Abstract: An ink jet printer includes a supply of ink, a print head, a cap, a waste tank and a control system. The print head is operatively connected to the supply of ink and ejects drops of ink to form an image. The cap is arranged to receive waste ink from the print head during maintenance operations. The waste tank is operatively connected to the cap for storing the waste ink. The control system is operatively connected to the print head for keeping an estimate of a volume of waste ink that has been discharged into the waste tank and adjusting the waste ink estimate to compensate for evaporation of the waste ink.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for reducing print media edge margin tolerances in a printing device with one or more supplies of print media are disclosed. An apparatus embodiment includes a sensor that detects a supply of print media and outputs a signal indicative of the detected supply of print media. The apparatus also includes a computing device that receives the signal indicative of the detected supply of print media. The computing device determines a median position of the supply of print media in a printzone of the printing device based on a plurality of trials of feeding the supply of print media into the printzone and adjusts a position in the printzone for the supply of print media where printing composition is deposited based on the determined median position of the supply of print media in the printzone.

Abstract: A printhead priming operation is described which provides an improved restoration of a thermal ink jet printhead following a capping operation. In one embodiment, a printhead is moved to a capping position following a print operation. A timing sequence is initiated in which the resistors are addressed by a partial tone firing pattern. At a later time interval, the resistors are addressed by a full tone firing pattern followed by another partial tone firing pattern. This firing sequence maintains the printhead nozzles free of contaminants while lessening air bubble formation within the printhead channels and ink reservoir. Upon resumption of print operation, the printhead begins printing at a lower temperature achieved during the partial tone firing.

Abstract: A hide-away wiper and wiper scraper system has a wiper that is extended to wipe ink residue from an inkjet printhead installed in an inkjet printing mechanism, and following wiping, ink residue is scraped from the wiper during retraction into a hide-away rest position inside the scraper mechanism. For cleaning several inkjet printheads, several such hide-away wipers may be provided in like number for cleaning the printheads. The hide-away nature of these wipers allows for independent movement of the wipers between their rest and wiping positions, which facilitates the uses of independent wiping routines tailored for the servicing needs of each printhead, or type of printhead. An inkjet printing mechanism having a hide-away wiping system, along with a method of cleaning one or more inkjet printheads, are also provided.

Abstract: A process of, and apparatus for controlling waste ink from an ink jet printer printhead, transfers waste ink to an absorptive diaper, and at least intermittently forces air across the absorptive diaper to promote evaporation of certain volatile ink components from the transferred ink. Waste ink may be received and temporarily retained on a plurality of spaced apart inclined louvers located above the absorptive diaper, and air conveyed across and between the louvers to promote evaporation of certain volatile components from the received ink.

Abstract: Ink-jet pen drop firing elements having extended use—namely, printheads used with a plurality of replaceable reservoirs—are provided with a more accurate life span and performance gauge by monitoring energy accumulations over time and using monitored data for certain printer activity or maintenance.

Abstract: An ink jet printer comprises a wiper member for wiping the surface of the ink jet recording head. The ink jet recording head and the wiper member move in the same direction each other to wipe the surface of the ink jet recording head by one operation. In this way, the stabilized wiping is always possible to keep the head surface in an appropriate condition of ink discharges, hence obtaining images in beautiful print quality with the stable ink discharges.

Abstract: A print head moves forward and backward along a print track to perform a printing operation, and has at least one nozzle. A station assembly includes a carrier for holding the print head, the carrier moving the print head forward and backward along the print track, and a service station for servicing the print head. The service station is located at one end of the print track and has a housing, and a wiper assembly mounted in the housing for engaging with the carrier to wipe the nozzle. The wiper assembly has a wiper to wipe the nozzle and a carrier contact for mechanically engaging and contacting with the carrier. The carrier contact slides against the carrier along a wiping direction to provide the mechanical motion of the wiper to wipe the nozzles.

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: An apparatus for jetting a fluid to an exterior through a nozzle by exerting a driving force to the fluid held within a jetting fluid chamber and method of manufacturing the same. The apparatus employs an electrostatic force as the driving force for a driving part which is to be exerted to the fluid. The driving part for exerting the driving force to the fluid has upper and lower electrodes which are oppositely spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance. The upper electrode is disposed within the interior of a membrane. Here, the membrane forms the lower surface of the jetting fluid chamber. Accordingly, the membrane is driven by the upper electrode which is displaced upward and downward due to the electrostatic force generated between the upper and lower electrodes, so that the driving force is exerted to the fluid within the jetting fluid chamber, and the fluid is jetted to the exterior through the nozzle.

Abstract: An ink jet assembly having a) a printhead with at least one nozzle to disperse inks, and having b) a wiper blade assembly positioned for cleaning ink and other debris from the printhead nozzle(s), the wiper blade assembly having at least one wiper blade preferably comprising a polyether urethane.

