Abstract:
A recording head is mounted on a carriage moving in a widthwise direction of a recording medium. The recording head includes a nozzle formation face having nozzle orifices from which ink drops are ejected for recording. An elastic wiping member is provided for wiping out ink on the nozzle formation face as the carriage is moved. A buffer member is mounted on the carriage so as to be adjacent to the recording head. The buffer member has a contact face for receiving restoration force of the elastic wiping member produced by the wiping operation in order to prevent received ink from splashing therearound.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus comprising an ink jet recording head, which is mounted on a carriage that moves in the widthwise direction of a recording sheet and which ejects ink droplets through nozzle orifices. In particular, the present invention pertains to an ink jet recording apparatus that can restrict the splashing of ink that occurs due to the strength of the recovery force exerted by a wiping member, provided to wipe the nozzle formation face of the recording head. 
     Since ink jet recording apparatuses produce comparatively little noise during printing and can form small dots at a high density, they are currently being used for various types of printing, including color printing. 
     Such an ink jet recording apparatus comprises an ink jet recording head, mounted on a movable carriage, for receiving ink from an ink cartridge, and a paper feeder for moving a recording sheet relative to the recording head. To perform the printing function, while the recording head moves with the carriage in the widthwise direction of the recording sheet, ink droplets are ejected and are deposited on the recording sheet. 
     The recording head that is mounted on the carriage can eject black, yellow, cyan and magenta colored inks, so that not only can black be used for printing test, but also, full color printing is possible by changing the ejection ratio of the colored inks. 
     To print, droplets of ink are ejected under pressure, produced by a pressure generation chamber, through nozzles in the recording head mounted in the ink jet recording apparatus and are deposited on the recording sheet. Therefore, printing failures may occur as a result of a rise in ink viscosity, caused by the evaporation of solvent through the nozzle orifices, the solidification of ink, the attachment of dust particles to the nozzles, or the entry of air bubbles into the nozzle orifices. 
     Therefore, additional components provided for an ink jet recording apparatus comprise: a capping member, for sealing the nozzle orifices of a recording head while printing is not being performed, and a wiping member, for cleaning a nozzle plate. 
     The capping member serves as a lid to prevent ink from drying in the nozzle orifices of the recording head while printing is not being performed. In addition, when ink in the nozzle orifices of a recording head solidifies, clogging the nozzles, to eliminate the clogging, the capping member is used to seal the nozzle formation face while a suction pump applies a negative pressure to attract and discharge ink from the nozzle. The capping member also performs a similar function to eliminate an ink ejection failure resulting from the entry of air bubbles into the ink flow path. 
     The forcible ink suction and discharge process for removing clogging from a recording head and for preventing air bubbles from entering the ink flow path is called a cleaning process. This process is performed when printing is resumed after an apparatus has been halted for an extended period of time, or when a user notices a deterioration in image quality and turns on a cleaning switch. 
     The capping member permits the recording head to discharge ink under negative pressure, and a wiping member, which is an elastic plate, made of rubber, for example, cleans (wipes) the nozzle formation face of the recording head by wiping and scraping off ink adhering to the nozzle formation face. 
     In a wiping process that is performed after ink has been drawn into a recording head and discharged, a wiping member, composed, as previously mentioned, of an elastic material such as rubber, is advanced along the route traveled by the carriage on which the recording head is mounted, and wipes the nozzle formation face of the recording head as the carriage is moved. 
     As a result, ink adhering to the nozzle formation face of the recording head is removed and the nozzle formation face is cleaned. 
     In this case, the wiping member, while sliding in contact with the nozzle formation face, is appropriately bent, and the recovery force that is exerted during the wiping process is utilized to scrape ink from the nozzle formation face. 
     Therefore, while the carriage is being moved, at the moment at which the recording head passes beyond the location of the wiping member, the flexible recovery force of the wiping member causes the wiping member to rapidly recover to its original shape, and to splash, inside the ink jet apparatus, the ink that was scraped off the nozzle formation face. 
