Abstract: A region to be covered by a cover plate on an ejection opening forming surface of an ink-jet head or an ink-jet head to which the cover plate is installed are determined, on a basis of content of a rebounding mist generated upon ejection of an ink and a processing liquid in overlaying fashion. By this, in the ink-jet printing apparatus performing printing by ejecting the ink and the processing liquid for making the ink insoluble, deposition of the insoluble substance contained in the rebounding mist generated upon ejection of an ink and a processing liquid in overlaying fashion can be successfully prevented.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has a maintenance station in which a movable sled starts from a known position due to a diagonally disposed return spring. A cam profile near the uppermost portion of vertical movement of a movable sled is produced in accordance with a quadratic equation. This quadratic designed equation profile reduces the force required to move the movable sled up the cam profile to its uppermost position. The return spring, which holds the movable sled in the known position by urging a front wall of the movable sled against a front wall of a support housing, also absorbs energy to decrease the noise level of the printer.

Abstract: An ink jet service station has a housing with a right wall and a left wall, and a carriage for holding a wiper. The carriage is moveably installed in the housing, and a scraper is rotatably mounted on the carriage. When the carriage moves to the left wall, the scraper contacts the left wall. A first torque is thus placed upon the scraper that causes the scraper to rotate to the right and scrape the wiper. When the carriage moves to the right wall, the scraper contacts the right wall and a second torque is placed upon the scraper that causes the scraper to rotate to the left and scrape the wiper.

Abstract: A method of forming one or more nozzles in a substrate used, for example, as a nozzle plate in an inkjet printhead of a thermal inkjet printer, using laser ablation, An opaque mask is interposed between a source of a laser beam and the substrate and includes one or more transparent, ring-shaped orifices therethrough arranged in a closely-spaced matrix. The beam is emitted from the laser source towards the mask such that the opaque portions of the mask block the beam from passing through the mask except for through the ring-shaped orifices. The beam is thereby separated into one or more ring-shaped beam portions, each of which penetrates the substrate at approximately the same and substantially constant intensity to ablate one or more ring-shaped openings in the substrate arranged on the substrate as a closely-spaced matrix. Ring-spaced openings each defines a center plug portion, which is removed from the substrate, for example, by vacuum or adhesive.

Abstract: A liquid capping system for sealing the ink-ejecting nozzles of an inkjet printhead during periods of printing inactivity uses a vicious, inkjet ink compatible, sealing liquid that is applied to the printhead surface to seal the nozzles and prevent the ink in the printhead from drying. An inkjet printing mechanism houses the printhead and has a service station that stores the sealing liquid. To selectively apply the sealing liquid to the printhead, the service station has an applicator mechanism including a dispenser member and a sealing wiper that transfers the sealing liquid from the dispenser member to the printhead. The sealing wiper may also clean the printhead face or be dedicated to only sealing the printhead. A method is provided for sealing an inkjet printhead using a liquid capping system, including the step of spitting the printhead to clear the sealing liquid from the nozzles before returning to printing.

Abstract: A ganged inkjet printhead sealing system maintains inkjet printhead health in an inkjet printing mechanism during periods of printing inactivity. In multi-printhead printing mechanisms, separate caps seal against each of the printheads. The caps each have an outlet vent. The vents are all ganged together and fluidically coupled to a single, common pressure regulation chamber that isolates the environment adjacent the printhead nozzles from the external environment when the printheads are capped. A fluid in a U-shaped manometer tube, or an elastomeric bladder are used to isolate the pressure chamber environment. The bladder may be constructed as a thin-walled sheet, a spring-biased bag, or as a bellows. The pressure chamber volume changes to accommodate pressure spikes during the capping process, as well as environmental changes in temperature, elevation, barometric pressure, etc. An inkjet printing mechanism having such a ganged capping system, along with associated capping methods are also provided.

Abstract: A capping member for an ink jet recording head is composed of a cap which is to be brought into contact with a surface of the recording head provided with nozzle orifices, and a cap case for holding the cap. A passage communicating an internal space defined by the cap with a suction hole connected to a suction pump and a passage communicating the internal space with an air hole connected to the outside are respectively formed into a specific shape so as to inhibit vaporization of an ink solvent in the internal space. A tube made of an elastic and restorative material is used for a tube connected to the suction pump. A tube made of a material having high gas-barrier characteristic is used for a tube connected to the capping member. Both of the tube is connected with each other by a connecting member in order to inhibit vaporization of an ink solvent from the tubes.

