Abstract:
An improved ink blotter method system usable in a maintenance station of an ink jet printer including wiper blades positioned to clean the printheads and an assembly of absorbent materials to clean the wiper blades.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     This invention relates to maintenance stations for ink jet printing apparatus. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Ink jet printers have at least one printhead that directs droplets of ink towards a recording medium. Within the printhead, the ink may be contained in a plurality of channels. Energy pulses are used to expel the droplets of ink, as required, from orifices at the ends of the channels. 
     In a thermal ink jet printer, the energy pulses are usually produced by resistors. Each resistor is located in a respective one of the channels, and is individually addressable by current pulses to heat and vaporize ink in the channels. As a vapor bubble grows in any one of the channels, ink bulges from the channel orifice until the current pulse has ceased and the bubble begins to collapse. At that stage, the ink within the channel retracts and separates from the bulging ink to form a droplet moving in a direction away from the channel and towards the recording medium. The channel is then re-filled by capillary action, which in turn draws ink from a supply container. Operation of a thermal ink jet printer is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,774. 
     A carriage-type thermal ink jet printer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,337. That printer has a plurality of printheads, each with its own ink tank cartridge, mounted on a reciprocating carriage. The channel orifices in each printhead are aligned perpendicular to the line of movement of the carriage. A swath of information is printed on the stationary recording medium as the carriage is moved in one direction. The recording medium is then stepped, perpendicular to the line of carriage movement, by a distance equal to the width of the printed swath. The carriage is then moved in the reverse direction to print another swath of information. 
     The ink ejecting orifices of an ink jet printer need to be maintained, for example, by periodically cleaning the orifices when the printer is in use, and/or by capping the printhead when the printer is out of use or is idle for extended periods. Capping the printhead is intended to prevent the ink in the printhead from drying out. The cap provides a controlled environment to prevent ink exposed in the nozzles from drying out. 
     A printhead may also need to be primed before initial use, to ensure that the printhead channels are completely filled with the ink and contain no contaminants or air bubbles. After significant amounts of printing, and at the discretion of the user, an additional but reduced volume prime may be needed to clear particles or air bubbles which cause visual print defects. Maintenance and/or priming stations for the printheads of various types of ink jet printers are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,364,065; 4,855,764; 4,853,717 and 4,746,938, while the removal of gas from the ink reservoir of a printhead during printing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,059. 
     The priming operation, which usually involves either forcing or drawing ink through the printhead, can leave drops of ink on the face of the printhead. As a result, ink residue builds up on the printhead face. This ink residue can have a deleterious effect on the print quality. Paper fibers and other foreign material can also collect on the printhead face while printing is in progress. Like the ink residue, this foreign material can also have deleterious effects on print quality. 
     The 717 patent discloses moving a printhead across a wiper blade at the end of a printing operation so that dust and other contaminants are scraped off the orifice before the printhead is capped, and capping the printhead nozzle by moving the printer carriage acting on a sled carrying the printhead cap. This eliminates the need for a separate actuating device for the cap. The 938 patent discloses providing an ink jet printer with a washing unit which, at the end of the printing operation, directs water at the face of the printhead to clean the printhead before it is capped. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one exemplary embodiment of the maintenance station according to this invention, one or more printheads are mounted on a translatable carriage and moves with the carriage. When the printer is printing, the translatable carriage is located in a printing zone, where the one or more printheads can eject ink onto a recording medium. When the printer is placed into a non-printing mode, the translatable carriage is translated to the maintenance station located outside and to one side of the printing zone. Once the cartridge is translated to the maintenance station, various maintenance functions can be performed on the one or more printheads of the printer depending on the rotational position of a cam shaft in the maintenance station. The cam shaft engages and drives the hardware that in turn operates the individual maintenance functions. 
