Purging Without A Cap Patents (Class 347/35)
  • Patent number: 7537308
    Abstract: A method is provided which is intended to reduce a visibility of ink dots ejected onto a print medium during a preliminary ejection operation to produce a satisfactory printed image. Preliminary ejection data is compared with image data. When the preliminary ejection is necessarily performed on a pixel that has no image data, image data of a pixel close to the pixel being processed is searched. When image data exists, the image data is moved to a pixel that has preliminary ejection data. The preliminary ejection data is added to the image data one scan at a time to perform printing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toru Yamane
  • Publication number: 20090122106
    Abstract: A printer and method include a first receiver configured to receive fluid ejected by one or more print heads on a first side of a media and a second receiver configured to receive fluid ejected by the one or more print heads on a second side of the media, wherein the second receiver is movable relative to the first receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2008
    Publication date: May 14, 2009
    Inventor: Paul C. Ray
  • Patent number: 7524019
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Shigenori Fukasawa, Hitoshi Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 7524050
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: FUJIFILM Dimatix, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Baker, Melvin L. Biggs
  • Patent number: 7517044
    Abstract: In an inkjet printing apparatus which performs printing on a printing medium using an inkjet printhead for discharging ink, preliminary discharge, where ink discharge irrespective of printing is performed at the time of print execution, is performed under a predetermined condition to obtain information regarding a discharge state of the printhead. Based on the obtained information, an execution condition of the preliminary discharge is controlled. By virtue of this control, an execution condition (parameter) of the preliminary discharge can appropriately be controlled in accordance with the discharge state of the printhead, in which the ink drying state and the increased viscosity state of ink vary depending on individual differences, usage environment, usage histories (durability) and so on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuo Suzuki, Daigoro Kanematsu, Rie Takekoshi, Mitsutoshi Nagamura, Naoko Baba
  • Patent number: 7513594
    Abstract: A spitting method of an array-type inkjet image forming apparatus which prints one or more papers and then ejects ink several times to keep nozzles in the optimal condition for printing, in which the number of spitting dots is in proportion to the number of resting dots of each of the nozzles during the printing process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Jin-ho Park
  • Patent number: 7510262
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a liquid ejection head and a controller (CPU, ASIC). The liquid ejection head is mounted on a carriage that reciprocates and ejects liquid toward a target. The controller controls a flushing mode of an in-range flushing and a flushing mode of an out-of-range flushing when the liquid ejection head ejects liquid as the carriage reciprocates. The flushing mode of the in-range flushing is performed in a reciprocation range of the carriage outside the target during ejection performed by the liquid ejection head. The flushing mode of the out-of-range flushing is performed outside the reciprocation range of the carriage reciprocates during ejection performed by the liquid ejection head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Ryoichi Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20090079788
    Abstract: A flushing method for a fluid ejecting apparatus that includes a pressure chamber filled with fluid, a pressure generating element on a surface of the pressure chamber that deforms the surface to change the pressure in the pressure chamber, and a nozzle in fluid communication with the pressure chamber that ejects the fluid, the method including repeatedly performing first flushing process a first period; and repeatedly performing a second flushing process with a second period. The flushing processes include causing the pressure chamber to expand into an expanded state, maintaining the expanded state, and contracting the pressure chamber from the expanded state, causing the fluid to be ejected from the nozzle. The amount of fluid ejected from the nozzle in the second flushing process is larger than the amount ejected in the first flushing process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2008
    Publication date: March 26, 2009
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoru HOSONO, Sayuri KAWAKAMI
  • Patent number: 7500733
    Abstract: In order to make maintenance of an ink jet printer less time-consuming, when ink is to be purged from ink jet heads 1, a unit conveying mechanism 30 moves a feeding plane 11a of a feeding sheet 11 to a retreated position that is inclined with respect to ink jet faces 4a of the ink jet heads 1. An ink receiving sheet 21 is then moved to an ink receiving position that is between the ink jet faces 4a and the feeding plane 11a and that extends along this feeding plane 11a. Ink that is jetted onto the ink receiving sheet 21 from the ink jet faces 4a of the ink jet heads 1 runs down the ink receiving sheet 21, and is collected in an ink tank 72.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Takagi, Susumu Kuzuya
  • Patent number: 7497564
