Patent ID: 6494560
Filing Date: 2002-12-17
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
An ink jet printer comprising:at least one ink chamber; a print head having a plurality of ink jet nozzles and being connected to said at least one ink chamber, wherein at least some of the plurality of ink jet nozzles are associated with one of said at least one ink chamber; and a capping device comprising: a first cap component having a plurality of cavities which sort said ink jet nozzles of said ink jet head that are associated with one of said at least one ink chamber into a plurality of nozzle groups and capping ink jet nozzles in said nozzle groups; a second component for covering all ink jet nozzles in said print head concurrently; and a suction controller for controlling supply of negative pressure to said capping device; wherein, (i) when said suction controller receives information designating at least one specific nozzle group, said suction controller applies negative pressure to said specific nozzle group through said first cap component in accordance with said designating information, and (ii) when said suction controller receives information designating all said nozzle groups, said suction controller applies negative pressure to all said nozzle groups through said second cap component.