Patent ID: 7918531
Filing Date: 2011-04-05
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. An ink-jet recording apparatus, comprising: a recording head including a plurality of ink chambers provided for each of a plurality of inks of mutually different colors and a plurality of nozzles each of which communicates with one of the ink chambers, the plurality of nozzles are arranged in rows, each of the plurality of ink chambers extending in a longitudinal direction of extension of the rows of the plurality of nozzles, the recording head performing recording by ejecting, from each of the nozzles, a corresponding one of the inks which corresponds to said each of the nozzles; an ink suction device including a cap arranged to fluid-tightly cover a nozzle surface of the recording head in which the nozzles are formed, the ink suction device sucking the inks from the nozzles utilizing the cap; a control device for controlling the ink-jet recording apparatus, the control device including an initial-cleaning-operation executing portion which is configured to execute an initial cleaning operation including: a plurality of buffer tanks which receive and store the respective inks of mutually different colors from respective ink tanks that correspond to the respective inks via respective passages that correspond to the respective inks, the plurality of buffer tanks supply the respective inks to the respective ink chambers; and a plurality of inlets through which the respective inks are supplied from the respective buffer tanks to the respective ink chambers, each of the plurality of inlets is located at a first longitudinal end portion of a corresponding one of the ink chambers, wherein the at least one first specific nozzle is disposed at a second longitudinal end portion of the corresponding one of the ink chambers, the second longitudinal end portion of the corresponding one of the ink chambers is remote from the inlet of the corresponding one of the ink chambers, and at least one second specific nozzle is disposed at the first longitudinal end portion of the corresponding one of the ink chambers, and wherein each of the ink chambers has a cross sectional area which gradually decreases in the longitudinal direction away from a corresponding one of the ink inlets provided for said each of the ink chambers.