US3763758A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Control unit for minimizing water and power consumption in automatic film processors
Assignee: AFP ACQUISITION Corp
•
Filing: 1972-09-25
•
Granted: 1973-10-09
•
Expires: 1992-09-25
Abstract
Abstract An automatic film processor is provided with a control system for inhibiting the drier heater and blower motor circuits unless film is being transported through the processor, to save electrical power, and to prevent wash water from flowing to waste except while film is being transported, in order to effect reduction of water consumption. The control system includes a pulse generator producing a train of pulses related to the rate of film transport through the processor; a film feed sensor for monitoring the presence or absence of a sheet of film at the input tray of the processor; a first counter, preferably taking the form of a slow integrator, which is activated by passage of the trailing edge of a sheet of film past the film feed sensor and which operates to count pulses from the transport pulse generator to produce an output signal operative to energize the drier heater and blower motor circuits and water solenoid for a period of time, determined by the transport speed and film length, sufficient to allow the trailing edge of the film to reach the catch tray at the output of the processor; and a second counter, preferably taking the form of a fast integrator, activated by passage of the trailing edge of the sheet of film past the film feed sensor for counting a series of pulses from the transport pulse generator and operative to indicate when a further sheet of film can be fed into the processor with constant trailing edge to leading edge space separation between the film sheets.
Inventors
- 👤 A Manack
- 👤 M Sulak
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 09:07
CPC Classifications
G; G03; G03D; G03D15/00; G03D15/02; G03D13/00; G03D13/008
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
107 words
In a processing apparatus of the type comprising at least one material treatment station, means for transporting material to be processed along a transport path toward said station, means for producing a train of pulses having a repetition rate related to the rate of transport of said material along said path, pulse counter means, material detecting means disposed adjacent said transport path at a position upstream of said station for selectively rendering said counter means operative to count said pulses, and control means coupled to said counter means and responsive to a predetermined pulse count therein for controlling the state of operation of said material treatment station.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
107 words
In a processing apparatus of the type comprising at least one material treatment station, means for transporting material to be processed along a transport path toward said station, means for producing a train of pulses having a repetition rate related to the rate of transport of said material along said path, pulse counter means, material detecting means disposed adjacent said transport path at a position upstream of said station for selectively rendering said counter means operative to count said pulses, and control means coupled to said counter means and responsive to a predetermined pulse count therein for controlling the state of operation of said material treatment station.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein said material treatment station comprises an electrically energizable drier in an automatic film processor.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
The combination of claim 2 wherein said control means is responsive to occurrence of said predetermined pulse count to de-energize said drier.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
The combination of claim 1 wherein said material treatment station comprises a wash tank in an automatic film processor, said control means being responsive to occurrence of said predetermined pulse count to prevent wAter from flowing through said wash tank to waste.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
173 words
In an automatic film processor of the type comprising a film processing section, an electrically energizable drier section, and transport means for transporting a sheet of film from a processor input location along a transport path through said processing section and drier section in sequence, the improvement comprising means for monitoring the distance traveled by a sheet of film along said transport path, film detecting means disposed adjacent said processor input location and responsive only to the passage of the trailing edge of a sheet of film to said input location for rendering said monitoring means operative, and control means coupled to said monitoring means for de-energizing said drier section when the total distance traveled by a sheet of film being monitored by said monitoring means reaches a value sufficient for the passage of the trailing edge of said sheet of film completely through said processing and drier sections, the deenergization of said drier section thereby being rendered independent of the length of said sheet of film between its leading and trailing edges.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
173 words
In an automatic film processor of the type comprising a film processing section, an electrically energizable drier section, and transport means for transporting a sheet of film from a processor input location along a transport path through said processing section and drier section in sequence, the improvement comprising means for monitoring the distance traveled by a sheet of film along said transport path, film detecting means disposed adjacent said processor input location and responsive only to the passage of the trailing edge of a sheet of film to said input location for rendering said monitoring means operative, and control means coupled to said monitoring means for de-energizing said drier section when the total distance traveled by a sheet of film being monitored by said monitoring means reaches a value sufficient for the passage of the trailing edge of said sheet of film completely through said processing and drier sections, the deenergization of said drier section thereby being rendered independent of the length of said sheet of film between its leading and trailing edges.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
