IL22768A - Apparatus for processing sheets of exposed photographic film - Google Patents

Description

PATENTS FORM NO. 3.

PATENTS AND DESIGNS ORDINANCE S P £ C I F I C A T I O N We. GENERAL ANILINE & FILM CORPORATION, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, United States of America, of 140 West 51st Street, New York, New York, United States of America DO HEREBY DECLARE the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to apparatus for processing photographic materials and, particularly, to the handling and processing, including development, of sheet films for radio graphic purposes. The invention also relates to an improved method for effecting such processing of photographic sheet materials.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a novel, compact apparatus for rapidly and automatically processing, i. e. developing and fixing, exposed photographic sheet material, particularly radiographs. The operative features of the apparatus include the automatic removal from a holder, such as a cassette of a film sheet, followed by developing, fixing, and delivery of the processed material.

A particular feature of the invention is that the apparatus is suitable for use in an illuminated environment and hence does not require a darkroom. It will deliver a developed and fixed, semi- dried radio- raph of a quality acceptable for evaluation and storage after wash.

Another and more specific object of this invention is to devise an apparatus which will automatically keep continuous control of the film sheet throughout developing and fixing, assuring its proper immer - si on in appropirate processing solutions for the required time. eAs&nrrstjTTaavir *afoemT*r enme^vmxwiihr the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a simplified vertical sectional view of the apparatus, showing the principal component elements and their coactive assembly: Fig . 2 is a top view of the apparatus of Fig. 1, with certain parts omitted, showing, in particular, the roller assemblies, the film guides, and the drive mechanism: Eig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view on a larger scale of the intermediate trans port mechanism which constitutes an important aspect of the apparatus; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view in detail of one of the solution trays and the intermediate transport unit.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the processing apparatus includes a pair o aide frames 12, 12* which serve to support most of the component elements. At the left end, there is shown a housing 1, partly cut away, in which is enclosed a motor driving the sprocket 3 which engages a drive chain 4. The latter passes in turn, in the direction indicated by the arrows, around drive sprockets mounted on the shafts of various feed rollers. The latter include the infeed rollers 5 and 6, supported in the side frames 12, 12' by their respective shafts 105 and 106. A jack shaft 107 (Figs. 1 and 2} is mounted below the roller 6 and carries a sprocket 8 which is driven by the drive chain 4. A gear 109 on the shaft 106 meshes with gear 110 secured to the jack shaft 107 which drives the roller 6. At its opposite end, shaft 106 carries a gear 111 which meshes with a similar gear 112 on drive shaft 105. This arrangement insures positive driving of both feed rollers 5 and 6. An auxilliary guide roller 113 is mounted above roller 5 and in front of roller 6 so as to insure guiding of the film between the main feed rollers which convey the film into the first processing bath.

The film, indicated at 50 at the left of Fig. 1 is introduced into the machine by a special cassette 22 which forms the subject matter of U. S. patent application of O. W. Sames for "Radiographic Film Cassette", Serial No. 3, 286, 092 . jf&edix This cassette, upon * insertion into the infeed portion of the processing apparatus, automatically expels a carrier member, thereby placing a marginal portion of the film 50 within reach of a pair of extracting rollers 14 and 15. These are mounted on shafts 114 and 5, respectively, the latter being driven by a sprocket 116 which engages the main drive chain 4. Thus, a film sheet extracted by the above rollers from the cassette 22 is passed between the front feed rollers 5 and 6, From here it is guided downwardly and enters the developer solution 20 contained in the tray or tank 16, Situated within the tray 16 is the film guide member 17, in the form of a grill which includes a plurality of transverse rods 53 and a series of curved rods 118 which extend generally in the direction of the film feed. At either end of the tray 16, that is, in a position to overlie the edges of the advancing film sheet, are the inturced. upper ends of the rods 53. These ends are secured to the rods 118 and are so arranged as to contact only the edges of the film sheet. They overlie the film edges so as to insure that the film will ride through the bath and will not curl up and lift out of the developer solution. This construction is shown best in Fig. 4. The ends of the rods 118 are turned down so as to rest on the bottom of the tray 16.

Underneath tray 16 is a heater 18. This may be a flat flexible electrical heating unit which lies close to the bottom of the tray and conforms to the shape thereof. This type of heater insures quick response and maintains uniform temperature of the solution.

As the film emerges from the bath, under the guidance of the curved rods 1 8, and the edge guiding rods 53, it is directed into an intermediate transport mechanism which is another important feature of the present invention. This transport mechanism consists of a unit structure which can be easily removed by simply lifting it out of the frame. The unit comprises a large main lower roller 3 which is positioned between a pair of coaxially positioned idler rollers 7 and 9. Around rollers 7 and 9 is stretched a flexible belt 25. Roller 8 is mounted on a transverse shaft which carries a sprocket 29 engaged by the drive chain 4. As best seen in Fig. 3. an idler sprocket 130 is mounted on the side frame 12* to insure its driving engagement with the sprocket 129 attached to the shaft 128. The belt 25 engages a portion of the circumference of the roller 8 and is driven by frictional engagement. It is composed of an impervious resilient material such as rubber, which may be suitably reinforced.