    Abstract: The present invention provides a liquid absorbing member for absorbing excessive ink components from an ink image formed on a recording medium by an ink jet recording method, in which the liquid absorbing member contains fibrous matter, and the fiber thickness of fibers composing the fibrous matter is in a range of about 0.01 to 100 dtex. The fibrous matter preferably contains fibers having a fiber diameter in a range of about 0.5 to 10 ?m, and fibers composing the fibrous matter are preferably polyester fibers. The invention also provides an ink jet recording apparatus comprising a printhead and the liquid absorbing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Toshitake Yui
  • Patent number: 7497550
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Kevin Lo, Lynn Cheney
  • Patent number: 7488050
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a conveyance unit, nozzles, a recording unit, a cap unit, a first moving mechanism, a first ink receiving unit and a second moving mechanism. The first moving mechanism reciprocates the cap unit between a capping position and a non-capping position apart. The first ink receiving unit includes an ink receiving region larger than a region that all the nozzles occupy. The second moving mechanism reciprocates the first ink receiving unit between an ink receiving position and an ink non-receiving position. When the first ink receiving unit is located at the ink non-receiving position, at least a part of the first ink receiving unit overlaps the cap unit located at the non-capping position. When the cap unit is located at the capping position, the first ink receiving unit is located at the ink receiving position and overlaps the entire cap unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Takagi
  • Patent number: 7488066
    Abstract: Rollers between which an endless belt is wound have a pair of first grooves looping around a rotational axis of each roller. A pair of second grooves is formed in an upper face of a support plate that supports an inner face of the endless belt, these second grooves extending along an entire length of the support plate in a feeding direction of the printing sheet. Each of the first grooves and the second grooves are disposed so as to be in the same straight line. First ink absorbers are provided that absorb ink within the first grooves. Second ink absorbers are provided that absorb ink within the second grooves. Protruding rails are formed on the inner face of the endless belt and fit into the first grooves and the second grooves. These first and second grooves prevent feeding accuracy of printing sheets from deteriorating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Atsuhisa Nakashima
  • Patent number: 7475962
    Abstract: A printhead cleaning device for a large printer provided at a lateral side of a printing rail of the printer, it comprises a base and a swinging platform, wherein the base has four peripheral sides forming a receiving space, the swinging platform is movably and pivotally connected to the base; the swinging platform has thereon a plurality of elongate holes, so that the residual ink on the printhead set can be collected in the receiving space of the base through the elongate holes, every two elongate holes have therebetween a scraper in the shape of a taper sectionally and made of soft material, so that when the base is pushed upwards by a pushing device to its predetermined position, the scrapers on the swinging platform can have scraping actions against the moving printhead of the printhead set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: Great Computer Corporation
    Inventor: Jin-Sheng Lai
  • Publication number: 20090002438
    Abstract: A separator for separating ink from a flow of gas and ink, the separator comprising a container containing a plurality of material bodies, the container having: an inlet for flowing a mixture of gas and ink into the container so that the gas and ink passes through interstices between at least some of the plurality of material bodies thereby separating ink from the mixture of gas and ink; and a gas outlet for removing gas from the container after ink has been separated from the mixture of gas and ink.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
    Inventors: Ziv Raz, Gabriel Rosen
  • Patent number: 7467844
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus comprising: a liquid ejection head, operable to eject liquid to a target; a printing region, at which the liquid ejection head ejects liquid to the target; a flushing region, at which the liquid ejection head ejects liquid to perform a flushing operation; a flushing receiver, provided at the flushing region and adapted to receive liquid ejected from the liquid ejection head at the flushing region; a liquid ejection head carrier, operable to carry the liquid ejection head at least between the printing region and the flushing region; a waiting time information generator, operable to generate a waiting time based on estimation information to estimate a time in which liquid ejected from the liquid ejection head arrives at the flushing receiver; and a controller, operable to control the liquid ejection head carrier to carry the liquid ejection head from the flushing region toward the printing region after the waiting time elapses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Keiji Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 7467845