     In response to the immediate recovery effected by the wiping member, ink is splashed mainly on the capping member side, and contaminates a drive mechanism that is used to vertically move the capping member. When ink deposited on the drive mechanism solidifies, a technical problem arises, in that the ink interferes with the smooth operation of the drive mechanism, and the reliability of the apparatus is degraded. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     To resolve the above shortcoming, it is one objective of the present invention to provide an ink jet recording apparatus that prevents ink retained on a wiping member from being splashed, and that can maintain the device reliability for an extended period of time. 
     In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an ink jet recording apparatus comprising: 
     a carriage moving in a widthwise direction of a recording medium; 
     a recording head mounted on the carriage, and including a nozzle formation face having nozzle orifices from which ink drops are ejected for recording; 
     an elastic wiping member for wiping out ink on the nozzle formation face as the carriage is moved; and 
     a buffer member mounted on the carriage so as to be adjacent to the recording head, and having a contact face for receiving restoration force of the elastic wiping member produced by the wiping operation in order to prevent received ink from splashing therearound. 
     Preferably, the contact face of the ink remover is configured such that the distance between the nozzle formation face and the contact face of the buffer member increases so as to gradually restore the wiping member to the original shape thereof as the carriage moves. 
     Preferably, the contact face is a continuous slant face of a stepwise face. 
     Alternatively, a plurality of individual plate members, each having different length and arranged with a predetermined interval, constitute the contact face. 
     Preferably, the buffer member serves as an ink remover for removing the received ink on the wiping member. 
     Preferably, the contact face of the ink remover is configured such that the distance between the nozzle formation face and the contact face of the ink remover increases so as to gradually restore the wiping member to the original shape thereof as the carriage moves. 
     Preferably, the contact face is a continuous slant face or a stepwise face. 
     Alternatively, a plurality of individual plate members, each having different length and arranged with a predetermined interval, constitute the contact face. 
     Alternatively, the contact face of the ink remover is configured such that the distance between the nozzle formation face and the contact face of the ink remover decreases so as to further deform the wiping member as the carriage moves. 
     Preferably, the contact face is a continuous slant face or a stepwise face. 
     Alternatively, a plurality of individual plate members, each having different length and arranged with a predetermined interval, constitute the contact face. 
     Alternatively, a plurality of individual plate members, each having an identical length and arranged with a predetermined interval, constitute the contact face. 
     Alternatively, the contact face includes a groove. The contact face is configured such that the wiping member is momentarily restored to the original shape thereof, and ink splashed from the wiping member due to the restoration thereof is received by the groove. 
     According to the above configurations, the wiping member, immediately after cleaning the nozzle formation face of the recording head, slides in contact with the buffer member or the ink remover, and ink scraped off the nozzle formation face is removed. 
     Therefore, the problem encountered when ink scraped off the nozzle formation face is splashed within the apparatus, due to the restoration force of effected by a wiping member, can be eliminated. 
     Preferably, at least the contact face of the ink remover is made of a material capable of absorbing ink. 
     In this case, the ink absorption part absorbs or temporarily holds ink so that the removed ink can be naturally dried thereat. 
     As a result, the problem encountered when the driving mechanism for vertically moving a capping member is contaminated with ink can be eliminated, and operational reliability can be guaranteed for an extended period of time. 
     Preferably, the buffer member is mounted in an attachment area defined between a pair of guide protrusions formed on the carriage with a screw member screwed into the carriage while piercing the buffer member. 
     Preferably, the position of the buffer member in the carriage moving direction is determined by the position of the pair of guide protrusions. The buffer member includes a first positioning member to be engaged with one of the guide protrusions to determine the position of the buffer member in a direction perpendicular to the carriage moving direction. 
     Preferably, the buffer member includes a second positioning member to be engaged with one of the guide protrusions to determine the position of the buffer member in a direction orthogonal to a mount face of the attachment area, and a through hole, through which the screw member is inserted, formed to be adjacent to the other one of the guide protrusions to determine the position of the contact face. 
