US 12,145,370 B2
Method for filling an ink cartridge and a filling station implementing said method
Eddy Marie-Couste, Plougastel Daoulas (FR); and César Theard, Brest (FR)
Assigned to FILL' N PRINT, Plougastel Daoulas (FR)
Appl. No. 17/923,434
Filed by FILL' N PRINT, Plougastel Daoulas (FR)
PCT Filed May 20, 2021, PCT No. PCT/EP2021/063413
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 4, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/234068, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 25, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2005240 (FR), filed on May 20, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0191788 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. B41J 2/175 (2006.01)
CPC B41J 2/17506 (2013.01) [B41J 2/17556 (2013.01); B41J 2/17559 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for filling an ink cartridge for a printer in an ink- filling station, comprising:
determining a type of the ink cartridge to be filled;
seeking, in a database, at least one item of information associated with the ink cartridge to be filled;
placing the ink cartridge to be filled in the ink-filling station, the ink cartridge to be filled comprising a wall separating one or more internal reservoirs of the ink cartridge from the outside of the ink cartridge;
piercing a through opening passing through the wall from the outside of the ink cartridge to said one or more internal reservoirs, a position of the through opening being dependent on said at least one item of information associated with the ink cartridge to be filled;
filling, by injecting an ink through the through opening of said one or more internal reservoirs under ink-injection conditions, relating to a rate of injection of the ink and a time, both dependent on said at least one item of information associated with the ink cartridge to be filled, the filling of said one or more internal reservoirs with the ink is implemented through a filling needle introduced into said one or more internal reservoirs, a depth of penetration of the filling needle in said one or more internal reservoirs being fixed, or changing over time continuously or discretely, the depth of penetration being dependent on said at least one item of information associated with the ink cartridge;
sealing by cooling a deposit of molten plastics material in the through opening under sealing conditions dependent on said at least one item of information associated with the ink cartridge to be filled, the plastics material is a polylactic acid (PLA) polymer comprising greater than 0 but less than or equal to 5% additive, the additive having properties of reducing crystallisation kinematics of said PLA polymer; and
pressurizing or depressurizing following the sealing of the through opening, during which at least one internal reservoir is taken to a set pressure by blowing or sucking air in said at least one internal reservoir.