Claims
- 1. A method of cleaning spaced nozzles in a printhead of a drop-on-demand inkjet printer in which a slight negative pressure is desired in an ink reservoir in order to prevent ink drool from the nozzles, said method comprising:
deforming a compliant pressure regulator membrane that covers an opening in an ink reservoir, inwardly at the opening, to decrease the ink holding volume of the reservoir; deforming a compliant valve membrane that covers an opening in the ink reservoir and caps an ink conduit projecting into the reservoir, outwardly at the opening and away from the ink conduit, to uncap the ink conduit in order that the ink conduit can provide ink delivery at a positive pressure into the reservoir and out through the nozzles to clean the nozzles; returning the compliant valve membrane inwardly towards the ink conduit to recap the ink conduit in order to terminate ink delivery into the reservoir; and returning the compliant pressure regulator membrane outwardly to increase the ink holding volume of the reservoir in order to reduce ink pressure in the reservoir.
- 2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
ejecting some ink from the nozzles by activating thermal or piezoelectric activators for the nozzles, when the compliant valve membrane has returned inwardly to recap the ink conduit, and not before the compliant pressure regulator membrane has returned outwardly to increase the ink holding volume of the reservoir, in order to ensure a slight negative pressure in the reservoir which prevents ink drool from the nozzles.
- 3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
forward-pivoting a rocker lever interconnecting the compliant valve membrane and the compliant pressure regulator membrane to deform the compliant pressure regulator membrane inwardly to decrease the ink holding volume of the reservoir and deform the compliant valve membrane outwardly to uncap the ink conduit.
- 4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein the rocker lever is reverse-pivoted to return the compliant pressure regulator membrane outwardly to increase the ink holding volume of the reservoir and return the compliant valve membrane inwardly to recap the ink conduit.
- 5. A method of cleaning spaced nozzles in a printhead of a drop-on-demand inkjet printer in which a slight negative pressure is desired in an ink reservoir in order to prevent ink drool from the nozzles, said method comprising:
deforming a compliant pressure regulator membrane that covers a wall opening in an ink reservoir, inwardly at the wall opening, to decrease the ink holding volume of the reservoir, and deforming a compliant valve membrane that covers another opening in the ink reservoir and caps an ink conduit projecting into the reservoir, outwardly at the other opening and away from the ink conduit, to uncap the ink conduit in order that the ink conduit can provide ink delivery at a positive pressure into the reservoir and out through the nozzles to clean the nozzles, by forward-moving a connection member interconnecting the compliant valve membrane and the compliant pressure regulator membrane; returning the compliant valve membrane inwardly towards the ink conduit to recap the ink conduit in order to terminate ink delivery into the reservoir, and returning the compliant pressure regulator membrane outwardly to increase the ink holding volume of the reservoir in order to reduce ink pressure in the reservoir, by reverse-moving the connection member; and ejecting some ink from the nozzles in order to ensure a slight negative pressure in the reservoir which prevents ink drool from the nozzles.
- 6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein some ink is ejected from the nozzles in order to ensure a slight negative pressure in the reservoir by activating a thermal or piezoelectric activators for the nozzles.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] Reference is made to commonly assigned, copending application Ser. No. [our Docket No. 86026RAF] entitled INK DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR INKJET PRINTHEAD and filed Feb. 24, 2003 in the name of Steven J. Dietl.