US Patent 7399057 Printhead maintenance station having cylindrical engagement pad

A printhead maintenance station for maintaining a printhead in an operable condition is provided. The maintenance station comprises (a) an elastically deformable cylinder having a contact surface for sealing engagement with an ink ejection face of the printhead; and (b) an engagement mechanism for reciprocally moving the cylinder between a first position in which the contact surface is sealingly engaged with the face, and a second position in which the contact surface is disengaged from the face. The engagement mechanism moves the cylinder substantially perpendicularly with respect to the face.