Patent ID: 9120316
Filing Date: 2015-09-01
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A wiper for a maintenance station of an imaging device, comprising: a foundational body of the wiper that includes an open slot configured for receipt of a rigid member of the maintenance station to keep the foundational body of the wiper rigid during use; and a flexible blade disposed on the foundational body of the wiper and configured for scraping fluid and debris from a printhead of the imaging device upon deflection, the flexible blade being formed of a flexible material having two terminal sections and a central section defining a longitudinal extent of the blade, wherein each of the two terminal sections connects to the foundational body with a shorter effective beam length for wiping an encapsulant of the printhead while the central section of the blade connects to the foundational body with a longer effective beam length for wiping a nozzle plate of the printhead so that the flexible blade imparts a different wiping force to each of the encapsulant and the nozzle plate of the printhead corresponding to a different durability of each of the encapsulant and the nozzle plate of the printhead.