# US 8,540,341 B2 · Maintenance device, power transmission switching device, and liquid ejecting apparatus

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- Number: US 8,540,341 B2
- Document ID: US8540341B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/410,107
- Filed: 2012-03-01
- Published: 2012-09-06
- Granted: 2013-09-24
- Earliest claimed: 2011-03-02
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Taisuke Yamamoto
- Inventors: Taisuke Yamamoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8540341B2

## CPC

- B41J 2/16523: {Waste ink transport from caps or spittoons, e.g. by suction (Collecting or collectors of waste ink B41J2/1721)}
- B41J 2/17596: {Ink pumps, ink valves}
- B41J 29/38: Drives, motors, controls or automatic cut-off devices for the entire printing mechanism
- B41J 2/16508: {connected with the printer frame}
- Y10T 74/19614: Disconnecting means
- B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A maintenance device includes: a tube pump which suctions internal spaces of a cap via each of suction passages; a selective blocking mechanism which has a slider that establishes engagement with a carriage in a movement midway area of the carriage positioned on the path of movement to a maintenance area and is moved by being linked with the carriage, selectively blocks the suction passages according to movement of the slider, and releases the engagement between the slider and the carriage while maintaining a blocked state of the selected suction passage; and a separation and approach movement unit which establishes and releases the engagement between the slider and the carriage by moving the slider to approach or be separated from the carriage.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A maintenance device comprising:
a carriage which is provided to support a liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid from a plurality of nozzles and to be reciprocated;
a cap which approaches the liquid ejecting head as the carriage is moved to a maintenance position where maintenance of the liquid ejecting head is performed, abuts on the liquid ejecting head so as to surround the nozzles, and forms a plurality of internal spaces between the cap and the liquid ejecting head;
a suction unit which suctions each of the internal spaces of the cap via a suction passage corresponding to each of the internal spaces;
a selective blocking unit which has a movement member which is moved by being linked with the carriage in a state of being engaged with the carriage in a movement midway area positioned on the path of the carriage moving to the maintenance position, selectively blocks the suction passages according to movement of the movement member, and releases engagement between the movement member and the carriage while maintaining a blocked state of the selected suction passage; and
a separation and approach movement unit which establishes or releases the engagement between the movement member and the carriage by moving the movement member so as to approach or be separated from the carriage.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The maintenance device according to claim 1,
wherein the movement member is provided with an engagement portion that is able to be engaged with the carriage in the movement midway area of the carriage and a blocking member that is displaced so as to selectively block the suction passages,
the selective blocking unit includes a cam member having a cam surface formed to guide the blocking member to a selection position corresponding to the selection of the suction passage to be blocked according to reciprocation of the movement member, and
the separation and approach movement unit drives the selective blocking unit to approach or be separated from the carriage in a state where the blocking member is positioned at the selection position.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The maintenance device according to claim 2, further comprising an impelling unit which impels the movement member so as to guide the blocking member toward the selection position.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The maintenance device according to claim 2, wherein, in the selective blocking unit, a movement restriction unit which restricts the movement of the movement member in a direction in which the carriage is moved from the maintenance area to the movement midway area is formed at the selection position to which the blocking member is guided.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid onto a medium; and
the maintenance device according to claim 2.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid onto a medium; and
the maintenance device according to claim 3.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising:
a liquid ejecting head which ejects a liquid onto a medium; and
the maintenance device according to claim 4.