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US 12,654,451 B2Granted
Head maintenance device and liquid discharge apparatus
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsIsamu Kubo, Muneyuki Okeguchi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A head maintenance device includes a housing, a wiper, and a cap. The housing is detachably attachable to a conveyor of a liquid discharge apparatus. The conveyor conveys a medium in one direction. The wiper is disposed in the housing to wipe a nozzle face of a liquid discharge head of the liquid discharge apparatus. The cap is disposed in the housing to cover nozzles arrayed on the nozzle face of the liquid discharge head in the one direction.
Claims20
A head maintenance device comprising:
- a housing detachably attachable to a conveyor of a liquid discharge apparatus, the conveyor to convey a medium in one direction;
- a wiper in the housing to wipe a nozzle face of a liquid discharge head of the liquid discharge apparatus;
- and
- multiple caps in the housing to cover nozzles arrayed on the nozzle face of the liquid discharge head in the one direction,
- wherein:
- the wiper extends in another direction intersecting the one direction in the housing,
- the multiple caps extend in the one direction in the housing,
- the wiper and the cap in the housing are along a moving direction of the housing relative to the nozzle face of the liquid discharge head,
- the multiple caps are arrayed in said another direction, and
- the wiper overlaps with the multiple caps in said another direction.
7 more elements
A head maintenance device comprising:
- a housing detachably attachable to a conveyor of a liquid discharge apparatus, the conveyor to convey a medium in one direction;
- a wiper in the housing to wipe a nozzle face of a liquid discharge head of the liquid discharge apparatus;
- and
- a cap in the housing to cover nozzles arrayed on the nozzle face of the liquid discharge head in the one direction,
- wherein:
- the wiper includes an absorber secured on the housing,
- the absorber includes a hole, and
- the housing includes a boss fittable into the hole.
5 more elements
A head maintenance device comprising:
- a housing detachably attachable to a conveyor of a liquid discharge apparatus, the conveyor to convey a medium in one direction;
- a wiper in the housing to wipe a nozzle face of a liquid discharge head of the liquid discharge apparatus;
- and
- a cap in the housing to cover nozzles arrayed on the nozzle face of the liquid discharge head in the one direction,
- wherein:
- the wiper extends in another direction intersecting the one direction in the housing,
- the cap extends in the one direction in the housing,
- the head maintenance device further comprises another wiper extending in the one direction in the housing,
- the housing has a longitudinal side in said another direction parallel to the wiper,
- the cap is at one end of the longitudinal side of the housing, and
- said another wiper is at another end of the longitudinal side of the housing.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.