Liquid ink printer having a customer replaceable multiple function printhead capping assembly

An ink jet printer comprising:

• (a) a movable printhead assembly having printheads including ink and nozzles for printing onto a recording medium;
• (b) a maintenance assembly having liquid application members for cleaning and priming said printheads;
• (c) a customer replaceable, multiple function capping assembly having:
• (i) walls defining a fluid chamber, said fluid chamber containing a fluid consisting of cleaning liquid and vapors from said cleaning liquid;
• (ii) a venting aperture formed through a wall of said housing for releasing fluid;
• (iii) a liquid flow aperture formed through a bottom wall of said walls of said housing for cleaning liquid flow from said chamber for supplying cleaning fluid from said fluid chamber to a printhead maintenance assembly, thereby enabling the printhead maintenance assembly and the capping assembly to have a common cleaning fluid;
• and
• (iv) a quick snap-in, snap-out, valve connector mounted over said liquid flow second aperture for connecting said fluid chamber of said capping assembly to a liquid supply line of the printhead maintenance assembly for supplying cleaning liquid from said fluid chamber of said capping assembly to the printhead maintenance assembly, and to enable easy economical customer removal and replacement of said capping assembly within the ink jet printer, thus assuring continued quality printing of the ink jet printer.

A customer replaceable, multiple function printhead capping assembly for use in an ink jet printer, the capping assembly comprising:

• (a) a housing having walls defining a fluid chamber;
• (b) at least one venting first aperture formed through a first one of said walls into said fluid chamber for releasing fluid from said fluid chamber;
• (c) a liquid flow second aperture formed through a second one of said walls and communicating with said fluid chamber for supplying cleaning fluid from said fluid chamber to a printhead maintenance assembly, thereby enabling said printhead maintenance assembly and said capping assembly to have a common cleaning fluid;
• and
• (d) a quick snap-in, snap-out, valve connector mounted over said liquid flow second aperture for connecting said fluid chamber of said capping assembly to a liquid supply line of the printhead maintenance assembly for supplying cleaning liquid from said fluid chamber of said capping assembly to the printhead maintenance assembly, and for enabling easy economical customer removal and replacement of said capping assembly within the ink jet printer, thus assuring continued quality printing.