Claims
- 1. A method of filling ink into a dual chamber inkjet cartridge for use with an ink-jet printer comprising the steps of:
applying a vacuum to the cartridge to substantially remove air from within an ink absorbing member in said cartridge; pressure filling ink into said cartridge through said fill hole; and, applying a vacuum to the cartridge to substantially eliminate residual air in the cartridge due to the pressure filling of ink.
- 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sealing said fill hole of said cartridge.
- 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of positioning said fill hole over a free-ink chamber in said cartridge.
- 4. The method of claim 1, where the steps of applying a vacuum include applying a negative pressure of about 27.5 in/Hg.
- 5. The method of claim 4, where the steps of applying a vacuum include applying a negative pressure at a cycle time ranging from 5 to 30 seconds.
- 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of positioning said fill hole over said ink absorbing member within said cartridge.
- 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of injecting ink into said ink absorbing member through a needle.
- 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of pressure filling the cartridge includes filling at a flow rate between 0.873 ml/sec and 3.25 ml/sec.
- 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of degassing the ink prior to pressure filling.
- 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sealing the cartridge after filling and before applying vacuum to the cartridge.
- 11. A method of filling ink into a dual chamber inkjet cartridge having a fill passage and a vent passage, for use with an ink-jet printer comprising the steps of:
positioning said fill passage of said cartridge over a free ink chamber of said cartridge; applying a negative pressure of about 27.5 in/Hg to the cartridge through said fill passage to substantially eliminate air within an ink absorbing member of said cartridge; pressure filling ink into said cartridge through said fill passage; sealing said fill passage of said cartridge; and, applying a negative pressure to said cartridge through said vent passage to substantially eliminate residual air in said cartridge.
- 12. A method of pressure filling ink into a dual chamber ink-jet cartridge for use with an ink-jet printer comprising the steps of:
positioning a fill hole over a porous member of said cartridge; applying a vacuum to said cartridge through said fill hole; injecting ink into said porous member through a needle; and, applying a vacuum to said cartridge to substantially eliminate residual air in said porous member due to said filling of ink.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from Provisional Application No. 60/239,088 filed on Oct. 6, 2000.
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
PCT/US01/31258 |
10/5/2001 |
WO |
|