US 11,813,872 B2
Liquid discharge apparatus, waste liquid collecting unit, and waste liquid collecting method
Katsumi Yamada, Matsumoto (JP); and Takatoshi Yamazaki, Shiojiri (JP)
Assigned to Seiko Epson Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Oct. 26, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/452,253.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-181062 (JP), filed on Oct. 29, 2020; and application No. 2021-048950 (JP), filed on Mar. 23, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0134761 A1, May 5, 2022
Int. Cl. B41J 2/17 (2006.01); B41J 2/165 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/1721 (2013.01) [B41J 2/16523 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
a discharge head that discharges a liquid to a recording material that is moved in a transport direction;
a support section provided facing the discharge head and supporting the recording material from below;
a first absorbing member that absorbs the liquid discarded from the discharge head to an outer side of an end portion of the recording material supported by the support section, as a waste liquid;
a waste liquid receiving section that receives the liquid ejected from the discharge head as a waste liquid;
a second absorbing member that absorbs the waste liquid sent from the waste liquid receiving section;
an accommodating section that holds the second absorbing member, the accommodating section comprising a long first waste liquid collecting section that extends in the transport direction and a long second waste liquid collecting section coupled to an upstream end of the first waste liquid collecting section and that extends in a width direction of the liquid discharge apparatus;
a delivery section that delivers the liquid between the first absorbing member and the second absorbing member;
a blocking section configured to temporarily block delivery of the liquid from the delivery section between the first absorbing member and the second absorbing member; and
a maintenance device that forcibly ejects the liquid from the discharge head to the waste liquid receiving section, wherein
the first absorbing member and the second absorbing member are coupled to each other so as to deliver the waste liquid from the first absorbing member to the second absorbing member, and
the blocking section is driven by using power of the maintenance device.