Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-21
2001-09-04
Le, N. (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S036000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06283577
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus and a method of flushing a recording head of the same.
2. Prior Art
Conventionally, in an ink jet recording apparatus, when a predetermined time period elapses after execution of print processing, a flushing operation is carried out by ejecting ink droplets from nozzles of a recording head, so as to prevent the nozzles from being clogged. In the case of carrying out the flushing operation in the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, as shown in
FIG. 1
, a carriage
101
having a recording head
100
mounted thereon is moved to a position above a capping device
102
arranged in a non-printing region outside a range of motion of the carriage
101
for printing and then ink droplets are ejected toward the capping device
102
. The range of motion of the carriage
101
for printing is a range within which the carriage
101
moves to effect printing on a recording medium
103
. The range has opposite side zones thereof spreading outwardly from locations opposed to respective opposite side edges of the recording medium
103
such that the range includes regions through which the carriage
101
passes during its acceleration/deceleration and regions for carrying out an off-area printing, i.e. printing effected on a side edge of the recording medium
103
and an area outward of the same.
In the conventional ink jet recording apparatus, however, when a flushing operation is carried out during execution of the printing process, it is required to move the carriage
101
from the range of motion for printing to the non-printing region for flushing, and then return the carriage
101
to the range of motion for printing, so as to resume printing. Therefore, a time period required for the printing process is inevitably prolonged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus and a method of flushing a recording head of the ink jet recording apparatus which make it possible to carry out flushing without suspending a printing process.
To attain the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
feeding means for feeding a recording medium along a predetermined feeding passage in a predetermined feeding direction;
an ink jet recording head arranged in a manner movable along a width of the recording medium, in directions orthogonal to the predetermined feeding direction, for effecting printing on the recording medium fed by the feeding means while moving within a range of printing motion which is larger than the width of the recording medium; and
control means for controlling the ink jet recording head such that the ink jet recording head ejects ink droplets toward an area outside the recording medium within the range of printing motion, to carry out a flushing operation of ejecting ink droplets regardless of contents to be printed, during a printing process.
Preferably, the ink jet recording apparatus further comprises an ink absorber arranged at a location opposed to the ink jet recording head via the predetermined feeding passage, for absorbing ink droplets ejected from the ink jet recording head during execution of the flushing operation.
Preferably, the recording medium is a tape-like recording medium.
More preferably, the tape-like recording medium includes a printing surface having a predetermined width and a waste ink-absorbing surface formed along at least one side edge of the printing surface, and the control means controls the ink jet recording head such that ink droplets are ejected toward the waste ink-absorbing surface during execution of the flushing operation.
Preferably, the control means causes the ink jet recording head to carry out the flushing operation during motion of the ink jet recording head for printing.
To attain the above object, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of carrying out flushing of an ink jet recording head of an ink jet recording apparatus by ejecting ink droplets regardless of contents to be printed during a printing process, the ink jet recording apparatus including feeding means for feeding a recording medium along a predetermined feeding passage in a predetermined feeding direction, and the ink jet recording head arranged in a manner movable along a width of the recording medium, in directions orthogonal to the predetermined feeding direction, for effecting printing on the recording medium fed by the feeding means while moving within a range of printing motion which is larger than the width of the recording medium.
The method is characterized in that the ink jet recording head ejects ink droplets toward an area outside the recording medium within the range of printing motion.
Preferably, the flushing is carried out during motion of the ink jet recording head for printing.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 0 616 893 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 7-009712 (1995-01-01), None
patent: 7-017087 (1995-01-01), None
Kosaka Zenta
Otsuka Nobutoshi
Hogan & Hartson LLP.
Hsieh Shih-Wen
Le N.
Seiko Epson Corporation
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