Automatic roll film camera

Claim 2

A processing camera for exposing and processing film material in web form, backing means providing a stationary backing surface for the film in the focal plane of the camera, a plurality of mandrels supported on one side of said backing means, each forming an individual unwinding mandrel for a roll of film, a pair of feed rollers in association with each mandrel, each having a pressure nip engaging and paying off a roll of film from the mandrel, means selectively operable to drive at least one feed roller of a selected pair of feed rollers, a pair of film advancing rollers disposed on the opposite side of said backing means from said feed rollers and having a pressure nip for engaging a selected film web and advancing the web along said backing means, means selectively operable to drive at least one of said advancing rollers, gripping means movable between said feed rollers and said film advancing rollers, grasping a leading end portion of the film as advanced by said feed rollers and carrying the film along said backing surface and inserting the leading end of the film into the pressure nip between said film advancing rollers.

Claim 3

The processing camera of claim 1, including sensing means adjacent said film advancing rollers, sensing insertion of the web in the nip between said film advancing rollers.

Claim 4

The processing camera of claim 2 wherein the sensing means is an ultrasonic sensing means, and wherein other sensing means sense the position of said film gripping means adjacent said film advancing means and effect reversal thereof to said feed rollers.

Claim 5

The processing camera of claim 1, wherein the film gripping means comprises a vacuum head grasping a leading end portion of a selected film web adjacent said feed rollers by vacuum and retaining the film web to said backing surface and positioning the film web into the nip between said film advancing rollers.

Claim 6

The processing camera of claim 4, including at least one endless flexible drive member forming a support for said film gripping means and reciprocably moving said film gripping means between said feed rollers and said film advancing rollers, a source of vacuum and means connecting said film gripping means with said source of vacuum to retain the film thereto upon movement of the film to said advancing rollers.

Claim 7

The processing camera of claim 5, wherein the drive means for the feed rollers includes, a first motor means driven by said first motor for driving selected of said feed rollers, wherein the drive means for the advancing rollers includes a second motor, means driven by said second motor for driving said film advancing rollers, said first motor being a reversible motor, and a selective drive connection from said first motor to said flexible drive member for effecting travel of said film gripping means toward and from said film advancing rollers, and means sensing travel of said film gripping means, and operable to reverse travel of said film gripping means as the film is inserted in the nip between said film advancing rollers.

Claim 8

The processing camera of claim 1, including a pair of opaque curtains respectively mounted on opposite sides of the optical axis of the camera for movement along a plane parallel to said backing surface toward and from the optical axis of the camera, for restricting the length of film to be exposed to a preselected length, an endless flexible drive member forming a support for said film gripping member and having parallel runs movable in planes parallel to the plane of said backing surface, and means spaced along the outgoing and incoming runs of said flexible drive member, having drive connection with said curtains to move said curtains toward each other upon movement of said gripping member towards said film advancing rollers.

Claim 9

The processing camera of claim 7, wherein the drive connection to said flexible drive member includes a clutch, and wherein means are provided to disengage said clutch and stop movement of said curtains when at a preselected position.

Claim 10

The processing camera of claim 8, wherein spring means are provided to retractably move said curtains relative to each other, and wherein the means moving said curtains towards each other comprises dogs extending inwardly of the outgoing and incoming runS of said endless chains, and guide blocks on said curtains engaged by respective ones of said dogs for moving said curtains toward each other and accommodating retractable movement of said curtains with respect to each other.

Claim 11

The processing camera of claim 2, including a cut-off knife in the path of movement of the film web on the outgoing side of said film advancing rollers for transversely severing the film to form individual cut sheets, selectively operable actuating means for operating said cut-off knife to sever the film, and control means for said cut-off knife stopping travel of said film advancing rollers as the film is advanced to a selected location, to sever a preselected length of film.

Claim 12

The processing camera of claim 10, including conveying means at the outgoing side of said cut-off knife for transporting the severed length of film for further processing.

Claim 13

The processing camera of claim 10, wherein the conveying means includes an endless conveyor belt disposed above and traveling in a plane parallel to the plane of travel of the severed film sheets, a motor, drive connection from said motor for selectively driving said belt, a plurality of grippers spaced along said belt, means suspending said grippers from said belt, each gripper including a pair of hinged gripper plates biased into gripping engagement, and cam and follower means opening said gripper plates to receive and release a film sheet at the receiving and discharge ends of said conveyor.

