Patent ID: 8152267

Claim:
An ink jet recording apparatus configured to perform recording by discharging ink from a plurality of discharge ports disposed on a recording head, the ink jet recording apparatus comprising: a cap adapted to cover the plurality of discharge ports, the cap having a bottom face surrounded by a seal wall; a recessed portion defined on the bottom face inside the cap, the recessed portion having a recessed surface lower than the bottom face; a suction hole facilitating introducing a negative pressure to the recessed portion; an atmosphere communication hole located outside a range of the recessed portion and communicating with atmosphere; an ink absorber mounted on the bottom face of the cap so as to cover the recessed portion entirely, wherein the recessed surface faces the ink absorber and a space is formed between the ink absorber and the recessed surface, and wherein the suction hole is formed on the recessed surface and directly opens into the space; and a suction pump connected to the suction hole and configured to generate a negative pressure, wherein when the plurality of discharge ports are covered with the cap, the bottom face corresponds to all of the plurality of discharge ports, and the space corresponds to all of the plurality of discharge ports.