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AssigneeSilverbrook Research Pty Ltd
InventorsVesa Karppinen, Kia Silverbrook, John Douglas Peter Morgan, David John Worboys, Patrick John McAuliffe
Estimating the term…
A method of cleaning an inkjet printhead, by generating a liquid foam on the ink ejection face such that particulate contaminants on the ejection surface disperse into the foam, then transferring the foam, together with the particulate contaminants dispersed within, onto a rotatable transfer surface moving relative said ejection face and, rotating the rotatable transfer surface into contact with a removal surface to remove the foam and the particulate contaminants dispersed within. Ink consumption is minimized by use of a foam and damage to the face is avoided since the rotatable transfer surface does not contact the face.
A method of cleaning an inkjet printhead, the inkjet printhead having an array of nozzles in an ink ejection face, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Using wiping constructions: with brushes or wiper blades perpendicular to the nozzle plate
Cleaning of print head nozzles: using cleaning fluids
Typewriters
Term ended 31 Jul 2026 (estimated)
This invention relates to inkjet printhead maintenance. It has been developed primarily for facilitating maintenance operations, such as cleaning particulates from an ink ejection face of the printhead.
The following applications have been filed by the Applicant simultaneously with application Ser. No. 11/495,815:
11/495,816 11/495,817 11/495,814 11/495,823 11/495,822 7,523,672 11/495,820 11/495,818 11/495,819
Specific forms of the present invention will be now be described in detail, with reference to the following drawings, in which:—
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a printhead maintenance system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the printhead maintenance system shown in FIG. 1 with an ink foam provided across the printhead;
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a printhead maintenance system 1 for maintaining a printhead 2 in an operable condition. During printing, paper dust and other particulates may build up on the ink ejection face 3 of the printhead 2, leading to misdirected ink droplets from partially obscured nozzles or even blocked nozzles. Paper dust is a particular problem in high-speed printing where paper is fed over a paper guide at high speed, generating relatively high abrasive forces compared to low-speed printing. The printhead maintenance system 1 is configured to maintain the printhead in an optimal operating condition by removing particulates from the ink ejection face 3 and/or unblocking nozzles which may be blocked with particulates.
The printhead maintenance system 1 comprises a plurality of ink reservoirs 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d, each supplying ink to the printhead 2 via respective ink conduits 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d. The printhead 2 is attached to an ink manifold 6, which directs ink supplied by the ink conduits 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d into a backside of the printhead. A plurality of solenoid valves 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d are positioned in respective ink conduits 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d and are controlled by a printhead maintenance control system.
Each valve 7 may be configured for either normal printing or printhead maintenance. In a first printing configuration, as shown in FIG. 1, each valve 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d provides fluid communication between the printhead 2 and the ink reservoirs 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d. In a second maintenance configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, each valve 7a, 7b, 7c and 7d provides fluid communication between the printhead 2 and a foaming system 10.