     Rotating the cam shaft activates various maintenance mechanisms of the maintenance station, including a wiper blade platform and a cap carriage. The wiper platform passes across the printhead nozzle faces when the one or more printheads enter the maintenance station and again just before the one or more printheads leave. A location for collecting ink cleared from the nozzles is placed adjacent to the wiper blades. After the one or more printheads arrive at the maintenance station, a vacuum pump is energized, and the cap carriage is elevated to the position where the one or more printhead caps engage the one or more printheads. The one or more printhead caps are mounted on the cap carriage in a capping location. The printheads are primed when a pinch tube mechanism opens one or more pinch tubes connected to the one or more printhead caps. Opening the pinch tubes releases negative pressure created by the vacuum pump. In response, ink is drawn from the one or more printheads into the one or more printhead caps. 
     Further moving the cam shaft lowers the cap carriage and enables the wiper blades to pass back across the nozzle faces to clean the ink jet printhead nozzles. The vacuum pump is then deenergized, while the cap carriage remains in position so that the one or more printhead caps cap the one or more printheads awaiting the printing mode of the printer. Thus, the one or more printheads remain capped at the maintenance station until the printer is into the printing mode. 
     These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in or are apparent from the detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Various exemplary embodiments of this invention will be described in detail with reference to the following figures, wherein like numerals represent like elements, and wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic top elevation view of an ink jet printer and a maintenance station according to this invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the interior of the maintenance station of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the cam shaft of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a cut-away and expanded perspective view of the wiper blades, ink absorbing material, within the maintenance station of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the ink absorbing material within the maintenance station of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wiper blades, and the ink absorbing material, before the wiper platform is activated, within the maintenance station of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan perspective view of the cover form the maintenance station of FIG. 1, showing the wiper blade starting its return pass under the ink absorbing material; 
     FIG. 8 is a plan perspective view of the cover for the maintenance station of FIG. 1, showing the wiper blade continuing its return pass under the ink absorbing material; and 
     FIG. 9 is a plan perspective view of the cover for the maintenance station of FIG. 1, showing the wiper blade after completing its return pass under the ink absorbing material. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a printer  10 , including one or more printheads  12 , shown in dashed line, fixed to an ink supply cartridge  14 . The ink supply cartridge  14  is removably mounted on a carriage  16 . The carriage  16  is translatable back and forth on one or more guide rails  18  as indicated by arrow  20 , so that the one or more printheads  12  and the ink supply cartridge  14  move concurrently with the carriage  16 . Each of the one or more printheads  12  contains a plurality of ink channels which terminate in nozzles  22  in a nozzle face  23  (both shown in dashed line). The ink channels carry ink from the ink supply cartridge  14  to the printhead nozzles  22 . 
     When the printer  10  is in a printing mode, the carriage  16  translates or reciprocates back and forth across and parallel to a printing zone  24  (shown in dashed line). Ink droplets are selectively ejected on demand from the printhead nozzles  22  onto a recording medium, such as paper, positioned in the printing zone, to print information on the recording medium one swath or portion at a time. During each pass or translation in one direction of the carriage  16 , the recording medium is stationary. At the end of each pass, the recording medium is stepped in the direction of arrow  26  for the distance or the height of one printed swath. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,571,599 and Re. 32,572, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, provide a more detailed explanation of the printhead and the printing operation. 
     When the printer  10  is no longer in a printing mode, the carriage  16  travels to a maintenance station  1000  spaced from the printing zone  24 . With the one or more printheads  12  positioned at the maintenance station  1000 , various maintenance functions can be performed on the one or more printheads  12 . 
     FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the maintenance station  1000 . As shown in FIG. 2, the maintenance station  1000  includes a cam shaft  100 , a cam-actuated lever capping arm  200 , and a cap carriage  300  mounted on a guide shaft  1010 . In particular, as shown in FIG. 2, and more clearly seen in FIG. 3, the cam shaft  100  includes a driving and control portion  110 , a wiper blade drive portion  120 , a cam-actuated lever capping arm drive portion  130  and a pinch tube actuating portion  140 . 
