The disclosure relates to micro-fluid ejection heads, and in particular structures suitable for improved assembly procedures for micro-fluid ejection head device components.
Micro-fluid ejection heads are useful for ejecting a variety of fluids including inks, cooling fluids, pharmaceuticals, lubricants and the like. A widely used micro-fluid ejection head is in an ink jet printer. Ink jet printers continue to be improved as the technology for making the micro-fluid ejection heads continues to advance. New techniques are constantly being developed to provide low cost, highly reliable printers which approach the speed and quality of laser printers. An added benefit of ink jet printers is that color images can be produced at a fraction of the cost of laser printers with as good or better quality than laser printers. All of the foregoing benefits exhibited by ink jet printers have also increased the competitiveness of suppliers to provide comparable printers and supplies for such printers in a more cost efficient manner than their competitors.
Micro-fluid ejection devices may be provided with permanent, semi-permanent, or replaceable ejection heads. Since the ejection heads require unique and relatively costly manufacturing techniques, some ejection devices are provided with permanent or semi-permanent ejection heads. In order to protect the ejection heads for long term use filtration structures are used between a fluid supply cartridge and the ejection heads to remove particles which may clog microscopic fluid flow paths in the ejection heads. Components attached to the filtration structures are provided to cooperate with removable fluid containers to provide fluid flow and fluid seals between the containers and the filtrations structures. Other components enable improved handling of the replaceable cartridges. For example, the fluid cartridges must be positively locked into a fixed position on the filter tower structures in order to feed fluid to the micro-fluid ejection heads without leaking. Accordingly, assembly of multiple components for multiple functions increases the cost of manufacture of the micro-fluid ejection devices. In view of the foregoing, exemplary embodiments of the disclosure provide a micro-fluid ejection head structure, method of sealing a removable fluid cartridge to a micro-fluid ejection head structure, and a cartridge carrier for removable fluid cartridges containing a micro-fluid ejection head structure. The micro-fluid ejection head structure includes a molded, multi-function member for attachment to the filter tower structure for a micro-fluid ejection head. The multi-function member has at least one biasing device retainer and at least one wick retainer positioned laterally adjacent to the biasing device retainer.
Another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for sealing a removable fluid container to a fluid flow structure for a micro-fluid ejection head. According to the method a micro-fluid ejection head and filter tower structure in fluid flow communication with the micro-fluid ejection head are provided. A molded, multi-function member is attached to the filter tower structure. The multi-function member has at least one biasing device retainer, at least one wick retainer positioned laterally adjacent to the biasing device retainer, and a sealing surface for providing a fluidic seal between the removable fluid cartridge and the at least one wick retainer. The removable fluid cartridge is sealingly attached to the at least one wick retainer.
Yet another exemplary embodiment of the disclosure provides a fluid supply cartridge carrier having at least one removable fluid cartridge engagedly disposed in the cartridge carrier and a permanent or semi-permanent micro-fluid ejection head structure. The ejection head structure includes a micro-fluid ejection chip, a filtered fluid reservoir in fluid flow communication with the micro-fluid ejection chip, a filtration structure fixedly attached to the filtered fluid reservoir for flow of filtered fluid to the filtered fluid reservoir, and a multi-function component attached to the filtration structure. The multi-function component has at least one biasing device retainer and at least one wick retainer positioned laterally adjacent to the biasing device retainer. A coil spring is engaged in the biasing device retainer for biasing the removable fluid cartridge in the cartridge carrier away from the filter tower structure when the cartridge is disengaged with the cartridge carrier.
An advantage of the exemplary embodiments described herein is that a unitary component may be used in place of multiple components to enable enhanced assemble of components for micro-fluid ejection head structures. Use of a unitary component eliminates several steps required for assembling a wick retainer and cartridge biasing device in a cartridge carrier structure. The unitary component also reduces lateral tolerances required between adjacent filter towers to which the structure is attached.
Further features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments may become apparent by reference to the detailed description when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements through the several views, and wherein:
In general, the disclosure is directed to micro-fluid ejection device structures and in particular to structures providing improved connections between removable fluid containers and permanent or semi-permanent micro-fluid ejection heads. For example, ink jet printers containing at least one permanent or semi-permanent micro-fluid ejection head desirably include a fluid container that is easily replaced by a user when the fluid in the container is depleted. Typically, ink jet printers include two or more micro-fluid ejection heads and thus may include fluid containers for each of the micro-fluid ejection heads.
