Patent ID: 8186817

Claim:
A phase change ink imaging device comprising: a melting element for melting solid ink sticks to produce melted ink; a melted ink collector for collecting melted ink produced by the melting element; a melted ink transport apparatus for transporting melted ink from the melted ink collector; a melted ink reservoir for storing melted ink received from the melted ink transport apparatus; a print head for receiving melted ink from the melted ink reservoir; and the melted ink transport apparatus further comprising: a double conduit having an ink transport conduit and a compressor conduit, the ink transport conduit being located within the compressor conduit of the double conduit, an outlet end of the ink transport conduit of the double conduit being coupled to the melted ink reservoir and an inlet end of the ink transport conduit of the double conduit being connected to the melted ink collector; a fluid pump that is fluidly coupled to an inlet of the compressor conduit; a venting valve fluidly coupled to the compressor conduit of the double conduit; and a controller operatively connected to the fluid pump and the venting valve, the controller being configured to operate the fluid pump and the venting value to enable pressurizing of the compressor conduit to a pressure that deforms the ink transport conduit and venting of the deforming pressure from the compressor conduit to enable the ink transport conduit to return to a non-deformed shape and thereby pump melted ink through the ink transport conduit.