     In various exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 and 3, the driving and control portion  110  includes a sensor wheel  112 , an optical window  114  formed in the sensor wheel  112 , and a main drive gear  116 . In operation, a drive gear train (not shown), comprising a drive motor connected to one or more drive gears, engages the main drive gear  116  to drive the cam shaft  100  in counterclockwise and then clockwise directions to actuate the various maintenance functions enabled by the maintenance station  1000 . This is described in greater detail in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/594,694 filed herewith and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     In each of an extreme clockwise position of the cam shaft  100  and the extreme counterclockwise position of the cam shaft  100 , the optical window  114  is aligned with an optical relay (not shown). Thus, after the drive gear train drives the main drive gear  116  to rotate the cam shaft  100  to the extreme clockwise or counterclockwise position, the optical window  114  formed in the sensor wheel  112  is aligned with the optical relay. In various exemplary embodiments, the optical relay includes a photo-emitter positioned on one side of the sensor wheel  112  and a photo-detector positioned on the other side of the sensor wheel  112 . When the optical window  114  is not aligned with the optical relay, the optical relay is in an opened circuit condition. 
     At the start of a maintenance operation, the sensor wheel  112  is in the extreme clockwise position and the optical window  114  is aligned with the optical relay to close the circuit through the optical relay. As a result, when the one or more printheads  12  are aligned with the maintenance station  1000  and the main drive gear  116  is initially driven in the counterclockwise direction, the optical window  114  is no longer aligned with the optical relay and the optical relay is placed into an open circuit condition. Then, when the sensor wheel  112  reaches its extreme counterclockwise position, the window  114  is again aligned with the optical relay. As a result, the optical relay is placed in the closed circuit condition. 
     The open and closed circuit conditions of the optical relay are sensed by a printer controller  40 . In response, the printer controller  40  stops the gear train engaged with the main drive gear  116  from turning the cam shaft  100  for a predetermined time. In particular, this predetermined time depends on the priming mode currently selected for the maintenance station  1000 . 
     Once the predetermined time has elapsed, the printer controller  40  starts the gear train to drive the main drive gear  116 , and thus the cam shaft  100 , in the clockwise direction. The cam shaft  100  continues rotating in the clockwise direction until the optical window  114  in the sensor wheel  112  is again aligned with the optical relay to again put the optical relay in a closed circuit condition. When the printer controller  40  again senses the closed circuit condition of the optical relay, the printer controller  40  again stops the gear train from driving the main drive gear  116 , and thus the cam shaft  100 , in the clockwise direction. 
     In particular, in various exemplary embodiments, when the cam shaft  100  first begins rotating in the counterclockwise direction, the wiper blade portion  120  drives a wiper blade platform  1025 , as shown in FIG. 4, from a first position to a second position to pass by the nozzle faces  23  of the one or more printheads  12 . Then, when the cam shaft  100  is driven in the clockwise direction, the wiper blade drive portion  120  of the cam shaft  100  lastly drives the wiper blade platform  1025  from the second position back to the first position to wipe the nozzle face  23  of the one or more printheads  12  before the printhead  14  is moved from the maintenance station  1000  to the printing zone  24 . The wiper blade platform  1025 , and a wiper blade drive mechanism that is positioned between the cam shaft  100  and the wiper blade platform  1025 , as well as the operation of the wiper blade drive portion  120 , is described in greater detail in the incorporated (Attorney Docket No. 106088) application. 
     In various exemplary embodiments, after the wiper blade drive portion  120  moves the wiper blade platform  1025  from the first position to the second position, the cam shaft  100  rotates further in the counterclockwise direction. As a result, the cam-actuated lever capping arm drive portion  130  interacts with a cam-actuated lever arm  200  to move a cap carriage  300  from a disengaged position to an engaged position. In the engaged position, one or more printhead caps  600  carried by the cap carriage  300  engage the one or more printheads  12  as the cam shaft  100  continues to rotate in the counterclockwise direction. Similarly, when the cam shaft  100  is driven in the clockwise direction, the cam-actuated lever capping arm drive portion  130  interacts with the cam-actuated lever arm  200  to move the capping carriage  300  from the engaged position to the disengaged position before the wiper blade drive portion  120  moves the wiper blade platform  1025  from the second position back to the first position. The structure and operation of the printhead caps  600  are described in greater detail in copending U.S. patent applications Ser. No. 09/594,6682 and 09/594,691, each filed herewith and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     Likewise, after the cam-actuated lever capping arm drive portion  130  moves the capping station  300  from the disengaged position to the engaged position, the cam shaft  100  rotates further in the counterclockwise direction. As a result, the pinch tube actuating portion  140  actuates one or more pinch tubes  63  to apply a negative pressure to the one or more printheads cap  600  mounted on the cap carriage  300 . The structure and operation of the pinch tubes  63  and a pinch tube mechanism is described in greater detail in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/594,680 filed herewith and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     In the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cap carriage  300  carries two printhead caps  600 , each having a separate pinch tube  13 . Accordingly, the pinch tube actuation portion  140  includes a first pinch tube actuating cam  142  and a second pinch tube actuation cam  144 . The first pinch tube actuating cam  142  actuates a first pinch mechanism to pinch a first tube  63  connected to the first one of the two printhead caps  600 . Similarly, the second pinch tube actuating cam  144  actuates a second pinch mechanism to pinch a second tube  63  connected to the second one of the two printhead caps  600 . 
