Incremental printing of symbolic information – Ink jet – Ejector mechanism
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-13
2004-11-09
Hsieh, Shih-Wen (Department: 2861)
Incremental printing of symbolic information
Ink jet
Ejector mechanism
C347S030000, C347S032000, C347S033000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06814424
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application Nos. 2001-70522, filed Nov. 13, 2001, and 2002-54540, filed Sep. 10, 2002, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a maintenance apparatus of an inkjet printer having ink ejection nozzles, a capping member, and a wiping member, and more particularly to, a maintenance apparatus of an inkjet printer performing a stable maintenance operation as well as being minimized in size and a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an inkjet printer includes a paper feeder supplying paper one by one, a paper transporter transporting the paper supplied from the paper feeder one line at a time, a printing part printing data on the paper transported by the paper transporter, a paper-discharging part discharging the paper printed by the printing part, and a maintenance apparatus cleaning a surface of an ink ejection nozzle of at least one printing head, storing ink spat in a cleaning operation, and closing up the surface of the ink ejection nozzle when the printing head is not used.
Among these components of the inkjet printer, the maintenance apparatus maintains and preserves the ink ejection nozzle of the printing head in a normal state and is an apparatus essential to ensure the printing head to perform a good printing function.
The maintenance apparatus generally has a structure capping and wiping the surface of the ink ejection nozzle by using a cap and a wiper that are mounted on a moving member. The moving member disposed to be moved along tilted guide slots is ascended and descended by a moving force of a carriage in which the printing head is mounted.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, there is illustrated an example of the inkjet printer in which a conventional maintenance apparatus
10
capping and wiping a surface of an ink ejection nozzle
3
by using a moving force of a carriage
1
is mounted.
The maintenance apparatus
10
is disposed at a maintenance area to clean and close up the surface of the ink ejection nozzle
3
of a printing head
2
using a wiper
22
and a cap
34
, respectively, when the printing head
2
mounted in the carriage
1
is in a standby mode or not used for a long time after completing a printing operation of ejecting ink on paper by moving right and left in a printing area by a motor (not shown) driving the printing head
2
.
As shown in
FIGS. 2 through 3B
, the maintenance apparatus
10
comprises a capping member
30
moving from a standby position, as shown in
FIG. 3A
, opening the surface of the ink ejection nozzle
3
to a capping position, as shown in
FIG. 3B
, closing up the surface of the ink ejection nozzle
3
by ascending by the moving force of the carriage
1
when the carriage
1
is moved to a maintenance area, a wiping member
20
vertically ascending and descending a wiper
22
wiping the surface of ink ejection nozzle
3
by being rotated right and left by a movement of the capping member
30
, and an elastic member
40
elastically returning the capping member
30
from the capping position to the standby position when the carriage
1
is moved to the printing area.
The capping member
30
includes a cap case
31
having a pusher
32
projecting upwardly from one side of an upper surface thereof to be pushed by the carriage
1
and guide projections
38
formed on both side walls thereof to be respectively inserted in first guide slots
15
of a housing
11
; and a cap
34
disposed on the upper surface of the cap case
31
.
The cap
34
formed of a rubber material is fixed on a top of an axis part
37
enclosed by a spring
33
. Accordingly, the cap
34
is pushed upwardly by an elastic force of the spring
33
to close up the surface of the ink ejection nozzle
3
of the printing head
2
during a capping operation.
The wiping member
20
includes a wiper body
21
having a wiper
22
formed of a rubber material and projecting upwardly therefrom and wiper axis parts
23
projecting from both sides thereof to be inserted in wiper axis-receiving slots
14
of the housing
11
; and an operating rack
24
disposed below the wiper body
21
and having an operating lever
25
which is moved right and left by the cap case
31
of the capping member
30
to ascend and descend the wiper body
21
.
The elastic member
40
is a tension spring having one end fixed to a spring hanging piece
16
formed on a bottom of the housing
11
, and the other end fixed to a spring hanging hook
36
formed on a lower part of the cap case
31
.
In a maintenance operation, the printing head
2
mounted in the carriage
1
is moved to the maintenance area after completing the printing operation of ejecting ink on paper by moving right and left in the printing area by the motor driving the printing head
2
, as shown in FIG.
3
A.
When the carriage
1
moves to the maintenance area, the printing head
2
mounted in the carriage
1
passes over the wiper
22
of the wiping member
20
. However, at this time, since the wiper
22
is maintained in a descended position, the surface of the ink ejection nozzle
3
of the printing head
2
is not wiped.
After that, when the carriage
1
continuously moves right and is disposed above the cap
34
, the carriage
1
pushes a pusher
32
right against a tension force of the tension spring
40
as shown in a dotted line in FIG.
3
A. As a result, the cap case
31
is moved right together with the carriage
1
and at the same time ascends by the guide projections
38
slid along the first guide slots
15
.
Accordingly, the cap
34
fixed on the upper surface of the cap case
31
is gradually raised together with the cap case
31
and then disposed in the capping position to completely close up the surface of the ink ejection nozzle
3
to prevent ink from being dried off.
Also, at this time, a sliding end
26
a of the operation lever
25
is slid from a right end to a left end of a second guide slot
35
and then pulled right by the left end thereof. Accordingly, the operating rack
24
is rotated clockwise until being stopped at a vertical position by a stopping projection (not shown). Consequently, the wiper body
21
having the wiper
22
formed on the upper surface thereof is engaged with a raising portion
24
a
of the operating rack
24
and thereby disposed in a position (
FIG. 3A
) by ascending upwardly as much as a vertical height raised by the raising portion
24
a.
Thereafter, when a printing command is generated, the carriage
1
is moved in a direction toward the printing area disposed on a left side of the position shown in
FIG. 3B
to move away from the cap case
31
.
Accordingly, the cap case
31
is lowered since the guide projections
38
are slid left along the first guide slots
15
by a restoring force of the tension spring
40
.
At this time, the sliding end
25
a
of the operation lever
25
is slid from the left end to the right end of the second guide slot
35
and then pushed left by the right end thereof. Accordingly, the operating rack
24
is rotated counterclockwise.
As a result, the wiper body
21
descends after being maintained in an ascending position as much as a width of the raising portion
24
a
of the operating rack
24
.
In a state that the wiper body
21
is maintained in the ascended position, when the carriage
1
continuously moves to make the printing head
2
to pass above the wiper body
21
, the surface of the ink ejection nozzle
3
is wiped by the wiper
22
of the wiper body
21
which is maintained in the ascending position.
After the surface of the ink ejection nozzle
3
is wiped, when the operating rack
24
is further rotated counterclockwise by the right end of the second guide slot
35
pushing left the sliding end
25
a
and thereby the wiper body
21
is engaged with a lowering portion
24
b
of the operating rack
24
, the wiper body
21
is lowered by the lowering portion
24
b
to be disposed in
Hsieh Shih-Wen
Samsung Electronics Co,. Ltd.
Staas & Halsey , LLP
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