     According to the above configurations, the positioning and the attachment of the buffer member are quite easy, and this contributes. to an increase in productivity. Further, since the protrusion on the buffer member engages the guide protrusions at this time, the buffer member can also be positioned in the direction perpendicular to the carriage moving direction. 
     Furthermore, the contact face of the buffer member relative to the carriage can be uniquely defined, so that an excellent contact condition of the wiping member can be maintained, without product variances occurring. 
     Preferably, the ink jet recording apparatus further comprises a capping member for capping the nozzle formation face. The buffer member is located in a side close to the capping member with respect to the recording head. 
     The nozzle formation face of the recording head is sealed by the capping member, and a cleaning process is performed to attract and discharge ink using the negative pressure produced by a suction pump. Thereafter, as the carriage is moved to the printing area, the wiping member wipes off ink adhering to the nozzle formation face. 
     At this time, since the wiping member, which is bent while in contact with the recording head, gradually recovers to its original shape while sliding along the inclined face of the ink remover, a problem encountered when ink scraped off a nozzle formation face is splashed within an apparatus can be eliminated. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the accompanying drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the general arrangement of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a first embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a second embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a third embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a fifth embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the ink remover shown in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a sixth embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a seventh embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to an eighth embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a ninth embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a tenth embodiment of the invention, taken along the line A—A shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 13 is a front view of the ink remover shown in FIG. 12, viewed from an inclined face; 
     FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the ink remover shown in FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 15 is a left side view of the ink remover shown in FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 16 is a right side view of the ink remover shown in FIG. 13; and 
     FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the structure of one pair of guide protrusions when the ink remover of the tenth embodiment is removed. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     An ink jet recording apparatus according to the invention will now be described while referring to the accompanying drawings. In FIG. 1, a carriage  1  is moved along a guide member  4  by a timing belt  3 , which is driven by a carriage motor  2 , and reciprocally scans in the axial direction of a platen  5 . 
     An ink jet recording head, which will be described later, is mounted on the bottom of the carriage  1  that faces a recording sheet  6 , and a black ink cartridge  7  and a color ink cartridge  8 , for supplying ink to the recording head, are detachably mounted on the carriage  1 . 
     A capping member  9  is located in a non-printing area (at a home position). When the recording head that is mounted on the carriage  1 , and which will be described later, reaches a position immediately above the capping member  1 , the capping member  1  is raised to seal the nozzle formation face of the recording head. A suction pump  10  located below the capping member  9  produces a negative pressure that is applied the capping member  9 . 
     The capping member  9  serves as a lid to prevent the nozzle orifices of the recording head from drying while the recording apparatus is not in use. In addition, the capping member functions as an ink reservoir in a flushing operation during which a drive signal that is not related to printing is transmitted to the recording head to pre-eject ink droplets. Also, the capping member  9  serves as a cleaner for applying the negative pressure produced by the suction pump  10  to the recording head to attract ink. 
     A wiping member  11 , which is a flexible plate made of rubber, is located in the vicinity of the printing area of the capping member  9 , so that it can be advanced or retracted horizontally. When the carriage  1  is moved to and away from the capping member  9 , the wiping member  11  moves forward, as needed, following the route along which the recording head is moved, and wipes the nozzle formation face of the recording head. 
     An ink jet recording head according to a first embodiment of the invention will now be described. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along a line A—A shown in FIG.  1 . 
     As is shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular opening  21  is formed substantially in the center of the bottom of the carriage  1 , and a recording head  22  is mounted in the carriage  1  so that it extends downward through the opening  21 . 
     An ink remover  23  is located on the home position side of the apparatus adjacent to the recording head  22 . The ink remover  23  has an inclined face  24  configured such that the distance from a nozzle formation face  22   a  is gradually changed in the direction in which the carriage  1  is displaced. 
     The ink remover  23  is secured, for example, by a machine screw  25  to a base plate  23   a , which is attached to the carriage  1 . The entire ink remover  23  constitutes an ink absorber, and is composed of a porous material such as foamed plastic. 