     The cam shaft  100  then continues to rotate in the counterclockwise direction until the cam shaft  100  reaches the extreme counterclockwise position. The printer controller  40 , based on the signal from the optical relay generated when the optical window  114  is aligned with the optical relay, maintains the cam shaft  100  in the extreme counterclockwise position for one of the predetermined times. 
     Then, after the predetermined time has elapsed, the printer controller  63  engages the drive motor of the drive gear train to rotate the cam shaft  100  in the clockwise direction. When the cam shaft  100  is rotated in the clockwise direction, the pinch tube actuation portion  140  again interacts with the one or more pinch tubes  63  before the cap carriage  300  is moved from the engaged position to the disengaged position by the cam-actuated lever capping arm drive portion  130 , which occurs before the wiper blade drive portion  120  moves the wiper blade platform  1025  from the second position to the first position. 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the various elements of the cam shaft drive portion  110 , the wiper blade drive portion  122 , the cam-actuated lever capping arm drive portion  130  and the pinch tube actuation portion  140  are mounted on a shaft  102  of the cam shaft  100 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in various exemplary embodiments, the wiper blade drive portion  120  includes a forward wiper driving cam  122  that is used to drive the wiper blade platform  1025  from the first position to the second position, and a reverse wiper blade driving cam  124  that is used to drive the wiper blade platform  1025  from the second position back to the first position. 
     In the exemplary embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cam-actuated lever capping arm drive portion  130  includes a hold-down cam  132  and one or more capping cams  134 . The structure and operation of the cam-actuated lever capping arm drive portion  130  and the cam-actuated lever capping arm  200  as described in greater detail in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/721,954 filed herewith and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     FIGS. 4-6 show one exemplary embodiment of the improved capacity ink blotter  800  of the maintenance station  1000  according to this invention. In particular, FIG. 4 shows a first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800 , while FIG. 5 shows a second portion  820  of the high capacity ink blotter  800  and FIG. 6 shows both of the first and second portions  810  and  820  of the high capacity ink blotter  800 . Each of FIGS. 4-6 also show the wiper blades  30 . 
     In various exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the first portion  810  of the high capacity ink blotter  800  is positioned in a cover portion  1020  of the ink  5  station  1000 . FIG. 4 also shows an opening  1022  provided in the cover portion  1020  of the ink station  1000  and the wiper blade platform  1025  in the second position such that the wiper blade platform  1025  does not extend into the opening  1022 . When the wiper blade platform  1025  moves from the second position shown in FIG. 4, to the first position, the wiper blades  30  engage the first portion  810  of the high capacity ink blotter  800 . 
     In particular, when the wiper blade platform  1025  moves from the second position to the first position the wiper blades  30  contact a leading portion  814  of the first portion  810 . The leading portion  814  absorbs any liquid ink on the wiper blades  30  and fractionally dislodges any non-liquid ink and/or debris or other contamination from the wiper blades  30 . In various exemplary embodiments, as the wiper blade platform  1025  moves from the second position towards the first position, the wiper blades  30  contact a scraper bar  1024 . The edge of wiper blades  30  momentarily catches in a notch  1026  of the scraper bar  1024 . 
     As the wiper platform  1025  continues towards the first position, the wiper blades  30  snap out of the notch  1026  and flick waste ink and debris onto a side wall portion of  1034  a bottom portion  1030  of the maintenance station  1000  of the ink station  1000 . This waste ink and debris travels down the wall portion  1034  and collects on a spittoon portion  822  of the second portion  820  of the high capacity ink blotter  800 . Once deposited on the spittoon, this waste ink and/or debris is absorbed into and gradually spreads out in all directions within the second portion  820  of the high capacity ink blotter  800 . The additional surface area provided by the second portion of the high capacity ink blotter  800  increases the ability of the waste ink collected at the spittoon  822  to evaporate. 
     As the wiper blade platform  1025  reaches the first position, the wiper blades  30  detach from the leading portion  814  and extend through a pair of holes  812  formed in the first portion  810  of the high capacity ink blotter  800 . This removes any bending forces from the wiper blades  30  and ensures the wiper blades  30  do not become bent or otherwise distorted due to contact with the first portion  810  of the high capacity ink blotter  800 . 
     In a like manner, when the wiper blades platform  1025  moves from the first position towards the second position, the opposite surfaces of the wiper blades  30  now  5  contact the leading portion  810  as the wiper blades  30  move from the openings  812  toward the opening  1022 . As the wiper blade platform  1025  moves from first position towards the second position, the wiper blades  30  again contact the scraper bar  1024 . The edge of wiper blades  30  easily pass over a sloped side  1027  of the scraper bar  1024 . The sloped side  1027  requires less force to drive the wiper blades  30  up and beyond the scraper bar  1024  as the wiper blades  30  move from the first position to the second position. This creates less stress on the drive motor of the drive gear train and reduces wear on the wiper blade  30 . As a result, any liquid ink on these surfaces of the wiper blades  30  is absorbed by the leading portion  814 , which also fractionally dislodges any dried ink, debris or other contamination from this surface of the wiper blades  30 . 
     As the wiper blades  30  wipe ink, debris and other contaminations from the nozzle surfaces  23  of the printheads  12 , and deposit the removed ink, debris and other contamination on the leading portion  814  of the first portion  810  of the ink blotter  800 , the first portion  810  eventually becomes more or less saturated with liquid ink. To improve the capacity of the ink blotter  800 , and to absorb liquid ink from the first portion  810 , the significantly larger second portion  820  securely contacts the first portion  810 . 
     In various exemplary embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the second portion  820  of the high capacity ink blotter  800  is positioned in the bottom portion  1030  of the maintenance station  1000 . Thus, when the cover portion  1020  is mounted onto the bottom portion  1030 , the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800  is securely pressed against the bottom portion  820 . This provides a fluid flow path from the first portion  810  to the second portion  820  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800 . This is shown in greater detail in FIG.  6 . 
     It should be appreciated that, in various exemplary embodiments, at least the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800  is formed using an ink absorbing material. In particular, in various exemplary embodiments, POREX is used as the ink absorbing material used to form the first portion  810 . 
     After the one or more printheads  12  have been away from the maintenance station  1000  for a specific length of time, the one or more printheads  12  will be moved by, for example, a carriage motor (not shown) under the control of the printer controller  40  to the maintenance station  1000 . Once the one or more printheads  12  are placed adjacent to the maintenance station  1000 , the wiper blade platform  1025 , carrying the one or more wiper blades  30 , is moved from the first position to the second position, as described above. 
     A leading edge portion  822  of the second portion  820  is positioned adjacent to a trailing edge portion  816  of the first portion  810 . The second portion  820  is positioned adjacent to and relative to the bottom portion  1030  of the maintenance station  1000  and extends from the trailing edge portion  816  of the first portion  810  down one side of the bottom portion  820  of the maintenance station  1000  and across a portion of a bottom wall  1032  of the bottom portion  1030  of the maintenance station  1000 . 
