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. 21, 2000
Filed:
Aug. 12, 1996
Mutsuo Fukuoka, Ama-gun, JP;
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya, JP;
Abstract
An ink jet printer having an ink jet head, a cap covering the ink jet head, and a suction pump for recovering the ink jetting condition of the ink jet head by adding negative pressure to the cap and sucking the inferior ink from the ink jet head. A coil spring forces the cap to contact the ink jet head while rail members having a cam groove control the contact force between the cap and the ink jet head. The contact force is controlled in at least two continuous stages. In the first stage, a first suction operation is conducted while the cap and ink jet head are contacting each other under a contact force having a first strength where a space formed between the cap and ink jet head does not communicate with the atmosphere. The second suction operation is performed after the first suction operation while the cap and ink jet head are partially contacting each other under a contact force having a second strength different from the first strength where the space is partially communicating with the atmosphere.