Abstract: The present invention relates to an elongate print head assembly. The print head assembly includes an elongate spine defining a plurality of chambers for carrying respective types of ink. The print head assembly also includes a plurality of adjacent print head modules attached to the spine along its length. Each print head module has a plurality of nozzles which, in turn, are each in fluid communication with a respective chamber. The print head modules combine to form a plurality of rows of nozzles along the length of the print head assembly such that, in use, each row expels a respective type of ink.

Abstract: A printhead cartridge for a printer is provided comprising a page width printhead, a media transport mechanism for transporting media past the printhead and a capping assembly for capping the printhead. The capping assembly has a movable, page width elastomeric seal, a cam connected to the seal and a drive wheel engaged with the cam. The seal is normally biased into abutment with the printhead. The drive wheel is coupled to the media transport mechanism such that, when the media transport mechanism is operated to transport media past the printhead, the drive wheel is driven so as to rotate the cam in a first direction which moves the seal away from the printhead.

Abstract: A position adjusting structure for adjusting a position of a recording head with respect to a recording head mounting portion of a printer main body, the position adjusting structure including: a head mounting plane arranged on the recording head mounting portion; an adjusting member, which is transferable along a direction substantially perpendicular to the head mounting plane; and an inclined flat plane, which is arranged on either one of the recording head mounting portion or the adjusting member and is inclined against the head mounting plane; wherein, the adjusting member transfers the position of the recording head with respect to the recording head mounting portion according with transfer of the adjusting member.

Abstract: An inkjet printer having: a recording head provided with an ink nozzle for ejecting ink to a recording medium, the ink being cured by exposure to ultraviolet rays; an ultraviolet irradiation apparatus for applying ultraviolet rays to the ink ejected on the recording medium; and a light trap arranged between the recording head and the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus to prevent the recording head from being exposed to reflected ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet irradiation apparatus, wherein the light trap has an inorganic ultraviolet ray absorbent coated layer arranged on an ultraviolet ray receiving surface.

Abstract: A nozzle cleaning device for an ink jet printer containing a plurality of ink reservoirs, the cleaning device including a pressure source and a valve mechanism for selectively coupling the pressure source to the ink reservoirs, wherein the valve mechanism comprises a valve housing, and a piston movable within the valve housing and defining therewith a first pressure chamber and a second pressure chamber, said first and second pressure chamber being connected to the pressure source such that during idle conditions, the pressure source is in communication with the ink reservoirs through said first pressure chamber, and during cleaning conditions and through the movement of the piston, the pressure source is in selective communication with individual ink reservoirs through said second pressure chamber.

Abstract: An inkjet printing mechanism includes an elongate chassis that spans a print area. An elongate ink distribution assembly is mounted on and extends a length of the chassis. The assembly has an inlet side, an outlet side, a plurality of ink paths that converge laterally to a longitudinally extending central region and a plurality of printhead chip mounting formations in fluid communication with the ink paths. A plurality of printhead chips is mounted in respective mounting formations to receive ink from the ink paths. An elongate platen assembly is mounted on the chassis such that the platen assembly spans the print area. A rotating mechanism rotates the platen assembly with respect to the chassis. A lateral displacement mechanism displaces the body towards and away from the printhead chips.

Abstract: A printer is disclosed which comprises: (a) a pagewidth printhead assembly having two opposed pagewidth printheads and a plurality of nozzles located along each of the printheads for delivering ink onto print media as it is transported past the printheads, and (b) a capping mechanism having (i) a capping member located adjacent the printheads and having a length corresponding substantially to that of the printheads, (ii) a first actuating mechanism arranged to effect relative movement of the printheads from a printing first position to a spaced-apart second position and (iii) a second actuating mechanism arranged to interpose the capping member between the printheads to effect nozzle capping engagement of the two printheads when the printheads are in the second position.

Abstract: A printhead tile for use in a printing system, the printhead tile comprising: a printhead integrated circuit including an array of ink nozzles; a channel layer provided adjacent the printhead integrated circuit, the channel layer provided with a plurality of channel layer slots; an upper layer provided adjacent the channel layer, the upper layer provided with an array of upper layer holes on a first side, and an array of upper layer channels on a second side, at least some of the upper layer holes in fluid communication with at least some of the upper layer channels, and at least some of the upper layer holes aligned with a channel layer slot; a middle layer provided adjacent the upper layer, the middle layer provided with a plurality of middle layer holes, at least some of the middle layer holes aligned with at least some of the upper layer channels; and, a lower layer provided adjacent the middle layer, the lower layer provided with an array of inlet holes on a first side, and an array of lower layer channe

Abstract: An ink jet printhead which has a plurality of nozzles 3 and a chamber 7 corresponding to each nozzle respectively. A heater element 10 disposed in each bubble forming chamber 7 to heat printing fluid 11 to a temperature above its boiling point to form a vapour bubble 12 that causes the ejection of a drop 16 of the printing fluid through an ejection aperture 5 in each nozzle 3. The heater element is a suspended beam mounted at its respective ends to laterally opposing portions of the chamber. A suspended beam heater element mounted to opposing sides of the chamber forms a symmetrical bubble. This provides better control of the pressure pulse generated which in turn gives a more predictable trajectory for the ejected drop.

