Abstract: A printer includes a recording head having a nozzle through which ink is ejected onto a paper sheet and a waste tank in which the ink is retained as waste liquid after having been drained from the recording head. A deposit of the waste liquid is formed in the waste tank. The printer has a suction pump used for forcibly drawing and draining the ink from the nozzle. The suction pump functions also as a gas blasting device that blasts gas to the deposit in the waste tank for blowing off the deposit. This suppresses the amount of the ink consumed in maintenance of the printer.

Abstract: An ink jet printing system including an ink jet print head configured to eject ink drops, a perforated substrate support having a plurality of holes, configured to carry a substrate over a first surface of the perforated substrate support, wherein the ink jet print head and the holes in the perforated substrate support are configured to allow at least a portion of ejected ink drops not received by the substrate to pass through the holes, and a collector disposed beneath the perforated substrate support, configured to collect at least a portion of the ejected ink drops not received by the substrate.

Abstract: A cleaning blade for wiping ink adhering to an ink ejection surface of an ink-jet head in which nozzles are formed by a relative movement of the cleaning blade and the ink ejection surface with the cleaning blade held in contact with the ink ejection surface, wherein the cleaning blade has a surface having: a first region which is located near to the ink ejection surface and which has a first degree of water repellency; and a second region which is contiguous to the first region and located away from the ink ejection surface and which has a second degree of water repellency that is lower than the first degree of water repellency, and wherein a boundary line which constitutes a boundary between the first region and the second region has at least one oblique portion each of which is inclined with respect to a straight line that is orthogonal to the ink ejection surface.

Abstract: There is provided an image recording apparatus which includes a head; a carriage capable of reciprocating in a main scanning direction of a paper; a maintenance section of the recording head; a pair of rollers for transporting the paper; and a motor for driving the maintenance section and the pair of rollers; and in which when the carriage is at a maintenance position, the rollers in the pair are separated away from each other. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce an electric power consumption of the motor during the maintenance work, and to reduce noise generated from the pair of rollers at the time of maintenance.

Abstract: For an ink jet printer, a maintenance unit having a simple mechanism that ensures a stable well-closed condition is provided. According to the present invention, rigid contact portions are provided in order to maintain a distance between an ink jet head and a cap in the perpendicular direction when the ink jet head is attached to the cap.

Abstract: A cleaning device mounted on a liquid jet apparatus having a liquid jet head for ejecting liquid in order to clean the liquid jet head is provided. The cleaning device includes: a capping unit having a function of sealing a nozzle forming surface of the liquid jet head and a function of receiving waste liquid discharged from the liquid jet head; a lifting unit raising and lowering the capping unit so as to attach and detach the capping unit to and from the liquid jet head; an urging unit urging the capping unit toward the liquid jet head; and a locking unit locking the urging unit in a state that the capping unit makes contact with the liquid jet head and seals the nozzle forming surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a dielectric film structure having a substrate and a dielectric film provided on the substrate and in which the dielectric film has (001) face orientation with respect to the substrate, and in which a value u in the following equation (1) regarding the dielectric film is a real number greater than 2: u=(Cc/Ca)×(Wa/Wc)??(1) where, Cc is a count number of a peak of a (001?)face of the dielectric film in an Out-of-plane X ray diffraction measurement (here, l? is a natural number selected so that Cc becomes maximum); Ca is a count number of a peak of a (h?00) face of the dielectric film in an In-plane X ray diffraction measurement (here, h? is a natural number selected so that Cc becomes maximum); Wc is a half-value width of a peak of the (001?) face of the dielectric film in an Out-of-plane rocking curve X ray diffraction measurement; and Wa is a half-value width of a peak of the (h?00) face of the dielectric film in an In-plane rocking curve X ray diffraction measurement.

Abstract: A printhead assembly is provided comprising: (a) an inkjet printhead; and (b) a plurality of ink reservoirs in fluid communication with nozzles in the printhead. At least one of the ink reservoirs contains a cleaning liquid for cleaning an ink ejection face of the printhead.

Abstract: A printhead maintenance station for maintaining a printhead in an operable condition is provided. The maintenance station comprises an elastically deformable pad having a contact surface for sealing engagement with an ink ejection face of the printhead. The maintenance station also comprises an engagement mechanism for moving the pad between a first position in which the contact surface is sealingly engaged with the face, and a second position in which the contact surface is disengaged from the face. The maintenance station is configured such that the contact surface is progressively contacted with the face during sealing engagement and peeled away from the face during disengagement.

Abstract: An inkjet printhead integrated circuit is provided. The printhead integrated circuit comprises a plurality of nozzle assemblies, with each nozzle assembly comprising: (i) an ink chamber for containing ink, the ink chamber having an ink ejection aperture defined therein; and (ii) a heater element disposed in the ink chamber, the heater element being configured for thermal contact with the ink and for generating a gas bubble causing ejection of an ink droplet from the ink ejection aperture. The heater element defines a collapse point of the gas bubble, and the collapse point is less than 50 microns from the ink ejection aperture.

