US 12,220,926 B2
Print material feed system
Robert Dennis Taff, San Ramon, CA (US); Alexander Sou-Kang Ko, Santa Clara, CA (US); Stephen Mark Smith, Morgan Hill, CA (US); and Geoffrey Kenneth Love, Lafayette, CA (US)
Assigned to Kateeva, Inc., Newark, CA (US)
Filed by Kateeva, Inc., Newark, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 14, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/508,670.
Application 18/508,670 is a continuation of application No. 17/659,679, filed on Apr. 19, 2022, granted, now 11,865,848.
Application 17/659,679 is a continuation of application No. 16/717,756, filed on Dec. 17, 2019, granted, now 11,338,588, issued on May 24, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/782,412, filed on Dec. 20, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0083177 A1, Mar. 14, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B41J 2/18 (2006.01); B41J 2/175 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/18 (2013.01) [B41J 2/17596 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An inkjet printing system, comprising:
a print assembly;
a bulk circulation circuit;
a middle circulation circuit; and
a local circulation circuit, wherein
the bulk circulation circuit is configured to draw print material from a supply vessel into a mixing vessel and to flow print material around the bulk circulation circuit continuously,
the middle circulation circuit is configured to draw print material from the bulk circulation circuit, to return print material to the bulk circulation circuit, and to flow print material around the middle circulation circuit, and
the local circulation circuit is configured to draw print material from the middle circulation circuit and to return print material to the middle circulation circuit, and to supply print material to the print assembly, and the local circulation circuit has a supply reservoir, a drain reservoir, and a negative pressure gas flow unit to control pressure in the supply reservoir and the drain reservoir.