Patent ID: 6896352

Claim:
An ink jet recording apparatus for executing recording by ejecting ink from recording means to a recording medium, comprising: a cap movable in directions where it comes into contact with and is separated from an ejection port surface of the recording means, for capping the ejection port surface; an absorbing member chamber disposed in the cap and opened in confrontation with the ejection port surface; a suction port formed through a bottom of the absorbing member chamber; suction means, connected to the suction port, for suctioning the ink in the absorbing member chamber; and an absorbing member disposed in the absorbing member chamber for absorbing ink, said absorbing member comprising a first absorbing portion covering approximately an entire region in the absorbing member chamber and a second absorbing portion in intimate contact with the suction port, wherein the first absorbing portion is arranged separately from the second absorbing portion, and the second absorbing portion projects through the bottom of the absorbing member chamber and comes into contact with the bottom of the first absorbing portion.