1. A waste ink liquid absorber for a waste ink tank of an inkjet-type recording apparatus, which comprises:
an impregnation liquid containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a water-hardly-soluble resin; a water-soluble resin; and both of a moisturizing agent and a base, the impregnation liquid being included in at least a surface coming into contact with a waste ink.
2. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein the water-hardly-soluble resin contains a water-hardly-soluble resin obtained by polymerizing at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of acrylic monomers, methacrylic monomers, vinylic monomers, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, styrene, itaconic acid, N-vinylpyrrolidone, acrylamide, methacrylamide, and derivatives thereof.
3. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 2, wherein the methacrylic monomer is at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl methacrylate (EMA), propyl methacrylate, n-butyl methacrylate (BMA or NBMA), hexyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (EHMA), octyl methacrylate, lauryl methacrylate (LMA), stearyl methacrylate, phenyl methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), hydroxypropyl methacrylate, ethoxytriethylene glycol methacrylate (ETEGMA), 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate, methacrylonitrile, 2-trimethylsiloxyethyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) p-tolyl methacrylate, methacrylic acid (MMA), diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, t-butylaminoethyl methacrylate, and sorbyl methacrylate.
4. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 2, wherein the acrylic monomer is at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, hexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, octyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, stearyl acrylate, phenyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxypropyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, 2-trimethylsiloxyethyl acrylate, glycidyl acrylate, p-tolyl acrylate, sorbyl acrylate, acrylic acid, dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, and diethylaminoethyl acrylate.
5. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein the water-soluble resin is a compound having a hydrophilic structural part and a hydrophobic structural part.
6. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein the moisturizing agent is a polyol having a vapor pressure at 20 C of 0.01 mmHg or lower.
7. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein the base is an alkanolamine or an inorganic base.
8. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1, which further contains a water-soluble solvent.
9. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the water-soluble solvent has a vapor pressure at 20 C of 0.01 mmHg or lower.
10. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1, wherein the impregnation liquid further contains an antiseptic.
11. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1, which comprises a nonwoven fabric or a foam.
12. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 11, wherein the nonwoven fabric contains a regenerated cellulose fiber andor a polyacrylic fiber.
13. The waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 11, which has a saturated polyester film layer on at least a part of the surface.
14. A waste ink tank comprising:
a waste ink-diffusing chamber not to be packed with a waste ink liquid absorber; and
an absorber-supporting chamber to be packed with a waste ink liquid absorber, the waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1 being packed into the absorber-supporting chamber.
15. The waste ink tank according to claim 14,
which the waste liquid absorber has a waste ink liquid absorber protruded part extending from the surface of the waste ink liquid absorber toward the inside of the waste ink-diffusing chamber, and
wherein the waste ink liquid absorber protruded part contains at least the impregnation liquid.
16. The waste ink tank according to claim 15, wherein the waste ink liquid absorber protruded part is formed of a polyurethane foam.
17. The waste ink tank according to claim 14, wherein the waste ink-diffusing chamber is surrounded by a bottom of the waste ink tank, an upper surface of the waste ink liquid absorber, and four side surfaces thereof.
18. An inkjet-type recording apparatus comprising:
the waste ink liquid absorber according to claim 1; and
an ink composition containing at least:
a pigment;
a polymer containing the pigment, enabling the pigment to disperse in the ink composition, having a hydrophobic group and a hydrophilic group, and being substantially not dissolved in the ink composition; and
water as a main solvent.
19. The inkjet-type recording apparatus according to claim 18,
wherein the polymer is a vinyl polymer obtained by polymerizing:
(A) 5 to 45% by weight of at least one monomer selected from:
monomer A1 represented by the following formula (I):
wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, R2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, and n represents a numeral of 1 to 30;
a monomer A2 represented by the following formula (II):
wherein R1, R2, and n represent the same meanings as defined in the formula (I), m represents a numeral of 1 to 30, and the oxyethylene group and oxypropylene group in the parenthesis may be any of block or random addition; and
a monomer A3 represented by the following formula (III):
wherein R1, R2, and n represent the same meanings as defined in the formula (I);
(B) 3 to 40% by weight of a monomer having a salt-forming group;
(C) 5 to 40% by weight of a macromonomer having a number-average molecular weight of 500 to 500,000; and
(D) 0 to 87% by weight of a monomer copolymerizable with the monomers (A),(B), and (C).
20. The inkjet-type recording apparatus according to claim 18,
wherein the polymer is a vinyl polymer obtained by polymerizing:
(1) the monomer A3; and
(2) at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of the monomer A1, the monomer A2 and a monomer A4 represented by the following formula (IV):
wherein R1, R2, m, and n represent the same meanings as defined above, and the oxyethylene group and the oxypropylene group is in a form of block addition or random addition;
(3) the monomer (B) having a salt-forming group; and
(4) a monomer copolymerizable with the monomers A1, A2, A3, A4, (B), and (C).
21. An ink jet recording apparatus comprising:
(a) an ink comprising a pigment as colorant; and
(b) a waste ink tank comprising a waste ink liquid absorber, the waste ink liquid absorber comprising (i) a material for absorbing a waste liquid comprising ink not ejected by the ink jet recording apparatus onto a recording medium for recording, and (ii) an impregnation liquid, impregnated in the material, that prevents or suppresses particles of the pigment in the ink from forming a deposit on a surface of the waste ink liquid absorber when the waste liquid is absorbed by the material, said impregnation liquid comprising at least (a) a water-hardly-soluble resin, (b) a water-soluble resin or (c) a moisturizing agent and a base.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A fiber optic component cleaning device, comprising:
a container having an opening;
a soft, large work surface on a face formed in a side thereof, and
a plurality of cleaning wipes located inside the container, the wipes being fed from the inside of the container through the opening and placed on the work surface for cleaning.
2. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the container is in a box shape.
3. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the container is formed of paperboard, cardboard, molded plastic, or electrostatic discharging material.
4. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the opening is in a slot shape.
5. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the face on which the work surface is adjacent to the side in which the opening of the container is formed.
6. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the work surface is formed of a non-flaking material.
7. The device in accordance with claim 6 wherein the work surface is formed of a tight, closed cell material, or a covered open cell matrix.
8. The device in accordance with claim 7 wherein the work surface is formed of neoprene.
9. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein the plurality of cleaning wipes is placed on a roll.
10. The device in accordance with claim 9 wherein the roll includes a core.
11. The device in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of cleaning wipes is detachable from adjacent cleaning wipes.
12. A method of cleaning a fiber optic component, comprising the steps of:
feeding a cleaning wipe through an opening in a container;
placing the wipe on a soft, large work surface on a face of the container for cleaning; and
drawing the fiber optic component over the wipe.
13. The method of cleaning a fiber optic component in accordance with claim 12 including the steps of wetting a portion of the wipe, and drawing the component from the wet portion of the wipe to the dry portion of the wipe.
14. The method of cleaning a fiber optic component in accordance with claim 13 wherein the step of wetting a portion of the wipe includes spraying a solvent onto the wipe.