    Abstract: The image forming apparatus comprises: a discharging head which has a nozzle surface on which nozzles for discharging liquid droplets are formed; a medium supporting device which supports a recording medium, the medium supporting device being disposed in a position opposing the nozzle surface of the discharging head, the medium supporting device including a liquid collecting device having inclined surfaces along which liquid entering from a side of the discharging head is slidable downwards, and openings formed at bases of the inclined surfaces and connecting to a rear surface of the medium supporting device; and a suctioning device which suctions the liquid through the openings in the liquid collecting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2008
    Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation
    Inventors: Tsutomu Takatsuka, Yasuhiko Kachi
  • Patent number: 7465006
    Abstract: On performing a predetermined printing operation, whether or not, among a plurality of printing elements, only a part of the printing elements are applied is detected. If it is judged that only the part of the printing elements are used, a judgment is made whether or not the preliminary discharge operation is performed based on the number of discharges for the part of the printing elements, and if it is not judged that only the part of the printing elements are used, a judgment is made whether or not the preliminary discharge operation is performed based on the number of discharges for all of the printing elements of the printing head. This eliminates an unnecessary preliminary discharge for non-printing elements even in a printing operation mode in which only a part of the printing elements are applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tetsuya Edamura, Kiichiro Takahashi, Minoru Teshigawara, Akiko Maru, Yoshiaki Murayama
  • Patent number: 7455386
    Abstract: A method of flushing a nozzle of an inkjet recording head so as to recover an ink-ejection performance of the nozzle. The nozzle ejects, in a recording mode of the inkjet recording head, a plurality of droplets of an ink to record dot images, such that each of the droplets has an arbitrary one of a plurality of volumes. The flushing method includes causing the inkjet recording head to perform, for a first time, a plurality of continuous flushing actions in each of which the nozzle attempts to eject a droplet of the ink whose volume is larger than a smallest volume of the plurality of volumes, and causing the inkjet recording head to repeat, at least one more time, the plurality of continuous flushing actions while interposing a pause time between each pair of consecutive times out of the first time and said at least one more time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaharu Ito
  • Patent number: 7431438
    Abstract: An ink cartridge which is detachably mountable to a liquid ejection type recording device including a liquid ejecting head for ejecting liquid onto a recording material while scanning the recording material in a direction crossing with a feeding direction of the recording material, and a recovery unit for sucking the liquid through a nozzle of the liquid ejecting head. The ink cartridge includes a receiving portion for receiving the liquid discharged from the liquid ejecting head by the recovery unit; a liquid containing portion for accommodating the liquid to be supplied to the liquid ejecting head; and a connecting portion for connecting the receiving portion and the suction recovery unit, wherein the connecting portion is disposed at a position upstream of a front end surface portion of the ink cartridge with respect to an inserting direction in which the ink cartridge is inserted into the liquid ejection type recording device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Tsujimoto, Junji Shimoda, Kiyomitsu Kudo, Satoshi Kudo, Toru Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20080238972
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus which includes a plurality of transport belts, upstream and downstream liquid ejecting units that include a plurality of liquid ejecting heads which are arranged at predetermined intervals in a direction orthogonal to the direction that the printing medium is transported through the apparatus, a maintenance unit that is provided between the transport belts, and a positioning unit that establishes the relative position between the upstream liquid ejecting unit, the upstream transport unit, the downstream liquid ejecting unit, and the downstream transport unit by moving components of the upstream liquid ejecting unit, the upstream transport unit, the downstream liquid ejecting unit, and the downstream transport unit in a direction that is orthogonal to the transport direction such that the liquid ejecting heads of the upstream and downstream liquid ejecting units face the maintenance unit during a maintenance operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Kaneo YODA
  • Publication number: 20080218549
    Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head having a nozzle, wherein the liquid ejection head can eject a liquid from the nozzle and is movable in a predetermined direction; a first controller that controls, based on input data, liquid ejection of the liquid ejection head from the nozzle and movement of the liquid ejection head in the predetermined direction to apply the liquid onto an ejection area of a medium; a second controller that controls a flushing operation by moving the liquid ejection head to a flushing area outside the ejection area in the predetermined direction and ejecting the liquid from the nozzle of the liquid ejection head to the flushing area; a third controller that controls a minute vibration operation by vibrating the liquid in the nozzle to such an extent as not to eject the liquid from the nozzle; and a fourth controller that obtains information regarding the ejection area in the predetermined direction and that selectively controls the second controller and the third
