Tapered screw spittoom system for waste inkjet ink
US6213583A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB41J2/16523
- WIPO fieldTextile and paper machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
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. Methods of purging ink residue from an inkjet printhead, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a tapered screw spittoon system, are also provided.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.