Film processing apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for processing photographic film comprising: a plurality of film developing tanks disposed in two spaced apart rows; a drive shaft and an idler shaft for each said tank; means mounting said idler shaft in the lower extremity of said each said tank; means mounting said drive shaft in spaced apart overhanging relationship with respect to said idler shaft; roller means attached to said idler and drive shaft for guiding and conducting the film upwardly and downwardly through each of the tanks; an elongated gear train housing, a series of meshed gears forming a gear train, journal means rotatably mounting said gear train within said housing, drive means for imparting rotational motion into one gear of said gear train; each gear of said gear train having one said drive shaft attached thereto and depending therefrom with adjacent gears having the shafts thereof arrangEd parallel to and extending in directions opposed with respect to one another; and means for guiding and conducting film from one row of tanks to the other row of tanks; one of said tanks having means associated therewith for simultaneously washing and re-exposing film, said tank having upwardly extending side walls and a bottom wall, at least a portion of said side walls being of light passing material; a light source, a reflective surface spaced apart from said light passing material for reflecting light into said tank; said light source being interposed between said reflective surface and said light passing material; an elongated heating means circumferentially disposed about the inside peripheral wall of said tank, said heating means being embedded within and forming an integral portion of said wall; and temperature control means for energizing said heating means to maintain the fluid contained within the tank within predetermined temperature limits; and further including chemical circulating means comprised of a pump having an inlet and an outlet, a motor, an upstanding conduit having means forming spaced apart apertures therein with the lower extremity of the pump being in communication with the pump outlet, whereby fluid is circulated from the tank into the pump inlet, through the conduit and back into the tank.