CLEANING OF A SURFACE IN A PRINTING DEVICE

• US 20180161821A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 06/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HP Indigo B.V. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HP Indigo B.V. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: FEYGELMAN, Alex, ARENSON, Mordechai, LEVINTANT, Oran, MAMAN, Roy, IU, Kai-Kong, PETACHIA HALELY, Shunit, RAHAMIM, Shai
• Granted Patent: US 11,014,124 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/10 characterised by the type of cleaning tool
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/20 Cleaning of moving articles, e.g. of moving webs or of objects on a conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 1/30 by movement of cleaning members over a surface
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 2230/01 Cleaning with steam
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/00 Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam B08B9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 3/022 Cleaning travelling work B08B3/042 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 5/02 Cleaning by the force of jets, e.g. blowing-out cavities airguns or nozzles per se B05B1/005
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/17 Cleaning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0017 Application of ink-fixing material, e.g. mordant, precipitating agent, on the substrate prior to printing, e.g. by ink-jet printing, coating or spraying
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2235/20 Wiping devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41P 2235/26 Spraying devices

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to cleaning a surface in a printing device, wherein a guiding member directs a stream of cleaning fluid towards the surface; and at least one barrier unit to confine the stream of cleaning fluid to a portion of the surface, wherein the at least one barrier unit guides air to provide at least one air curtain confining said stream of cleaning fluid to the portion of the surface.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cleaning a surface in a printing device, comprising:

a guiding member to direct a stream of cleaning fluid towards the surface; and

at least one barrier unit to confine the stream of cleaning fluid to a portion of the surface;

wherein the at least one barrier unit guides air to provide at least one air curtain confining said stream of cleaning fluid to the portion of the surface.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one barrier unit comprises at least two barrier units, and the at least two barrier units guide air along a defined path to define a cleaning area on said surface.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the barrier units guides the air using an aerodynamic Coanda effect.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the stream of the cleaning fluid includes a steam flow.

5. The apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising a cleaning member wherein the cleaning member is arranged to contact a contact area of the surface between the at least two barrier units.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the stream of the cleaning fluid and the cleaning member interact to clean a portion of the surface.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the cleaning member includes at least one of:

a cloth, a cloth belt, a micro-fiber cloth, a sponge, and a wiper.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface is the surface of a roller used to transfer a primer to a print media in an In-Line-Primer.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a chamber having an open side facing the surface, and wherein the at least one barrier unit is arranged inside the chamber to prevent the steam flow from exiting the chamber at the open side facing the surface.

10. An apparatus for cleaning a roller surface in a printing device, comprising:

a chamber having an open side facing the roller surface;

a cleaning member arranged inside the chamber to contact a contact area of the roller surface;

a manifold arranged at least partly inside the chamber to guide a stream of cleaning fluid towards the roller surface;

at least two barrier units to guide air along the roller surface towards the contact area of the cleaning member, to prevent said stream of cleaning fluid from exiting the chamber at the roller surface, wherein at least one of the barrier units guides the air by having the air follow a surface of the barrier unit using an aerodynamic Coanda effect and wherein the contact area of the cleaning member is positioned between said barrier units; and

an outlet formed in a wall of said chamber to exhaust the stream of cleaning fluid from the chamber.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the at least one barrier unit comprises a curved air guide surface.

12. A method of cleaning a surface in a printing device, comprising:

arranging a cleaning member to contact a contact area of the surface;

guiding a stream of cleaning fluid towards the surface; and

confining the stream of cleaning fluid to a portion of the surface using at least one barrier unit, wherein the steam flow is confined to a portion of the surface by having the at least one barrier unit guide air to provide at least one air curtain.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the at least one barrier unit guides the air along a defined path towards the contact area of the cleaning member using an aerodynamic Coanda effect.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one barrier unit comprises at least two barrier units, and the at least two barrier units guide air along a defined path to define a cleaning area on said surface.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the stream of cleaning fluid comprises a steam flow that is guided to the surface to heat primer residue on the surface beyond a glass temperature associated with the primer residue.