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 7, 2008
    Publication date: September 11, 2008
    Inventor: Akira Iriguchi
  • Publication number: 20080211865
    Abstract: The invention provides for a printer assembly for a pagewidth printer. The assembly includes a casing that defines a print media feed path, and duplex printheads arranged on opposite sides of the a print media feed path. Also included are two purging members each inclined at a predetermined angle to a direction of travel of print media through the path, each member defining a purging chamber. The assembly further includes extractor tubes connecting the purging chambers in fluid communication with a suction pump, and an actuating mechanism configured to displace the printheads between a printing position, where the printheads are able to print onto media fed through the feed gap, and a purging position, where the printheads are located at the predetermined angle relative to the media path adjacent the chambers to allow the suction pumps to remove material purged from said printheads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 26, 2008
    Publication date: September 4, 2008
    Inventors: Norman Micheal Berry, Akira Nakazawa, Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7419241
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus including a head part with an ejection port configured to eject ink, a discarded-ink tank configured to collect ejected or absorbed ink in order to restore a function of the ejection port, and a sensing device configured to sense the discarded ink collected in the discarded-ink tank, the sensing device including an absorber configured to absorb the ink and an optical sensor configured to sense the light received from the absorber is disclosed, wherein the apparatus uses ink having a characteristic such that the discarded ink is accumulated in a mountain-like shape in the discarded-ink tank, and the absorber is arranged at the location, at which discarded ink can be absorbed when a mountain top of the discarded ink accumulated in a mountain-like shape reaches a predetermined height so that the discarded ink flows along a slope of the discarded ink accumulated in a mountain-like shape to the absorber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2008
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kawashima, Masatoshi Sakakitani
  • Patent number: 7413282
    Abstract: In both a full-line and a serial printer, the amount of ink passing through nozzles of print heads is sometimes decreased below a normal value before and during actual printing. In the printer of the present invention, a preliminary ejecting operation is performed taking the opportunity in which the amount of ink passing through nozzles is decreased below a normal value. Then, the amount of ink passing through nozzles recovers to the normal value in ink ejection after the preliminary ejecting operation. Since only a small amount of ink is ejected through the nozzles during the preliminary ejection operation, dots formed on a print sheet are not noticeable. Further, it is unnecessary to move the print heads to a home position where an ejection recovering process is executed to remove ink having an increased viscosity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hitoshi Tsuboi, Katsuhiro Shirota, Noribumi Koitabashi, Yasunori Fujimoto
  • Publication number: 20080192085
    Abstract: A maintenance method that discharges liquid L collected in a liquid receiver 15 of a liquid ejecting apparatus includes a first step of causing a nozzle opening face 43a of a liquid ejecting head 3 to be disposed facing the liquid receiver 15 in a non-contact state and applying an electric field between both, a second step of ejecting liquid D from a nozzle 47 to the liquid receiver 15, a third step of detecting a voltage change based on electrostatic induction at the time of ejecting the liquid D to the liquid receiver 15, a fourth step of determining a liquid level height H of the liquid L collected in the liquid receiver on the basis of a result of detection of the voltage change, and a fifth step of discharging the liquid L collected in the liquid receiver when the liquid level height H reaches a predetermined height.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2008
    Publication date: August 14, 2008
    Applicant: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Jun SHIMAZAKI
  • Patent number: 7407258
    Abstract: In an ink jet recording apparatus, it is detected whether or not an ejection has been performed at least one time while printing an image, with respect to each nozzle, within a predetermined period (preliminary on-paper ejection cycle corresponding to the checking area C1), and the nozzle which has performed the ejection at least one time is excluded from a target of preliminary ejection within a second predetermined period (preliminary on-paper ejection cycle corresponding to the checking area C2) subsequent to the above predetermined period. As for the nozzle not excluded from the preliminary ejection target, the preliminary ejection is performed at least one time onto paper (preliminary on-paper ejection area R2) as to each nozzle at a predetermined timing within the second predetermined period (preliminary on-paper ejection cycle corresponding to the checking area C2). Accordingly, printing is not interrupted by a head recovery processing, and also unnecessary preliminary ejection can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Finetech Inc.
