Patent ID: 8641178

Claim:
An printing apparatus comprising: an ink receptacle comprising: a substantially planar member having a first end and a second end, each of the first end and the second end of the substantially planar member having a cam follower extending from the first end and the second end; and an indentation formed in the substantially planar member to retain a volume of ink, the indentation having a cross-sectional area that enables ink to be released at a rate that varies with an angle at which the substantially planar member pivots; and a positioning system operatively connected to the substantially planar member, the positioning system comprising: a drive belt operatively connected to the substantially planar member at a position between the first end of the substantially planar member and the second end of the substantially planar member; an actuator operatively connected to the drive belt, the actuator being configured to rotate the drive belt to move the substantially planar member; and a pair of cam rails, one cam rail receiving the cam follower extending from the first end of the substantially planar member and the other cam rail receiving the cam follower extending from the second end of the substantially planar member, each of the cam rails being configured with a straight portion and a curved portion, the straight portions of the cam rails enable the actuator and the drive belt to move the ink receptacle from a first position where the indentation receives ink from a printhead to a second position where the curved portions of the cam rails enable the actuator and the drive belt to pivot the substantially planar member at a pivot angle that raises the second end of the substantially planar member above the first end of the substantially planar member to enable the indentation to release ink into an ink reservoir at a rate that corresponds to the pivot angle of the substantially planar member.