Cross-wipe cleaning of page-wide array printing
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsJeffrey T Hendricks, Gene D Jones
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and means for wiping a page-wide print array are provided. An installable and removable cartridge includes a quantity of web material. The web material traverses a serpentine pathway and is driven by a motor such that fresh web material can be provided to a cleaning zone. The web material within the cleaning zone is wiped across the ink discharge surface of an array of printing dies to remove debris. Wiping action is performed perpendicular to a lengthwise aspect of the page-wide print array. Various embodiments of compact and effective cleaning mechanisms are thus provided in modular, replaceable forms.
Claims11
A method comprising:
- first-wiping an ink discharge surface of a plurality of printing dies arranged as a page-wide print array in a first direction of motion perpendicular to a lengthwise aspect of the page-wide print array, by movably extending a tongue outward from a web wipe cartridge, where the first-wiping of the ink discharge surface occurs while the tongue moves outward from the web wipe cartridge;
- and
- second-wiping the ink discharge surface in a second direction of motion perpendicular to the lengthwise aspect of the page-wide print array and opposite the first direction of motion, by movably retracting the tongue inward into the web wipe cartridge, where the second-wiping of the ink discharge surface occurs while the tongue moves inwards into the wet wipe cartridge.
A device, comprising:
- a plurality of printing dies arranged as a page-wide print array;
- and
- a web wipe assembly including a web material and a tongue, the web wipe assembly to first-wipe and second-wipe an ink discharge surface of the page-wide print array,
- wherein the first-wipe is in a first direction of motion perpendicular to a lengthwise aspect of the page-wide print array, in which the tongue movably extends outward from the web wipe assembly, where the first-wiping of the ink discharge surface occurs while the tongue moves outward from the web wipe assembly, and
- wherein the second-wipe is in a second direction of motion perpendicular to the lengthwise aspect of the page-wide print array and opposite the first direction of motion, in which the tongue movably retracts inward into the web wipe assembly, where the second-wiping of the ink discharge surface occurs while the tongue moves inwards into the wet wipe assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.