Abstract: In a case where a home position of a carriage and a maintenance position are set on the same side while a wiper is taken as a border, when the carriage at the home position moves for performing recording on a recording medium, a cam is driven so as to cause a release section to move the wiper from a wiping position to a receded position before the carriage moves. Thereafter, movement of the carriage is started. When wiping of a recording head by means of the wiper is not required, by means of returning the wiper to the receded position in advance, unnecessary contact between the wiper and the recording head can be prevented.

Abstract: A droplet jetting apparatus having a droplet jetting head including a nozzle opening formed in a nozzle formation surface, from which droplets of a predetermined liquid are jetted, and a capping device for capping the nozzle opening of the head. A moisture retentive liquid supply device connected to the capping device is provided for supplying a moisture retentive liquid with respect to the predetermined liquid to a space formed by the nozzle formation surface and the capping portion. The weight and the size of the head and its periphery, which is a movable body, are not specifically increased, and accordingly, increase in the cost for motors for driving the droplet jetting head is prevented, thereby effectively avoiding clogging in the nozzle opening of the droplet jetting head. In addition, it is unnecessary to move the droplet jetting head when the moisture retentive liquid is supplied.

Abstract: An ink supply port is opened in an Si substrate on which an ink discharge energy generating element is formed, by anisotropic etching, from a back surface opposite to a surface on which the ink discharge energy generating element is formed. When the anisotropic etching is effected, OSF (oxidation induced laminate defect) is remained on the back surface of the Si substrate with OSF density equal to or greater than 2×104 parts/cm2 and a length of OSF equal to or greater than 2 ?m.

Abstract: An inkjet printer includes a recording head, a conveyance mechanism, a shutter, a storage portion, and a moving mechanism. The recording head includes an ejection surface in which an ejection port for ejecting ink is defined. The conveyance mechanism conveys a printing medium while the printing medium is facing the ejection surface. The shutter covers the ejection surface. The storage portion stores the shutter. The moving mechanism moves the shutter from the storage portion to a facing position while the shutter is separate from the ejection surface. The shutter faces and covers the ejection surface at the facing position.

Abstract: An automatic maintenance-performing method to determine whether a first and a second power supply are operational, and performing a periodic maintenance operation at a predetermined time by supplying an electric power to the second power supply when the first power supply is in an ‘on’ state and the second power supply is in an ‘off’ state, and at the predetermined period without supplying the electric power to the second power supply when both the first and second power supplies are in the ‘on’ state, as a result of the decision.

Abstract: The present invention provides a maintenance device which can suction ink in a short period of time and with a small amount of consumed ink. The maintenance device has a plurality of capping portions disposed so as to face a plurality of unit heads which can discharge liquid drops onto a recording medium; a plurality of small chambers communicating with the plurality of capping portions, respectively; a suction portion suctioning interiors of the small chambers; and a plurality of valve mechanisms independently controlling airtight states of the interiors of the small chambers. The present invention also provides a recording device equipped with this maintenance device.

Abstract: A protector is provided for a capping facility for a printhead. 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 facility is protected against loss of moisture and/or ingress of contaminating material. In one of its possible forms, the protector is provided for a capping facility in the form of a capping mechanism for a printhead having a plurality of ink-delivery nozzles.

Abstract: A liquid jetting head includes a nozzle plate, a liquid passage plate and a sealing plate. The nozzle plate is provided with a plurality of nozzle orifices. The liquid passage plate has a first face and a second face which are opposite to each other. The liquid passage plate is provided with a plurality of grooves which are arranged in a first direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the groove on the first face, each groove having a communication port which passes through from the first face to the second face. The sealing plate for sealing opening faces of the grooves. The sealing plate is jointed to the first face so that a plurality of pressure generating chambers are formed. The nozzle plate is jointed to the second face such that the communication holes are communicated with the nozzle orifices respectively.

Abstract: A printer includes a cleaning mechanism that reliably performs an operation of cleaning a liquid ejecting head with a small amount of driving energy. The cleaning mechanism includes a cap manufactured by coinjection molding of a core part and an elastic part. The cap includes a bottom surface, an outer wall, and a partition wall dividing a cap inner space surrounded by the outer wall into two. A ratio of the elastic part in the partition wall is higher than that in the outer wall. With this structure, the partition wall is more elastically deformable than the outer wall. When the cap comes into contact with a nozzle surface of a recording head and covers nozzle rows, the outer wall comes into contact with the nozzle surface with a larger stress compared with the partition wall, and seals chambers where the nozzle rows on the nozzle surface are exposed.

Abstract: Line heads are arranged along the transfer direction of a recording medium. Each line head has a nozzle surface in which nozzles are provided over a width direction of the recording medium. Purge units each corresponding to one of the line heads are arranged along the transfer direction of the recording medium at positions which deviate from the recording medium in the width direction. Each purge unit cleans the nozzle surface of a corresponding one of the line heads.

Abstract: An inkjet imaging device is provide with a recording head that ejects ink toward a recording medium, a maintenance system that performs a recovery procedure consisting of a plurality of operations which include (1) a purging operation to remove ink from the recording head and (2) a wiping operation to wipe out the ink adhered oh a nozzle surface of the recording head after the purging operation is executed, a determining system that determines whether a currently executed operation of the recovery procedure can be interrupted when interruption of the currently executed recovery procedure is instructed, and an interrupting system that interrupts the recovery procedure when the determining system determines that the currently executed operation of the recovery procedure can be interrupted.