Abstract: A tapered screw spittoon system is provided for an inkjet printing mechanism to handle waste inkjet ink residue that has been spit from an inkjet printhead during a nozzle clearing or “spitting” routine. The spittoon system has a cylindrical reservoir with a tapered screw rotatably mounted therein. The reservoir defines an entranceway opening to receive the ink residue, which then lands on a spit region of the screw. The screw has a tapered shaft which increases in diameter from the entranceway opening toward an exit opening defined by the reservoir wall at a remote location. When rotated, the tapered screw transports the ink residue from the spit region toward the exit opening. During transport, the ink residue is compacted between the screw shaft and the reservoir, and is squeezed out of the reservoir through the exit opening for permanent storage in a container surrounding the reservoir.

Abstract: A method for servicing an inkjet printhead effects recovery against a particular printhead failure mode via implementation of a printhead servicing routine including, but not limited to, a bubble recovery routine, a contaminant purging routine, and/or a (standard) printhead servicing routine. In a preferred embodiment, the method for servicing an inkjet printhead takes into consideration nozzle health data, diagnostics, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, a bitmap or mask is employed to control firing of the nozzles during the servicing of the printhead. In a preferred embodiment, the servicing method includes the step of: firing the printing nozzles in a manner tending to force contaminants at the printing nozzles toward one end of the printhead.

Abstract: An ink jet printing apparatus including a cap for capping ink orifices provided on a head face of an ink jet print head, an in-cap absorbing body disposed in the cap, the in-cap absorbing body not contacting the head face during capping by the cap, and a suction means for sucking ink from the ink orifices through the cap. The in-cap absorbing body has an end surface which is nearest to the head face during capping by the cap and a lower surface which is farther from the head face during capping by the cap than the end surface, and the cap has a space formed along substantially an entire circumference of a head engagement portion of the cap between the end surface of the in-cap absorbing body and the head engagement portion of the cap.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting ink droplets ejected from ink drop generators has a target holder and a conductive absorbent target supported by the target holder. The apparatus for detecting ink droplets also has standoffs extending from the target holder. The apparatus for detecting ink droplets further has an actuator for moving the target holder towards the ink drop generators such that the standoffs space the target from the ink drop generators.

Abstract: A method and mechanism for wiping print heads is provided in the form of a plate with respect to which one or more wiping blades are mounted. The plate and blades are rotated past the print heads to wipe and clean the print heads. The mechanism fits in a relatively small amount of space.

Abstract: A method for removing contaminants from an ink jet print head having a nozzle plate with a plurality of nozzles, having the steps of: a) applying a heat-activatable adhesive material over the surface of the nozzle plate having contaminants on the surface thereof; b) applying heat to the heat-activatable to the adhesive material to cause it to flow over the surface of the nozzle plate having contaminants on the surface thereof, thereby causing the contaminants to adhere to the heat-activatable adhesive material; and c) removing the heat-activatable adhesive material having the contaminants adhered thereto.

Abstract: A layered cleaning blade includes a first surface forming a wiper surface comprised of a relatively low-hardness material for wiping fluid nozzle openings of a fluid ejecting head as the fluid ejecting head moves in a direction toward the wiper surface and a second surface forming a scraper edge comprised of a relatively high-hardness material for scraping the fluid nozzle openings as the fluid ejecting head moves in the opposite direction. The layered cleaning blade thereby optimizes the fluid ejecting head cleaning process by combining both the fluid nozzle opening wiping function and the fluid nozzle opening scraping function in a single cleaning blade.

Abstract: The invention concerns a direct printing machine by ink jet on a medium, including one or several printing heads with a spray nozzle, each head being dedicated to one shade. The invention is characterized in that the heads are borne by a pen carriage on the medium along three orthogonal axes X, Y and Z. Each of the heads is provided with a surge tank borne by the pen carriage, the surge tanks being supplied from one or several fixed tanks, the heads and the surge tanks are maintained in low pressure and the surge tanks are supplied with ink from the fixed tanks.

Abstract: An ink-jet cartridge constructed with an inkjet printing head and an ink tank is positioned and filed on an upper surface of a base in a condition where ink ejection opening forming surface of the head is oriented upwardly. The ink ejection opening forming surface is contacted with a lower end portion of an elastic member which is movable in a direction of arrow a or arrow b. By sucking through suction hole or the like of the elastic member, vacuum pressure is introduced into a space between the elastic member and the ink ejection opening forming surface to discharge bubbles residing in liquid passages or floating up to the ink ejection openings.

Abstract: For the sake of achieving both the size and weight reductions of a printing apparatus and increasing the reliability thereof, an ink tank is provided with a gas-permeable member that permits air to pass without permitting ink. The ink tank is capable of introducing ink through an ink inlet by negative pressure introduced in the ink tank through a common suction port.