     In the example in FIG. 2, the wiping member  11 , which contacts the nozzle formation face  22   a , of the recording  22 , is bent, and as the carriage  1  is displaced in the direction indicted by an arrow  8 , slides along the inclined face  24  of the ink,remover  23  and gradually recovers to its original shape. 
     According to this arrangement, as the carriage  1  is displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the wiping member  11 , which contacts the nozzle formation face  22   a  of the recording head  22 , is bent. Then, while it slides across the nozzle formation face  22   a , pressure produced by its attempt to recover to its original shape drives it against the nozzle formation face  22   a  and it scrapes off the ink adhering to that surface. 
     Then, as the carriage  1  is further displaced. in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the distal end of the wiping member  11  comes into contact with and slides along the inclined face  24  of the ink remover  23 , gradually recovering to its original shape. At this time, the ink scraped off the nozzle formation face  22   a  is absorbed by the ink remover  23 , which is composed of a porous material, and this process continues until the wiping member  11  separates from the ink remover  23  and fully recovers to its original shape. 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a second embodiment of the invention. The same reference numerals as are used in FIG. 2 are used to denote corresponding or identical components in FIG. 3, and no further explanation for them will be given. 
     In the example in FIG. 3, as compared with the example in FIG. 2, a sheet of material, which is affixed by an adhesive to the inclined ink remover  23 , is used to provide an ink absorption layer  23   b , the outer surface of which constitutes the inclined face  24 . In FIG. 3, substantially the same effects can be obtained as in FIG. 2 (the first embodiment). 
     FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a third embodiment. The same reference numerals are used to denote corresponding components in FIG. 4, and no further explanation for them will be given. 
     In the example in FIG. 4, the inclined face  24  of the ink remover  23  is so provided that as the carriage  1  continues to be move in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the wiping member  11 . is bent more than when it is in contact with the nozzle formation face  22   a  of the recording head  22 . That is, the inclination of the inclined face  24  is the opposite of that in the example in FIG.  2 . 
     With this arrangement, as the carriage  1  is displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the wiping member  11 , which contacts the nozzle formation face  22   a  of the recording head  22 , is bent and is driven upward, by pressure produced by its attempt to recover to its original shape, so that as it slides across the nozzle formation face  22   a  it scrapes off ink adhering to that surface. 
     When the carriage  1  is further displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the distal end of the wiping member  11  contacts and slides across the inclined face  24  of the ink remover  23 , and the degree of the bend of the wiping member  11  is increased by a magnitude corresponding to the height denoted by h in FIG.  4 . 
     That is, the force with which the wiping member  11  is driven against the inclined face  24  is increased, and ink scraped off the nozzle formation face  22   a  is fully absorbed by the ink remover  23 , which is composed of a porous material, so that all the ink is removed before the wiping member  11  recovers to its original shape. 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a fourth embodiment of this invention. The same reference numerals as are used in preceding figures are used to denote corresponding components in FIG. 5, and no further explanation for them will be given. 
     In the example in FIG. 5, as compared with the example in FIG. 4, a sheet of material, which is affixed by and adhesive to the inclined ink remover  23 , is used to provide an ink absorption sheet layer  23   b , the outer surface of which constitutes the inclined face  24 . In this example, substantially the same effects can be obtained as in FIG.  4 . 
     An ink remover according to a fifth embodiment of this invention is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the structure of the ink remover. The same reference numerals as are used in preceding figures are used to denote corresponding components in FIG. 6, and no further explanation for them will be given. 
     In the example in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ink remover  23  is configured such that the distance between a contact face thereof and the nozzle of formation face  22   a  is stepwisely changed in the direction in which the carriage  1  is displaced (direction indicated by an arrow B). 
     In this example, the wiping member  11 , which contacts the nozzle formation face  22   a  of the recording head  22 , is bent, and as the carriage  1  is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow B, it slides across each step  26  of the ink remover  23  until it recovers to its original shape. 
     The ink remover  23  is composed of a synthetic resin. Each time the wiping member  11  slides across one of the steps  26 , ink is scraped it at the perpendicular ridge lines and at ridge lines that are orthogonal to the horizontal direction. 
