US4940998A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Carriage for ink jet printer
Assignee: HP Inc
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Filing: 1989-04-04
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Granted: 1990-07-10
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Expires: 2009-04-04
Abstract
Abstract A carriage (66) of an ink jet printer (60) mounts multiple print heads (10) in a non-colinear arrangement. Preferably, the carriage (66) provides four print head pockets (80) disposed at the corners of a rectangle, each of which pockets (80) receives one of the print heads (10). The print heads (10) are precisely located in the pockets (80), and two print heads (10) pass over alternating swaths of the printing medium during each traverse of the carriage (66). Each print head (10) ejects one or more colors in a pattern of dots during each pass.
Inventors
- 👤 Stuart D. Asakawa
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 13:32
CPC Classifications
B; B41; B41J; B41J2/00; B41J2/005; B41J2/01; B41J2/135; B41J2/14; B41J2/14016; B41J2/14088; B41J2/14112; B41J2/14129; B41J2/14072; B41J2/21; B41J2/2103; B41J2002/14387; B41J2202/00; B41J2202/01; B41J2202/19
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
101 words
A printing unit for an ink jet printer, comprising: means for supporting four print heads in a rectangular array, wherein the means for supporting includes a support plate having four pockets therein disposed in a rectangular array, each pocket being adapted to receive a removable print head, and wherein each of the four pockets includes at least three stops, two for preventing movement of the received print head in a direction lying in the plane of the rectangular array and the third for preventing movement of the received print head in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the rectangular array.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
101 words
A printing unit for an ink jet printer, comprising: means for supporting four print heads in a rectangular array, wherein the means for supporting includes a support plate having four pockets therein disposed in a rectangular array, each pocket being adapted to receive a removable print head, and wherein each of the four pockets includes at least three stops, two for preventing movement of the received print head in a direction lying in the plane of the rectangular array and the third for preventing movement of the received print head in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the rectangular array.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
The printing unit of claim 1, wherein each pocket further includes means for establishing an electrical connection to a print head received in the pocket.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The printing unit of claim 1, further comprising four print heads mounted in the means for supporting.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The printing unit of claim 1, wherein the four print heads eject ink of different colors.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The printing unit of claim 1, wherein the print heads are thermal ink jet print heads.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4540996A
Cited
US4554556A
Cited
JPS59187865A
Cited
US4500895A
Cited
US4635073A
Cited
US4812859A
Cited
US4833491A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-07-09 | 1994-01-08 | 1994-07-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-07-09 | 1998-01-08 | 1998-07-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-07-09 | 2002-01-08 | 2002-07-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |