Patent ID: 7316466
Filing Date: 2008-01-08
Classification: B41J

Abstract:
1. A maintenance mechanism for an ink jet printer for performing capping operation and wiping operation on a printhead of an ink cartridge mounted on a carriage which moves back and forth along a main scanning direction, said maintenance mechanism comprising: a base member fixed to an apparatus body; a slide member held by said base member slidably along the main scanning direction; slide biasing means for causing said slide member to return back to a specified position of the base member while causing said slide member to slide; a cap and a wiper fixed to said slide member; a claw member swingably supported on said base member for locking said slide member onto said base member during the wiping operation performed by said wiper; a claw biasing member for biasing said claw member in a direction of locking; a claw push-down projecting part provided on said slide member for forcing said claw member downward in contact with said claw member; and an unlocking protruding part provided at the bottom of said carriage, in which said unlocking protruding part comes into contact with said claw member as a result of a movement of said carriage at the beginning of a printing process upon completion of the wiping operation and causes said claw member to release said slide member from a locked state so that said slide member returns back to the specified position of the base member; wherein said maintenance mechanism is configured in such a manner that said claw push-down projecting part comes into contact with said claw member due to returning motion of said slide member and forces said claw member down to a position lower than said unlocking protruding part to avoid mutual interference between said claw member and said carriage.