Photographic timer and method of timing photographic treating processes

Claim 1

A PROCESS TIMER WHICH IS PREDETERMINED TO THE TIME SCHEDULE OF A MULTISTEP PHOTOGRAPHIC COLOR DEVELOPING PROCESS, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES A SERIES OF TREATING STEPS A OF DIFFERING LENGTHS AND ALTERNATING WITH SAID TREATING STEPS A A SERIES OF DRAINAGE STEPS B OF RELATIVELY SHORT DURATION, SAID TIMER COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE TRACK IN WHICH CONTACT AREAS ALTERNATE WITH INSULATING AREAS, AT LEAST ONE COUNTERCONTACT ADAPTED TO TRAVEL OVER SAID CONTACT AREAS OF THE CONTACT AREAS ARE LOCATED IN A PLANE GIVING SURFACES OF THE CONTACT AREAS ARE LOCATED IN A PLANE WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY PARALLEL TO THE PLANE IN WHICH SAID TRACK IS LOCATED, SAID CONTACT AREAS AND SAID COUNTERCONTACTS BEING PART OF AT LEAST ONE PRIMARY ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT POWERED BY AN ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCE, SUCH THAT THE ENGAGEMENT OF A CONTACT AREA AND OF A COUNTERCONTACT COMPLETE THE PRIMARY CIRCUIT OF WHICH THEY ARE A PART, AND DRIVING MEANS ADAPTED TO BRING ABOUT RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT OF SAID TRACKS AND COUNTERCONTACTS AT AN ESSENTIALLY CONSTANT RATE, SAID TREATING STEPS A AND DRAINAGE STEPS B BEING PROGRAMMED ON SAID TRACK IN ALTERNATION AND IN THE SEQUENCE AS THEY OCCUR IN SAID PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS BY GIVING SAID CONTACT AREAS AND SAID INSULATING AREAS DIFFERING LENGTHS IN THE DIRECTION OF RELATIVE TRAVEL OF SAID COUNTERCONTACTS OVER THE TRACKS, THE LENGTHS OF SAID CONTACT AREAS AND OF SAID INSULATING AREAS, RESPECTIVELY, CORRESPONDING IN SUCCESSION, TO THE DURATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL TREATING STEPS A AND OF THE INDIVIDUAL DRAINAGE STEPS B IN A SEQUENCE AS THEY OCCUR IN THE PROGRAMMED PROCESS, SUCH THAT EITHER THE CONTACT AREAS OR THE INSULATING AREAS REPRESENT THE TREATING STEPS A AND THE OTHER KIND OF AREAS REPRESENT THE DRAINAGE STEPS B, WHEREBY THE RELATIVE TRAVEL OF SAID COUNTERCONTACT OVER SAID TRACK BRINGS ABOUT ENGAGEMENT AND DISENGAGEMENT OF THE COUNTERCONTACT WITH SAID CONTACT AREAS WITH THE CHANGE OF ENERGIZATION OF THE PRIMARY CIRCUIT AT THE BEGIN AND END OF EACH TREATING STEP A AND OF EACH DRAINAGE STEP B.