Abstract: A printer with print head cleaning function is provided. The printer includes a housing, a round shaft, a carrier and a clean housing. The round shaft is disposed in the housing. The carrier is reciprocally disposed on the round shaft. The carrier is used for carrying one cartridge of the printer. The clean housing is equipped with a cleaner, which is used for cleaning one print head of the cartridge. When the carrier moves upward or downward, the carrier mechanically drives the clean housing to move upward or downward to maintain a fixed interference distance between the cleaner and the print head for enabling the cleaner to clean the print head and maintain the printing quality.

Abstract: Liquid is sent from a liquid retainer to a liquid ejection head via a liquid supply line by pressurization force generated by a pressurization device that is driven by a driver. A method for cleaning a liquid ejection apparatus includes drawing the liquid from the liquid ejection head through a nozzle by a suction device; and obtaining a liquid remaining amount of the liquid retainer. The method further includes determining an operational speed of the driver in correspondence with a result of the calculation; and operating the driver at the determined operational speed when drawing the liquid by the suction device. Thus, liquid is consumed completely without being wasted.

Abstract: A method of removing particulates from an ink ejection face of a printhead is provided. The method comprises the steps of: (a) flooding the face with ink from the printhead, thereby dispersing the particulates into the flooded ink; and (b) transferring the flooded ink, including the particulates, onto a film moving past the face. Damage to the face is avoided since the film does not contact the face.

Abstract: A printer capable of controlling position of covering a nozzle of an ink cartridge includes a housing, a shaft installed inside the housing, a carriage installed on the shaft in a sliding manner for carrying a first ink cartridge, a first cover for covering a nozzle of the first ink cartridge, and a means for determining type of the first ink cartridge and controlling stopping position of the carriage and the first cover after the first cover covers the nozzle of the first ink cartridge according to the type of the first ink cartridge.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a carry mechanism, a nozzle, an element, a drive signal outputting section, a temperature sensor, a cap, and a controller. The carry mechanism carries a medium. The nozzle performs a moving-and-ejecting operation of ejecting ink toward the medium while moving relative to the medium during an intermission of a carrying operation performed by the carry mechanism. The element performs an ink ejecting operation for causing the ink to be ejected from the nozzle. The drive signal outputting section outputs a drive signal for causing the element to perform the ink ejecting operation. The temperature sensor detects a temperature of the drive signal outputting section or in the vicinity thereof. The cap blocks an ejection opening of the nozzle.

Abstract: Disclosed is an inkjet printer including: a recording head having nozzles for ejecting ink; an ink tank for reserving the ink; an ink-flow passage for supplying the ink from the ink tank to the recording head; a valve for opening or closing the ink-flow passage; a filter disposed in the ink-flow passage between the valve and the recording head; a vacuum cap to be coupled to the recording head so as to cover an ejection opening of the nozzle when sucking an ink from the ejection opening; and a vacuum pump for sucking the ink from the ejection opening through the vacuum cap, wherein the printer includes a bubble-storing portion provided at least at a part of the ink-flow passage between the filter and the recording head, for storing a predetermined volume of bubble.

Abstract: A printer with a cap mechanism. The printer comprises a print head comprising a nozzle, a cap module comprising a cap and a hole, and a positioning module comprising a pin. When the print head moves in a first direction to push the positioning module, the pin escapes from the hole, whereby the cap module moving in a second direction enables the cap to cover the nozzle. When the print head moves in a direction opposite to the first direction, the pin enters the hole enabling the cap module to maintain a predetermined distance from the print head.

Abstract: Provided is a droplet discharging head, including: a nozzle formed on a first principal surface; a pressurized room having a pressurization unit that applies pressure on liquid discharged from the nozzle; a liquid retention unit in communication with the pressurized room; and a supply port that supplies liquid to the liquid retention unit; wherein the droplet discharging head is used by being mounted on a droplet discharging device in which the supply port is provided protrusively from a second principal surface positioned on the opposite side of the first principal surface.

Abstract: An ink over-spray containment apparatus includes a first member having a first fluidic transport coefficient and a first ink affinity; and a second member coupled to the first member. The second member has a second fluidic transport coefficient lesser than the first fluidic transport coefficient and a second ink affinity greater than the first ink affinity.

Abstract: An ink jet printer is provided, which intermittently dispenses cleaning liquid onto ink that is adhered to an endless belt that carries printing sheets. A cleaning liquid dispenser is driven by a rotator that rotates in association with the rotation of the endless belt. The rotation position of the rotator is set as a reference, in order to control the feed timing. In this way, a gap can be maintained between two printing sheets that are carried by the endless belt, ink can be jetted toward the gap, and cleaning liquid can be dispensed on the gap. A print process and a flushing process can be sequentially repeated.