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US 4,296,418 AGranted
Ink jet printing apparatus with reverse solvent flushing means
AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.
InventorsHiroshi Yamazaki, Takuro Isayama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink clog is automatically sensed in an ink ejection nozzle (14). The clog is cleared by moving a cap (28) into covering engagement with the nozzle orifice, causing solvent to flow through the nozzle (14) from the cap (28) to dissolve the clogged ink and subsequently causing air to flow through the cap (28) and nozzle (14) to purge solvent therefrom.
Claims6
An ink jet printing apparatus including nozzle means for ejecting a jet of ink and ink supply means for supplying ink to the nozzle means, characterized by comprising:
- sensor means for sensing an ink clog in the nozzle means;
- cap means for covering the nozzle means;
- solvent supply means for supplying solvent to the cap means;
- and
- control means for moving the cap means into covering engagement with the nozzle means and controlling the solvent supply means to supply solvent to the cap means in response to the sensor means sensing the ink clog.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.