Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-24
2004-05-11
Hsieh, Shih-wen (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S029000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06733107
ABSTRACT:
This application incorporates by reference of Taiwan application Serial No. 090212649, filed Jul. 25, 2001.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to an ink-jet printing module, and more particularly to an ink-jet printing module having a cleaning device and a covering device at two sides of the printing platform.
2. Description of the Related Art
The art of ink-jet technology is relatively well developed. Commercial products such as computer printers, graphics plotters, copiers, and facsimile machines employ ink-jet technology for producing hard copy. The basics of this technology are disclosed, for example, in various articles and patents. One of the main components of the printing machine is a printing module. A conventional printing module is illustrated in FIG.
1
A and FIG.
1
B.
Referring to FIG.
1
A and
FIG. 1B
, the top view and the side view of the conventional ink-jet printing module are shown, respectively. The ink-jet printing module
100
includes a print-head
102
, a guiding bar
104
, a printing platform
106
, two sides
112
a
and
112
b
, a cleaning device
108
and a covering device
110
. The side
112
a
and the side
112
b
are opposite to each other. The guiding bar
104
is located between the side
112
a
and the side
112
b
. One end of the guiding bar
104
is coupled to the side
112
a
and the other end of the guiding bar
104
is coupled to the side
112
b
. The print-head
102
is movable along the guiding bar
104
so that the print-head
102
is able to move backwards and forwards in the direction indicated by the arrow
150
. The bottom surface of the print-head
102
is a nozzle surface
102
a
for ink jetting. The printing platform
106
is disposed approximately at the bottom center of the printing module
200
.
During or after each printing, ink residue may remain at the nozzle surface
102
a
. When the ink residue accumulates to a certain amount, it may drop onto the printed document and cause contamination. If the ink residue gets dry on the nozzle surface
102
a
, nozzle clogging may occur. Therefore, a cleaning device
108
and a covering device
110
are necessary. The cleaning device
108
is typically a wiper to wipe away the ink residue on the nozzle surface
102
a
. The covering device
110
is typically a cap. The cap
110
is used for providing print head protection and preventing the nozzle from clogging by capping during non-use.
The conventional cleaning device and covering device are formed in a unitary unit, that is, a two-in-one device. The unitary cleaning and covering device is positioned adjacent to one of the two sides of the printing module
100
. As a result, the space
160
between the other side
112
a
and printing platform
106
is left empty. Consequently, the printing module
100
as a whole is unbalanced and its sized is hard to reduce. Furthermore, even only one of the wiper and cap wears out, the whole two-in-one device needs to be replaced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an ink-jet printing module having a cleaning device and a covering device respectively at two sides of the printing platform. In this invention, the space at the both sides of the printing platform can be effectively used. Consequently; the whole size of the printing mechanism can be reduced.
It is another object of the invention to provide an ink-jet printing module, positioned in an ink-jet printing mechanism, wherein the ink-jet printing module has a first side, a second side opposite to the first side, and a guiding bar between the first side and the second side, a print-head, a cleaning device, a covering device, and a printing platform. The print-head is movable along the guiding bar. The cleaning device for cleaning the print-head is located at a bottom of the ink-jet printing module and adjacent to an interior of the first side. The covering device for covering the print-head is located at the bottom of the ink-jet printing module and adjacent to an interior of the second side. The printing platform is located at the bottom of the ink-jet printing module and between the cleaning device and the covering device. The cleaning device cleans the print-head while the print-head moves to the first side, and the covering device covers the print-head while the print-head moves to the second side.
The printing mechanism can be used in an ink-jet printer, an ink-jet photocopier, and an ink-jet facsimile machine.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 6139128 (2000-10-01), Magirl et al.
Benq Corporation
Hsieh Shih-wen
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