Patent ID: 6471330
Filing Date: 2002-10-29
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
A cap member for use with an ink jet printer, for covering, during suction operations, nozzle rows formed in a single nozzle plate of an ink jet head of the ink jet printer, the cap member comprising:a surrounding lip for forming a sealed condition around the nozzle rows when in intimate contact with the nozzle plate during suction operations; a partitioning lip for forming, with the outer lip portion, partitioned spaces that separate the nozzle rows from each other; and a body connected to the surrounding lip and the partitioning lip, and formed with a separate suction hole for each partitioned space, wherein the surrounding lip and the partitioning lip are elongated in a lengthwise direction in parallel with each other, to form elongated and parallel aligned partitioned spaces for separating nozzle rows that are parallel aligned and separated from each other in a widthwise direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction and the suction holes formed in the body for each partitioned space are positioned shifted from each other by a distance in the lengthwise direction.