Abstract: A head cleaning unit for cleaning a printing head by sucking waste ink from the printing head, includes an ink collector attached to a cap so as to contact with the cap. The cap includes a plurality of first ink-suck holes formed on a bottom surface of a liquid room so as to communicate the liquid room with a space between the cap and the ink collector. The ink collector includes a second ink-suck hole form on a bottom surface of the ink collector, adjacent to the space so as to communicate the space with a vacuum. At least one of the cap and the ink collector includes an air-intake hole for providing air to the cap or the ink collector. At least one of the first ink-such holes is disposed along a periphery of the space, where the printing head and the cap are in contact.

Abstract: Service station components for interacting with one type of printhead are located to be aligned in operative position only in a first servicing mode, and service station components for interacting with another type of printhead are differently located to be aligned in operative position only in a second servicing mode. This allows for different servicing schemes of two or more modes to be applied based on the individual characteristics of the ink and/or nozzle plates employed in inkjet printheads. In some instances, an individual printhead can be serviced in more than one servicing mode. In a preferred embodiment, replaceable service station units are provided for each different printhead.

Abstract: A recording head has a nozzle formation face provided with nozzle orifices from which ink drops are jetted to print on a recording medium in accordance with print data. A capping unit has an internal space communicated with a negative pressure generator, and an opening for sealing the nozzle formation face and sucking ink from the nozzle orifices into the internal space by negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generator. An ink discharge port is formed on a bottom portion of the internal space of the capping unit. An ink leader is provided in the capping unit so as to generate capillary action to lead the sucked ink toward the ink discharge port.

Abstract: A modular ink absorbent system for channeling waste ink spit from a printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism to a permanent storage location while isolating the ink from contaminating other components in the mechanism. An absorbent core has a spit target that receives the waste ink and an exit surface. A pair of support walls of a flexible or rigid, fluid impervious material sandwich the core between them. The exit surface is in fluid communication with the storage location and the support walls channel the ink from the target surface to the permanent storage location. The support walls have mounting structures which mate easily with mounting structures on the printer service station frame to accurately locate the target from the printhead. A method of conducting ink spit through a printing mechanism, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a modular ink absorbent system, are also provided.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ink ejection type printhead assembly including a capping device movable between an open position, in which the printhead may deposit ink on the surface, and a closed position, in which the capping blocks the printhead from depositing ink. The capping device is being mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to a first direction, the direction that the printhead ejects ink.

Abstract: A processing liquid containing an insolubilizer of polymer as the insolubilizer is thinned out at a relatively low printing ratio, i.e., at a given ratio relative to dots of a black ink and applied after the Bk ink is applied. Thereby, a reacting product is fixed in a part relatively shallow and close to the surface of a printing medium without diffusing deep into the medium and thus can increase optical density of a printed &phgr; image. In this case, the fixation can be accelerated when the processing liquid is highly penetrative.

Abstract: An improved capping method and apparatus is provided for capping a plurality of inkjet printer cartridges. A plurality of capping device are mounted on a common support member which is biased towards the respective printheads of a plurality of cartridges. Relative movement in the capping direction between the capping device and the printheads is limited by a mechanical stop and the biasing force provided is sufficiently large to ensure that in use this relative movement is always so limited. By providing a substantially constant displacement in the capping direction between a set of cartridges and a set of capping means, the capping force between a particular printhead and its respective capping device dependent only on the manufacturing tolerances associated with the particular printhead and capping device and not those associated with all other printheads and capping device in the set.

Abstract: A recording head is mounted on a carriage moving in a widthwise direction of a recording medium. The recording head includes a nozzle formation face having nozzle orifices from which ink drops are ejected for recording. An elastic wiping member is provided for wiping out ink on the nozzle formation face as the carriage is moved. A buffer member is mounted on the carriage so as to be adjacent to the recording head. The buffer member has a contact face for receiving restoration force of the elastic wiping member produced by the wiping operation in order to prevent received ink from splashing therearound.

Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a print head, a cap member, a suction pump, a switching mechanism. The cap member is formed with partition walls. When the cap member and the print head are placed in intimate contact, the partition walls define partitioned chambers around nozzle rows of the print head, so the nozzle rows are isolated from each other. The switching mechanism has a switching member that, by rotating, selectively switches the suction pump into fluid communication with one at a time of the partitioned chambers and out of fluid communication with any partitioned chamber other than a selected partitioned chamber. The suction pump is driven to perform a purge operation on only the nozzle row in the partitioned chamber selected by the switching mechanism.

Abstract: A waste ink removal system cleans ink residue from an electrostatic sensing element of an ink drop detector in a printing mechanism when a scraper, supported by a base, is actuated between a retracted position and an engaged position. The system also includes a debris receptacle and/or an absorber which the scraper contacts, after scraping ink from the sensing element, to remove the ink from the scraper surface. A method of cleaning ink residue from an electrostatic sensing element of an ink drop detector, and a printing mechanism having such a waste ink removal system are also provided.

Abstract: Methods and systems for maintaining the concentration of cleaning solutions for cleaning print heads at an effective cleaning level throughout the life of a printer in which the print heads are installed include holding the cleaning fluid in one or more holding tanks. Contaminated cleaning solution in each of the one or more holding tanks is maintained at a suitable contamination/clean solution ratio by adding fresh solution and drawing off contaminated solution from one or more of the one or more holding tanks. The cleaning fluid is recirculated to and from one or more print head cleaning chambers and the one or more holding tanks.

