Patent ID: 7004559

Claim:
A non-contact ink jet print head nozzle plate surface cleaning method, comprising steps of: a) providing an ink jet print head with a nozzle plate having an open surface with major and minor dimension, and at least one linear array of ink ejecting nozzles substantially spanning said major dimension; b) providing an arrangement having sidewalls and a bottom and where at least one of said sidewalls is parallel to said array of ink ejecting nozzles, said sidewall having a pressurized air conducting channel and an air exit slit exceeding said nozzle plate major dimension; c) supplying a pressurized air stream exceeding through said slit in said sidewall and hitting at an angle said nozzle plate surface; d) providing ink and debris collecting means being in communication with said arrangement bottom, and e) cleaning said jet print head nozzle plate surface by scanning said open surface with said pressurized air stream and collecting the ink residue and debris by said ink and debris collecting means.