Abstract: A two-stage scraper system having coarse and fine cleaning components is provided for cleaning ink residue from a wiper following wiping a printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism. A fixed, coarse scraper bar is sandwiched between a pair of moveable fine scraper bars. During the first scraping stage, the fine scrapers are retracted from the wiper path and the coarse scraper cleans one side of the wiper. During the second scraping stage, the fine scrapers move into the wiper path and one of the fine scrapers removes ink residue from the wiper tip. Moving bi-directionally, the wiper reverses to first encounter the coarse scraper, then the other fine scraper, removing ink residue from the other side and tip of the wiper. The fine scrapers may be absorbent or impregnated with an ink solvent. A method of cleaning printheads and inkjet printing mechanisms having two-stage wiper cleaning systems are also provided.

Abstract: A device in a postage meter that uses dot or drop printing to enhance security. Security is achieved by counting the number of signal pulses that are used to produce ink drops or ink dots that are required to produce the entire document or specific regions of the document. The aforementioned may be accomplished by adding a smart module to digital print head modules. The smart module would capture driver pulses from the print head module and interpret the pulses associated with regions of the image. Thus, the smart module would take data from the printer controller that is used to cut off printing when the ink is consumed and relate “set” values to the drops produced during the production of the document or portions of the document, thereby linking the document to the actual volume of ink produced.

Abstract: An ink cartridge (10) for dispensing ink (IK) having a housing (12) with a cavity (22) therein for storing a quantity of ink, and a dispensing port (26) for delivering the ink to an output recordation device, such as a printer. The housing further having one or more additional ports (32, 34) extending through the housing in fluid communication with the cavity, and a self-sealing plug (16) received in one of the additional ports. The self-sealing plug being pierceable by a hollow instrument (H), such as a needle, to form a fluid passage therethrough, the self-sealing plug re-forming a fluid-tight seal in the port upon the removal of the hollow instrument.

Abstract: A method for wiping a printhead of an inkjet printing mechanism is provided. During a wiping process, firstly, a first amount of wiping force is exerted on the printhead for wiping the printhead in a first direction. Subsequently, a smaller amount of wiping force is exerted on the printhead for wiping the printhead in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The potential damages on the printhead by a dry wiping can thus be decreased by controlling the wiping force on the printhead.

Abstract: A method of performing printhead maintenance comprises the steps as follow. First, the orifices of the printhead are defined to form a plurality of orifice groups. Then, a test graph comprising a plurality of test lines associated with the orifice groups is provided, and the ink is ejected through the printhead to obtain a printing result of the test graph. Next, the orifice groups containing the clogged orifices are selected according to the printing result. Then the orifice groups to be cleaned undergo the maintenance procedure. In the present invention, the orifice groups to be cleaned are determined by comparing the printing result and the test graph. Then the maintenance procedure can be selected to purge only the orifice groups containing clogged orifices, so that the unnecessary consumption of ink in purging unclogged orifices is reduced.

Abstract: In an ink-jet printer, a support member includes a wiper cleaning zone provided upstream of a wiping direction of a nozzle surface. The wiper cleaning zone includes a cleaning wall, a first surface, and a plurality of grooves. The cleaning wall protrudes from the support member. The first surface extends in a direction reverse to the wiping direction, continuously from the cleaning wall. The plurality of grooves are provided in the first surface, extending from the cleaning wall. The grooves are formed at a predetermined distance from each other and hold ink therein by capillary action. Ink, adhered to a wiper by wiping operation, is rubbed by the cleaning wall provided in the wiper cleaning zone, and the collected ink is held by the grooves continuously formed from the cleaning wall. A similar, but reversed, structure is found on the other side of the nozzle surface in the wiping direction.

Abstract: A catcher is provided. The catcher includes a body made from a porous material with a first portion of the body defining a delimiting edge and a second portion of the body defining an area recessed from the delimiting edge. A third portion of the body defines an oblique surface beginning at a location removed from the delimiting edge and ending at the delimiting edge. The area recessed from the delimiting edge includes a surface beginning at the delimiting edge and ending at a location removed from the edge. The surface of the recessed area can be substantially flat and/or include a curved portion.

Abstract: A nozzle surface (13) is sealed by a cap member (44) in a state in which an ink solution is accumulated in a sealed hollow portion (45). After the nozzle surface (13) is sealed, piezoelectric vibrators (35) are driven by applying thereto a high-frequency drive signal of a frequency higher than a drive frequency for ejecting the ink solution toward recording paper, thereby causing cavitation in the ink solution. The firmly adhering thickened ink and solidified ink occurring in nozzle openings (29) are broken or exfoliated by bubbles caused by this cavitation. Subsequently, the suction operation is performed to remove the thickened ink and the solidified ink from the nozzle portions.