By way of illustration,
In one configuration of the micro-fluid ejection head structure 14, the filtered fluid reservoir 16 is protected by a wick 18 that is placed in fluid flow communications with a filtration device 20. The wick 18 slows evaporation of fluid from the fluid reservoir 16 when the fluid container 12 is not attached to the micro-fluid ejection head structure 14. The wick 18 also provides a fluidic connection between the filtration device 20 in the micro-fluid ejection head structure 14 and a capillary member 22 in the fluid container 12. The fluid container 12 may also include a liquid compartment 23 in fluid flow communication with the capillary member 22 to provide flow of fluid to the wick 18. In the micro-fluid ejection head structure 14, filtered fluid flows from the filtered fluid reservoir to a micro-fluid ejection head 24 for ejection onto a surface by the micro-fluid ejection head 24.
In order to aid in the removal of the replaceable fluid container 12 from the micro-fluid ejection head structure 14, a biasing device 26 such as a coil spring is provided laterally adjacent to the wick 18. When the fluid container 12 is disengaged from a latching device 28 on the carrier 10, the biasing device 26 biases the container 12 away from the wick 18. Accordingly, both the wick 18 and biasing device 26 are desirably retained in place on the micro-fluid ejection head structure 14, as described in more detail below.
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Another feature of the multi-function structures 30 is the biasing device pockets 42A-42D that retain biasing devices 44A-44D therein for aid in ejecting the fluid containers 12A-12D when each fluid containers 12A-12D are unlatched from the latching devices 28A-28D (
The multi-function structure 30 may also include rib members 48A-48D to aid in aligning fluid outlet ports on the containers 12A-12D with the wicks 18A-18D. The rib members 48A-48D are desirably aligned with the biasing device pockets 42A-42D.
As set forth above, the multi-function structure 30 includes the sealing surface 34 adjacent each of the wick pockets 40A-40D. The sealing surface 34 provides a face seal for the gasket 36 disposed between the sealing surface 34 and the container 12 as illustrated in
In order to provide for positional variations in the filter tower components 32 of the ejection head structure 14, one or more of the wick pockets 40A-40D are flexibly attached laterally adjacent to the biasing device pockets 42A-42D as by webs 60 and 62. At least one of the wick pockets, such as wick pocket 40D is fixedly attached laterally adjacent to the biasing device pocket 42D to provide positive placement of the structure 30 in the x and y directions with respect to the ejection head structure 14. As shown in
Accordingly, the multi-component structure 30, as set forth above, may provide one or more of the following functions: wick retainers, biasing device retainers, fluidic seals between fluid containers and the structure 30, alignment between the containers and the structure 30, accommodates tolerance variations in micro-fluid ejection head structures 14, and easy assembly of micro-fluid ejection head components.
As described herein, the wicks 18 and the capillary members 22 in the fluid container 12 may be made of negative pressure inducing materials. The negative pressure inducing material may be a material such as a felted foam. For the purposes of this disclosure, a wide variety of negative pressure producing materials may be used to provide fluid flow from the containers 12 to the micro-fluid ejection head 24. Such negative pressure inducing materials may include, but are not limited to, open cell foams, felts, capillary containing materials, absorbent materials, and the like.
As used herein, the terms “foam” and “felt” will be understood to refer generally to reticulated or open cell foams having interconnected void spaces, i.e., porosity and permeability, of desired configuration which enable a fluid to be retained within the foam or felt and to flow therethrough at a desired rate for delivery of fluid to the micro-fluid ejection head 24. Foams and felts of this type are typically polyether-polyurethane materials made by methods well known in the art. A commercially available example of a suitable foam is a felted open cell foam which is a polyurethane material made by the polymerization of a polyol and toluene diisocyanate, The resulting foam is a compressed, reticulated flexible polyester foam made by compressing a foam with both pressure and heat to specified thickness.
Having described various aspects and embodiments of the disclosure and several advantages thereof, it will be recognized by those of ordinary skills that the embodiments are susceptible to various modifications, substitutions and revisions within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.