摘要 |
An ink jet printing apparatus includes a maintenance device configured to minimize the occupied space. The maintenance device includes a movable cap carriage supporting a cap and including two guide pins. The cap is engageable with an ink jet head of the ink jet printing apparatus. A cover surrounds the cap carriage and includes two guide slots receiving the two guide pins of the cap carriage, respectively. When a printing carriage engages a printing carriage engaging member of the maintenance device, the guide pins are caused to ride in the guide slots, enabling the movable cap carriage to be shifted from a recessed position to an engaged position where the cap engages the ink jet head. The two guide slots are inclined at different angles to minimize the frictional resistance during the shift from the recessed position to the engaged position. In other aspects of the invention, a spring is disposed between the movable cap carriage and a maintenance device frame and is oriented at an angle substantially corresponding to one of the guide slots to facilitate the return of the movable cap carriage from the engaged position to the recessed position. In addition, a wiper is disposed to wipe residual ink from the ink jet head, and a retaining wall is disposed adjacent the wiper to prevent the wiper from deflecting beyond a predetermined position.
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