Abstract: A replaceable inkjet printhead cleaner service station system has separate replaceable cleaning units for each printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism, which has a pallet that moves the cleaning units translationally to service the printheads. Each cleaning unit has a printhead wiper, a printhead snout wiper, a capping system, a spittoon, and optionally, an ink solvent application system. A service station pallet moves a replaceable base between rest and sealing positions, with the base defining a cam surface. A sled has a cam follower that rides along the cam surface, with the sled supporting a cap lip. An activation wall extends from the sled to engage the printhead and move the sled along the cam surface to the sealing position through linear motion of the pallet while the printhead remains stationary. A method is provided for sealing an inkjet printhead, along with a printing mechanism employing such a capping system.

Abstract: A flexible frame onsert molded capping system has an elastomeric sealing lip onsert molded onto a flexible, flat, springy support frame, preferably with series of these sealing lips being molded on a single flexible frame to simultaneously seal several adjacent inkjet printheads. The frame has a border region with one or more cap bases attached to the frame by plural suspension spring elements. The suspension spring elements have both cantilever and torsional characteristics which allow the bases to tilt and twist independent of one another to seal each printhead, even when the orifice plates of adjacent printheads are not in a coplanar alignment. Use of a single piece frame, and onsert molding of the cap lips thereon, decreases the number of parts required to assemble an inkjet printing mechanism, leading to a more economical unit which is easier to assemble.

Abstract: A liquid jet apparatus includes a recording head for discharging a recording liquid from a nozzle, a cap for capping the nozzle of the recording head, a suction device for sucking the recording liquid from the nozzle when the nozzle is capped, and a drive source used specially for driving the cap and the suction device. The drive source is driven in one direction in order to cause the cap to cap the nozzle, and is driven in a direction opposite to the one direction to cause the suction device to perform sucking.

Abstract: An ink jet printhead scrubbing and priming method and apparatus are provided. The apparatus of the method includes a capping member for capping a nozzle face of an ink jet printhead. The capping member has a bottom wall and side walls defining a capping recess and a priming path into the capping recess. A nozzle face of an ink jet printhead being capped, the bottom wall and side walls of the capping member together define an enclosed gap within the capping recess that contains air. The apparatus of the method then includes pressure applying devices for alternatingly applying positive and negative pressure within the enclosed gap and to nozzles in the nozzle face of the ink jet printhead being capped. The positive and negative pressures effectively agitate and scrub the nozzles in the nozzle face of the ink jet printhead being capped, thereby facilitating easy and effective subsequent priming of the nozzles in the nozzle face of the ink jet printhead being capped.

Abstract: In an ink jet recording apparatus, when the time since a last head maintenance process was executed exceeds a second period of time but is less than a first period of time, the printing status of the apparatus is monitored. During this time frame, a non-print period is measured and if that period exceeds a third period of time, a head maintenance drive controller causes another head maintenance process to be executed. However, when the time since the last head maintenance process was executed exceeds the first period of time, the head maintenance process is executed without regard to the printing status. Alternatively, the execution of the head maintenance process can be based on a print amount, such as the number of lines printed, since the last head maintenance process was executed. In this case, when the number of lines printed since the last head maintenance process was performed exceeds a second number of lines but is less than a first number of lines, the printing status is monitored.

Abstract: There are described a method and mechanism for recovering an ink-jetting head and a cap utilized for sucking nozzles. The mechanism includes a cap to cover at least a nozzle hole of the ink-jetting head, a cap movement mechanism to move the cap relative to a nozzle plate on which the nozzle hole is equipped, a depressurizing device and a controller to control the cap movement mechanism, so that the cap moves to a first position at which the cap air-tightly seals a region of the nozzle plate, and moves to a second position at which the cap contacts the nozzle plate to generate a gap between a lip portion of the cap and the nozzle plate, wherein the depressurizing device operates to depressurize a space covered by the cap, when the cap is positioned at the first position, and the depressurizing device operates, when the cap is positioned at the second position.

