Film processing apparatus

Claim 2

Apparatus for sequentially processing a plurality of photographic materials each of which ordinarily is furnished to the apparatus with a separate identification member and each of which ordinarily is to be returned to the same member after processing, the apparatus comprising: means defining a plurality of photographic material processing stations including an initial station and a terminal station; photographic material transport means for conveying a plurality of photographic materials in an inalterable order through said processing stations from said initial station to said terminal station; identification member conveyor means having an input end adjacent said initial station and having an output end adjacent said terminal station, said conveyor means including a carrier for each of a plurality of said identification members, said conveyor means being operable to convey carriers from the input end to the output end of the conveyor means in an inalterable order; and means coordinating operation of the transport means and said conveyor means to effect conveyance of photographic materials on the transport means and Carriers on the conveyor means so that a particular photographic material is delivered at the terminal station of the transport means substantially when a carrier for the identification member, identifying the particular photographic material, is delivered at the output end of the conveyor means.

Claim 3

Apparatus for sequentially processing a plurality of strips of film each of which ordinarily is received at the apparatus in a separate envelope and each of which ordinarily is to be returned to the same envelope after processing, the apparatus comprising: means defining a plurality of film processing stations including an initial station and a terminal station; film transport means located between said stations for conveying strips of film sequentially through said film processing stations from the initial station to the terminal station, said transport means including drive means for advancing the film; conveyor means for customer envelopes, said conveyor means being separate from said film transport means and being operable to convey an envelope from an input end of the conveyor means adjacent the initial station to an output end of the conveyor means adjacent the terminal station, said conveyor means including a plurality of envelope carriers each of which is adapted to carry a single envelope, each of said carriers being movable independently with respect to the other carriers, said conveyor means having means for presenting one carrier at a time to the input end of said conveyor means and for advancing a carrier from said input end after an envelope is furnished to the carrier and the corresponding strip of film is furnished to said film transport means, said conveyor means sequentially advancing said carriers in synchronization with advancement of strips of film by said film transport means so that a carrier for a particular envelope and the corresponding strip of film arrive substantially simultaneously at the output end of the conveyor means and at the terminal end of the film transport means, respectively.

Claim 4

Apparatus for sequentially processing a plurality of strips of film each of which ordinarily is received at the apparatus in a separate envelope and each of which ordinarily is to be returned to the same envelope after processing, the apparatus comprising: means defining a plurality of film processing stations including an initial station and a terminal station; film transport means located between said stations for conveying strips of film sequentially through said film processing stations from the initial station to the terminal station, said transport means including drive means for advancing the film; conveyor means for customer envelopes, said conveyor means being separate from said film transport means and being operable to convey an envelope from an input end of the conveyor means adjacent the initial station to an output end of the conveyor means adjacent the terminal station, said conveyor means including a plurality of envelope carriers each of which is adapted to carry a single envelope, each of said carriers being movable independently with respect to the other carriers, said conveyor means having means for presenting one carrier at a time to the input end of said conveyor means and for advancing a carrier from said input end after an envelope is furnished to the carrier and the corresponding strip of film is furnished to said film transport means, said conveyor means sequentially advancing said carriers in synchronization with advancement of strips of film by said film transport means so that a carrier for a particular envelope and the corresponding strip of film arrive substantially simultaneously at the output end of the conveyor means and at the terminal end of the film transport means, respectively.

Claim 5

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 further comprising means at said initial station defining a film input chamber, said chamber defining means including a door movable between an open position and a closed position with said chamber being substantially light-tight when the door is in its closed position, film splicer means within said chamber for splicing film strips together end-to-end, and said station between said initial station and said terminal station comprising a developing station and a fixing station for developing and fixing film, and said means defining film processing stations including means for excluding light from said developing station and said fixing station.

Claim 6

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 further comprising means at said initial station defining a film input chamber, said chamber defining means including a door movable between an open position and a closed position with said chamber being substantially light-tight when the door is in its closed position, and film splicer means within said chamber for splicing film strips together end-to-end.

Claim 7

Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein each of said strips of film is furnished to the apparatus in a light-tight film cartridge, and the apparatus further comprises a cartridge holding fixture positioned within said chamber, said fixture including means for clamping a cartridge in the chamber in a position for removing the film strip from the cartridge and furnishing it to the splicer means, a film strip in a cartridge being removable from the cartridge by operation of said drive means after such film strip has been spliced to the end of the preceding film strip.

Claim 8

Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said conveyor means comprises a track having first and second elongate track portions, the first track portion extending from the input end to the output end of said conveyor means and the second track portions, the first track portion extenDing from the input end to the output end of said conveyor means and the second track portion extending from the output end to the input end of said conveyor means, and each of said carriers comprises (1) means for mounting the carrier on said track portions for movement therealong and (2) means for grasping an envelope.

Claim 9

Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein the first and second track portions are connected together at the input end of said conveyor means, and said means for presenting one carrier at a time to the input end of said conveyor means comprises a first gate located along the first track portion and operable selectively (1) to prevent passage of a carrier from said input end of the conveyor means and (2) to permit passage of a carrier, and a second gate located along the second portion of said track and operable to permit passage of a single carrier past said second gate while preventing passage through the gate of following carriers, whereby a carrier passed by the second gate can travel along said track to the first gate and be retained by said first gate at the input end of said conveyor means.

Claim 10

Apparatus as set forth in claim 7 further comprising a third gate located along said first track portion at the output end of said conveyor means, and a fourth gate located along said first track portion between said first gate and said third gate, said third gate being operable selectively (1) to hold a carrier at said output end of said conveyor means and (2) to permit passage of a carrier, and said fourth gate being operable to permit passage of a single carrier past said fourth gate toward said third gate while preventing passage through the fourth gate of following carriers, whereby a carrier passed by the fourth gate can travel along the first track portion to the third gate and be retained by the third gate at the output end of the conveyor means.