Patent ID: 8303079

Claim:
An inkjet imaging device comprising: a printhead including a nozzle plate configured to eject ink onto an image receiving surface; a wiper filament carriage; a wiper filament having a first attachment at one end and a second attachment at a second end, the wiper filament having a length between the first and the second attachment that spans a width of the printhead; a filament tensioning system supported by the wiper filament carriage, the filament tensioning system having a first tensioner operably coupled to the first attachment and a second tensioner operably coupled to the second attachment, the filament tensioning system being configured to tension the wiper filament and form a substantially straight line with the filament that spans the width of the printhead from the first tensioner to the second tensioner and which is parallel to the nozzle plate; and a wiper drive system configured to position the wiper filament carriage into an operable position with respect to the nozzle plate such that the tensioned filament is positioned at a predetermined distance from the nozzle plate, the wiper drive system being configured to move the wiper filament carriage with reference to the nozzle plate while maintaining the length of the wiper filament from the first tensioner to the second tensioner at the predetermined distance from the nozzle plate.