Apparatus for making copies by direct contact printing

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MAKING CONTACT PRINTS INCLUDING A HOUSING HAVING A TRANSLUCENT SUPPORT ON WHICH A SHEET TO BE COPIED IS PLACED IN CONTACT WITH A LIGHT-SENSITIVE SHEET, A LIGHT BEHIND THE TRANSLUCENT SUPPORT, A DEVELOPER CHAMBER IN THE HOUSING EXTENDING UNDER THE LIGHT AND THE TRANSLUCENT SUPPORT AND SEPARATED THEREFROM BY AN OPAQUE AND IMPERVIOUS WALL, THE CHAMBER EXTENDING FOR WARD BEYOND THE TRANSLUCENT SUPPORT AN OPENING IN THE FRONT OF THE CHAMBER, A PLATE THAT FORMS A PARTITION IN THE CHAMBER GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE OPAQUE WALL, THE PLATE BEING MOVABLE IN THE CHAMBER AND INTO POSITION TO EXTEND FOR A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE OUT OF THE CHAMBER THROUGH SAID OPENING FOR INSERTION OF AN EXPOSED SHEET THROUGH THE OPENING AND ONTO THE SURFACE OF THE PLATE, SEALING MEANS AROUND THE OPENING FOR PREVENTING ESCAPE OF GAS FROM THE CHAMBER WHEN THE PLATE IS MOVED BACK INTO A RETRACTED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE OPENING, AND MEANS WITHIN THE CHAMBER FOR GENERATING AN ATMOSPHERE OF GAS FOR DEVELOPING THE LIGHT-SENSITIVE PAPER.