Abstract: In an inkjet printer having device for executing recovery processing by ink suction to make the ink ejection state of a printing head favorable, increase in ink consumption due to recovery processing is suppressed properly while maintaining ejection quality. When it is judged that recovery processing is necessary due to exchange of a head or an ink tank, this information is stored in a RAM and an EEPROM. Only before execution of print, recovery processing is executed when it is determined that the recovery processing is necessary based on the information. At the execution, the information is cleared to a recovery unnecessary state. As the information is held in the EEPROM, necessity of the recovery processing after power supply ON is determined based on a recovery processing execution state before the power supply was turned off. Therefore, suction recovery processing is executed without waste at a proper timing.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of placing fluid droplets onto an object. The method includes moving a fluid ejection device in a first direction, reducing air flow between the fluid ejection device and the object with a member leading the fluid ejection device, and ejecting the fluid droplets onto the object.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus having first eject ports ejecting a first ink; second eject ports ejecting a second ink; a recovery means for executing recovery treatments respectively against the first and second eject ports; and a controlling means for controlling the recovery means to execute sucking treatments against corresponding eject ports whenever elapsed times in respective first and second eject ports after the most recent recovery treatments against respective first and second eject ports by the recovery means exceed respective predetermined threshold times, where the predetermined threshold time for the second eject ports is set at an integral which is more than two times the predetermined threshold time for the first eject ports.

Abstract: An image forming device having a rotatable drum, at least one printhead mounted adjacent to the rotatable drum, and a printhead service station. The printhead and rotatable drum together define a print zone in which fluid travels from the printhead towards the rotatable drum, and the printhead service station is within the print zone.

Abstract: In an inkjet recording apparatus, a head unit composed of a recording head and a ink tank is mounted on a carriage with an ejection port surface facing upward. The recording head records an image on a lower surface of a medium to be recorded by ejecting ink upward from ejecting ports. A preliminary ejection receiver is disposed outside of a region where an image can be recorded on the medium to be recorded to receive ink preliminarily ejected from the recording head in order to maintain and recover an ink ejection performance of the recording head. The preliminary ejection receiver has an opening acting an inlet for the preliminarily ejected ink. Further, a ceiling surface, which inclines with respect to a horizontal direction and on which the ink preliminarily ejected into the preliminary ejection receiver deposits, is disposed above the opening. With this arrangement, ink ejected into the preliminary ejection receiver is prevented from leaking from the opening.

Abstract: A flushing determination section 55 determines whether a flushing operation is to be performed, on the basis of a paper size recognized by a paper width recognizer and a traveling direction detected by a carriage traveling direction detector. In this case, a threshold value produced by threshold value determination section is set so as to assume different values according to the traveling direction of the carriage. The probability of recording heads being subjected to flushing in the vicinity of the home position is made greater while required flushing intervals are maintained. Consequently, print throughput on recording paper of comparatively large size is improved, and the traveling range of the carriage can be reduced.

Abstract: Absorbent pads are provided at various positions on a substrate of a service station. The substrate may be in the form of a device intended to be implemented during a capping operation of ink ejection elements, e.g., printheads, pens, etc. Ink accumulated in the absorbent pads may be substantially removed and stored in a receptacle to thereby enable to absorbent pads to be capable of absorbing additional amounts of ink. The transfer of ink from the absorbent pads to the receptacle may be facilitated by a transfer member connecting the two components. The absorbent pads may selectively contact and disengage from the transfer member at various moments during, for example, a servicing routine. The receptacle may be a spittoon that may also be implemented to receive spit ink from the ink ejection element.

Abstract: A system for servicing a non-scanning printhead includes a servicing plate, a servicing component mounted on the servicing plate and adapted to service the non-scanning printhead, and a drive system adapted to move the servicing plate between a storage position and a service position such that the servicing component is spaced from the non-scanning printhead when the servicing plate is in the storage position and the servicing component is adapted to service the non-scanning printhead when the servicing plate is in the service position.

Abstract: In a cleaning controller for a recording head of a recorder connected to an external device, a timer acquires a first time value indicating a current time from the external device, and performs cyclic clocking in which a first predetermined time period is repetitively clocked from a predetermined time point. A nonvolatile storage medium stores a second time value indicating a time at which a cleaning operation is lastly performed. A determinant compares the first and the second time values to obtain a third time value, and determines whether a cleaning operation is necessary to be performed based on the third time value. A cleaner performs a cleaning operation of the recording head based on the result determined by the determinant.

Abstract: A recording apparatus includes a recording head having an ink ejection outlet for ejecting ink in response to recording data received from a main body of an information processing apparatus. A recover operation is performed on the recording head for restoring ink ejection and for preventing ink ejection failure, in response to a command from the main body of the information processing apparatus.

Abstract: A servicing cassette for an inkjet printhead includes wiper blades which may be manually or automatically switched when worn or having reached the end of their intended service life without the necessity of replacing the entire servicing cassette. The wiper blades are mounted on a rotary support in the cassette which is held by a latch to confine rotation of the support and wiper blades to a single direction and which holds the wiper blades in stationary position relative to the cassette when servicing an associated inkjet printhead. A wiper switching actuator is affixed to printer structure and engages a wiper switching arm on the rotary blade support to rotate the support and move a second wiper or wiper pair into servicing position by relatively moving the servicing cassette and the actuator when the intended service life of the first wiper or wiper pair has been reached.

Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus having first eject ports for ejecting a first ink and second eject ports for ejecting a second ink, a cap for capping the first and second eject ports, a sucking device which sucks ink while the cap is capping the first and second eject ports, a controlling device which controls the sucking device to suck the first and second eject ports via the cap when a communicating valve is closed, then opens the communicating valve as the cap is capping over eject ports and sucks against the cap by the sucking device, and ejects ink into the cap from the first and second eject ports simultaneously.