Patent ID: 8770715

Claim:
An inkjet printer, comprising: a recording head configured to eject an ink droplet and to be moved in a first direction by a carriage; a platen comprising a horizontal area disposed below the recording head; a waste-ink receiving member disposed below the recording head and within the horizontal area of the platen that is configured to receive waste ink from the recording head, the waste-ink receiving member comprising at least one porous member through which the waste ink permeates; a waste-ink retaining member disposed horizontally adjacent to the platen in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction, the waste-ink retaining member comprising at least one ink absorbing member, and the waste-ink retaining member being configured to retain the waste ink received by the waste-ink receiving member and to extend upward at least to a horizontal plane in which the horizontal area of the platen lies; and a waste-ink transmitting member extending horizontally between the waste-ink receiving member and the waste-ink retaining member that is configured to transmit the waste ink from the waste-ink receiving member to the waste-ink retaining member, the waste-ink transmitting member comprising: at least one ink absorbing member, a first portion disposed below the platen and below the waste-ink receiving member that comprises an upper surface configured to receive the waste ink from the waste-ink receiving member, a second portion disposed horizontally adjacent to the waste-ink receiving member and the platen in the second direction, the second portion comprising an upper surface disposed horizontally adjacent to the waste-ink receiving member and the platen, and a third portion disposed horizontally adjacent to the platen in the second direction but below the waste-ink retaining member, the third portion comprising an upper surface configured to transmit the waste ink to the waste-ink retaining member by being held in contact with the lower surface of the waste-ink retaining member, wherein the waste-ink receiving member, the waste-ink transmitting member, and the waste-ink retaining member are formed independently one another.