Ultrasonic liquid wiper for ink jet printhead maintenance

Details Ultrasonic liquid wiper for ink jet printhead maintenance Ultrasonic liquid wiper for ink jet printhead maintenance

1994-10-13

1996-11-12

Barlow, Jr., John E.

Incremental printing of symbolic information

Ink jet

Ejector mechanism

134 1, 347 28, B41J 2165

Patent

active

055744850

ABSTRACT:
An ultrasonic liquid wiper for an ink jet printer maintenance station has a cleaning nozzle confrontingly aligned but spaced from printhead nozzles suspected of having viscous plugs of partially dried ink. A cleaning solution is held within the cleaning nozzle by surface tension to form a meniscus and is caused to bulge toward into contact with the printhead nozzle face and form a bridge of cleaning solution therewith. In addition to dissolving ink, the cleaning solution is ultrasonically excited by a piezoelectric material immediately upstream of the cleaning nozzle to provide a high frequency energized liquid wiper to facilitate viscous plug removal without having physical contact with the printhead nozzle face, thereby preventing wear of any hydrophobic coating on the nozzle face. A vacuum nozzle is positioned on each side of the cleaning nozzle to remove the cleaning solution deposited on the nozzle face, together with any ink dissolved therein. The cleaning nozzle optionally dwells for predetermined time periods to more effectively loosen and/or dissolve the viscous plugs of ink. The cleaning nozzles may have different concave shapes to aid in the ultrasonic cleaning action of the cleaning solution.

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patent: 5198054 (1993-03-01), Drake et al.
patent: 5250962 (1993-10-01), Fisher et al.
patent: 5304814 (1994-04-01), Markham
patent: 5339842 (1994-08-01), Bok

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