Abstract: Self-cleaning printer system with reverse fluid flow and rotating roller and method of assembling the printer system. The printer system comprises a print head defining a plurality of ink channels therein, each ink channel terminating in an ink ejection orifice. The print head also has a surface thereon surrounding all the orifices. Contaminant may reside on the surface and also may completely or partially obstruct the orifice. Therefore, a cleaning assembly is disposed relative to the surface and/or orifice for directing a flow of fluid along the surface and/or across the orifice to clean the contaminant from the surface and/or orifice. The cleaning assembly includes a rotatable roller disposed opposite the surface or orifice and defining a gap therebetween. Presence of the rotating roller accelerates the flow of fluid through the gap to induce a hydrodynamic shearing force in the fluid. This shearing force acts against the contaminant to clean the contaminant from the surface and/or orifice.

Abstract: Cap holders (60, 70) are accommodation in a holder receiving member (40) in such a state that the cap holders are urged by springs toward the side of a recording head at two places with inclinations at angles of &thgr;1, &thgr;2 in the moving direction of a carriage and at an angle of &thgr;3 in a direction perpendicular thereto. Moments are produced by giving a difference to the distance between the whole periphery of a cap and the recording head, and peeling is effected from one point, so that the sealing of the recording head and the peeling of the cap off the recording head are made compatible.

Abstract: An ink jet recorder includes an ink jet head having nozzles, through which ink can be ejected. The recorder also includes an apparatus for purging the head. The apparatus includes a cap for covering the nozzles. The apparatus also includes a suction pump for sucking ink from the head through the cap covering the nozzles. The apparatus further includes a memory, a temperature sensor and a controller. The memory stores the purge interval at which the pump should suck ink. The sensor measures ambient temperature. If the measured temperature is abnormal, the controller replaces the stored purge interval with shorter interval. In this case, the apparatus purges the head at the shorter interval. This keeps the ejection of ink in good condition regardless of ambient temperature.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus and a method of flushing a recording head of the same are provided. A recording medium is fed along a predetermined feeding passage in a predetermined feeding direction. An ink jet recording head is arranged in a manner movable along a with of the recording medium, in directions orthogonal to the predetermined feeding direction, for effecting printing on the recording medium while moving within a range of printing motion which is larger than a width of the recording medium. Further, the ink jet recording head is controlled such that the ink jet recording head ejects ink droplets toward an area aside from the recording medium within the range of printing motion to carry out a flushing operation of ejecting ink droplets regardless of contents to be printed during a printing process.

Abstract: Ink printing printer with gutter cleaning structure and method of assembling the printer. The printer includes a print head (10) having a surface (14) thereon, the surface (14) including an orifice region (18) having at least one ink-ejection orifice (16), a first gutter (22) disposed proximate one side of the orifice region (18) adapted for connection to a source of a cleaning fluid, and a second gutter (24) disposed proximate an opposite side of the orifice region (18) adapted for connection to a receiver for the cleaning fluid. A cover member (40) is positionable opposite the orifice region (18) and the gutters (22,24) for forming a sealed enclosure (42) thereof defining a cavity (44) sized to allow fluid flow therethrough from the first gutter (22) over the orifice region (18) to the second gutter (24).

Abstract: A ventable capping and priming assembly is provided for capping a nozzle face of an ink jet printhead so as to enable sealed priming of the printhead, as well as venting of the printhead to relieve defect causing pressures therefrom during non-priming periods. The ventable capping and priming assembly includes a capping member including a sealing member for sealing engagement with the nozzle face of the ink jet printhead, and a capping member mounted to the capping member and including a priming recess and a vacuum path formed therein. Further, the ventable capping and priming assembly includes a venting path formed from an outside surface of the capping member, and through the capping member, into the priming recess for venting the nozzle face of the ink jet printhead being capped, thereby relieving the nozzle face of the ink jet printhead of defect causing capping pressures during non-priming periods.

Abstract: Disclosed are an ink-jet printing apparatus and cleaning control method capable of reducing density variations in printed images by controlling the number of times of wiping during image printing and capable of printing without lowering the throughput. A dot counter counts printing dots printed by ink droplets discharged from a printing head. A wiping flag “A” is set on the basis of the result of comparison of this count value with a predetermined threshold value. By referring to this wiping flag “A”, whether the ink discharge surface of the printing head is to be cleaned with a blade while the printing head is printing one page of a printing sheet is determined. When the printing sheet printed by the printing head is to be discharged, whether the ink discharge surface of the printing head is to be cleaned with the blade is determined by referring to a wiping flag “B” that is set on the basis of the result of comparison of the value of Nd with another threshold value.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus for recording onto a recording medium using an ink jet recording head which discharges ink, comprises a conveyor for conveying the recording medium, a head mount means for mounting an ink jet recording head, a fan for generating an air flow for transporting ink which is generated by ink discharged from the ink jet recording head, floating in the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus, and unused for recording, the fan being disposed in the downstream of the air flow, and an air guiding member for guiding the air flow in said ink jet recording apparatus to the fan, said air guiding member being provided with an aperture section for sucking the air flow into said air guiding member, and removably connected to the sucking the of said fan.

Abstract: An ink cartridge 2 with a waste ink absorbing function includes a division room 70 formed in the interior portion of a cartridge case 30 for storing a waste ink absorbing member 20, and a plastic film 60 forming at least part of the division room 70. By cutting or peeling off the plastic film 60, the waste ink absorbing member 20 stored within can be replaced, which simplifies the replacement of the waste ink absorbing member 20. After replacement, the plastic film 60 may be mounted onto the cartridge case 30. Use of the plastic film is economical when compared with a structure in which a plastic plate is mounted onto a cartridge case. Also, the ink cartridge 2 can be reduced in size and weight as a whole.