    Inventors: Yasunori Nakahara, Junichi Sakurai
  • Publication number: 20080180484
    Abstract: Printer waste ink subsystem apparatuses are described including an apparatus located between a waste ink pump output port and a waste ink container such as a waste ink pad or sponge for containing waste ink splashing. In one illustrative example, a muffler is placed at the distal end of the waste ink pump discharge port. Such a muffler contains waste ink splatter caused by air bubbles in the waste ink stream as it exits the waste ink pump output port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Inventor: Walter J. Kulpa
  • Publication number: 20080174632
    Abstract: A liquid ejection method includes determining, according to image data, an ejection pixel that is a pixel at which a liquid is to be ejected and a non-ejection pixel that is a pixel at which a liquid is not to be ejected; determining, according to the image data, a nozzle requiring flushing; and ejecting liquid from the nozzle requiring flushing to the non-ejection pixel adjacent to the ejection pixel, the non-ejection pixel being among pixels associated with the nozzle requiring flushing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicant: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Toru Miyamoto, Hirokazu Nunokawa
  • Patent number: 7396095
    Abstract: In a print head having arrays of large nozzles and small nozzles with different ink ejection volumes that are connected to a common ink chamber, the preliminary ejection operation is performed 29,000 times first on only the large nozzles at an ejection frequency of 10 kHz to discharge viscous or mixed color ink from ink chambers. After the preliminary ejection operation of the large nozzles is finished, only the small nozzles are made to perform the preliminary ejection operation 2,000 times at an ejection frequency of 10 kHz. Reducing the number of preliminary ejections from the small nozzles in this manner can minimize the generation of stray mist. Further, by performing the preliminary ejection operation on the large nozzles first, it is possible to discharge enough viscous ink from the ink chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Nakagawa, Minoru Teshigawara, Satoshi Seki
  • Patent number: 7396105
    Abstract: Even in the case where preliminary ejection is performed by a recording head having an array of pigment ink ejection outlets and an array of dye ink ejection outlets in which a length of the pigment ink ejection outlet array is longer than a length of the dye ink ejection outlet array, deposition of preliminarily ejected pigment ink at a preliminary ejection receiving portion is effectively prevented by providing an inclined surface at the preliminary ejection receiving portion so that ink from the dye ink ejection outlets is received at an upstream position of the inclined surface and ink from the pigment ink ejection outlets is received at a downstream position of the inclined surface in a direction of gravity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Toki, Tetsuya Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7360888
    Abstract: This invention allows images to be printed up to the edges of printing paper while preventing ink droplets from depositing on the platen. Ink droplets Ip are ejected from a print head 28 and printing is started when printing paper P is fed in the sub-scanning direction by upstream paper feed rollers 25a and 25b, and the front edge Pf reaches a position above a downstream slot 26r. Since printing is started when the front edge Pf of printing paper P has reached a position behind nozzle No. 1, images can be printed without forming blank spaces up to the front edge Pf of the printing paper P by causing the nozzles to eject ink droplets Ip irrespective of whether the nozzles are above the printing paper. When images are formed in the vicinity of the front edge Pf of printing paper P, the paper is repeatedly fed in small increments in the sub-scanning direction, and printing is carried out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Koichi Otsuki
  • Patent number: 7354134
    Abstract: An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a recovery unit, a reception member, and an arrangement mechanism. The recording head ejects ink therefrom to perform recording on a recording medium. The recovery unit causes the recording head to perform a purge process. The reception member receives the ink ejected in the purge process and has flexibility. The arrangement mechanism stores the reception member, which is in a wound state, outside a recoding area where the recording head performs the recording on the recording medium. The arrangement mechanism pulls out the reception member when the recovery unit causes the recording head to perform the purge process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tsugio Okamoto
  • Patent number: 7354133
    Abstract: The invention provides a configuration capable of judging whether an ink jet head is exchanged or whether it is replaced, and changing an amount of recovery operation when the ink jet head is exchanged or replaced. Thus a recording apparatus capable of avoiding a defective ink supply in case the ink jet head is exchanged or replaced, and not wasting the ink by unnecessarily excessive recovery operation, can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisaku Ide, Hiroshi Tajika, Hitoshi Nishikori, Takeshi Yazawa, Atsuhiko Masuyama, Akiko Maru, Hirokazu Yoshikawa, Hideaki Takamiya
  • Patent number: 7328966
    Abstract: A page-width inkjet printer includes a chassis. A print media feed assembly is mounted on the chassis. A page-width inkjet printhead is mounted on the chassis downstream of the feed assembly. A tubular print transfer roller is operatively positioned with respect to the printhead to receive and transfer print from the printhead to sheets of print media fed past the transfer roller. A drive mechanism is mounted on the chassis to drive the transfer roller, the drive mechanism including a drive motor and gearbox assembly received within the tubular print transfer roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2008
