Apparatus for rapid processing photographic film

Claim 1

Apparatus for rapid processing of the latent image area on a surface of a photographic film, comprising: two platens between which said film is positioned and at least one of which is movable toward and away from the other; one of said platens having a planar surface for engaging the surface of said film, a recess in said film engaging surface conforming generally in size and shape to that of said image area, an inlet interconnected to one end of said recess and an outlet interconnected to the other end of said recess, and a cavity adjacent to the planar surface thereof; the other of said platens having a planar surface arranged in spaced, parallel relation to and facing said film engaging surface and the surface of said film, a configuration of interconnecting passages opening on its facing surface, and a cavity adjacent the facing surface thereof; means carried by each of said platens for cooperating with said film, when said platens are moved relative to each other, to establish a uniform seal about said image area and a relative position between the planar surfaces of said platens such that the surfaces are spaced one from the other by a distance greater than the thickness of said film; means operatively connected to said platens for moving the latter relative to each other, when said film is arranged therebetween, for establishing said relative position; means interconnected to the passages of the other of said platens and rendered operable when said platens are in said relative position for releasably holding said film against the planar facing surface thereof; means interconnected to the one of said platens and rendered operable when said platens are in said relative position for introducing successively a number of different solutions into a space formed between the surface of said film and the recess in said one platen; means comprising a metallic foil heating element contiguous to the surfaces of the cavity in each respective platen for maintaining each of said solutions at a generally uniform temperature during movement thereof from said inlet to said outlet for processing said image area; and means responsive to the movement of said platens into said position for controlling said holding means and said introducing means, whereby each solution is maintained in contact with the surface of said film for a period of time sufficient to effect processing of said image area.