Abstract: The invention provides a printing apparatus of a portable type, for example, having a carriage capable of moving print heads back and forth in a printing area in the main scanning directions while the print heads, aligned in the main scanning directions, eject inks onto a print sheet, and ink collecting devices for collecting waste ink ejected from nozzles of the print heads during a flushing operation where the nozzle openings are cleaned by ejecting the inks. In one embodiment, a first flushing a for the flushing operation is provided outwardly of the right-side end of the printing area. The first flushing area has an area corresponding to the right-side one of the two print heads. A second flushing area is provided outwardly of the left-side end of the printing area, and has an area corresponding to the left-side print head. Provision of the divided flushing areas reduces the area needed for the movements of the carriage.

Abstract: A maintenance station for an ink jet printer includes a frame and a device, such as for example a cylindrical drum, rotatably coupled to the frame for collecting waste ink. A ratchet drive assembly is coupled to the frame for effecting rotation of the device. The ratchet drive assembly includes a ratchet gear coupled to the device, wherein the ratchet gear has a plurality of teeth. A distal end of a back-check member engages the teeth of the ratchet gear for effecting a rotation of the device in a first direction and prevents a rotation of the device in a direction opposite to the first direction. The rotation of the device is effected as the printhead cap is moved in a vertical direction.

Abstract: A matte laser printer produces a photographic like image on media by repeatedly fusing the toners deposited thereon. In a preferred embodiment, repeated fusing is accomplished by utilizing a duplexing path in the printer. In an alternate embodiment, a processing flow direction of the media is selectively reversed after fusing to enable multiple fusing operations. In either case, toner forming the image on the media is more fully fused, thereby reducing light scatter, such that a photographic like image is produced.

Abstract: A small footprint device, such as an inkjet printer, having a set of printhead cartridges for applying ink droplets to a medium sheet, the printer including a housing having a pair of side plates. A platen, mounted in the housing between the side plates, helps to define a centrally disposed print zone. Sets of centrally disposed wiper openings, and cap openings, within the platen, help to facilitate, respectively, printhead cartridge wiping services before the medium sheet has passed through the print zone and printhead capping services after the medium sheet has passed through the print zone. A set of rib members extend upwardly from the platen top surface for substantially avoiding residual ink contamination on the underside of the medium sheet as it passes through the print zone.

Abstract: A print head recapping mechanism is disclosed for recapping a page width ink jetting print head structure, comprising a first stationary ferrous arm; a solenoid coil wrapped around a portion of the ferrous arm; a second moveable arm located substantially adjacent the first arm and biased towards the print head structure; a series of membranes attached to the second moveable arm the membranes sealing the print head structure when in a rest position; the solenoid being activated to cause the moveable arm to move away from the surface of the print head structure sufficient to allow a “paper or film” to be inserted between the membranes and the print head structure for the printing of ink thereon. Preferably, the membranes are resiliently collapsible against the surface of the print head structure. The membranes can comprise two mutually opposed elastomer strips running substantially the length of the ink jetting portions of the print head structure so as to surround the ink jetting portions.

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 recording apparatus is capable of making the scanning range of a carriage narrower without expanding the left and right recording blanks of a recording material, and further, making the apparatus smaller without lowering the quality of recorded images, as well as enhancing the throughput thereof. To provide such apparatus, it is arranged to control the traveling speeds of a recording head in recording areas, and then, to determine the traveling speeds thereof in accordance with the distance between the stop position and the position to start recording, the distance between the position to terminate recording and the stop position, as well as with the contents to be recorded on a given line, among others.

Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus having an ink recording head detachable therefrom, characterized in that power supply device to the ink recording head is shut off when the recording head is detached therefrom.

Abstract: An ink jet recorder includes a recording head having a plurality of ejection surfaces each containing a nozzle for ejecting a different ink, a purging device for purging the nozzle of one ejection surface at a time and a controller for the purging device. The controller controls the purging device such that a nozzle having an ink with higher dry resistance is purged before a nozzle having an ink with lower dry resistance. The ink jet recorder can prevent the nozzles from drying during the purging operation.

Abstract: In the case where since there is no recording paper in an upper stage cassette in which recording papers of an optimum size (for example, A4 size) should be enclosed, a lower stage cassette in which recording papers of another size are enclosed is used as a temporary paper feeding unit and a paper feed is performed, whether there is a status change such as supply of recording papers, removal of output papers from a paper ejecting unit, or the like or not is discriminated on the basis of a status change signal, whether the recording papers of the A4 size have been supplied to the upper stage cassette or not is discriminated, and whether an automatic paper feeding mode has been set or not is discriminated. Thus, when the recording papers of the A4 size are supplied to the upper stage cassette and the automatic paper feeding mode has been set, the paper feeding unit is switched from the lower stage cassette to the upper stage cassette.

Abstract: A method of automatically optimizing the controllable parameters related to producing printed material on a hardcopy output device is provided, along with a hardcopy output device configured for implementing this method. Users require different types of printed objects to have different characteristics. Specifically, business graphics need to be sharp and vivid, photographic images should look realistic, and text must be black, crisp and clear. By extracting, analyzing and conditioning data generated during a printing stream, the various regions of text, graphics and photographic images on a sheet are distinguished, characterized, and printed. The resulting hardcopy output has a custom balancing of color which is pleasing to the human eye for each type of image printed, and which has print characteristics tailored for the specific elements on the page.