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:
May. 22, 2001
Filed:
Oct. 31, 1997
Kazuhisa Kawakami, Nagano, JP;
Nobutoshi Ohtsuka, Nagano, JP;
Seiji Mochizuki, Nagano, JP;
Shigenori Fukasawa, Nagano, JP;
Takeo Seino, Nagano, JP;
Kazunaga Suzuki, Nagano, JP;
Masahiro Nakamura, Nagano, JP;
Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
An ink jet recording apparatus includes: a timer (,) that outputs a signal upon measurement of a predetermined time that is longer than a predetermined cycle during a period for which recording heads (,) are released from a cap member (uncapped period) after a print command has been outputted; and a flushing control means (,) that control to move the recording heads (,) to an ink receiving means so that the recording heads jet ink droplets, in response to the signal from the timer (,), and to reset the timer (,). If the predetermined time set to the timer (,) is up during uncapped period, the flushing control means (,) flushes a maximum number of ink droplets, and upon end of a single round of printing, the flushing control means (,) flushes a number of ink droplets corresponding to a time measured by the timer (,).