Automatic cleaning air idler
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsTimothy Bouma, Timothy Souza
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for self cleaning an air idler are provided. An air idler non-contactingly guides printable media using a flow of fluid through a porous surface portion. Rotation of the air idler results in rubbing contact with one or more wipers, during which debris is removed from the porous surface portion. A cleaning solution is used to remove ink and/or paper residue from the porous surface portion. The cleaning solution can wet one or more of the wipers. The cleaning solution can circulate through a reservoir disposed in contact with a portion of the air idler.
Claims12
An apparatus, comprising:
- an idler including a porous surface portion, the idler configured to be selectively rotated in at least one direction;
- at least one wiper configured to clean debris from the porous surface portion when the idler is rotated there against;
- and
- a reservoir configured to contain a cleaning solution,
- wherein the at least one wiper is further configured to prevent egress of the cleaning solution from the reservoir.
A method, comprising:
- rotating an idler in rubbing contact with at least one wiper;
- cleaning debris from a porous surface portion of the idler by way of contact with the at least one wiper;
- flowing a fluid outward from the idler through the porous surface portion;
- and
- guiding a flexible material in non-contacting adjacency about the idler by way of the flowing fluid,
- wherein the rotating, the cleaning, the flowing and the guiding are performed simultaneously.
An apparatus, comprising:
- an air idler having at a porous surface portion and configured to non-contactingly guide a printable flexible media by way of a pressurized gas flowing outward through the porous surface portion, the air idler further configured to be selectively rotated in at least one direction;
- one or more wipers supported in contact with the air idler, each wiper configured to remove debris from the porous surface portion when the air idler is rotated in rubbing contact therewith;
- and
- a reservoir configured to contain a cleaning solution,
- wherein the at least one wiper is further configured to prevent egress of the cleaning solution from the reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.