Fluidic delivery system with tubing and manifolding for an off-axis printing system
US6068370A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 30, 1996 |
| Grant date | May 30, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 30, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB41J19/005
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A tube routing configuration for a printing system with an off-axis ink supply system. The system includes a printer housing and a transporting system for transporting a print medium along a medium path to a print area. A scanning carriage holds a printing cartridge with a print-head, the carriage holding the cartridge such that the printhead faces the print zone. A carriage scanning apparatus moves the carriage along a scanning axis transverse to the medium path at the print area. An off-axis ink supply station is mounted in a fixed position relative to the printer housing. Hollow flexible tubing interconnects between the carriage and the off-axis ink supply station to provide an ink replenishment path for the printer cartridge. The tubing is routed between the carriage and the off-axis supply station such that a loop is formed in the tubing, and wherein the loop is substantially contained within a vertically projected volume swept out by the carriage, thereby reducing the need for additional product volume required for the tubing.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.