# US 11,897,265 B2 · Cleaning liquid, set, ink-jet recording apparatus and cleaning method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,265 B2 - Document ID: US11897265B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/538,243 - Filed: 2021-11-30 - Published: 2022-04-14 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2019-05-31 - Assignees: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Taro Nagano; Hirofumi Kuriki; Shunichi Higashiyama - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897265B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/16552: {using cleaning fluids} - C11D 1/721: {End blocked ethers} - C11D 3/2044: {linear} - C11D 3/2068: {Ethers} - C11D 3/43: Solvents - B41J 2002/16558: {Using cleaning liquid for wet wiping} - C11D 2111/20: Industrial or commercial equipment, e.g. reactors, tubes or engines - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS - C11D: DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL ## Abstract There is provided a cleaning liquid usable for cleaning of an ink-jet recording apparatus, the cleaning liquid including: a first water-soluble organic solvent, a vapor pressure at 20° C. of the first water-soluble organic solvent being not less than 7 Pa; a second water-soluble organic solvent, a vapor pressure at 20° C. of the second water-soluble organic solvent being not more than 1 Pa; a nonionic surfactant; and water. The cleaning liquid satisfies the following conditions (1) to (3): Condition (1): 10≤A+B≤60; Condition (2): A/B≥1; Condition (3): (A+B)/C≥10. In the conditions (1) to (3), A: a content amount (% by mass) of the first water-soluble organic solvent, B: a content amount (% by mass) of the second water-soluble organic solvent, and C: a content amount (% by mass) of the nonionic surfactant. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cleaning liquid usable for cleaning of an ink-jet recording apparatus, the cleaning liquid comprising: a first water-soluble organic solvent, a vapor pressure at 20° C. of the first water-soluble organic solvent being not less than 7 Pa; a second water-soluble organic solvent, a vapor pressure at 20° C. of the second water-soluble organic solvent being not more than 1 Pa; a nonionic surfactant; and water, wherein the cleaning liquid satisfies the following conditions (1) to (3): 10≤A+B≤60 Condition (1): A/B≥1 Condition (2): (A+B)/C≥10, Condition (3): in the conditions (1) to (3), A: a content amount (% by mass) of the first water-soluble organic solvent in an entire amount of the cleaning liquid, B: a content amount (% by mass) of the second water-soluble organic solvent in the entire amount of the cleaning liquid, and C: a content amount (% by mass) of the nonionic surfactant in the entire amount of the cleaning liquid. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the first water-soluble organic solvent includes at least one selected from the group consisting of: propylene glycol, ethylene glycol and 1,3-butanediol. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the second water-soluble organic solvent includes at least one selected from the group consisting of: glycerol, diethylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, 1,5-pentanediol, triethylene glycol-n-butyl ether and tripropylene glycol-n-butyl ether. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cleaning liquid according to claim 1, wherein the nonionic surfactant includes an acetylene glycol-based surfactant having an ethylene oxide skeleton. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The cleaning liquid according to claim 1, the cleaning liquid being usable together with a water-based ink for ink-jet recording including water-insoluble particles and water. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The cleaning liquid according to claim 1, the cleaning liquid being usable for cleaning of at least one selected from the group consisting of: an ink-jet head, an ink channel and a wiper configured to make contact with a nozzle-formation surface of the ink-jet head and to wipe off an ink from the nozzle-formation surface, in the ink-jet recording apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A set comprising: the cleaning liquid as defined in claim 1; and a water-based ink for ink-jet recording including water-insoluble particles and water. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) An ink-jet recording apparatus comprising: an ink storage configured to store an ink therein; an ink-jet head configured to discharge the ink stored in the ink storage; an ink channel provided between the ink storage and the ink-jet head; and a cleaning liquid-supplying mechanism configured to supply, to the ink-jet head and the ink channel, the cleaning liquid as defined in claim 1. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The ink-jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a wiper configured to make contact with a nozzle-formation surface of the ink-jet head and to wipe off the ink from the nozzle-formation surface, wherein the cleaning liquid-supplying mechanism is configured to supply the cleaning liquid to the wiper. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The ink-jet recording apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a drying mechanism configured to dry a recording part recorded with the ink. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A cleaning method of cleaning an ink-jet recording apparatus including: an ink storage, an ink-jet head, an ink channel provided between the ink storage and the ink-jet head, and a cleaning liquid-supplying mechanism, the cleaning method comprising supplying the cleaning liquid as defined in claim 1 to the ink-jet head and the ink channel, by using the cleaning liquid-supplying mechanism. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The cleaning method according to claim 11, wherein the ink-jet recording apparatus further includes a wiper configured to make contact with a nozzle-formation surface of the ink-jet head and to wipe off an ink from the nozzle-formation surface; and the cleaning method further comprises supplying the cleaning liquid to the wiper by the cleaning liquid-supplying mechanism.