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventor: Kia Silverbrook
  • Patent number: 7316467
    Abstract: A waste ink container of an ink jet recording apparatus includes a plurality of ink-retrieving absorbers and a connecting absorber connecting the ink-retrieving absorbers. The ink-retrieving absorbers have a multilayer structure including a plurality of layers of absorbing members. The connecting absorber has bent portions. The ink-retrieving absorbers have holes formed therein. The bent portions are inserted into the holes so as to be in contact with the layers of absorbing members of the ink-retrieving absorbers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Nobuhiro Toki
  • Patent number: 7316477
    Abstract: An ink jet printer for discharging ink drips to a printing medium mounted on a conveying belt and conveyed from a plurality of nozzles, in which the printing quality is improved and the printing speed is raised. A printing medium conveying section has first and second conveying portions connected in the conveying direction of the printing medium and a plurality of conveying belts are arranged by mutually keeping a predetermined interval, in which the conveying belts of the first and second conveying portions are set so that an other-hand conveying belt is located between one-hand conveying belts, and a printing head is constituted of a first head set to a position facing the gap between the conveying belts of the first conveying portion and a second head set to a position facing the gap between the conveying belts of the second conveying portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Kaneo Yoda
  • Patent number: 7311373
    Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus includes a main power supply, power cutoff detecting means, a standby power supply, residual vibration detecting means, storage means, and ejection failure detecting means. When cutoff of the main power supply is detected, an actuator is driven by a driving circuit, the residual vibration detecting means detects the residual vibration of the diaphragm displaced by the driving of the actuator, and the storage means stores the vibration pattern of the residual vibration of the diaphragm detected by the residual vibration detecting means and/or the information obtained from the vibration pattern. The ejection failure detecting means include an oscillation circuit that oscillates in response to an electric capacitance component that varies with the residual vibration of the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Higuchi, Osamu Shinkawa, Yusuke Sakagami
  • Patent number: 7311381
    Abstract: An ink priming system for a cartridge unit of the type having a pagewidth printhead assembly in fluid communication with one or more ink storage compartments, the system having a priming inlet provided on said pagewidth printhead assembly for receiving a supply of ink for priming the cartridge unit, and an ink flow passage providing fluid connection between said pagewidth printhead assembly and one of the ink storage compartments. During use, the priming system allows the the ink supplied to the priming inlet of the pagewidth printhead assembly to flow from the pagewidth printhead assembly to the ink storage compartment via the ink flow passage to prime both the pagewidth printhead assembly and the ink storage compartment with ink simultaneously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Kia Silverbrook, Akira Nakazawa, Christopher Hibbard, Paul Ian Mackey, Norman Micheal Berry, Garry Raymond Jackson
  • Publication number: 20070291074
    Abstract: An ink jet recording apparatus determines the timing of executing discharge recovery processing based on the discharge amount of ink for each predetermined region discharged from a recording head, and controls the discharge recovery processing to be executed at the determined timing. Thereby, the discharge performance of the ink can be kept to be good, and the discharge recovery processing can be executed at the suitable timing without producing any deterioration of the image quality of a recorded image, and with the deterioration of throughput reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yutaka Kawamata, Taku Yokozawa
  • Patent number: 7303250
    Abstract: A liquid ejection head is caused to eject liquid droplets at a region where no target medium is placed, such that such that a first prescribed number of liquid droplets are flushed from each of the nozzle orifices in the nozzle arrays of the first group, and a second prescribed number of liquid droplets are flushed from each of the nozzle orifices in the nozzle arrays of the second group. At least a part of the first prescribed number of liquid droplets and at least a part of the second prescribed number of liquid droplets are flushed by alternately performing a first unit operation for flushing a third prescribed number of liquid droplets which is smaller than the first prescribed number and a second unit operation for flushing a fourth prescribed number of liquid droplets which is smaller than the second prescribed number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Akase, Masahiro Kimura
  • Patent number: 7300135
    Abstract: A maintenance mechanism includes: a carriage 22 capable of performing reciprocating movement along a line parallel to an ink discharging surface 4a; and a purge sheet 21 attached to the carriage 22 and capable of being located, depending on the carriage 22 position, in a purge position opposing the ink discharging surface 4a and a printing position not opposing the ink discharging surface 4a. When being in the purge position, the purge sheet 21 has such a shape that allows ink discharged from the ink discharging surface 4a and adhered to the purge sheet. 21 to move, owing to gravity, toward the center of the purge sheet 21 with respect to the width direction of the purge sheet 21 which is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the carriage 22.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Takagi
