The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 19, 1996
Filed:
Nov. 15, 1993
Donald P Curran, Jr, Rochester, NY (US);
Lonnie J Pollocks, Jr, Rochester, NY (US);
David P Breemes, Sr, Palmyra, NY (US);
Leonard M Carreira, Penfield, NY (US);
Thomas J Trenchard, Macedon, NY (US);
Xerox Corporation, Stamford, CT (US);
Abstract
A cleaning apparatus for removing accumulated waste ink from a service or maintenance station of an ink jet printer includes a housing that defines a fluid storage chamber, and at least one output aperture that is formed in a wall of the housing, and communicates with the storage chamber. The cleaning apparatus further includes a cleaning liquid that is stored in the fluid storage chamber for ejecting through the at least one output aperture. The cleaning liquid advantageously includes ink dissolving compositions for dissolving thickened or dried ink waste and other contaminants that have undesirably accumulated in portions of the service or maintenance station. The method of cleaning the service or maintenance station of an ink jet printer includes (a) temporarily infusing waste ink and contamination-collecting portions of the service or maintenance station with a cleaning liquid that includes ink dissolving compositions, and (b) then purging or flushing out such cleaning liquid from the service or maintenance station.