Maintenance station for ink jet printers

Maintenance station for use in a thermal ink jet printer having a printhead movable between an operating position and a maintenance position, the printhead having a substantially planar face with a linear array of orifices therein through which ink is selectively ejected, the maintenance station being located adjacent to the maintenance position periodically occupied by the printhead and being positionable towards and away from the printhead face, the maintenance station comprising:

• a chamber having an interior and a relatively rigid wall confronting the face of the printhead, the chamber wall having at least one aperture therein to provide an inlet to said chamber interior;
• a resilient seal means having a resilient base with borders therearound secured to the chamber wall in a fluid-tight manner and with an opening therein substantially aligned with the chamber wall aperture and having resilient lips surrounding and extending from the base opening, said lips being adapted to come into sealing engagement with the face of the printhead when the printhead is in the maintenance position and the chamber is moved from a position spaced from the printhead toward and into contact with the printhead face, whereby the interior of the chamber is placed in fluid-tight communication with the array of printhead orifices, even when there is some misalignment between the printhead face and the chamber;
• means for reducing the pressure in the chamber interior selectively to below atmospheric when the seal means is in sealing engagement with the printhead face, so that ink may be sucked from within the printhead through the ejection orifices and into the chamber in order to remove air from the printhead and thereby prime said printhead;
• means for maintaining a humid environment in the chamber interior to prevent the ink in said array of orifices from drying out when the seal means lips are in fluid-tight engagement with the printhead face and surrounding the orifices;
• and
• means for moving the chamber from a position spaced from the printhead towards the printhead, when the printhead is in the maintenance position, so that the seal lips come into fluid-tight engagement with the printhead face and surround the array of orifices without the need for the chamber wall being parallel to the printhead face or in close alignment therewith.