US 10,766,259 B2Granted

Inkjet printing apparatus operable in response to a preceding command

AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorYusuke Arai

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Abstract

A controller of an inkjet printing apparatus is configured such that, in response to receipt of a preceding command, which notifies transmission of a recording command in advance, from an information processing device through the communication device, the controller executes a separating process to move from a covering position to a spaced position, a moving process to move a carriage, from which the cap is separated, from a first position to a second position, a flushing process to cause the inkjet head to eject the ink toward an ink receiver in response to receipt of a recording command instructing recording of an image on the sheet and upon completion of the moving process, and a recording process to cause a conveyer to convey the sheet and cause the inkjet head to eject the ink in accordance with the recording command, in response to completion of the flushing process.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An inkjet printing apparatus, comprising:

a sheet conveyer configured to convey a sheet in a conveying direction;
a carriage configured to move in a main scanning direction which intersect with the conveying direction in an area including a sheet facing area within which the carriage faces the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyer;
an inkjet head mounted on the carriage and configured to eject ink droplets through nozzles formed on the inkjet head;
a cap configured to face the inkjet head when the carriage is located at a first position which is outside the sheet facing area in the main scanning direction, the cap being movable between a covering position and a spaced position, the covering position being a position at which the cap closely contacts the inkjet head and covers the nozzles, the spaced position being a position at which the cap is spaced from the inkjet head;
an ink receiver configured to face the inkjet head when the ink receiver is located at a second position which is outside the sheet facing area in the main scanning direction and different from the first position;
a communication device;
a controller;
and
a memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the controller to:
in response to receipt of a preceding command which is a command notifying transmission of a recording command in advance from an information processing device through the communication device, separate the cap from the covering position to the spaced position and move the carriage from which the cap is spaced from the first position toward the second position;
and
in response to receipt of the recording command which instructs recording of an image on the sheet through the communication device, cause the inkjet head to eject the ink toward the ink receiver, move the carriage from the second position to the sheet facing area, cause the conveyer to convey the sheet, and cause the inkjet head to eject the ink in accordance with the recording command.

9 more elements

An inkjet printing apparatus, comprising:

a sheet conveyer configured to convey a sheet in a conveying direction;
a carriage configured to move in a main scanning direction which intersect with the conveying direction in an area including a sheet facing area within which the carriage faces the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyer;
an inkjet head mounted on the carriage and configured to eject ink droplets through nozzles formed on the inkjet head;
a cap configured to face the inkjet head when the carriage is located at a first position which is outside the sheet facing area in the main scanning direction, the cap being movable between a covering position and a spaced position, the covering position being a position at which the cap closely contacts the inkjet head and covers the nozzles, the spaced position being a position at which the cap is spaced from the inkjet head;
an ink receiver configured to face the inkjet head when the ink receiver is located at a second position which is outside the sheet facing area in the main scanning direction and different from the first position;
a first tray configured to support the sheets;
a second tray configured to support the sheets;
a first conveying roller configured to feed each of the sheets supported by the first tray toward the sheet conveyer;
a second conveying roller configured to feed each of the sheets supported by the second tray;
a lifting mechanism configured to elevate/descend the cap between the covering position and the spaced position;
a motor;
and
a switching mechanism configured to switch an operating state of the switching mechanism among a first state to rotate the first conveying roller, a second state to rotate the second conveying roller and a third state to drive the lifting mechanism,
a communication device;
a controller;
and
a memory storing computer-readable instructions,
wherein, in response to receipt of a preceding command which is a command notifying transmission of a recording command in advance from an information processing device through the communication device, the instructions, when executed, cause the controller to execute:
a separating process to move the cap from the covering position to the spaced position;
and
a moving process to move the carriage from which the cap is spaced from the first position toward the second position;
wherein, in response to receipt of the recording command which instructs recording of an image on the sheet through the communication device, the controller is configured to execute:
a flushing process to cause the inkjet head to eject the ink toward the ink receiver;
a second moving process to cause the carriage to be moved from the second position to the sheet facing area;
and
a recording process to cause the conveyer to convey the sheet and cause the inkjet head to eject the ink in accordance with the recording command, in response to completion of the flushing process,
wherein the recording command indicates one of the first tray and the second tray, and
wherein the controller is further configured to execute:
a first switching process to switch the operating state of the switching mechanism from the third state to the first state in response to receipt of the preceding command from the information processing device through the communication device;
a first conveying process to cause the first conveying roller to convey the sheet supported by the first tray until the sheet reaches the sheet conveyer in response to receipt of the recording command indicating the first tray from the information processing device through the communication device and completion of the first switching process;
and
the recording process in response to completion of the flushing process and the first conveying process;
wherein the recording command indicates an area on the sheet on which an image is initially printed, and
wherein the controller is further configured to execute:
a cueing process to cause the sheet conveyer to convey the sheet in the conveying direction until the area indicated by the recording command reaches a position at which the area could face the inkjet head in response to completion of one of the first conveying process and the second conveying process, and
the recording process in response to completion of the cueing process.

