Claims
- 1. Apparatus for horizontally loading a print cartridge into a carriage, comprising:a) a generally rectangular print cartridge body having first and second side walls, a front wall, and a back wall; b) a top wall having a planer outside surface, said top wall being affixed to the cartridge body; c) an elongate supporting lip located on the first side wall of the cartridge body, said lip being parallel to the planer outside surface of the top wall; d) a carriage body; e) a chute mounted on the carriage body for receiving a print cartridge, said chute having first and second sidewalls and an end wall; and f) a generally horizontal rail on the first sidewall of the chute for engaging the supporting lip on the print cartridge and for guiding the print cartridge into the carriage.
- 2. The carriage of claim 1 wherein the horizontal rail is arcuate.
- 3. The carriage of claim 1 wherein the horizontal rail is inclined slightly upward.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a second elongate supporting lip located on the second side wall of the cartridge body, said second lip likewise being parallel to the planer outside surface of the top wall and further including a second generally horizontal rail on the second side wall of the chute for engaging the second supporting lip on the print cartridge and guiding the print cartridge into the carriage.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 1 further including a latch located on the top wall of the print cartridge and a cantilever latch spring mounted on the carriage and having a generally horizontal tab so that when the print cartridge is fully received in the carriage, the latch is mechanically engaged by the latch spring.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the top wall has a planer outside surface and further including a latch ramp leading to a latch wall located perpendicular to the outside surface of the top wall.
- 7. A method of horizontally loading a print cartridge into a carriage, comprising the steps of:a) translating a print cartridge horizontally forward into a carriage, both the print cartridge and the carriage have corresponding datums for aligning one with the other; b) engaging a lip on the print cartridge with a guide rail on the carriage; c) sliding the print cartridge up and over the datum on the carriage with the guide rail; and d) latching the print cartridge in the carriage.
- 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of horizontal translating further includes the step of pitching up the print cartridge with the guide rail.
- 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of horizontal translating further includes the step of pitching down the print cartridge with a latch spring.
- 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of pitching down the print cartridge occurs after the step of pitching up the print cartridge.
- 11. A method of unloading a print cartridge from a printer carriage, said method comprising steps of:providing datum surfaces on the printer carriage which are engageable with the print cartridge to pivotally relate the print cartridge at a forward end thereof to the printer carriage; rotating said print cartridge about said datum surfaces on the carriage; in response to said rotating of said print cartridge unlatching said print cartridge from said carriage; providing a horizontally extending guide rail on said carriage, and providing a laterally extending lip on said print cartridge; utilizing a cooperative sliding engagement of said laterally extending lip of said print cartridge upon the horizontally extending guide rail of said carriage to support said print cartridge; and while said print cartridge is slidably supported cooperatively by said laterally extending lip upon said horizontally extending guide rail, horizontally translating said print cartridge out of said printer carriage.
- 12. The method of claim 11 wherein said print cartridge has a portion exposed rearwardly from said printer carriage while said print cartridge is received therein and latched into said carriage, and wherein the step of rotating includes the step of manually forcing the exposed rearward portion of the print cartridge downwardly.
- 13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of rotating said print cartridge includes the step of pitching down a forward end of said print cartridge in said printer carriage.
- 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of rotating said print cartridge downwardly at a rear end thereof includes the step of limiting said rotation by effecting cooperative engagement of said print cartridge lip upon said printer carriage guide rail.
- 15. A print cartridge which is insertable substantially horizontally into a carriage receiving pocket, the carriage receiving pocket being received between a pair of vertically spaced apart upper and lower horizontally extending planes which effectively constrain vertical movements of the print cartridge between said pair of planes, said print cartridge comprising:said print cartridge having a horizontally insertable low profile print cartridge body, said print cartridge body having structural features enabling complete insertion of the print cartridge body into said carriage receiving pocket with a predominately horizontal motion between said pair of upper and lower constraining planes, and said low profile of said print cartridge body resulting from said print cartridge body having its major dimension along an axis aligned with the horizontal motion of the print cartridge into said carriage; said print cartridge further having a pair of laterally extending and horizontally elongate lips extending parallel to said major dimension, said pair of lips being engageable slidably onto a horizontal guide rail of the carriage to guide said print cartridge horizontally between said constraining planes into and out of said carriage.
- 16. The print cartridge of claim 15, wherein the receiving pocket includes a guide rail and wherein the mechanical features include a lip for engaging the guide rail.
- 17. The print cartridge of claim 15 wherein the receiving pocket includes a carriage latch feature, the print cartridge body includes a top wall having a corresponding latch feature for engaging the carriage latch feature.18.The print cartridge of claim 17, wherein the latch feature is spaced from any edges of the top wall.
- 19. The print cartridge of claim 15, wherein the mechanical features also enable rotation of the print cartridge about a datum on the carriage and unlatching of the print cartridge from the carriage.
