Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-05
2001-10-09
Le, N. (Department: 2853)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S023000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299278
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for removing excess ink from ink jet print head nozzles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system for wiping external ink from nozzle opening of an ink jet print head.
Conventional ink jet printers utilize ink jet print heads to print pixels upon a recording medium. Ink jet print heads contain ink jet nozzles which eject ink droplets onto the recording medium through nozzle openings. Over time, ink collects on or near the ink jet nozzle openings, thereby tending to clog the nozzle openings.
Due to the foregoing, many conventional ink jet printers provide systems for cleaning ink from ink jet nozzles before, during, or after printing. One such system is a wiping system, in which an element is moved across ink jet nozzle openings so as to wipe ink from the openings.
In order to clean the ink jet nozzles most effectively, such wiping cannot occur at normal print speeds. Rather, the print head must move in relation to the wiping element at a speed much slower than normal printing speeds. Accordingly, nozzle wiping slows the printing process.
For example, in conventional wiping systems, an ink jet print head is moved out of a printing area to a wiping station. At the wiping station, a wiping element is moved relative to the ink jet print head so as to wipe the nozzles of the ink jet print head, the wiping element is lowered, and printing resumes. Accordingly, what is needed is a system for quickly and effectively wiping ink jet nozzles.
Ink jet nozzle wiping is more problematic in a case of dual-head ink jet printing. Dual-head ink jet printers utilize two ink jet print heads, each print head having a set of ink jet nozzles. In order to provide wiping of each set of nozzles, some dual head printing systems provide one wiper outside of a printing area. Accordingly, such systems are capable of wiping a first print head and then printing with the first print head while wiping the second print head. It should be noted that due to the slow speed at which wiping must occur, printing by the first print head proceeds much slower than in conventional printing.
Accordingly, what is also needed is a system which provides for simultaneous wiping of two ink jet print heads and which causes minimal printing delays.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the foregoing problems by providing a wiping system directly triggered by movement of a carriage containing an ink jet print head. As a result, the present invention provides fast nozzle wiping.
In one aspect, the invention is a printer assembly including a carriage, a slide and a wiper assembly. The carriage is for holding a print head and includes a slide contact. The slide includes a wiper ramp and a carriage contact contactable by the slide contact of the carriage. The wiper assembly includes a base, a post extending from the base, a wiper arm, a wiper latch, a wiper holder, and a wiper blade. The wiper arm is connected to the base such that the wiper arm is raised in a case that the wiper arm ramp moves laterally relative to and while in contact with the wiper arm. The wiper latch is connected to the wiper arm such that the wiper latch latches onto the post extending from the base in a case that the wiper arm is sufficiently raised. The wiper holder is connected to the wiper arm, and the wiper blade is connected to the wiper holder.
By virtue of the foregoing arrangement, the printer assembly can quickly and effectively wipe ink jet nozzles of a print head.
Preferably, the carriage includes a wiper latch contact for unlatching the wiper latch during lateral movement of the carriage. Also, in the preferred embodiment, the printer assembly includes a second wiper assembly, the carriage holds a second print head, and the slide has a second wiper arm ramp.
In another aspect, the invention is a wiper assembly including a base, a post extending from the base, a wiper arm connected to the base, a wiper latch connected to the wiper arm, a wiper holder connected to the wiper arm, and a wiper blade connected to the wiper holder. The wiper latch is connected to the wiper arm such that the wiper latch latches onto the post in a case that the wiper arm is sufficiently raised, thereby holding the wiper blade in a raised position.
Preferably, the wiper arm is pivotally connected to the base, and the wiper latch is pivotally connected to the wiper arm. In addition, a latch spring is connected to the base and to the wiper latch such that the latch spring holds the wiper latch against the post and urges the wiper arm downward.
The foregoing wiper assembly arrangement can be used to quickly and effectively wipe ink jet nozzles of a print head before, during and after printing.
In another aspect, the invention is a method of wiping a print head with a wiper blade. The method includes the steps of moving a carriage laterally in a first direction so as to push a slide, raising a wiper arm using a ramp in the slide, thereby raising the wiper blade, and latching a wiper latch to hold the wiper blade at a raised position. The method also includes the steps of moving the carriage laterally in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wiping the print head with the raised wiper blade as the carriage moves in the second direction, unlatching the wiper latch using the carriage, and lowering the wiper blade.
In the preferred embodiment, in a case that the wiper latch is unlatched, the wiper blade is lowered via a latch spring. In addition, the carriage unlatches the wiper latch by pushing the wiper latch during lateral movement.
In a further aspect, the invention is a method of wiping plural print heads with plural wiper blades. The method includes the steps of moving a carriage laterally in a first direction, raising the plural wiper blades, holding the wiper blades at respective raised positions, and wiping each of the print heads with a respective one of the raised wiper blades as the carriage moves in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
The invention also contemplates a method of wiping plural print heads with plural wiper blades which includes the steps of moving a carriage in a first direction to raise the wiper blades, and wiping each of the plural print heads with a respective one of the raised wiper blades as the carriage moves in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
In still another aspect, the invention is a method of wiping plural print heads with plural wiper blades. The method includes the steps of moving a carriage laterally in a first direction so as to push a slide, raise plural wiper arms using plural ramps in the slide, thereby raising the plural wiper blades, and latching plural wiper latches to hold the wiper blades at respective raised positions. The method also includes the steps of moving the carriage laterally in a second direction opposite to the first direction, wiping each of the print heads with respective ones of the raised wiper blades as the carriage moves in the second direction, unlatching the wiper latches using the carriage, and lowering the wiper blades.
In the preferred embodiment, when the wiper latches are unlatched, the wiper blades are lowered via latch springs. In addition, the carriage unlatches the wiper latches by pushing the wiper latches.
In yet another aspect, the invention is a method of wiping plural print heads with plural wiper blades. The method includes the step of determining if a predetermined time has elapsed since a last wiping. The method also includes the steps of moving a carriage laterally in a first direction to raise the wiper blades in a case that the predetermined time has elapsed since the last wiping, and wiping each of the print heads with a respective one of the raised wiper blades as the carriages moves in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
The invention also concerns a method of wiping plural print heads with plural wiper blades including the step of determining if one of plural counters, each of which counts a qu
Hanabusa Tadashi
Kaneko Masanori
Takemura Makoto
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Hsieh Shih-Wen
Le N.
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