Abstract: A system and a method for servicing a printhead using a low-height service station design. The system of the present invention includes a low-height service station having a gear and clutch arrangement that permits a service station drive assembly and a print media feed assembly to use the same motor. By momentarily reversing the motor, the gear and clutch arrangement permits the service station drive assembly to be engaged and the print media feed assembly to be disengaged, or vice versa. Moreover, the gear and clutch arrangement provides a means for a capping platform and a wiping platform within the service station to move independently of each other.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead service station for an inkjet printing mechanism includes a printhead wiping system having a wiper blade with a contoured cross sectional shape selected to impart a lower wiping force along an ink-ejecting nozzle region of the printhead than along side regions of the printhead. In a relaxed state, the blade has opposing leading and trailing surfaces, with each surface having a concave contour running along at least a portion of the length of the blade, preferably from the support sled to the wiping tip. During a wiping stroke, the blade flexes along both the length and width of the blade, with the trailing surface having a greater degree of concavity than when relaxed, and the leading surface having a linear contour at the wiping tip and tapering into the concave contour adjacent the sled. An inkjet printing mechanism having such a wiping system, and a method of cleaning a printhead are provided.

Abstract: A maintenance unit for use in an ink jet printer includes a maintenance frame coupled to a printer frame, a maintenance sled moveably coupled to the maintenance frame and a spreader mechanism coupled to the maintenance sled, wherein the spreader mechanism disperses waste ink over a waste ink accumulation region as the maintenance sled moves relative to the maintenance frame.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium by a recording head includes a drive source rotatable in forward and reverse directions, and a drive changeover device for transmitting the driving force of the drive source. The drive changeover device drives a first mechanism by the rotation of the drive source in the forward direction, drives a second mechanism by the rotation of the drive source in the reverse direction, and prevents the malfunctioning of the second mechanism even when the first mechanism is driven by the rotation of the drive source in the reverse direction.

Abstract: An inkjet printing system includes a print media transport assembly which routes a print medium through the inkjet printing system, a carriage assembly which holds an inkjet printhead assembly and traverse the print medium, and a single motor operatively coupled to both the print media transport assembly and the carriage assembly. As such, the single motor selectively drives both the print media transport assembly and the carriage assembly.

Abstract: A cleaning system is provided for cleaning ink residue from a sensor in a printing mechanism which deposits ink on the sensor, which comprises a scraper member having a head which, through relative motion of the head and sensor, gathers ink residue from the sensor; a flexible member having plural cleaning segments which, through relative motion and engagement of the flexible member and the head, flexes and collects ink residue from the head with the cleaning segments; wherein the flexible member comprises first and second springs, the first spring comprises a coil spring defining an interior space; and the second spring comprises a coil spring located in the interior space of the first spring.

Abstract: An improved method of upgrading an image transfer engine such as, for example, an ink jet fluid printer or plotter using liquid ink, or a xerographic device using a liquid toner is disclosed. A removable ink flush tank/cartridge containing an ink cleaner is substituted for a removable ink tank, permitting complete cleaning of ink from the ink fluid flow paths in the engine. This results in less contamination of new inks with previously used inks in the engine.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead service station for cleaning an inkjet printing mechanism includes a printhead wiping system having a grooved wiper blade tip for wiping ink residue from the printhead, which is especially useful for cleaning printheads having surface irregularities such as encapsulant beads, which are required to assemble the printhead. The wiper blade is supported by a sled to engage and wipe the printhead in a wiping direction, with the blade having a wiping tip which defines a transverse groove running transverse to the wiping direction. The wiper blade has opposing leading and trailing surfaces between which the groove runs, preferably without intersecting either the leading surface or the trailing surface. An inkjet printing mechanism having such a wiping system, and a method of cleaning an inkjet printhead are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink jet image recording apparatus adapted for use in mobile printing, and a media cartridge for containing a sheet to be recorded by such apparatus. The media cartridge is detachably mountable on an image recording apparatus for forming an image on a sheet and includes a frame body which includes sheets for recording an image by the image recording apparatus, an ink containing member for containing ink to be supplied to an image recording unit of the image recording apparatus and to be discharged on the sheets, a pick-up unit for feeding the sheets one by one from the frame body, and an ink absorbent member for absorbing the ink not used for recording in the image recording apparatus in a state that the frame body is mounted thereon.

Abstract: A method of automatically servicing the orifices of an inkjet printhead particularly beneficial for inexpensive fixed or stationary printhead printers capable or printing onto either a series of discrete media sheets or onto a continuous media web. The method includes orifice servicing at the start of each character printing job and at periodic intervals during completion of print jobs. Printing ink is used for automatic cleaning or flushing of the printhead orifices.