- 20. An especially configured thermal inkjet print cartridge, which is insertable into a carriage receiving pocket of a printing system by horizontal movement between a pair of vertically spaced apart horizontally extending constraining planes which are closely aligned with respective upper and lower extents of said carriage pocket, said print cartridge comprising:a generally rectangular prismatic cartridge body having a length dimension, a width dimension, and a height dimension, said cartridge body carrying a generally horizontally extending and planar print head having an array of vertically extending fine-dimension print orifices from which issues vertically downwardly directed droplets of ink during operation of said print cartridge, and said cartridge body having said length dimension, which defines a major axis for said prismatic body, disposed along said horizontal direction of installation of said cartridge body into said carriage receiving pocket; whereby, said specially configured print cartridge allows for a low profile printing system.
- 21. The print cartridge of claim 20, wherein said cart ridge body includes a front wall having a plurality of electrical contacts for energizing said cartridge upon installation of said cartridge into the printing system, a back portion opposite to said front wall and providing for grasping and force application by a user during installation of said print cartridge horizontally into said carriage receiving pocket, and wherein said major axis extends between said front wall and said back portion.
- 22. The print cartridge of claim 20, further comprising a top wall spanning the major axis and having a latch feature disposed thereon.
- 23. The print cartridge of claim 20 further comprising a top wall joining the front and back walls and having a latch feature thereon.
- 24. Apparatus structurally configured for horizontally loading and unloading a print cartridge into and from a printer carriage, said apparatus comprising:said print cartridge having: a generally rectangular prismatic print cartridge body having a major axis which is elongate in a horizontal direction from front to rear of said print cartridge, and a print head disposed on a bottom wall of said print cartridge, a pair of elongate horizontally extending and laterally oppositely extending supporting lips located on said print cartridge body; said carriage having: a carriage body with a generally horizontally extending chute horizontally receiving said print cartridge, said chute having a horizontally spaced apart and horizontally elongate pair of guide rails for respectively slidably engaging said elongate supporting lips on said print cartridge for guiding said print cartridge horizontally into and horizontally out of said carriage chute in a direction which is parallel to said major axis of said print cartridge.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said pair of horizontally extending rails are arcuate.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said pair of horizontally extending r ails are inclined slightly upwardly toward a forward end of said print cartridge with respect to movement of said print cartridge into said chute.
- 27. A method of horizontally loading and unloading a print cartridge into and from a printer carriage, said method comprising steps of:providing said print cartridge with a print cartridge body which is of rectangular prismatic shape with a horizontally elongate major dimension, and disposing a print head on a lower surface of said print cartridge body; providing a pair of horizontally extending and elongate and laterally extending opposite lips on said print cartridge body; providing on said printer carriage a pair of horizontally spaced apart and horizontally elongate guide rails extending inwardly of said printer carriage, configuring said pair of guide rails to be inclined slightly upwardly in the forward direction of said print cartridge into said carriage, and configuring said pair of guide rails to be slightly arcuate in an upwardly convex direction; translating said print cartridge horizontally forward into said carriage, with said pair of lips each in sliding and supporting relationship with a respective one of said pair of guide rails; providing on both said print cartridge and said carriage corresponding datum surfaces for aligning one with the other, and for providing a pivotal inter-engagement of said print cartridge with said carriage; sliding said print cartridge into engagement with said datums on said carriage by substantially horizontal sliding movement of said pair of print cartridge lips along said pair of guide rails of said carriage; latching said print cartridge in said carriage by an upward pitching motion of a rear end of said print cartridge; and unlatching and horizontally removing said print cartridge from said carriage by a reversal of the above-recited steps.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of application No. 09/477,649, filed Jan. 5, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,296,345.
This application is related to the following copending utility patent applications, each filed concurrently on Jan. 5, 2000:
Ser. No.: 09/477,645, by Ram Santhanam et al., entitled “Vent For An Ink-Jet Print Cartridge”;
Ser. No.: 09/477,646, by Ram Santhanam et al., entitled “Ink-Jet Print Cartridge Having A Low Profile”;
Ser. No.: 09/477,644, by Junji Yamamoto et al., entitled “Horizontally Loadable Carriage For An Ink-Jet Printer”;
Ser. No.: 09/478,148, by Richard A. Becker et al., entitled “Techniques For Providing Ink-Jet Cartridges With A Universal Body Structure”;
Ser. No.: 09/477,843, by Ram Santhanam et al., entitled “Techniques For Adapting A Small Form Factor Ink-Jet Cartridge For Use In A Carriage Sized For A Large Form Factor Cartridge”;
Ser. No.: 09/478,190, by James M. Osmus, entitled “Printer With A Two Roller, Two Motor Paper Delivery System”;
Ser. No.: 09/477,860, by Keng Leong Ng, entitled “Low Height Inkjet Service Station”;
Ser. No.: 09/477648, by Matt Shepherd et al., entitled “New Method of Propelling An Inkjet Printer Carriage”;
Ser. No.: 29/116,564, by Ram Santhanam et al., entitled “Ink Jet Print Cartridge”; and Ser. No.: 09/477,940, by Ram Santhanam et al., entitled “Multiple Bit Matrix Configuration For Key-Latched Printheads”, all of which are incorporated by reference.
US Referenced Citations (12)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0 604940 |
May 1997 |
EP |
0 519457 |
Sep 1997 |
EP |
0 610965 |
Dec 1999 |
EP |
3-184873 |
Aug 1991 |
JP |
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/477649 |
Jan 2000 |
US |
Child |
09/872959 |
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US |