     In the example in FIGS. 6 and 7, the wiping member  11 , which contacts the nozzle formation face  22   a , is bent, and as the carriage  1  is displaced, it gradually recovers to its original shape as it slides across the steps  26 . However, while the wiping member  11  is sliding across the steps  26 , its bend may increase instead decrease. 
     When the bend in the wiping member  11  is increased, the force with which the wiping member  11  is pressed against the steps  26  is also increased, and the removal from the wiping member  11  of the ink scraped off the nozzle formation face  22   a  is enhanced. 
     It is also effective if the ink remover  23 , with which, for example, surface locations are changed stepwisely, were composed of a porous, ink-absorbent material, as was explained while referring to FIG. 2 or  4 . 
     FIGS. 8 to  10  are cross-sectional views of ink removers according to sixth to eighth embodiments of the invention. In the examples in FIGS. 8 to  10 , as the ink remover  23 , a plurality of plates  27  are positioned in line at substantially the same intervals. 
     In this case, as the carriage  1  is displaced, the wiping member  11  sequentially slides along in contact with the respective ends of the plates  27 . 
     In the sixth embodiment in FIG. 8, the lower ends of the plates  27  are formed substantially on the same plane as the nozzle formation face  22   a  of the recording head  22 . Thus, some of the ink that is scraped off the nozzle formation face  22   a  is removed by the individual plates  27  each time their ends are contacted by the wiping member  11 . 
     In the seventh embodiment in FIG. 9, as the carriage  1  is displaced, the bent wiping member  11  gradually recovers to its original shape while sequentially sliding across the ends of the individual plates  27 . 
     Further, in the eighth embodiment in FIG. 10, as the carriage  1  is displaced, the bend in the wiping member  11  is increased, while the wiping member  11  sequentially slides across the ends of the individual plates  27 . 
     Thus, the force with which the wiping member  11  contacts the ends of the individual plates  27  is increased, and the removal of ink from the wiping member  11  can be enhanced. 
     FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an ink remover according to a ninth embodiment of the invention. The same reference numerals as are used in preceding figures are used to denote corresponding components in FIG. 11, and no further explanation for them will be given. 
     In the example in FIG. 11, a groove  28  is formed in the ink remover  23 . The wiping member  11 , which contacts the nozzle formation face  22   a , of the recording head  22 , is bent, but momentarily recovers to its original shape as the carriage  1  is displaced, and ink that was scraped off and is held by the wiping member  11  is splashed and collected in the groove  28 . 
     That is, as the carriage  1  is displaced in the direction indicated by an arrow B, the bend wiping member  11  reaches the groove  28  formed in the ink remover  23 , and as is indicated by imaginary lines, the wiping member  11 , driven by the strength of its recovery force, momentarily recovers to its original shape while in the groove  28 . 
     Due to the recovery action, the ink attached to the wiping member  11  is splashed and collected inside the groove  28 . 
     As the carriage  1  is further displaced, the wiping member  22  again contacts the ink remover  23 , and thereafter recovers to its original shape. At this time, however, almost no ink is attached to the wiping member  11 , so that splashing of ink onto the capping member  9  is reduced. 
     The arrangement is not limited to this configuration, and the effect obtained by the ink remover  23  in FIG. 11 can be improved if it is formed of porous, ink absorbent material. 
     As is apparent from the above explanation, according to the configurations of the above embodiments, the ink remover is located adjacent to the recording head on the carriage, and removes ink that has been scraped off the nozzle formation face of the recording head and is attached to the wiping member. Thus, the inconvenience of having ink, which is scraped off the nozzle formation face of the recording head, being splashed at random by the wiping member can be prevented. 
     Therefore, the conventional problem that arises when the operation of the driving mechanism is interrupted by the solidification ink that is freely splashed into the apparatus can be eliminated, and the stable operation of the recording apparatus can be guaranteed for an extended period of time. 