33 more elements

An inkjet printing apparatus, comprising:

a sheet conveyer configured to convey a sheet in a conveying direction;
a carriage configured to move in a main scanning direction which intersect with the conveying direction in an area including a sheet facing area within which the carriage faces the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyer;
an inkjet head mounted on the carriage and configured to eject ink droplets through nozzles formed on the inkjet head;
a cap configured to face the inkjet head when the carriage is located at a first position which is outside the sheet facing area in the main scanning direction, the cap being movable between a covering position and a spaced position, the covering position being a position at which the cap closely contacts the inkjet head and covers the nozzles, the spaced position being a position at which the cap is spaced from the inkjet head;
an ink receiver configured to face the inkjet head when the ink receiver is located at a second position which is outside the sheet facing area in the main scanning direction and different from the first position;
a first tray configured to support the sheets;
a second tray configured to support the sheets;
a first conveying roller configured to feed each of the sheets supported by the first tray toward the sheet conveyer;
a second conveying roller configured to feed each of the sheets supported by the second tray;
a lifting mechanism configured to elevate/descend the cap between the covering position and the spaced position;
a motor;
and
a switching mechanism configured to switch an operating state of the switching mechanism among a first state to rotate the first conveying roller, a second state to rotate the second conveying roller and a third state to drive the lifting mechanism,
a communication device;
a controller;
and
a memory storing computer-readable instructions,
wherein, in response to receipt of a preceding command which is a command notifying transmission of a recording command in advance from an information processing device through the communication device;
the instructions, when executed;
cause the controller to execute:
a separating process to move the cap from the covering position to the spaced position;
and
a moving process to move the carriage from which the cap is spaced from the first position toward, the second position;
wherein, in response to receipt of the recording command which instructs recording of an image on the sheet through the communication device, the controller is configured to execute:
a flushing process to cause the inkjet head to eject the ink toward the ink receiver;
a second moving process to cause the carriage to be moved from the second position to the sheet facing area;
and
a recording process to cause the conveyer to convey the sheet and cause the inkjet head to eject the ink in accordance with the recording command, in response to completion of the flushing process,
wherein the recording command indicates one of the first tray and the second tray,
wherein the controller is further configured to execute:
a first switching process to switch the operating state of the switching mechanism from the third state to the first state in response to receipt of the preceding command from the information processing device through the communication device;
a first conveying process to cause the first conveying roller to convey the sheet supported by the first tray until the sheet reaches the sheet conveyer in response to receipt of the recording command indicating the first tray from the information processing device through the communication device and completion of the first switching process;
and
the recording process in response to completion of the flushing process and the first conveying process,
wherein the switching mechanism comprises:
a driving gear configured to be movable among multiple positions which are spaced in the main scanning direction depending on the operating state of the switching mechanism, the driving gear being rotated by the motor;
a first driven gear configured to engage with the driving gear in the first state to transmit a rotational force of the motor to the first conveying roller;
a second driven gear configured to engage with the driving gear in the second state to transmit the rotational force of the motor to the second conveying roller;
and
a third driven gear configured to engage with the driving gear in the third state to transmit the rotational force of the motor to the lifting mechanism, and
wherein the controller is further configured to execute a quick reciprocation to rotate the motor in both forward and reverse directions repeatedly.

38 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/029,722Filed 9 Jul 2018 · continuation
Priority: JP 2016-01673929 Jan 2016
Published: US 2019/0001683 A13 Jan 2019
Granted: 8 Sep 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B41J 2/16508
Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out: connected with the printer frame
B41J 2/16517
Prevention or detection of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles: cleaning of print head nozzles
B41J 2/16526
By driving a fluid through the nozzles to the outside thereof, e.g. by applying pressure to the inside or vacuum at the outside of the print head:…
B41J 23/025
Mechanical power drives: using a single or common power source for two or more functions

Family

Application15/416,804Parent of this continuation · filed 26 Jan 2017
US 2019/0001683 A1Pre-grant publication · published 3 Jan 2019
US 10,016,980 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0217186 A1Published application
US 10,766,259 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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