Claim 14

The processing camera of claim 12, wherein control means is provided for stopping the belt with said gripper plates in position to receive a sheet of film, and wherein a belt conveyor is provided between said cut-off knife and said gripper plates for supplying a severed film sheet to said gripper plates.

Claim 15

In a processing camera for exposing and processing film material in web form, an exposure station, film feeding means feeding a length of film for exposure, film advancing means at the opposite side of said exposure station from said film feeding means for advancing the exposed film for cut-off, a film gripping member movable between said first and second mentioned means and extending transversely across the film web, means effecting gripping of the film by said film gripping member for carrying the free end of the film from said feeding means to said advancing means, means moving said film gripping member between said feeding means and said advancing means including a pair of spaced endless chains on opposite sides of the exposure station and guided for movement in planes parallel to the plane of said exposure station, brackets for attaching said gripping member to said chains to be moved thereby, means selectively operable to drive said chains in reverse directions, other means controlling the areas of the film web to be exposed including a pair of spring biased opaque roll curtains supported on opposite sides of said exposure station and biased into retracted positions, track means extending parallel to said exposure station, guide blocks on the free ends of said curtains, slidably guided in said track means to move in planes parallel to the plane of the exposure station, abutment members extending into the space between the outgoing and incoming runs of said endless chains, dogs on the outgoing and incoming runs of said endless chains and extending inwardly therefrom for engagement with associated of said abutment members to extend and move said curtains toward each other to restrict the light from outside of the area defined by said curtains, said brackets and dogs being attached to said chains, and said chains, brackets, dogs, and guide blocks being disposed outside of the exposed area of the web, and the spacing between said dogs and said guide blocks being such as to accommodate continued movement of said film gripping member toward said film advancing station After the exposure of the film, and to accommodate retractable movement of said curtains and reverse travel of said gripping member to return said gripping member to a position adjacent said feed means.

Claim 16

In a processing camera for exposing and processing film material in web form, an exposure station, film feeding means feeding a length of film for exposure, film advancing means at the opposite side of said exposure station from said film feeding means for advancing the exposed film for cut-off, a film gripping member movable between said first and second mentioned means and extending transversely across the film web, means effecting gripping of the film by said film gripping member for carrying the free end of the film from said feeding means to said advancing means, means moving said film gripping member between said feeding means and said advancing means including a pair of spaced endless chains on opposite sides of the exposure station and guided for movement in planes parallel to the plane of said exposure station, brackets for attaching said gripping member to said chains to be moved thereby, means selectively operable to drive said chains in reverse directions, other means controlling the areas of the film web to be exposed including a pair of spring biased opaque roll curtains supported on opposite sides of said exposure station and biased into retracted positions, track means extending parallel to said exposure station, guide blocks on the free ends of said curtains, slidably guided in said track means to move in planes parallel to the plane of the exposure station, abutment members extending into the space between the outgoing and incoming runs of said endless chains, dogs on the outgoing and incoming runs of said endless chains and extending inwardly therefrom for engagement with associated of said abutment members to extend and move said curtains toward each other to restrict the light from outside of the area defined by said curtains, said brackets and dogs being attached to said chains, and said chains, brackets, dogs, and guide blocks being disposed outside of the exposed area of the web, and the spacing between said dogs and said guide blocks being such as to accommodate continued movement of said film gripping member toward said film advancing station After the exposure of the film, and to accommodate retractable movement of said curtains and reverse travel of said gripping member to return said gripping member to a position adjacent said feed means.

Claim 17

The processing camera of claim 14, wherein the gripping member includes a hollow member extending transversely of the web and having a foraminous wall confronting the web, means connecting said foraminous member with a source of vacuum, and sensing means adjacent said film advancing means sensing the insertion of the film web in said film advancing means.

Claim 18

The processing camera of claim 12, including a cut-off knife disposed downstream of said film advancing means, sensing means controlling movement of the web to said cutting means to first stop when successive selected exposed lengths of said web are disposed at said exposure station and, secondly, when the leading and trailing edges of the exposed lengths are disposed at said web cut-off knife.

Claim 19

The processing camera of claim 13, wherein the means controlling movement of the web includes monitoring means determining the length of sheets severed by said knife, between minimum and maximum lengths of sheet and controlling operation of said advancing means and said knife.