Abstract: A single-pass wiping system is provided for cleaning ink residue from an inkjet printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism. The wiper system includes a platform moveable through a wiping stroke, along with a first wiper blade and a second wiper blade each supported by the platform. A third intermediate wiper blade is supported by the platform between the first wiper blade and the second wiper blade to wipe ink residue from the printhead during a unidirectional wiping stroke through contact first with the first wiper blade, followed by contact with the third wiper blade, followed by contact with the second wiper blade. An inkjet printing mechanism is provided with a single-pass wiping system as described above, along with a method is provided for cleaning ink residue from an inkjet printhead in an inkjet printing mechanism.

Abstract: A transferring spittoon system is provided for an inkjet printing mechanism to handle waste inkjet ink that has been spit from an inkjet printhead during a nozzle clearing, purging or “spitting” routine. A rotating spit wheel receives ink residue spit from the printhead. A scraper removes the residue from the spit wheel and directs the residue into a temporary storage container. A transfer mechanism transports the ink residue from the temporary storage container to a permanent storage container. A second scraper may be used to remove the residue from the transfer mechanism and direct the residue into the permanent storage container. The transfer mechanism may be a rotating auger, a conveyor belt, or a turntable. A method of purging ink residue from an inkjet printhead, along with an inkjet printing mechanism having such a transferring spittoon system, are also provided.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus comprising a recording head having discharge ports for discharging the ink, an ink tank for storing said ink to be supplied to the recording head, and suction recovery device for stabilizing the ink discharge from the recording head, characterized in that the suction recovery device has a plurality of suction operations, which can be selected in accordance with the content of the discharge stabilization.

Abstract: In order to clean a dirty printhead, the dirty printhead is first capped and the ink pressure in the printhead increased significantly to allow ink to escape through the orifices and completely fill a small gap inside the cap portion. After letting the orifices soak for a predetermined time to dissolve the dried ink and loosen dust debris which may be found on the printheads, the cap drainhole is opened to drain the ink while keeping the ink pressure inside the head at an intermediate higher level. Dirty ink remaining inside the orifice bore is removed using a self cleaning wiping station in separate steps. During a first step, the wiping element is pressed into contact with the orifices. The dirty ink, because of the high pressure inside the printhead, is unable to reenter the printhead and is absorbed by the wiping element. In a second step, the pressure inside the printhead is decreased significantly below operating pressures to enable the menisci to retreat inside an orifice lip.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus includes a die reservoir and at least one ink channel in communication with the die reservoir. The method and apparatus contemplate heating ink in the die reservoir to increase vapor pressure of the ink to cause mass transfer of water vapor molecules across an interface between the air bubble and the ink and removing air bubbles entrapped within the die reservoir and the ink channel. An ink jet recording apparatus may also include a heat sink provided to the die reservoir to cool the die reservoir below predetermined threshold temperatures. The heat sink may be fixably attached to either a carriage or maintenance station of the ink jet recording apparatus, or the heat sink may be integrally formed with the die reservoir and the ink channel as part of the replacement cartridge.

Abstract: An ink jet system including an ink jet head for the image-wise spraying of hotmelt ink, diode for maintaining the hotmelt ink in a molten state in the ink jet head, a rest station defining an area for at least partially receiving the ink jet head, and a guide system for facilitating the movement of the ink jet head from an operative mode to a standby mode within the rest station.

Abstract: A flexible printed circuit board has a copper foil serving as a conductive pattern, a nickel layer and a gold layer stacked in sequence on a base film made of polymide at an area to be electrically connected by wire bonding. The wire bonding is made by an aluminum wire and the nickel layer having a thickness of 10 &mgr;m to 20 &mgr;m. An ink jet recording head for discharging ink droplets from a discharge port onto a recording medium for recording thereon is electrically connected to an ink discharge unit by the flexible printed circuit board.

Abstract: In a printer 1, if a reset signal Vrst is supplied, an external reset signal V0 that can be recognized by software is supplied to a CPU 61. The CPU 61 stores the time when the signal V0 is recognized as a pause time into a nonvolatile RAM 62. Then, determination of whether or not the reset is intentional is performed based on a reset time interval which is sought from a plurality of the past reset times. If the reset is not intentional, an appropriate level of cleaning is instructed to an ink system 80; and if the reset is intentional, an initialization level of cleaning is instructed to the ink system 80.

Abstract: A ferro-fluidic inkjet printhead sealing and spitting system is provided for maintaining inkjet printhead health, prior to and after installation in an inkjet printing mechanism. As a ferro-fluidic capping system for sealing printhead nozzles which eject ink having either polar properties or non-polar properties, the system includes a support structure engageable with the printhead, and a magnetic element supported by the support structure. A ferro-fluidic fluid overlays the magnetic element to seal against the printhead nozzles when the support structure is engaged with the printhead. The ferro-fluidic fluid has polar properties when the ink has non polar properties, and non-polar properties when the ink has polar properties. The ferro-fluidic fluid may be used to receive ink spit from the printhead, or when used with an adhesive tape, to protect an inkjet cartridge during shipping. An inkjet printing mechanism having such a ferro-fluidic system, along with associated methods are also provided.