The intermediate transport unit consisting of the belt 25 and rollers 7 and 9, overlies the drive roller 8 for a substantial part of its periphery. This contact area extends at least through an arc of 60°, and preferably 90° of the circumference, of roller 8. The result is that the belt 25 envelops the film as it emerges from the tray 16, and seals it from exposure to ambient air. Thereby it reduces the tendency of the film to oxidize due to the presence of developer liquid on the film in the oxygen environment of the atmosphere, It also squeezes from the film most of the developer liquid, returning the latter to the developer tray. i A film guide arrangement/7' , substantially identical with the unit 17 in tray 16, is provided in the adjacent tray 16» . Also an electrical heater 18* of the flat, flexible type similar to unit 18 is mounted beneath the tray 16' to raise the temperature thereof.

As the outlet of the fixer tank there are provided a pair of out-feed rollers 10 and 11. These are mounted on shafts 154 and 153, respectively, which are journaled in the side frames 12, 12* . These shafts are driven in the same general manner as the infeed rollere 5 and 6. The drive chain 4 engages a sprocket 150 on a jack shaft 51 which also carries a spur gear 152. The latter meshes with the spur gear 153 mounted on the shaft 54 which supports the outfeed roller 10. Spur gears 156, 57 are provided on shafts 54 and 155 to insure the positive driving of both out-feed rollers. Q Roller 11 is immersed in the fixing solution 21 approximately one-eighth of an inch to insure the continual moistening of the outfeed rollers to prevent a build-up of salts due to oxidation and evaporation of the liquid.

The processing operation is a s follows: When a cassette 22 is inserted over the platform 22* it engages the bar 23, releasing a mechanism which permits the rollere 14 and 15 to engage- and guide the film sheet 50 to the infeed rollers 5 and 6. Both sets of these rollers are resiliently held together in frictional engagement, being spring-loaded to retain appropriate film- driving contact. The film 50 is then guided through the alkaline developer bath 20 by the guide means 17 and then to the intermediate transport unit 7, 8, 9. The tray film guide 17, appropriately contoured, insures complete and continuous immersion of the film passing through the bath. The leading edge of the film is guided into the transport system before the trailing edge thereof has left the infeed rollers 5 and 6, thus control of the film is maintained at all times during its passage through the processing baths.

As the film emerges from the developer solution, it is then sandwiched between the large center transport roller 8 and the belt 25 and is conveyed to the next succeeding solution tray. The belt transport serves also to squeegee off the excess liquid and return it to the tray and, as pointed out above, prevents oxidation of the film.

In the second bath, the film is similarly guided by the contoured b^uide member 17' , Controller transport of the film is again accomplished when the leading edge of the film is gripped by the spring-loaded outfeed squeegae rollers 10 and 11 before the trailing edge of the film has left the center transport unit. The outfeed rollers are held together by springs, similar to the arrangement for rollers 5 and 6, under sufficient pressure to squeegee the film and deliver it to the operator in semi-dry condition and ready for viewing.

The apparatus is provided with an anti- splash overall cover 54.

This cover keeps the containers in the proper receptacles and prevents sptashing during the p ocessing cycle.

Claims (4)

22768/2 Λ < 4

1. An apparatus for processing sheets of exposed photographic film each contained in separate cassettes comprising in combination a housing, a plurality of trays of treating liquids arranged in sequential order of processing steps within said housing and means for passing said photographic film successively through each of said oaths with total immersion In the liquid therein, characterised by an infeed table 22' , a cassette 22 containing film 50, an abutment 23 on said table 22* to engage said cassette to open the same and operate a mechanism in said cassette to eject the film therefrom, a pair of extracting rollers 14 and 15 to grip said film and pass it to a pair of feed rollers 5 and 6 to pass said film into a first treating tray 16, a feeding device between each successive pair of treating trays 16 16*, comprising a driven drum 8 and an endless belt 25 running over rollers 7 and 9 and embracing part of the outer surface of said drum 8 and adapted to receive the film from the first tray 16 and to pass the same into the next succeeding tray 16» and to enclose the film and protect it from access of air during its passage between the trays, and guide means in each of said trays to guide the film downwardly into and upwardly out of said trays said guide means comprising a plurality of parallel spaced rods 118 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the movement of the film through the tray and curved in the desired path of the travel of the film tray and transverse rods 117 at spaced intervals along said parallel rods said transverse rods have their outer ends 53 turned upwardly and inwardly overlying the edges of the film, and outfeed means 10, 11 to pass the film from the last of said trays to the delivering portion of said apparatus.

2. » Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact said. that sjad transport means comprise rollers ha ing resilient surfaces adapted to compress said Sim for the squeegeeing of residual processing solutions.

3. Apparatus according to claim I or 2, characterised by the fact that said infeed portion for said apparatus includes a support slidably accommodating a cassette.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterised by the fact that said actuating means are affixed to said