Provision of moisture-rich atmosphere for processing heat developed photographic material

Claim 1

IN A RECORDING OSCILLOGRAPH UTILIZING A PHOTOSENSITIVE FILM DEVELOPED IN A SUBSTANTIALLY MOISTURE SATURATED ATMOSPHERE WITHIN THE OSCILLOGRAPH, THE ATMOSPHERE BEING CONTAINED IN THE OSCILLOGRAPH IN A CHAMBER BOUNDED BY A PLATEN HAVING A SURFACE OVER WHICH THE FILM PASSES, THE PLATEN SURFACE HAVING A HEATED PORTION AND AN UNHEATED PORTION, THE OSCILLOGRAPH INCLUDING MEANS FOR MOVING FILM CONTINUOUSLY OVER THE PLATEN THROUGH THE CHAMBER, AND MEANS FOR EXPOSING THE FILM TO A LIGHT BEAM FOR RECORDING DATA ON THE FILM, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A WATER RESERVOIR, A DUCT EXTENDING FROM THE RESERVOIR TO THE CHAMBER, MEANS ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE DUCT FOR HEATING WATER PASSING THROUGH THE DUCT, AND MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RESERVOIR FOR INTRODUCING A PREDETERMINED QUANTITY OF HEATED WATER INTO THE CHAMBER TO PROVIDE THE SUBSTANTIALLY MOISTURE SATURATED ATMOSPHERE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE PREVIOUSLY EXPOSED FILM, THE ATMOSPHERE THEREAFTER BEING SUSTAINED BY EVAPORATION OF MOISTURE FROM THE FILM ITSELF, THE MEANS FOR INTRODUCING WATER OPERATING ONLY INITIALLY OF AND IN RESPONSE TO INITIATION INTO OPERATION OF THE FILM MOVING MEANS.