     An ink jet recording apparatus according to a tenth embodiment of the invention will now be described. In this embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus comprises a buffer member  31  located on the home position side adjacent to a recording head  22 , and configured such that the distance from a nozzle formation face  22   a  of the recording head  22  is gradually changed in the direction in which the carriage  1  is displaced, and a holder for holding the buffer member while attaining precise positioning thereof. 
     FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the ink jet recording apparatus of the tenth embodiment, taken along a line A—A shown in FIG.  1 . 
     As is shown in FIG. 12, a rectangular aperture  21  is formed substantially in the center of the bottom of the carriage  1 , and the recording head  22  is mounted on the carriage  1  and is fitted into the aperture  21 . 
     The external appearance of the buffer member  31  is shown in FIGS. 13 to  16 . The buffer member  31  may be integrally formed of synthetic resin, or as previously explained for the ink remover of the first embodiment, a porous material, such as foamed plastic, that absorbs ink may be fixed to the inclined surface with adhesive. 
     As is shown in FIG. 14, a step  33 , formed at one end (the left end in FIG. 14) of the buffer member  31 , contacts the projected end of one of several guide protrusions that will be described later. Further, as is shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a protrusion  35  is integrally formed with and projects horizontally from a perpendicular wall member  34 . 
     As is shown in FIGS. 13,  14  and  16 , a recessed portion  36  is formed at the other end (the right end in FIG. 13) of the buffer member  31 , and opens toward the inclined face  32 . A through hole  38  is formed substantially in the center of the recessed portion  36 , and a machine screw  37  that engages the carriage side and that will be described later is inserted into the through hole  38 . 
     FIG. 17 is a perspective view, with the buffer member  31  is removed, of the structure of the pair of guide protrusions that are integrally formed with the carriage  1 . 
     As is shown in FIG. 17, a first and a second guide protrusion  41  and  42  are integrally formed with the carriage  1  at predetermined intervals in the direction in which the carriage  1  is displaced, and are adjacent to the recording head  22 , which is mounted on the bottom of the carriage  1 . 
     The first guide protrusion  41  is located near the recording head  22 , while, in the direction in which the carriage  1  is displaced, the second guide protrusion  42  is located on the home position side whereat the capping member  9  is located. 
     Both of the guide protrusions  41  and  42  are shaped like plates, and are upright and parallel to each other. An area  43  for the attachment of the buffer member  31  is defined between the guide protrusions  41  and  42 . 
     A groove-shaped notch  41   a  is formed in the rising edge of the first guide protrusion  41 , which is adjacent to the recording head  22 . An engagement portion  42   a  is horizontally formed in the area extending from the longitudinal center to the edge at the projected end of the second guide protrusion  42 , which is located on the home position side. 
     As the carriage  1  is displaced toward the home position, the engagement portion  42   a  engages a one part of a support member (not shown) that supports the capping member  9 , and raises the capping member  9  toward the recording head  22 . Thus, the nozzle formation face  22   a  of the recording head can be sealed by the capping member  9 . 
     Further, in the area  43 , for attachment of the buffer member  31 , an upright, cylindrical strut  44  is integrally formed with the carriage  1  at a position near the second guide protrusion  42 , and a shaft hole  44   a  is formed extending downward from the top of the strut  44  in the axial direction. 
     The machine screw  37 , which passes through the through hole  38  formed in the buffer member  31 , is fitted into the shaft hole  44   a , so as to attach the buffer member  31  to the carriage  1 . 
     With this arrangement, the buffer member  31  in FIGS. 13 to  16  is located in the attachment area  43 , which is defined between the pair of guide protrusions  41  and  42  that are formed on the carriage  1 , as is shown in FIG.  12 . Then, the machine screw  37  is inserted through the through hole  38  formed in the buffer member  31  and is fitted into the strut  44  formed on the carriage side, so as to secure the buffer member  31  to the carriage  1 . 
     In this case, the guide protrusions  41  and  42  position the buffer member  31  in the direction in which the carriage  1  is displaced. 
