Patent ID: 7416274

Claim:
A printhead assembly, comprising: at least one printhead module comprising at least two printhead integrated circuits, each of which has nozzles formed therein for delivering printing fluid onto the surface of print media, a support member on which the at least two printhead integrated circuits are fixedly mounted, the support member being configured for supporting and carrying the printing fluid for the at least two printhead integrated circuits, and an electrical connector for connecting electrical signals to the at least two printhead integrated circuits; drive electronics for receiving data signals related to a print job for the printhead assembly, the drive electronics incorporating a plurality of controllers for the or each printhead module respectively such that each of the controllers are micro-processors that process the data signals into print data and send fire signals to at least one of the at least two printhead integrated circuits respectively via the electrical connector using a device addressing protocol for controlling the printing operation of at least one of the at least two printhead integrated circuits, the controllers and the at least two printhead integrated circuits being separate devices; and a casing in which the at least one printhead module and the drive electronics are removably mounted.