Wiper for an inkjet printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9409401-B2
Application number	US-201013638328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2010
Priority date	Apr 30, 2010
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

In an inkjet printer having a small print head assembly and a large print head assembly, a wiper includes a first wiper section having a width approximately equal to a width of an orifice area of the small print head assembly, a decoupler adjacent to the first wiper section, a second wiper section adjacent to the decoupler, where the first and the second wiper sections and the decoupler combined have a width approximately equal to a width of an orifice area of the large print head assembly, and a squared tip at an extremity of the single, segmented wiper to impede wicking action. A tab holds the wiper oriented so as to wipe the print head assemblies in a direction of a printing operation.

First claim

We claim:

1. A device for use with an inkjet printer, comprising:
a single, segmented wiper, comprising:
a first wiper section having a width approximately equal to a width of an orifice area of a first print head assembly,
a decoupler adjacent to the first wiper section,
a second wiper section adjacent to the decoupler, such that a wiping action by the first wiper section is decoupled from the second wiper section, and
a tab holding the wiper oriented in a wiping direction,
wherein the first wiper section includes a first wiper tip having a first continuous wiper blade edge extended from a first lateral edge of the single, segmented wiper to the decoupler and the second wiper section includes a second wiper tip having a second continuous wiper blade edge extended from the decoupler to a second lateral edge of the single, segmented wiper, wherein the first and the second wiper sections, and the decoupler, have a combined width approximately equal to a width of an orifice area of a second print head assembly wider than the first print head assembly, and wherein the first wiper section is to wipe the orifice area of the first print head assembly, and wherein the first wiper section combined with the second wiper section is to wipe the orifice area of the second print head assembly.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cap sled; and
a pivotable mount mounting the tab and the wiper, wherein the pivotable mount is pivotable between a first position in which the wiper is in a wiping position and a second position in which the wiper is not in a wiping position by movement of the cap sled.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the tab is oriented at an angle to the wiping direction of the single, segmented wiper, wherein the angle is approximately ten degrees, and wherein acoustic quality that accompanies the wiping action is improved.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the single, segmented wiper is molded as a monolithic element.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the decoupler is formed during molding.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the decoupler is formed after molding and has a width of zero mm.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first and the second wiper sections and the decoupler comprise a full width of the single, segmented wiper.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the decoupler is formed in the single, segmented wiper from an extremity of the single, segmented wiper to a depth less than a full height of the single, segmented wiper.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the wiping action by the first wiper section wipes approximately a full width of the width of the orifice area of the first print head assembly, and wherein the wiping action by the first wiper section combined with a wiping action by the second wiper section wipes approximately a full width of the width of the orifice area of the second print head assembly.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the tab includes an assembly pin, and wherein the single, segmented wiper includes an assembly location hole into which the assembly pin of the tab fits for holding the wiper oriented in the wiping direction.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second wiper tips terminate in squared ends at an extremity of the single, segmented wiper.

12. The device of claim 1 , the first continuous wiper blade edge extended straight from the first lateral edge of the single, segmented wiper to the decoupler at an extremity of the first wiper tip and the second continuous wiper blade edge extended straight from the decoupler to the second lateral edge of the single, segmented wiper at an extremity of the second wiper tip.

13. The device of claim 1 , the first continuous wiper blade edge providing a first substantially linear wiping surface extended from the first lateral edge of the single, segmented wiper to the decoupler and the second continuous wiper blade edge providing a second substantially linear wiping surface extended from the decoupler to the second lateral edge of the single, segmented wiper.

Assignees

• Jefferson Jafar N
• Roth Teressa L
• Peterson Jennifer
• Hewlett Packard Development Co Lp

Inventors

• Jefferson Jafar N
• Roth Teressa L
• Peterson Jennifer

Classifications

• B41J2/16538 Primary

  with brushes or wiper blades perpendicular to the nozzle plate · CPC title

• B41J2/16535 Primary

  using wiping constructions (B41J2/16552 takes precedence) · CPC title