Layered cleaning blade and image forming device arranged with the same
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorDonald M. Temple
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A layered cleaning blade includes a first surface forming a wiper surface comprised of a relatively low-hardness material for wiping fluid nozzle openings of a fluid ejecting head as the fluid ejecting head moves in a direction toward the wiper surface and a second surface forming a scraper edge comprised of a relatively high-hardness material for scraping the fluid nozzle openings as the fluid ejecting head moves in the opposite direction. The layered cleaning blade thereby optimizes the fluid ejecting head cleaning process by combining both the fluid nozzle opening wiping function and the fluid nozzle opening scraping function in a single cleaning blade.
Claims40
A layered cleaning blade comprising an elongated flat blade body forming a flat first surface, a thickness and an opposite flat second surface, a cleaning end and a distal mounting end, a smaller first flat wiper blade disposed on the first surface near the cleaning end to expose a first scraper edge comprised in the cleaning end, an outer surface of the first wiper blade near the cleaning end forming a first wiper surface comprised of a relatively low-hardness material, the first scraper edge comprised of a relatively high-hardness material, and a smaller second flat Wiper blade disposed on the second surface near the cleaning end to expose a second scraper edge comprised in the cleaning end, the outer surface of the second wiper blade near the cleaning end forming a second wiper surface comprised of a relatively low-hardness material, the second scraper edge comprised of a relatively high-hardness material.
A layered cleaning blade arrangement comprising a first layered cleaning blade comprising a first elongated flat blade body forming a flat first surface, a first thickness and an opposite flat second surface, a first cleaning end and a distal first mounting end, a smaller flat first wiper blade disposed on the first surface with an outer first wiper surface near the first cleaning end comprised of a relatively low-hardness material, the second surface forming a first scraper edge near the first cleaning end comprised of a relatively high-hardness material, and a second layered cleaning blade comprising a second elongated flat blade body forming a flat third surface, a second thickness and an opposite flat fourth surface, a second cleaning end and a distal second mounting end, a smaller flat second wiper blade disposed on the third surface with an outer second wiper surface near the second cleaning end comprised of a relatively low-hardness material, the fourth surface forming a second scraper edge near the second cleaning end comprised of a relatively high-hardness material.
An image forming device arranged with one or more layered cleaning blades, at least one of the one or more layered cleaning blades comprising an elongated flat blade body forming a flat first surface, a thickness and an opposite flat second surface, a cleaning end and a distal mounting end, a smaller first flat wiper blade disposed on the first surface near the cleaning end to expose a first scraper edge comprised in the cleaning end, an outer surface of the first wiper blade near the cleaning end forming a first wiper surface comprised of a relatively low-hardness material, the first scraper edge comprised of a relatively high-hardness material, and a smaller second flat wiper blade disposed on the second surface near the cleaning end to expose a second scraper edge comprised in the cleaning end, the outer surface of the second wiper blade near the cleaning end forming a second wiper surface comprised of a relatively low-hardness material, the second scraper edge comprised of a relatively high-hardness material.
An image forming device arranged with one or more layered cleaning blade arrangements, at least one of the one or more layered cleaning blade arrangements comprising a first layered cleaning blade comprising a first elongated flat blade body forming a flat first surface, a first thickness and an opposite flat second surface, a first cleaning end and a distal first mounting end, a smaller flat first wiper blade disposed on the first surface with an outer first wiper surface near the first cleaning end comprised of a relatively low-hardness material, the second surface forming a first scraper edge near the first cleaning end comprised of a relatively high-hardness material, and a second layered cleaning blade comprising a second elongated flat blade body forming a flat third surface, a second thickness and an opposite flat fourth surface, a second cleaning end and a distal second mounting end, a smaller flat second wiper blade disposed on the third surface with an outer second wiper surface near the second cleaning end comprised of a relatively low-hardness material, the fourth surface forming a second scraper edge near the second cleaning end comprised of a relatively high-hardness material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.