(19)
(11) EP 0 903 238 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
08.11.2000 Bulletin 2000/45

(43) Date of publication A2:
24.03.1999 Bulletin 1999/12

(21) Application number: 98306329.8

(22) Date of filing: 07.08.1998
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC)7: B41J 2/175
(84) Designated Contracting States:
AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE
Designated Extension States:
AL LT LV MK RO SI

(30) Priority: 18.08.1997 US 914832

(71) Applicant: Hewlett-Packard Company
Palo Alto, California 94304 (US)

(72) Inventors:
  • Pawlowski, Norman E., Jr.
    Corvallis, OR 97330 (US)
  • Gast, Paul D.
    Cugat Del Valles, Barcelona (ES)
  • Lee, Ted T.
    Escondido, CA 92026 (US)
  • Cameron, James M.
    Portland, OR 97210 (US)
  • Shibata, Alan
    Camas, WA 98607 (US)
  • Harvey, James A.
    Tangent, OR 97389 (US)
  • Christmann, David R.
    Boring, OR 97009 (US)

(74) Representative: Colgan, Stephen James 
CARPMAELS & RANSFORD 43 Bloomsbury Square
London WC1A 2RA
London WC1A 2RA (GB)

   


(54) Ink delivery system for ink-jet printer


(57) An off-axis printing system (10) with high performance tubing. The printing system includes a media transporting system for transporting a print medium along a medium path to a print area (14), a scanning carriage (16) for holding a printing structure (18) including a printhead, and a scanning apparatus (22, 24) for scanning the carriage along a scanning axis transverse to the media path at the print area. The system further includes a fixed ink supply station (30) including an ink reservoir. A fluid conduit interconnects between the ink reservoir of the fixed ink supply station and the printing structure, the fluid conduit including a length of hollow flexible tubing routed such that a flexible loop is formed therein. The tubing includes a tubing material having an oxygen permeability characteristic of less than 100 cc•mil/(100 in2•day•atm), at 23°C, 0% RH. The tubing material has a tensile modulus characteristic value which is less than 300,000 pounds per square inch (psi), and a water vapor transmission rate of less than one g•mil/(100in2•day), at 10% RH, 100°F. Particular tubing materials suitable for the purpose include polyvinylidene chloride copolymer, polychlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer, and ethylenechlorotrifluoroethylene.






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