Abstract: A printer includes a recording head and a maintenance mechanism for sucking an ink in the recording head. A plurality of cartridges to be attached to the printer includes a first housing portion for storing an ink to be supplied to the recording head and a second housing portion for storing a waste ink discharged from the maintenance mechanism. In a first one of the cartridges, the flow path resistance of a cartridge side flow path from a waste ink introducing portion to an air communicating hole for discharging air in a waste ink reservoir portion to an outside through the waste ink reservoir portion is lower than the flow path resistance of each of the cartridge side flow paths of the other cartridges (FIG. 14).

Abstract: An ink jet droplet generator body for an ink jet droplet generator comprising an orifice plate with a plurality of nozzles forming a jet array entails a throughbore with an entrance and exit port, the throughbore provides a path through that flows fluid from a fluid supply to the first slot. The first slot connects the throughbore to the orifice plate. One or more holes or a slot are located in the top of the generator body to direct fluid or a secondary source of fluid to the first slot and then the orifice plate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to various embodiments for a flushing system for an ink jet printer, wherein a flushing fluid source provides a flushing fluid to a manifold wherein the flushing fluid is introduced into the printer's lines, and capping device as well as past the print heads, wherein residual ink is reduced or removed.

Abstract: The inkjet recording head comprises: a nozzle which discharges ink; a liquid-repellent treatment part which repels the ink; and a sealing liquid affinity treatment part that has an affinity with sealing liquid used for sealing off the ink inside the nozzle from outside air, wherein the liquid-repellent treatment part and the sealing liquid affinity treatment part are provided on a discharge surface in which the discharge port of the nozzle is formed.

Abstract: A capping member for a pagewidth printhead assembly having— (i) at least one pagewidth printhead; and (ii) a plurality of nozzles located along the at least one printhead, the capping member comprising: a) a lip portion that is formed integrally with a body portion; and b) a cavity surrounded by the lip portion; wherein, the lip portion is peripherally configured to surround the nozzles on the at least one printhead, and the body portion has a length corresponding substantially to that of the at least one printhead.

Abstract: A wipe-off unit is provided with a cleaning liquid ejection member in a manner to be positioned below a horizontal surface coincident with a nozzle surface and on a sheet feeding side relative to a pressing roller. A wiping sheet is fed from below to the pressing roller through a space between the pressing roller and the cleaning liquid ejection member, and a cleaning liquid is applied to a surface of the wiping sheet.

Abstract: An ink-jet recovery device includes a rotation member, an ink absorbing member, a moving unit and a rotation unit. The rotation member is adapted to rotate on a predetermined rotation shaft. The ink absorbing member is arranged around the rotation shaft of the rotation member. The ink absorbing member can absorb ink from a tip of the nozzle member when abutted to the nozzle member. The nozzle member is provided in a recording head of an ink-jet recording apparatus and ejects ink toward a recording medium. The moving unit brings a part of the ink absorbing member into abutment with the nozzle member. The rotation unit rotates the rotation member on the rotation shaft to switch the part of the ink absorbing member to be brought into abutment with the nozzle member by the moving unit.

Abstract: An inkjet printer having a two-stage capping mechanism for a pagewidth printhead is disclosed. The printhead has a plurality of nozzles located along the printhead and they are arranged to deliver ink onto print media which, in use, is transported past the printhead. The capping mechanism incorporates a capping member which has a length corresponding substantially to that of the printhead and which is configured to contact the printhead in nozzle capping engagement. A pivotal carrier supports the capping member. An actuating mechanism is provided and arranged to effect pivotal movement of the carrier back and forth between a first position at which the capping member is located remotely with respect to the printhead and a second position at which the capping member is located in contact with the printhead.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a recording head, a spacer, a wiping member, and an inflow preventing member. The recording head includes an ejection surface in which a plurality of ejection ports for ejecting ink are defined. The ejection surface faces a medium transport path. The spacer is disposed in a periphery of the recording head and includes a facing surface, which faces the medium transport path. The wiping member wipes the ejection surface. The inflow preventing member prevents the ink from flowing into a gap between the recording head and the spacer.

Abstract: A capping apparatus including: a sealing unit that seals at least nozzle apertures of a liquid droplet ejection head that ejects liquid droplets; a heating unit that heats at least a vicinity of the nozzle apertures; and a negative pressure supplying unit that supplies an interior of the sealing unit with negative pressure that causes liquid droplets to be ejected from the nozzle apertures.

Abstract: A head cartridge and a liquid ejection apparatus are provided in which cleaning performance of cleaning means is improved using a liquid absorbing force of a wiping member produced along with restoration of temporarily increased elastic displacement of the wiping member. An elastic displacement h (height of a projection) of a cleaning roller temporarily produced by the projection arranged at a position in the foreground of ink ejection nozzles in the cleaning direction of a nozzle surface is established to satisfy the following condition: h>(Vu/Vr)(L+n/2??/2), where the restoring speed of the elastic deformation of the cleaning roller is denoted as Vu; the moving speed of the cleaning roller is denoted as Vr; the movement distance of the cleaning roller from a restoring initiation point of the elastic deformation to the center of the liquid ejection nozzles is L; the contact width between the cleaning roller and the nozzle surface is n; and the diameter of the ink ejection nozzle is ?.

