Photographic apparatus and process for treating light-sensitive material

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A SUCCESSION OF FINISHED PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON AN ELONGATED STRIP OF PHOTOGRAPHIC SHEET MATERIAL FROM A SUCCESSION OF EXPOSED FRAMES OF ELONGATED PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP BY SUBJECTING EACH OF SAID EXPOSED FRAMES TO A TREATMENT REQUIRING A PREDETERMINED PROCESSING PERIOD VARIABLE WITHIN CERTAIN MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM LIMITS, THE PROCESSING PERIOD AND THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM LIMITS THEREOF BEING THE SAME FOR EACH FRAME, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: WITHDRAWING SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP AND A SECOND STRIP FROM, RESPECTIVELY, FIRST AND SECOND STORAGE MEANS, AS SAID STRIPS ARE WITHDRAWN FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE STORAGE MEANS SUPERPOSING SAID STRIPS OF A FLUID DISTRIBUTING MEANS AND ADVANCING SAID SUPERPOSED STRIPS OF A FIRST DIRECTION INTO A THIRD STORAGE MEANS, THE LENGTH OF SAID STRIPS ADVANCED INTO SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS BEING AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP TO BE EXPOSED AND PROCESSED, WITHDRAWING SAID SUPERPOSED STRIPS FROM SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS AND DURING WITHDRAWAL SEPARATING SAID STRIPS AT SAID DISTRIBUTING MEANS AND ADVANCING SAID STRIPS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND STORAGE MEANS, DURING ADVANCEMENT OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP INTO SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS PHOTOEXPOSING SUCCESSIVE FRAMES OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP TO PRODUCE DEVELOPABLE LATENT IMAGES THEREIN, THEREAFTER ADVANCING SAID STRIPS IN SAID FIRST DIRECTION FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND STORAGE MEANS AND, AT SAID DISTRIBUTING MEANS, SUPERPOSING SUCCESSIVE EXPOSED FRAMES OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP WITH AREAS OF SAID SECOND STRIP AND DISTRIBUTING A FLUID PROCESSING COMPOSITION BETWEEN SAID STRIPS TO FORM A SANDWICH AT LEAST EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE LENGTH OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP EXPOSED AND TO BE PROCESSED, SAID FLUID INCLUDING AN AGENT FOR REACTING WITH SAID EXPOSED PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP TO PRODUCE VISIBLE IMAGES CORRESPONDING TO SAID LATENT IMAGES THEREIN, IMMEDIATELY AS SAID SANDWICH IS FORMED ADVANCING SAID SANDWICH IN ONE DIRECTION DIRECTLY INTO SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS LOCATED CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID FLUID DISTRIBUTING MEANS, SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS HAVING A MAXIMUM GIRTH DIMENSION WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN SAID LENGTH OF SAID SANDWICH, ADVANCING SAID SANDWICH INTO SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS UNTIL AT LEAST THE LAST FRAME OF SAID LENGTH OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP TO BE PROCESSED IN SUPERPOSED WITH AN AREA OF SAID SECOND STRIP WITH SAID PROCESSING COMPOSITION DISTRIBUTED THEREBETWEEN, HOLDING AND SUPPORTING SAID STRIPS COMPRISING SAID SANDWICH IN SUPERPOSITION AND AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SUPERPOSED PORTIONS OF SAID STRIPS IN SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS DURING A TIME INTERVAL COMMENCING WITH THE SUPERPOSITIONING OF SAID FAST FRAME OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP WITH AN AREA OF SAID SECOND STRIP AND AT LEST EQUAL TO THE MINIMUM PROCESSING PERIOD, AT THE END OF SAID INTERVAL WITHDRAWING SAID SANDWICH COMPRISING SAID STRIPS IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS AND AT SAID DISTRUBITING MEANS SEAPRATING SAID STRIPS FROM ONE ANOTHER COMMENCING WITH THE PORTION OF SAID SANDWICH INCLUDING SAID LAST FRAME, AS SAID STRIPS ARE SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER ADVANCING SAID STRIPS IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND STORAGE MEANS, CONTINUING WITHDAWAL AND SEPARATION OF SAID STRIPS AT SUCH A RATE AS TO SEPARATE SAID FIRST FRAME OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP AS TO SEPARATE SAID FIRST FRAME OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP ING WITH SUPERPOSITIONING OF SAID FIRST FRAME WITH SAID SECOND STRIP AND NOT EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM LIMIT OF SAID PROCESSING PERIOD.