Photographic copying machine

Claim 1

A photocopying machine having a front area, a rear area, a top portion and a bottom portion and comprising: guide means at the front area in the top portion for feeding an original document to a central part of the machine; storage means for a supply of copy sheets located at the rear area in the top portion and feed means associated with said storage means to feed a copy sheet to an area in said central part to overlap with the original document; a transparent exposure drum having a tight source there in located in the bottom portion of the central part of the machine directly below said overlapping area; means for carrying said overlapped original document and copy sheet downwardly around the periphery of said exposure drum and then upwardly to a central area of the machine at a higher level than any part of said exposure drum; separator means located in the front area at said higher level central area, said separator means comprising a pair of rollers rotating at different speeds so that the overlapped original document and copy sheet passing therebetween are slightly separated to allow the copy sheet to advance faster and contact a pivotal lever and be directed downwardly while said original document follows along to be directed further upwardly to a higher level than any part of said exposure drum to exit from the front area of the machine below said feed guide means; further guide means located in the front area adjacent said separator means for receiving the copy sheet from the separator means to direct said sheet downwardly along said front area; a developing fluid reservoir located in the front area directly below said further guide means and spaced substantially horizontally from said exposure drum, said fluid reservoir being transparent and visible to an operator, from the front of the machine, said fluid reservoir having a triangular shape with one side extending vertically along the front of the machine and another side inclined downwardly from the top of the reservoir toward the center of the machine, said inclined side forming a guide plate for said copy sheet passing from said separator means; developing means located directly below said separator means and substantially on a horizontal level with said exposure drum, said developing means comprising a pair of vertically positioned rolls, one of which is rotatably mounted in a developing fluid tank that is located on a level lower than the location of said fluid reservoir; and a rotatable drying device located in the bottom portion of the machine below the central overlapping area and comprising a heating cylinder around which the copy sheet passes to exit from the front area of the machine at the bottom portion.