Abstract: A printer is disclosed which comprises: (a) a pagewidth printhead assembly having a pagewidth printhead and a plurality of nozzles located along the printhead for delivering ink onto print media as it is transported past the one printhead, and (b) a capping mechanism having—(i) a capping member having a length corresponding substantially to that of the printhead, (ii) a first actuating mechanism arranged to move the printhead in a arcuate first direction from a first to a second position and (iii) a second actuating mechanism arranged to move the capping member in an arcuate second direction opposite to that of the first direction to effect nozzle capping engagement of the at least one printhead when the printhead is in the second position. The capping mechanism is also disclosed in relation to a printer having a printhead assembly with two pagewidth printheads.

Abstract: The ink jet recording apparatus serves to record an image corresponding to image data on a recording medium using an ink jet head which ejects ink in the form of an ink droplet. The ink jet head includes an ejection orifice substrate in which an ejection orifice is bored, a head substrate disposed at a predetermined distance from the ejection orifice substrate to define an ink passage between the ejection orifice substrate and the head substrate, ejection control device which controls the ejection of the ink from the ejection orifice. The ink guide dike is provided on a surface of the head substrate on a side of the ink passage to form an ink flow directed from an upstream side of the ejection orifice in the ink passage to the ejection orifice.

Abstract: Inkjet heads and methods of fabricating and exchanging the same. The inkjet head includes a substrate having a liquid supply hole; a nozzle plate disposed on an upper surface and provided with a nozzle hole to eject the liquid; a fluid channel forming layer disposed between the substrate and the nozzle plate and providing a chamber and a fluid channel to connect the chamber and the liquid supply hole; a heat-generating body disposed at the chamber to generate energy to eject the liquid; and a filler filled in the fluid channel to prevent air from being introduced into the fluid channel and allowed to cause phase transition into liquid. When the fluid channel forming layer and the nozzle plate are disposed on the substrate to constitute the head, the gel is injected into the fluid channel in the fluid channel forming layer to prevent air from being introduced into the fluid channel.

Abstract: An inkjet printer is disclosed in which a protector is provided for a capping facility for a printhead within the printer. The protector comprises a covering member which is arranged to engage with the capping facility during intervals when the capping facility is not engaged with the printhead, whereby the capping member is protected against loss of contained moisture and ingress of contaminating material. In one of its embodiments the printer has a protector for a capping facility in the form of a capping mechanism for a printhead having a plurality of ink-delivery nozzles.

Abstract: A waste ink container of an ink jet recording apparatus includes a plurality of ink-retrieving absorbers and a connecting absorber connecting the ink-retrieving absorbers. The ink-retrieving absorbers have a multilayer structure including a plurality of layers of absorbing members. The connecting absorber has bent portions. The ink-retrieving absorbers have holes formed therein. The bent portions are inserted into the holes so as to be in contact with the layers of absorbing members of the ink-retrieving absorbers.

Abstract: A maintenance mechanism for an ink jet printer is configured in such a manner that a claw member (7) for locking a slide member (6) during wiping operation is swingably supported on a base member (5) which is fixed to an apparatus body so that the claw member (7) does not move to the left and right, and the claw member (7) is forced downward by guided projecting parts (6a) provided on the slide member (6) during a print job so that the claw member (7) does not interfere with a carriage (2) which moves back and forth along a main scanning direction across a printing area.

Abstract: A droplet ejecting apparatus for discharging liquid from nozzles of pressure chambers by supplying liquid from a liquid tank to said pressure chambers and then contracting said pressure chambers by means of piezoelectric elements, comprising: pressure chamber plates forming said pressure chambers, and to which vibration plates forming walls of said pressure chambers are formed integrally; and a common liquid chamber formed in the liquid tank and connected to respective liquid supply ports of the respective pressure chambers through respective flow passages connected to said respective liquid supply ports; wherein the liquid tank and the pressure chamber plates are mutually superimposed in a layered structure, in positions where the flow passages coincide with the liquid supply ports of the pressure chambers.

Abstract: A cap member for covering a plurality of nozzle arrays disposed in a nozzle plate of a liquid ejecting head includes a first lip, at least one second lip, and a main body. The first lip has an annular shape and is configured to abut against the nozzle plate to enclose the plurality of nozzle arrays. At least one second lip has an annular shape, is disposed within the annular first lip, and is configured to abut against the nozzle plate to enclose at least one of the plurality of nozzle arrays separately from the first lip. The first lip and the at least one second lip are disposed on the main body. The main body is configured to cooperate with the first lip and the at least one second lip to make sealing contact with the nozzle plate.

Abstract: An imaging device is disclosed that includes a drum platen having a recess. A loading mechanism for loading an absorber into the recess and a pen is configured to eject ink on the absorber while the absorber is in the recess.