     In addition, the second portion  820  has an opening  824  that effectively splits the second portion  820  partially down the middle into subportions  826  and  828 . The opening  824  in the second portion  820  aids in absorbing and wicking the waste ink through the first portion  816  into the second portion  820  and through to either of the subportions  826  and  828 . The additional capillary wicking action of the second portion  820  allows the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800  to drain the waste ink into the second portion  820 . This tends to avoid the waste ink from saturating or overfilling the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800 . By allowing the waste ink to drain from the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800  into the second portion  820 , the chance that any waste ink will spray from the wiper blades  30  as the wiper blades pass over the leading portion  814  of the first portion  810  the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800  is reduced. 
     In one exemplary embodiment, many individual systems cooperate to maintain and maximize the useful life of the ink jet printhead  12 , and may, for example, take place at a maintenance station. The maintenance station  1000 , may be, for example, at one side of the printer, outside the printing zone  24 . At the end of a printing operation or termination of the printing mode by the printer  10 , the carriage  16  is moved to the maintenance station  1000 . 
     FIGS. 7-9 illustrate the interaction of the wiper blades  30  with the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800  as the wiper blade platform  1025  moves a final portion from the second position into the first position. As described above, when the one or more printheads are positioned adjacent to the maintenance station  1000 , the one or more printhead nozzle faces  23  are located facing the opening  122  in the top cover  1020  of the maintenance station  100 . With the one or more printheads  12  in this position, the printer controller  40  activates the maintenance station drive train to move the wiper blade platform  1025  from the first position, as shown in FIG. 9, to the second position, as shown in FIG.  4 . As the wiper blade platform  1025  moves from the first position to the second position, the wiper blades  30  move past the leading portion  814  of the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800 . In particular, the wiper blades  30  contact the scraper bar  1024  of the cover portion  1020  of the maintenance station  100 . The wiper blades  30  then move across the leading portion  814 , which removes any ink or either debris which may have become cluttered on the first surface  31  of the wiper blades  30 . 
     Then, after all the maintenance function have been performed on the one or more printheads  12 , the printer controller  40  again activates the maintenance station gear train and drive motor to move the cam shaft  100  from the extreme counterclockwise position to the extreme clockwise position. As described above, this eventually causes the wiper blade platform to move from the second position, as shown in FIG. 4, to the first position, as shown in FIG.  9 . 
     As shown in FIG. 7, as the wiper blade platform  1025  moves from the second position to the first position, second surfaces  32  of the wiper blades  30  move across the printhead nozzle faces  23  to collect any liquid ink and other debris that has collected on the printhead nozzle faces  23 . The wiper blades  30  then move out of the opening  1022 , where the wiper blades contact the printhead nozzle faces  23  into contact with the leading portion  814  of the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800 , as shown in FIG.  7 . As the second surfaces  32  of the wiper blades  30  contact the leading portion  814 , the wiper blades  30  bend back towards the opening  1022 . As a result, any liquid ink collected on the second surfaces  32  of the wiper blades  30  is wicked in or absorbed by the leading portion  814 . In addition, the friction between the leading portion  814  and the second surfaces  32  of the wiper blades  30  dislodges any nonliquid material from the second surfaces of the wiper blades  30 . 
     Then, as shown in FIG. 8, as the wiper blade platform  1025  moves further from the second position to the first position, the second surfaces  32  of the wiper blades  30  contact the scraper bar  1024  of the cover portion  1020  of the maintenance station  1000 . The scraper bar  1024  scrapes against the second surfaces  32  of the wiper blades  30  to remove any excess ink or particulate debris. Because the wiper blades  30  are formed from a resilient material, as the wiper blades  30  are bent by the leading portion  814  and the scraper bar  1024 , as the wiper blade platform  1025  enters the full first position, the wiper blades  30  disengage from the leading portion  814  and/or the scraper bar  1024  and spring back into the openings  812  and into the recesses  816  formed in the first portion  810  of the improved capacity ink blotter  800 . In particular, in the openings  812  and the recesses  816 , the wiper blades  30  are not bent. As a result, a permanent plastic deformation of the resilient material forming the wiper blades  30  does not occur when the wiper blades  30  are in the first, or storage, position. 
     While this invention has been described with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the invention as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.