Ink jet printer having a capping mechanism

• US 5,798,777 A
• Filed: 09/18/1996
• Issued: 08/25/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Oki Data Corporation (OKI Electric Industry Company Limited)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Osamu, Yoshimura, Kotaro, Togashi, Shigemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Benjamin R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THIEN D
• Application Number:
  US08/718,115
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 342/44, 342/149, 342/87, 342/49, 342/29, 347/87
• US Class Current: 347/44
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16505 Caps, spittoons or covers for cleaning or preventing drying out

Abstract

An ink cassette is used in an ink jet printer and has nozzles through which ink is ejected. The ink cassette has a pair of nozzle levers with a cap formed between their free ends. The cap closes the nozzles when the nozzle levers pivot to a closing position and leaves the nozzles exposed when the levers pivot to an opening position. A carriage unit receives the ink cassette therein and moves between a print area and a non-print area. The carriage unit has supports on which the ink cassette pivots between a first position and a second position. When the ink cassette pivots to the first position, the ink cassette is engaged with a lock lever which holds the ink cassette in position, and the nozzle lever is engaged with lugs formed on the carriage unit which cause the nozzle levers to pivot to the opening position when the ink cassette is moved to the first position. The carriage unit may have a drive lever pivotally supported on the carriage unit and the aforementioned lug may be formed on a free end of the drive lever. The drive lever pivots between a third position where the lug engages the nozzle lever causing the nozzle lever to pivot to the opening position, and a fourth position where the post disengages from the nozzle causing the nozzle lever to pivot to the closing position.

Claims

1. An ink jet printer adapted for using an ink cassette, the ink cassette having a print head, a cap movable between a cap-opening position and a cap-closing position in which the cap covers the print head, and a first biasing means that exerts a first biasing force for biasing the cap to the cap-closing position, the ink jet printer comprising:

a carriage unit, the ink cassette being receivable therein; and

a second biasing means mounted to said carriage unit for biasing the cap to the cap-opening position when the ink cassette has been received in said carriage unit, said second biasing means exerting a second biasing force greater than, and acting in a direction opposite to, the first biasing force.

2. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said carriage unit is in a print area of said ink jet printer when a printing operation is being performed, and is in a non-print area of said ink jet printer when the printing operation has been completed;

and

an engagement means for exerting a drive force against the second biasing force to allow the first biasing force to bias the cap to the cap-closing position when said carriage unit has entered the non-print area.

3. The ink jet printer according to claim 1, wherein said second biasing means includes a drive lever connected to said carriage unit, and a spring attached to said drive lever for biasing said drive lever so that the drive lever causes the cap to move to the cap-opening position.

4. The ink jet printer according to claim 2, wherein said second biasing means includes a drive lever connected to said carriage unit, said drive lever having a beveled surface formed thereon,

wherein when said carriage unit enters the non-print area, said engagement means contacts the beveled surface and pushes said drive lever to exert the drive force and allow the cap to move to the cap-closing position.