# US 12,594,765 B2 · Printer

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- Number: US 12,594,765 B2
- Document ID: US12594765B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/456,907
- Filed: 2023-08-28
- Published: 2024-03-28
- Granted: 2026-04-07
- Earliest claimed: 2022-09-22
- Assignees: SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Screen Holdings Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Koji Kanki
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12594765B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/16552: {using cleaning fluids}
- B41J 2/1721: {Collecting waste ink; Collectors therefor}
- B41J 29/17: Cleaning arrangements
- B41J 2/16508: {connected with the printer frame}
- B41J 2002/1655: {with wiping surface parallel with nozzle plate and mounted on reels, e.g. cleaning ribbon cassettes}
- B41J 2002/16558: {Using cleaning liquid for wet wiping}
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A technique allows satisfactorily cleaning ejection heads with a cleaning liquid while protecting ink meniscus in nozzles. A printer includes an ejection head, a cleaning-liquid block, and a receptacle. The ejection head has an ink ejecting plane that includes nozzles as openings and ejects ink from the nozzles. The cleaning block has a head opposing plane that includes an ejection hole as an opening. The cleaning block ejects a cleaning liquid in an inclination direction inclined relative to the ink ejecting plane. The receptacle is located below the cleaning block and receives the cleaning liquid ejected from the ejection hole.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A printer comprising:
at least one ejection head that has a bottom surface comprising:
an ink ejecting plane, which includes a nozzle as an opening and is configured to eject ink from the nozzle; and
a raised plane that extends below the ink ejecting plane;
a cleaning-liquid ejector that has a head opposing plane including an ejection hole, the ejection hole ejecting cleaning liquid in a direction inclined relative to the ink ejecting plane, wherein the cleaning liquid cleans the bottom surface of the ejection head;
a suction part that sucks a liquid through a suction hole, wherein the suction hole is open in the head opposing plane; and
a receptacle that is located below the cleaning-liquid ejector and that receives the cleaning liquid ejected from the ejection hole,
wherein the head opposing plane of the cleaning-liquid ejector is located below and faces the ink ejecting plane when the cleaning liquid is ejected, and
wherein the suction hole faces only the raised plane from below when the cleaning liquid is ejected.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a motion driver that moves the cleaning-liquid ejector to one side in a first direction relative to the ejection head in a state in which the head opposing plane of the cleaning-liquid ejector faces the ink ejecting plane of the ejection head.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The printer according to claim 2, wherein the at least one ejection head includes a plurality of ejection heads arranged in the first direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The printer according to claim 2, wherein the inclination direction is a direction inclined in the first direction from the head opposing plane toward the ink ejecting plane.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The printer according to claim 4, wherein the inclination direction is a direction inclined to one side in the first direction from the head opposing plane toward the ink ejecting plane.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The printer according to claim 1, wherein the inclination direction is a direction inclined from the head opposing plane to the ink ejecting plane in a direction from the ejection hole to the suction hole.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The printer according to claim 2 further comprising at least one plate spring that biases the head opposing plane of the cleaning-liquid ejector in abutment with the raised plane of the ejection head and brings the cleaning-liquid ejector into abutment with the ejection head,
wherein the motion driver moves the ejection head and the cleaning-liquid ejector relative to each other in a horizontal direction, and
wherein the motion driver moves the cleaning-liquid ejector and the ejection head relative to each other while the head opposing plane does not come into contact with the ink ejecting plane.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The printer according to claim 2, wherein the inclination direction is inclined to the one side in the first direction from the head opposing plane toward the nozzle surface, and the suction hole is located on the one side in the first direction relative to the ejection hole.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The printer according to claim 8, further comprising a wiping unit that wipes the ink adhering to the raised planes with a sheet, wherein the wiping unit is located on the other side in the first direction, which is the opposite side to the one side, relative to the cleaning-liquid ejector.