Abstract: A foam-filled cap sealing ink-ejecting nozzles of an inkjet printhead in a printing mechanism has a two-layer structure, with an outer skin layer of an elastomer, and a second foam core layer inside the skin. The skin defines a sealing lip that surrounds the nozzles when the cap is in a sealing position to avoid unnecessary drying of the ink. The skin has an interior surface that defines a cavity under the sealing lip. The foam core, located within the cavity, may be formed by expanding a foam preform or by injecting raw foam into the cavity. An insert may be molded into the cap structure for use in mounting the cap in the printing mechanism. An optional backing layer molded to the structure is used to attach a vent basin to the cap. A method of constructing this cap, and a printing mechanism having this cap, are also described.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus mounts an ink jet recording head for discharging ink from an ink discharging port and has a carriage moved to a recording position opposed to a recording medium and a capping position opposed to a cap for covering the ink discharging port. The ink jet recording apparatus comprises a cap holder for holding the cap for covering the ink discharging port, a cap slider which holds the cap holder and a resilient member for resiliently biasing the cap to a side of the ink jet recording head in the capping position, and is moved in the same direction as a moving direction of the carriage together with the movement of the carriage in accordance with the movement of the carriage to the capping position, and a slider holding mechanism which movably supports the cap slider in the moving direction and has a mechanism for displacing the cap holder to the ink jet recording head side in the capping position in accordance with the movement of the cap slider.

Abstract: An ink jet printer has a recovery system for restoring the function of the ink nozzles during a standby mode of the ink head. The recovery system includes a wiper for wiping the nozzle surface of the ink head and cap members for capping the nozzles for ink absorption operation, both driven by the movement of the ink head assembly. The ink head assembly first moves in the first direction from the operational area to the standby area to cap the nozzles by the cap members, moves in the opposite direction to wipe the nozzle surface using the wiper, moves again in the first direction for ink purging, and then returns to the operational area.

Abstract: An ink jet recorder includes a recording head having an ejection nozzle, and a purging apparatus for recovering the ejecting condition of the nozzle. The recorder further includes a timer for clocking the time having passed after the last purging by the purging apparatus, and a controller for controlling the head and the purging apparatus. If a command for operating the head is input in the recorder, and on condition the time clocked by the timer exceeds a predetermined time period, the controller starts the head ejecting ink. The air bubbles produced in the head by purging can vanish naturally during the predetermined period. It is therefore possible to improve the ejecting characteristic and secure high recording quality.

Abstract: A technique for marking media with indicia in such a way as the media may be loaded into the printer in any orientation. These indicia marks are read by a printer for the purpose of identifying the media, determining the orientation of the media, and providing additional information about the media. The indicia encodes the necessary information for the printer to identify the media as well as additional information about the media that may be useful for the printer. In a typical embodiment, the indicia will be invisible to the human eye but machine readable. On sheets of media, indicia are placed in the margin of the media in eight corners of the page, four on the front and four on the back. The indicia are placed and orientated such that the indicia are in the same relative position and orientation to the printer regardless of the orientation in which the media is loaded into the printer.

Abstract: A high deflection capping system has an elastomeric sealing member with a sealing lip that, when viewed in cross section, forms a smiling-shaped seal against an inkjet printhead to provide improved printhead sealing, particularly when sealing over surface irregularities on the printhead. This high deflection sealing member may be onsert molded onto a support frame. A series of these sealing lips being molded on a single flexible frame to simultaneously seal several adjacent inkjet printheads, with the flexible frame having a border region with one or more cap bases attached to the frame by plural suspension spring elements. The suspension spring elements have both cantilever and torsional characteristics which allow the bases to tilt and twist independent of one another to seal each printhead. Alternatively, the support frame may be designed to support only a single high deflection sealing member. A venting system is also provided with vapor diffusion handling capabilities.

Abstract: A depositor accommodating substantially thicker deposits than was possible with prior systems. A pair of plates each having a transport mechanism disposed as part thereof are coupled to a housing so as to abut each other, one above the other, in a rest position. A drive shaft for the transport mechanisms of the upper and lower plates are rotatably coupled to the housing and define an axis of rotation for each plate. The drive shaft for the top plate is disposed at an opposite end from the drive shaft of the bottom plate. A free end of each plate, the end opposite the drive shaft, is elastically coupled to the housing. This allows a substantially thicker deposit envelope to be accepted than was possible with prior systems.