38 words
The combination of claim 5 wherein said film detecting means includes means responsive to passage of the leading edge of said sheet of film to said input location for causing said control means to energize said drier section.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
The combination of claim 6 wherein said monitoring means comprises an electric signal generator coupled to said transport means for producing a succession of signals each of which represents a predetermined increment of the distance traveled by a sheet of film along said transport path.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
172 words
In an automatic film processor of the type comprising a film processing section, an electrically energizable drier section, and a transport system for feeding a sheet of film along a transport path through said processing section and drier section in sequence, the improvement comprising detecting means located adjacent said transport path at a position upstream of said film processing section for detecting the presence of a sheet of film, a pulse generator coupled to said transport system for producing a train of electrical pulses representing increments of distance traveled by said film sheet along said path, means for counting said pulses, control means responsive to the counting of a preselected number of said pulses for altering the state of energization of said drier section, and further control means coupled to said detecting means for rendering said counting means inoperative when a sheet of film actuates said detecting means and for rendering said counting means operative to count said pulses when the trailing edge of a film sheet has passed said detecting means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
172 words
In an automatic film processor of the type comprising a film processing section, an electrically energizable drier section, and a transport system for feeding a sheet of film along a transport path through said processing section and drier section in sequence, the improvement comprising detecting means located adjacent said transport path at a position upstream of said film processing section for detecting the presence of a sheet of film, a pulse generator coupled to said transport system for producing a train of electrical pulses representing increments of distance traveled by said film sheet along said path, means for counting said pulses, control means responsive to the counting of a preselected number of said pulses for altering the state of energization of said drier section, and further control means coupled to said detecting means for rendering said counting means inoperative when a sheet of film actuates said detecting means and for rendering said counting means operative to count said pulses when the trailing edge of a film sheet has passed said detecting means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
37 words
The combination of claim 8 wherein said film processing section includes an electrically energizable solenoid for controlling the flow of wash water, said control means also being operative to control the state of energization of said solenoid.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
62 words
The combination of claim 8 wherein said pulse generator comprises a radiant energy source and a radiant energy detector disposed in spaced relation to one another, a chopper disc disposed between said source and said energy detector, said disc being mounted for rotation at a rate related to said rate of film transport, and pulse shaping circuits coupled to said energy detector.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
36 words
The combination of claim 8 wherein said counting means comprises a pulse integrator which includes an integrating capacitor, said further control means including switch means for selectively connecting, and removing, a discharging circuit across said capacitor.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
79 words
The combination of claim 8 including further counter means coupled to said detecting means for counting said pulses when the trailing edge of said film sheet has passed said detecting means, a film feed indicator, and means responsive to the counting of a second preselected number of pulses, less than said first preselected number, by said further counter means for causing said film feed indicator to indicate that a further sheet of film may be fed into said processor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
48 words
The combination of claim 12 wherein each of said counting means comprises a staircase generator pulse integrator having an integrating capacitor, said further control means being operative to apply short circuits across the integrating capacitors of said pulse integrators when a sheet of film actuates said detecting means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
21 words
The combination of claim 13 including a pair of voltage level detectors coupled to the outputs of said pulse integrators respectively.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
39 words
The combination of claim 14 wherein said control means, for controlling the energization of said drier section, includes an electro-mechanical relay having a coil adapted to be selectively energized under the control of one of said voltage level detectors.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
24 words
The combination of claim 15 including a manually operable override switch in series with said relay coil for selectively preventing energization of said coil.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
The combination of claim 15 wherein said film feed indicator comprises a lamp the energization of which is under the control of the other of said voltage detectors.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1976-10-08 | 1977-04-09 | 1977-10-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1980-10-08 | 1981-04-09 | 1981-10-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1984-10-08 | 1985-04-09 | 1985-10-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |