Patent ID: 6338541
Filing Date: 2002-01-15
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:a recording head having a discharge port for discharging ink to a recording medium to perform recording; a cap for covering said discharge port of said recording head; a pump having a cylindrical provided with a suction port for sucking ink through said discharge port when said cap covers said discharge port, and having a piston disposed in and reciprocally movable in said cylinder chamber in said cylinder, the ink being sucked from said suction port to said first cylinder chamber and the ink in said second cylinder chamber being expelled when said piston moves in a first direction, and when said piston moves in a second direction, said piston closes said suction port so that the ink in said first cylinder chamber is moved into said second cylinder chamber; and a waste ink storing member for storing ink expelled from said second cylinder chamber of said pump, wherein said piston reciprocally moves a plural number of times when said cap is communicated with the atmosphere, said plural number of times of reciprocal movement of said piston including a movement in which a return postion of the movement of said piston in the first direction is a position immediately after said suction port is opened and including a movement in which a return position of the movement of said piston in the first direction is a dead-center position of said piston in the first direction for a last predetermined number of movements of said piston.