Inventor(s)

HP INCFollow

Abstract

When a supply is stored, the heavier pigments settle on the bottom part of the supply. Due to that,

prior to installing a new ink supply, it is necessary to do a certain number of shakes to ensure that the

ink is properly mixed.

In some printers, a printhead receives a stream of printing fluid from an Intermediate Tank, which is

supplied with ink from a supply tank by an ink pump. Depending on the Intermediate Tank orientation,

the heavier pigments settle on the deposit.

If the ink is not properly mixed, there would be depleted and enriched ink inside the supply, which

could impact on the Image Quality, such as opacity consistency, Nozzle health, and potentially issues

with de‐cap and spray. Furthermore, could lead to a printhead failure due to filter clogging.

This invention describes a process to automatically redisperse the ink inside the Intermediate Tank by

agitating one or several metallic balls by the interaction of a magnetic field to prevent the ink settling

on the deposit. The routine is scheduled to be done when the printer is in Idle conditions and does

not impact on the printer functionality or the Ink Delivery System algorithms.

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