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. 11, 2010
Filed:
Oct. 26, 2005
Tatsuya Shindo, Nagoya, JP;
Kiyoharu Hayakawa, Nagoya, JP;
Katsunori Nishida, Aichi-gun, JP;
Hikaru Kaga, Aisai, JP;
Tatsuya Shindo, Nagoya, JP;
Kiyoharu Hayakawa, Nagoya, JP;
Katsunori Nishida, Aichi-gun, JP;
Hikaru Kaga, Aisai, JP;
Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken, JP;
Abstract
An apparatus for maintaining a recording head which has a nozzle opening in a nozzle-defining surface thereof, and ejects, from the nozzle, a droplet of an ink toward a recording medium, in a state in which the recording head is separate from a remaining portion of a recording device. The apparatus includes a cover member which is adapted to air-tightly contact the recording head to cover the nozzle-defining surface of the recording head such that a space is formed between the cover member and the nozzle-defining surface. The apparatus further includes a selectively communicating device which can selectively take (a) a first state thereof in which the selectively communicating device allows the space to communicate with an atmosphere so that substantially no difference is produced between an air pressure in the space and an atmospheric pressure, when the cover member is air-tightly contacted with the recording head; and (b) a second state thereof in which the selectively communicating device shuts off the communication between the space and the atmosphere, and thereby air-tightly closes the space, after the cover member is air-tightly contacted with the recording head.