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US 8,529,015 B2Granted
Apparatus and method for removal of ink from an exterior of a printhead
AssigneeXerox Corporation
InventorsJames Edward Williams, Roger G. Leighton, Paul A. Hosier, David Peter Lomenzo, David Kenneth Ahl, Scott J. Phillips, John R. Uchal
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an inkjet printing apparatus, a heater heats a drip bib that is located below a plurality of inkjets in a printhead to a temperature that melts ink collected on a surface of the drip bib. Pressurized air is directed toward the surface of the drip bib to remove the melted ink from the surface of the drip bib.
Claims18
A method of cleaning ink from a printhead in a printer comprising:
- activating a heater to heat a drip bib positioned below a plurality of inkjets in the printhead to a first temperature that enables phase-change ink on a surface of the drip bib to melt;
- and
- positioning an outlet of a pressurized air source at a first location proximate to a top of the drip bib;
- emitting pressurized air from the pressurized air source through the outlet toward the surface of the drip bib while moving the outlet from the first location to a second location that is proximate to a bottom of the drip bib to remove the melted phase-change ink from the surface of the drip bib.
1 more element
An inkjet printing apparatus comprising:
- a printhead including a plurality of inkjets arranged in a face of the printhead and a drip bib positioned below the face of the printhead;
- a heater operatively connected to the printhead;
- a pressurized air source configured to emit pressurized air;
- a positioning system configured to move an outlet of the pressurized air source from a first location proximate a top of the drip bib to a second location proximate a bottom of the drip bib;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the heater, the positioning system and the pressurized air source, the controller being configured to:
- activate the heater to heat the drip bib to a first temperature to enable phase-change ink on a surface of the drip bib to melt;
- and
- activate the pressurized air source to emit the pressurized air through the outlet while operating the positioning system to move the outlet from the first location to the second location toward the surface of the drip bib to remove the melted phase-change ink from the surface of the drip bib.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.