Patent ID: 7645024

Claim:
A printer comprising: a media support having a support media surface; a carriage rod having a longitudinal axis; a carriage holding at least one printhead at a distance from the media support surface, said carriage being supported on the carriage rod and moveable laterally along the longitudinal axis of the carriage rod, said carriage comprising at least one bearing structure with a carriage rod contact surface, which includes an arcuate portion and a planar portion, wherein said arcuate portion is in contact with the carriage rod when the carriage is at a first position relative to the carriage rod and said planar portion lies in a plane that forms an oblique angle relative to the support media surface; at least one collar attached to the carriage and abutting the carriage rod so as to be moveable laterally along the carriage rod together with the carriage; at least one cam rotatably mounted to the carriage so as to abut the collar; and an anti-rotation rail in sliding contact with a rear portion of the carriage and being positioned so as to prevent to the carriage from rotating about the carriage rod, wherein said cam is rotatable to cause said arcuate portion of the bearing structure to move away from the carriage rod in a direction that is oblique relative to the support media surface while maintaining contact between said planar portion and the carriage rod, thereby causing the rear portion of the carriage to shift upwards relative to the anti-rotation rail and causing the carriage to move from said first position to a second position while maintaining the printhead substantially parallel to the media support surface.