Abstract: A head capping member for capping an ejection face of a liquid ejecting head which face is provided with a nozzle for ejecting a liquid drop is provided, which includes a contact part which contacts the ejection face of the head and is made of an elastic member and a recess which forms a closed space together with the ejection head when the contact part contacts the ejection head, wherein a flat part is formed around the recess and an absorbing member is provided on the flat part so as to cover the recess.

Abstract: A liquid discharge device is provided with a head, a cover member, a negative pressure source, a seal member, and a controller. The head has a nozzle plane in which a nozzle is formed. The cover member has a fluid passage and is capable of covering the nozzle plane such that one end of the fluid passage is in communication with the nozzle. The negative pressure source is connected to the fluid passage. The seal member has a non-nozzle plane in which the nozzle is not formed. The non-nozzle plane is capable of sealing the one end of the fluid passage. The controller drives the negative pressure source in a first state in which the cover member is covering the nozzle plane. The controller drives the negative pressure source in a second state in which the non-nozzle plane is sealing the one end of the fluid passage.

Abstract: A printing mechanism includes a print module having a printhead, and includes a wiper assembly having a wiper to clean the printhead of ink residue when the wiper and the printhead are in contact and move relative to each other in a first direction. The wiper and the printhead also move relative to each other in a second direction to release a contact tension between the wiper and the printhead. The first direction and the second direction define an arc path that the wiper and/or printhead moves along to controllably release the wiper contact tension to prevent ink residue on the wiper from being deposited in a location that will impair or degrade a desired print quality.

Abstract: This invention concerns a printhead capping mechanism for preventing evaporation of ink from a printhead when it is not in use. The invention has utility, for instance, in a color printer which uses a drop-on-demand inkjet printhead. The mechanism includes a cap fitted with an elastomeric seal to seal against the face of the printhead, and a sponge to catch drops ejected from the printhead during the nozzle cleaning cycle. The mechanism also includes an actuating structure operable to selectively move the cap between an engaged position to press against the printhead and a disengaged position spaced away from the printhead.

Abstract: Self-cleaning printer system with reverse fluid flow 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 septum disposed opposite the surface or orifice for defining a gap therebetween. Presence of the septum 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: According to the improved method of correcting uneven densities in a thermal recording apparatus, on the basis of a preliminarily computed mathematical function that represents the relationship between the image data and the frictional force between the thermal recording material and the thermal head, a total sum of functional values corresponding to the image data of individual pixels in a present line, as well as a total sum of functional values corresponding to the image data of individual pixels in a preceding line are taken and the image data are corrected in accordance with the difference between the two total sums. This method can prevent effectively the occurrence of uneven densities due to the variation of recording density to provide for precise image recording.

Abstract: A cap is provided with a contact section for contacting and enclosing the periphery of a nozzle array of a print head when the print head is in a capped state, and a deforming diaphragm having a deformable bag-shaped section in a position enclosed by the contact section. In the case of a temperature change in an enclosed space between the contact section and the nozzle, the bag-shaped section expands or contracts to keep a constant pressure, thereby protecting a print head meniscus from breakage and accordingly preventing the occurrence of defective printing. Furthermore, the capping device is separate from a recording device, so that it can be attached to a head unit removed from a printer at the time of shipping the head unit from a factory, to thereby prevent the nozzle array from drying out.

Abstract: An echo canceller pool configuration is provided that allows a user to predetermine and individualize the echo cancellation parameter settings for any echo canceller in the pool, based on prior knowledge of the echo path characteristics of the specific transmission route to be used for an ensuing call. The echo canceller with the individualized parameter settings is then switched into that route for the duration of the call. For example, at call setup, once a trunk route has been identified that will be used to complete the call, a "flag" is retrieved that is associated with that specific route. That "flag" identifies specific echo canceller parameter settings to be used for that route. Those parameter settings are downloaded to the echo canceller device selected from the pool, and that device is then switched into the specific trunk involved. An operator can thereby optimize echo cancellation in the system and significantly improve speech quality overall.

Abstract: At least two different printmasks are used for different printing devices--such as inkjet pens--that operate concurrently, or different printing steps that proceed concurrently, to produce respective image swaths in a single, pixel-based printing machine. In one form of the invention, the different printing devices produce different respective pixel-row pitches (related to resolution) on a printing medium, and the different printmasks help to minimize adverse patterning effects that result from interaction of the different pitches with dot-placement errors. The different pitches on the print medium may be provided through different pitches of marking devices (for example, the number of inkjet nozzles per unit distance along a pen) or in other ways.

Abstract: In an ink jet printer, bleed between the boundaries between color and black are avoided by printing process black and black ink in an alternating pattern for the first two dots. Logic (62) determines the boundary from a bit map and issues the control signals for alternating lines (66, 68). Best results are experienced when the process black is printed before the black ink as the vehicle of the colored inks apparently supports penetration of the black ink.