Mobile telephone with an internal inkjet printhead arrangement and an optical sensing arrangement

US7735974B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd · AU

Inventors

• Kia Silverbrook · Sydney, AU
• Gregory Michael Tow · Sydney, AU

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 12, 2008
• Grant date: Jun 15, 2010
• Expiry date: Jun 12, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04N2201/0096
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Provided is a mobile telephone which includes an internal printhead, an ink cartridge and an optical sensing arrangement. The internal inkjet printhead arrangement is fed with print media via internal and external pathways defined by a body of the telephone. The ink cartridge supplies ink to the printhead. The optical sensing arrangement enables the telephone to decode tags of coded data printed on such media fed through the internal and external pathways. The sensing arrangement includes a beam splitter configured to deflect incoming light onto an image sensor of the telephone, a first infrared LED operatively directing light onto media present in the external pathway, and a filter and lens arrangement configured to receive and direct light reflected from the external media onto the beam splitter. The sensing arrangement also includes a second infrared LED operatively directing light onto media present in the internal pathway, as well as a mirror arrangement configured to direct light reflected from the internal media into the beam splitter. The coded data contains printing instructions for the printhead.