     When the buffer member  31  is slid so that the step  33  formed on the buffer member  31  is guided along the projected end  41   b  of the first guide protrusion  41 , the protrusion  35  of the buffer member  31  engages the groove-shaped-notch  41   a  that is formed in the upright edge of the guide protrusion  41 . As a result, the buffer member  31  can be positioned in perpendicular to the direction in which the carriage  1  is displaced. 
     That is, the sizes of the through hole  38  that is formed in the buffer member  31  and the shaft hole  44   a  in the strut  44  that is formed on the carriage side substantially match. 
     Therefore, when the machine screw  37  is inserted through the through hole  38  of the buffer member  31  and is fitted into the shaft hole  44   a  formed in the strut  44  on the carriage side, the buffer member  31  can be precisely secured in the attachment area  43  that is defined in the carriage  1 . 
     In this case, as is described above, the end of. the buffer member  31 , on the first guide protrusion  41  side is positioned perpendicular to the face of the attachment area  43  by the projected end  41   b  and the groove-shaped notch  41   a  of the guide protrusion. 
     Further, with the machine screw  37  that is fitted into the shaft hole  44   a  of the strut  44  formed on the carriage, the other end of the buffer member  31  is adjusted and set at the height of the strut  44  and is positioned perpendicular to the face of the attachment area. 
     Therefore, according to the second embodiment, the buffer member  31  can be easily secured to the carriage  1  with a single machine screw  37  by using a tool such as an air-powered screwdriver. Further, the buffer member  31  can be positioned at the same time in the direction in which the carriage is displaced, perpendicular to this direction and to the face of the attachment area  43 . In addition, the inclination of the buffer member  31  can be uniquely determined. 
     The operation sequence for the thus arranged ink jet recording head is as follows. The nozzle formation face  22   a  of the recording head is sealed by the capping member  9 , and the cleaning process is performed to attract and discharge ink by employing the negative pressure produced by a suction pump. Then, the carriage  1  is displaced moved in the direction indicated by the arrow B in FIG. 12, i.e., toward the printing area. 
     At this time, the wiping member  11  contacts the nozzle formation face  22   a , of the recording head  22 , and is bent, and while driven against the nozzle formation face  22   a  by the pressure exerted by its recovery force, slides along that surface and removes ink adhering thereto. 
     When the carriage  1  is further displaced in the direction indicated by the arrow B, the distal end of the wiping member  11  slides along the inclined face  32  formed in the buffer member  31 , while the wiping member  11  recovers to its original shape. 
     Thus, the ink scraped from the nozzle formation face  22   a  is not freely splashed, and in particular, the conventional problem can be eliminated during which ink is splashed toward the capping member and contaminates the driving mechanism that moves the capping member vertically and interfered with the smooth operation of the capping member. 
     When the buffer member  31  is positioned on the home position side, whereat the capping member is located, it is more effective for another buffer member  31  to be positioned on the opposite side, in the direction in which the carriage  1  is displaced, so that the prevention of the splashing of ink is even more effective. 
     As is apparent from the explanation, according to the ink jet recording apparatus of the tenth embodiment, the buffer member having the inclined face is arranged in the attachment area that is defined between the two guide protrusions formed on the carriage, and the machine screw that passes through the through hole in the buffer member and engages the carriage side is employed to secure the buffer member to the attachment area on the carriage. Thus, since the position of the buffer member to be attached to the carriage can be easily determined, and since the attachment of the buffer member is quite easy, productivity can be increased. 
     Further, since at this time the protrusion of the buffer member engages the guide protrusions, the buffer member can also be positioned perpendicular to the direction in which the carriage is displaced. 
     In addition, the step, which contacts the projected end of one of the guide protrusions, and the protrusion, which engages the groove-shaped notch formed in the upright edges of the guide protrusion, are formed on the face and at one end of the buffer member that contacts the guide protrusion. Thus, the inclination of the buffer member relative to the carriage can be uniquely defined, so that relative the carriage, a constant incline can be maintained for the buffer member. 
     Although the present invention has been shown and described with reference to specific preferred embodiments, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein. Such changes and modifications as are obvious are deemed to come within the spirit, scope and contemplation of the invention as defined in the appended claims.