Patent ID: 9731846
Date: 2017-08-15
CPC Classifications: B05C,B65B,F16N

Claim:
1. A method for transferring a viscous material into a cartridge to fill the cartridge, the cartridge including: a syringe having a main body having an inner space defined by an inner circumferential surface, a discharge port at a first end of the main body through which the viscous material is discharged and an opening at a second end of the main body opposite the discharge port, an inner diameter of the discharge port being smaller than an inner diameter of the main body portion; and a plug in the syringe dividing the syringe inner space into a first sub-chamber located between the plug and the discharge port, and a second sub-chamber located between the plug and the second opening, wherein a radial clearance exists between the inner circumferential surface of the syringe and an outer circumferential surface of the plug, the radial clearance being dimensioned to prevent the viscous material from flowing from the first sub-chamber into the second sub-chamber, the method comprising: transferring the viscous material from the container through the discharge port into the first sub-chamber to fill the first sub-chamber while allowing air initially present within the first sub-chamber to flow into the second sub-chamber via the radial clearance in a manner that substantially prevents the air from mixing into the viscous material within the first sub-chamber; and after at least some of the air initially present within the first sub-chamber is replaced with the viscous material, flowing a first volume of the viscous material into but not through the radial clearance such that the viscosity of the first volume of the viscous material and the radial clearance cooperate to block a flow of a second volume of the viscous material into the radial clearance and prevent the second volume of the viscous material from leaking from the first sub-chamber into the second sub-chamber, wherein the plug slides away from the discharge port to increase the size of the first sub-chamber while the viscous material is being transferred into the first sub-chamber through the discharge port.