Importance

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Abstract

A multi-channel ink supply pump includes a pump shaft with four associated rollers and a cam shaft with four cams evenly spaced longitudinally along the cam shaft. Four tube pinching arms are each hinged at one end to a fixed point. The free ends of the tube pinching arms are spring-biased toward the pump shaft. A first motor is configured through gears to rotate the pump shaft. A second motor is configured through gears to rotate the cam shaft. The pump shaft and the cam shaft are not simultaneously rotated. Tubes carrying ink run underneath the pump shaft and rollers, between the rollers and the tube pinching arms. The cam shaft is normally positioned to counteract the spring bias in all of the tube pinching arms, retracting all of the tube pinching arms away from the pump shaft. The cams are individually oriented to different positions so that one full rotation of the cam shaft counteracts the spring bias for three of the four tube pinching arms at any given time, allowing each tube pinching arm in succession to temporarily rotate toward the pump shaft. In addition all four tube pinching arms are simultaneously allowed to temporarily rotate toward the pump shaft during the one full rotation of the cam shaft.

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First Claim