Method and apparatus for processing photographic prints

Claim 1

Apparatus for processing photographic prints comprising a plurality of separate and individual solution tanks, an endless transport belt mounted in festooned relation in said tanks with at least one depending festoon extending downwardly into each tank, means for driving said belt to move the same in a predetermined guide path progressively through the respective tanks, a plurality of belt engaging rollers respectively mounted in the upper portions of said tanks, said belt and said rollers having cooperative interfitting means to positively determine the length of the respective festoons in the tanks, said interfitting means being readily disengageable to permit the length of the festoon in each tank to be adjustably varied, a guiding roller mounted in the lower portion of each of the tanks to stabilize the festoons as the belt passes through the tanks in the selected predetermined guide path, means for vertically adjusting said rollers with means for positively positioning the same in accordance with the length of the festoon in each tank, and each belt engaging roller having a plurality of peripherally spaced cogs connected therewith and said belt having similarly spaced openings to respectively receive said roller cogs, a pair of retainer flanges releasably overlying the marginal edge portions of the belt when the same is meshed with said cogs to releasably retain the interfitting relationship between the belt and the cogs.