of the support member and the drive roller is arranged to protrude from the cartridge so as to engage, and be rotated by, a drive spindle of said printing system when the cartridge is mounted thereto.

Abstract: This invention relates to an ink jet device that is adaptive for preventing formation of a bad pattern as well as improving the life span of the ink jet device.

Abstract: A waste ink storage structure including: container walls, defining a storage space adapted to store a waste ink; a waste ink inlet portion adapted to pour the waste ink into the storage space; a vent communicating the storage space with atmosphere; and a valve, provided at the vent to be opened when the waste ink is poured from the waste ink inlet portion.