| US 7,467,845 B2 | ||
| Image forming apparatus | ||
| Tsutomu Takatsuka, Kaiseimachi (Japan); and Yasuhiko Kachi, Kaiseimachi (Japan) | ||
| Assigned to Fujifilm Corporation, Tokyo (Japan) | ||
| Filed on Sep. 22, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/946,485. | ||
| Claims priority of application No. 2003-330322 (JP), filed on Sep. 22, 2003. | ||
| Prior Publication US 2005/0093919 A1, May 05, 2005 | ||
| Int. Cl. B41J 2/165 (2006.01); B41J 2/17 (2006.01); B41J 2/175 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 347—30 [347/35; 347/36; 347/84; 347/85] | 15 Claims |
| 1. An image forming apparatus, comprising:
a discharging head which has a nozzle surface on which nozzles for discharging liquid droplets are formed;
a medium supporting device which supports a recording medium, the medium supporting device being disposed in a position opposing
the nozzle surface of the discharging head and having a medium supporting region on which the recording medium is placed,
the medium supporting device including a plurality of liquid collecting devices arranged throughout the medium supporting
region in a width direction of the recording medium placed on the medium supporting region, each liquid collecting device
having inclined surfaces along which liquid entering from a side of the discharging head is slidable downwards and openings
formed at bases of the inclined surfaces and connecting to a rear surface of the medium supporting device; and
a suctioning device which suctions the liquid through the openings in the liquid collecting device, wherein
the plurality of liquid collecting devices are two-dimensionally arranged close to each other and across the entire medium
supporting region, and the inclined surfaces have a downward slope with respect to a horizontal plane in which the recording
medium is supported by the medium supporting device and the downward slope is not normal to the horizontal plane.
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