Abstract: A technique for handling residual ink that is from time to time present on the orifice plate of an ink-jet print cartridge. In one preferred embodiment, an ink-jet print cartridge is equipped with an ink-receptive member, such as an absorbent pad. The pad is located so that a service station wiper will move the residual ink from the orifice plate and spread it across the pad. The pad absorbs the ink. In essence, the ink is sequestered on the cartridge, in the pad. The exterior surface of the pad dries quickly so that there is little likelihood of developing a tacky area over the pad to which fibers may stick and degrade print quality.

Abstract: A uni-directional waste ink removal system cleans ink residue from an electrostatic sensing element of an ink drop detector in a printing mechanism when the electrostatic sensing element, supported by a base, is actuated between an activated position, a storage position, and back to the activated position. The system also includes a scraper and an absorber which first contact the sensing element when the base is in the storage position, thereby ensuring ink residue may be absorbed, and that ink residue is only scraped from the sensing element in one direction as the base is moved to the activated position. A method of cleaning ink residue from an electrostatic sensing element of an ink drop detector, and a printing mechanism having such a unidirectional waste ink removal system are also provided.

Abstract: An electrostatic inkjet head is constructed to operate such that a large margin is provided to a drive voltage and a deviation in the drive characteristic is significantly reduced. A vibration plate defines a part of an ink chamber connected to an inkjet nozzle. The vibration plate is elastically deformed so as to eject a droplet of ink from the inkjet nozzle. An individual electrode is located opposite to the vibration plate with a predetermined gap therebetween, the individual electrode being formed by processing a single crystal silicon substrate. Gap spacers are formed on the single crystal silicon substrate. The gap spacers are formed of insulating films so as to define a gap between the individual electrode and the vibration plate. The individual electrode is formed of a silicon film containing impurity atoms providing one of an n-type conductivity and a p-type conductivity to the individual electrode. The individual electrode is surrounded by the gap spacers.

Abstract: A head position adjustment mechanism includes two plates mounted so as to be displaceable in a scanning direction and in a sheet feed direction. The two plates can be adjusted independently in a scanning direction by angle adjusting levers that pivot the plates about reference pins. At least one plate can be adjusted in the sheet feed direction by a nozzle positioning adjusting lever that actuates a cam positioned to urge the plate in the sheet feed direction while the plate is guided by a reference pin.

Abstract: A system using discharge orifices having waterproof ink orifices for discharging waterproof ink which becomes water insoluble after drying and non-waterproof ink orifices for discharging non-waterproof ink, a cap for covering the discharge orifices, and a suction device for effecting suction through the discharge orifices when the cap covers the discharge orifices. The system includes covering both the waterproof ink orifices and the non-waterproof ink orifices collectively by the cap, effecting suction through both the waterproof ink orifices and the non-waterproof ink orifices by driving the suction device when the cap covers both the waterproof ink orifices and the non-waterproof ink orifices collectively, discharging, after sucking, both the waterproof ink orifices and the non-waterproof ink orifices into the cap, and exhausting, after discharging, ink out of the cap by driving the suction means when an inside of the cap communicates with air.

Abstract: A firmware sensoring system and method includes a driving and control portion for rotating a cam shaft to actuate various maintenance operations of a maintenance station. In various exemplary embodiments, the driving and control portion includes a sensor wheel that rotates with the cam shaft. In an exemplary embodiment, the sensor wheel has an optical window formed therein. The optical window may be aligned with an optical relay in both an extreme clockwise position of the cam shaft and an extreme counterclockwise position of the cam shaft. Depending on whether the optical window is aligned with the optical relay or not, the optical relay is in either a closed-circuit condition or an open-circuit condition. The condition of the optical relay is communicated to or sensed by a controller that rotates the cam shaft.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprises a recording head having discharge ports to discharge ink; an ink tank containing ink to be supplied to the recording head; and device for performing predischarges to stabilize ink discharges from the recording head. In this apparatus, the recording head is provided with a discharge unit to discharge plural kinds of ink, and the device for performing predischarges operates predischarges from all the discharge ports, only from the discharges ports in the vicinity of each end of the discharging units, and from all the discharge ports in that order at least for predischarges from discharging unit having relatively thin ink. With such head and device for performing predischarges, it is possible to remove mixed ink after suction recovery with a lesser amount of ink consumption, and execute a high quality recording stably at all times.

Abstract: An ink jet nozzle arrangement formed on a substrate comprising: a nozzle chamber having an ink ejection aperture in one wall thereof and an actuator interconnection aperture in a second wall thereof; an external thermal bend actuator interconnected at one end with an internal ink ejection paddle through the actuator interconnection aperture and, at a second end, affixed to the substrate; and a moveable internal ink ejection paddle, moveable under the control of the external thermal bend actuator for the ejection of ink out of the ink ejection aperture; wherein the external thermal actuator further can comprise a series of layers and preferably can include a planar conductive heating circuit layer which preferably can include a first portion adjacent the second end which forms a conductive circuit of heating the thermal bend actuator, and a second portion forming a portion of the ink ejection paddle, the second portion being electrically isolated from the first portion by means of a slot traversing the planar

Abstract: A fiber tracking management system controls fibers clinging to an inkjet printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism, to stop these fibers from trailing across freshly printed wet ink and leaving unsightly fiber tracks. The system includes a sled which supports a fiber crushing member that contacts the printhead when the sled is in the servicing position and crushes fibers dangling from the printhead against the printhead. The printhead carriage has a datum which extends over the printzone and collects fibers from a wiper following printhead wiping. The system also has a fiber remover which removes fibers deposited along the exterior surface of the datum. The fiber remover may be a clutch actuator or other mechanism which plucks the fibers off the carriage, or a compressible pad which smashes the fibers and scrubs ink residue from the datum. A method of controlling fibers clinging to an inkjet printhead is also provided.