# US 2010/0165041 A1 · Liquid ejection apparatus

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- Number: US 2010/0165041 A1
- Document ID: US20100165041A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/646,696
- Filed: 2009-12-23
- Published: 2010-07-01
- Earliest claimed: 2008-12-26
- Assignees: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hiroto Sugahara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100165041A1

## CPC

- B41J 2/16532: {by applying vacuum only}
- B41J 2/1721: {Collecting waste ink; Collectors therefor}
- B41J 11/00214: {using UV radiation}
- B41J 29/38: Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS

## Abstract

A liquid ejection apparatus includes: a liquid ejection head which ejects photo-curable liquid from nozzles; a first light applicator which applies light to an ejection target having received liquid ejected by the liquid ejection head; a waste tank which reserves therein liquid discharged from the liquid ejection head; and a second light applicator which applies light to liquid in the waste tank.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid ejection apparatus, comprising:
a liquid ejection head which ejects photo-curable liquid from nozzles;
a first light applicator which applies light to an ejection target having received liquid ejected by the liquid ejection head;
a waste tank which reserves therein liquid discharged from the liquid ejection head; and
a second light applicator which applies light to liquid in the waste tank.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first light applicator also serves as the second light applicator.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a support member which supports the ejection target from a side opposite to the liquid ejection head and the first light applicator, wherein:
the waste tank is disposed opposite to the first light applicator with the support member interposed therebetween; and
the support member is configured so that light applied from the first light applicator to the support member passes through the support member and reaches a position opposite to the first light applicator with the support member interposed therebetween.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support member is made of light transmissive material.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the support member has a slit formed therein, the slit penetrating the support member to extend from a surface of the support member close to the first light applicator to an opposite surface of the support member from the first light applicator.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:
a support member which supports the ejection target from a side opposite to the liquid ejection head and the first light applicator; and
a carriage which carries the liquid ejection head and the first light applicator, and is movable in a predetermined scanning direction, wherein
the waste tank is disposed adjacent to the support member with respect to the scanning direction.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control device which controls the liquid ejection head, the first light applicator, and the second light applicator.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:
the control device controls the liquid ejection head not facing the ejection target so as to eject liquid from the nozzles, thereby to perform a flushing process of discharging liquid contained in the liquid ejection head to the waste tank; and
the control device controls the second light applicator so as to apply light to liquid in the waste tank immediately after controlling the liquid ejection head so as to perform the flushing process.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The liquid ejection apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a purging mechanism which is controlled by the control device and performs a purging process in which liquid in the liquid ejection head is forced to be discharged from the nozzles to the waste tank, wherein
the control device controls the second light applicator so as to apply light to liquid in the waste tank immediately after controlling the purging mechanism so as to perform the purging process.