  • Patent number: 7300131
    Abstract: A droplet ejection apparatus includes ejection failure detecting means for detecting an ejection failure, counting means for counting the number of ejection failures, and droplet receptor transporting means which carry out discharge and feed of the droplet receptor. The ejection failure detecting means detect the ejection failure with respect to a droplet ejection operation when the plurality of droplet ejection heads eject the droplets onto the droplet receptor. In the case where the number of ejection failures exceeds a predetermined reference value, the droplet ejection apparatus stops the droplet ejection operation and operates the droplet receptor transporting means to discharge the droplet receptor from and feed another droplet receptor to the droplet ejection apparatus to carry out a new and same droplet ejection operation with respect to the fed droplet receptor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Yusuke Sakagami, Osamu Shinkawa
  • Patent number: 7296876
    Abstract: A liquid ejecting head is operable to eject liquid toward a target medium. A medium supporting member is opposing to the liquid ejecting head and supporting the target medium from below. A liquid absorber is adapted to receive and absorb liquid ejected to the outside of the target medium. A holder is holding the liquid absorber and being detachably provided with the medium supporting member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuyuki Kagami, Kazuma Ozaki, Atsushi Sumii
  • Patent number: 7290851
    Abstract: An ink-jet recording apparatus capable of high-quality recording without smudging recording media and the interior of the recording apparatus even when a frameless recording operation using reactive ink that coheres with each other when mixed together is performed. The ink-jet recording apparatus includes a recording head having a first nozzle array and a second nozzle array, and an ink absorbent facing the nozzle arrays. The first nozzle array discharges a first ink, and the second nozzle array discharges a second ink. The first and second ink is a reactive ink that coheres with each other when mixed together. During the frameless recording operation on a front edge of the recording medium, some of the first and second ink discharged from the respective nozzle arrays of the recording head adheres to the front edge, and some of the ink adheres to separate positions on the ink absorbent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasushi Nakano
  • Patent number: 7287826
    Abstract: A method of performing printhead maintenance firing in an ink jet printer that has a printhead carrier that carries an ink jet printhead, the ink jet printer having a waste ink receptacle, includes the steps of decelerating the printhead carrier from a first velocity after printing print data; and controlling a firing of the printhead during the decelerating in accordance with maintenance data so that ink droplets ejected from the printhead during the decelerating are received by the waste ink receptacle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Lexmark International, Inc.
    Inventors: Charles Stanley Aldrich, Marc Alan Herwald, Martin Alan Johnson
  • Patent number: 7281781
    Abstract: On detecting an operation instruction for interrupting a power supply, a maintenance mechanism and an ink head are moved with respect to each other in such a manner that the maintenance mechanism is disposed facing the ink head, and thereafter a power supplied to main body of an image forming apparatus is interrupted in a state in which droplets of ink liquids are received by a container of droplet receiving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Olympus Corporation
    Inventor: Kenichi Okawa
  • Publication number: 20070229613
    Abstract: The inkjet recording apparatus includes: a casing; an inkjet head which is arranged in the casing and ejects ink from nozzles toward a recording medium; a scanning device which is arranged in the casing and moves the inkjet head to scan the recording medium in a scanning direction parallel with a breadthways direction of the recording medium; a recording medium supply device which accommodates the recording medium and is removably installed into the casing via a front face side of the casing and disposed on a lower side of the inkjet head in a vertical direction of the casing; a conveyance device which conveys the recording medium from the recording medium supply device to a recording region where the recording medium receives deposition of the ink ejected from the inkjet head, and conveys the recording medium within the recording region in a direction substantially perpendicular to the scanning direction; an ink cartridge which accommodates the ink to be supplied to the inkjet head and is removably installed
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2007
    Publication date: October 4, 2007
    Inventor: Yasuhiko Kachi
  • Patent number: 7275802
    Abstract: Embodiments of a cleaner are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: David Berardelli, Antoni Murcia
  • Patent number: 7267422
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided. Nozzles of a fluid-ejection device of an imaging device adapted to eject a clear fixing liquid are purged by ejecting a number of drops of the clear fixing liquid through the nozzles onto a non-imaging portion of a media sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael Brookmire, Russell P. Yearout