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A SUCCESSION OF FINISHED PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON AN ELONGATED STRIP OF PHOTOGRAPHIC SHEET MATERIAL FROM A SUCCESSION OF EXPOSED FRAMES OF ELONGATED PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP BY SUBJECTING EACH OF SAID EXPOSED FRAMES TO A TREATMENT REQUIRING A PREDETERMINED PROCESSING PERIOD VARIABLE WITHIN CERTAIN MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM LIMITS, THE PROCESSING PERIOD AND THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM LIMITS THEREOF BEING THE SAME FOR EACH FRAME, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: WITHDRAWING SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP AND A SECOND STRIP FROM, RESPECTIVELY, FIRST AND SECOND STORAGE MEANS, AS SAID STRIPS ARE WITHDRAWN FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE STORAGE MEANS SUPERPOSING SAID STRIPS OF A FLUID DISTRIBUTING MEANS AND ADVANCING SAID SUPERPOSED STRIPS OF A FIRST DIRECTION INTO A THIRD STORAGE MEANS, THE LENGTH OF SAID STRIPS ADVANCED INTO SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS BEING AT LEAST APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP TO BE EXPOSED AND PROCESSED, WITHDRAWING SAID SUPERPOSED STRIPS FROM SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS AND DURING WITHDRAWAL SEPARATING SAID STRIPS AT SAID DISTRIBUTING MEANS AND ADVANCING SAID STRIPS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND STORAGE MEANS, DURING ADVANCEMENT OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP INTO SAID FIRST STORAGE MEANS PHOTOEXPOSING SUCCESSIVE FRAMES OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP TO PRODUCE DEVELOPABLE LATENT IMAGES THEREIN, THEREAFTER ADVANCING SAID STRIPS IN SAID FIRST DIRECTION FROM SAID FIRST AND SECOND STORAGE MEANS AND, AT SAID DISTRIBUTING MEANS, SUPERPOSING SUCCESSIVE EXPOSED FRAMES OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP WITH AREAS OF SAID SECOND STRIP AND DISTRIBUTING A FLUID PROCESSING COMPOSITION BETWEEN SAID STRIPS TO FORM A SANDWICH AT LEAST EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE LENGTH OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP EXPOSED AND TO BE PROCESSED, SAID FLUID INCLUDING AN AGENT FOR REACTING WITH SAID EXPOSED PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP TO PRODUCE VISIBLE IMAGES CORRESPONDING TO SAID LATENT IMAGES THEREIN, IMMEDIATELY AS SAID SANDWICH IS FORMED ADVANCING SAID SANDWICH IN ONE DIRECTION DIRECTLY INTO SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS LOCATED CLOSELY ADJACENT SAID FLUID DISTRIBUTING MEANS, SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS HAVING A MAXIMUM GIRTH DIMENSION WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN SAID LENGTH OF SAID SANDWICH, ADVANCING SAID SANDWICH INTO SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS UNTIL AT LEAST THE LAST FRAME OF SAID LENGTH OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP TO BE PROCESSED IN SUPERPOSED WITH AN AREA OF SAID SECOND STRIP WITH SAID PROCESSING COMPOSITION DISTRIBUTED THEREBETWEEN, HOLDING AND SUPPORTING SAID STRIPS COMPRISING SAID SANDWICH IN SUPERPOSITION AND AGAINST RELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SUPERPOSED PORTIONS OF SAID STRIPS IN SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS DURING A TIME INTERVAL COMMENCING WITH THE SUPERPOSITIONING OF SAID FAST FRAME OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP WITH AN AREA OF SAID SECOND STRIP AND AT LEST EQUAL TO THE MINIMUM PROCESSING PERIOD, AT THE END OF SAID INTERVAL WITHDRAWING SAID SANDWICH COMPRISING SAID STRIPS IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM SAID THIRD STORAGE MEANS AND AT SAID DISTRUBITING MEANS SEAPRATING SAID STRIPS FROM ONE ANOTHER COMMENCING WITH THE PORTION OF SAID SANDWICH INCLUDING SAID LAST FRAME, AS SAID STRIPS ARE SEPARATED FROM ONE ANOTHER ADVANCING SAID STRIPS IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE FIRST AND SECOND STORAGE MEANS, CONTINUING WITHDAWAL AND SEPARATION OF SAID STRIPS AT SUCH A RATE AS TO SEPARATE SAID FIRST FRAME OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP AS TO SEPARATE SAID FIRST FRAME OF SAID PHOTOSENSITIVE STRIP ING WITH SUPERPOSITIONING OF SAID FIRST FRAME WITH SAID SECOND STRIP AND NOT EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM LIMIT OF SAID PROCESSING PERIOD.