Hewlett-packard Company

Thomas J Purwins

Kedrich J Jackson

William Scott Osborne

John H Dion

James A Harvey

Earl L Barton

A wet wiping system is provided that is particularly useful for wiping an inkjet printhead that uses pigment based ink. A wet wiping method has an admitting step, where ink is admitted though printhead nozzles, either by firing the inkjet cartridge with a low thermal turn on energy, or through capillary action provided by placing the printhead in contact with a wicking pad. In a dissolving step, any accumulated ink residue adjacent the nozzles is dissolved with the admitted ink. In a wiping step, the admitted ink and any dissolved ink residue is wiped from the printhead. One wet wiper has a cellulose acetate polyester blade supported on at least one side by a foam block. The wicking pad may have a ramped portion for gradually contacting the printhead, or a domed wicking surface that is compressed upon contact with the printhead to facilitate the capillary action.

Wet wiping system for inkjet printheads

An ink jet print head wiping apparatus having a wiper blade comprising a flexible elastomeric matrix containing particles of a harder material than the matrix, such that the particles resist wear to prolong the useful life of the wiper, the particle material may be a non abrasive but hard polymer such as polyethylene, which may be bonded to the matrix with a coupling agent such as silane.

Particle-reinforced wiper for ink jet print head

A wet capping system is provided for inkjet printheads used in various inkjet printing mechanisms, such as printers, facsimile machines, scanners, plotters and the like. A wicking cap has an elastomeric body with an ink wicking area surrounded by a sealing lip to seal a region of the pen face surrounding the printhead nozzles. Optionally, the wicking area is lined with an elastomer or a compliant thin film, such as a sheet of mylar film, to define a wicking surface. The wicking surface draws ink from the pen through capillary action. While the pen is capped, the extracted ink dissolves any ink solids or residue accumulated around the nozzles. While useful with conventional dye based inks, this wet capping system is especially useful to remove the tough residue left on a printhead by pigment based inks.

Wet capping system for inkjet printheads

A method and apparatus clears blocked nozzles in an inkjet primer printhead by placing the printhead in a position relative to a service station such that ink which is expelled from the nozzles is captured without reaching the medium upon which printing is to occur. Ink is expelled for a first time segment from each nozzle in a first pattern for a number of nozzle expulsions. Following the first time segment, a pause period is entered. Following the pause, ink is expelled in a second time segment from each nozzle in a second pattern for a second number of nozzle expulsions before the printer enters the print status mode.

Inkjet printhead having intermittent nozzle clearing

A wet wiping system is provided that is particularly useful for wiping an inkjet printhead that uses pigment based ink. A wet wiping method comprises an admitting step, where ink is admitted though printhead nozzles, either by firing the inkjet cartridge with a low thermal turn on energy, or through capillary action provided by placing the printhead in contact with a wicking pad. In a dissolving step, any accumulated ink residue adjacent the nozzles is dissolved with the admitted ink. In a wiping step, the admitted ink and any dissolved ink residue is wiped from the printhead. One wet wiper has a cellulose acetate polyester blade supported on at least one side by a foam block. The wicking pad may have a ramped portion for gradually contacting the printhead, or a domed wicking surface that is compressed upon contact with the printhead to facilitate the capillary action.

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Vancouver, WA, United States of America

Thomas J Purwins