Automatic film processing machine

Claim 2

In a processing machine for photographic films, the combination comprising: a housing having an entrance slot and an exit slot, a row of open tanks in said housing, film transport means supported in said housing, said film transport means including spaced parallel side walls having portions extending into each of the tanks and portions bridging each tank with the succeeding tank, grooves provided on the opposing surfaces of said side walls, said grooves forming a continuous curved path extending from below the entrance slot of said housing down into and out of each of said tanks in succession, driving rollers having their ends rotatively supported on said opposing side walls adjacent the grooves at the entrance and exit of each of said tanks, guide bails disposed between said parallel side walls, said guide bails having a curvature corresponding to but displaced radially outwardly from the inwardly curved portions of said path and extending along said path between the driving rollers at the entrance and exit of each said tank and between the driving rollers at the exit of each tank and the entrance of the succeeding tank, and drive means for simultaneously driving said driving rollers, whereby a film fed into the entrance slot of said housing has its side edges engaged in the grooves in said opposing side walls and its leading edge only supported by said guide bails while the film is being driven along said continuous curved path by said driving rollers so as to successively pass through each of said tanks toward the exit slot of said housing.

Claim 3

A processing machine for photographic films comprising: a longitudinally extending housing having a processing compartment and a drying chamber, said housing having an entrance slot on one end and an exit slot on the other end thereof, a row of open tanks within the processing compartment of said housing, film transport means supported in said housing, said transport means including spaced side walls extending down into each of said tanks and bridging each tank with the succeeding tank and the last tank with the drying chamber and extending through said drying chamber, the opposing surfaces of said side walls provided with grooves forming a continuous path extending from below the entrance slot of said housing and curving down into and out of each of said tanks in succession and then curving down into and through said drying chamber to the exit slot of said housing, said transport means including driving rollers supported across said spaced side walls adjacent the grooves at the entrance and exit of each said tanks and the entrance and exit of said drying chamber, and said transport means including guide bails located between said spaced side walls and having a curvature similar to but spaced radially outwardly from the inwardly curved portions of the path formed by the grooves on the opposing surfaces thereof, and drive means for said driving rollers, whereby a length of film dropped into the entrance slot of said housing has its sides engaged in the grooves on the opposing surfaces of said side walls and its leading edge supported by said guide bails while the film is being driven along the curves of said continuous path by said driving rollers so as to successively pass through each of said tanks and then through said drying chamber to the exit slot of the housing.

Claim 4

A processing machine for photographic films comprising: a longitudinally extending housing having a processing compartment and a drying chamber, said housing having an entrance slot on one end and an exit slot on the other end thereof, a row of open tanks within the processing compartment of said housing, film transport means supported in said housing, said transport means including spaced side walls extending down into each of said tanks and bridging each tank with the succeeding tank and the last tank with the drying chamber and extending through said drying chamber, the opposing surfaces of said side walls provided with grooves forming a continuous path extending from below the entrance slot of said housing and curving down into and out of each of said tanks in succession and then curving down into and through said drying chamber to the exit slot of said housing, said transport means including driving rollers supported across said spaced side walls adjacent the grooves at the entrance and exit of each said tanks and the entrance and exit of said drying chamber, and said transport means including guide bails located between said spaced side walls and having a curvature similar to but spaced radially outwardly from the inwardly curved portions of the path formed by the grooves on the opposing surfaces thereof, and drive means for said driving rollers, whereby a length of film dropped into the entrance slot of said housing has its sides engaged in the grooves on the opposing surfaces of said side walls and its leading edge supported by said guide bails while the film is being driven along the curves of said continuous path by said driving rollers so as to successively pass through each of said tanks and then through said drying chamber to the exit slot of the housing.

Claim 5

The invention in accordance with claim 2 including a shutter mechanism in the entrance slot of said housing, a cassette comprised of a front and back cover for enclosing an exposed X-ray film, means in said entrance slot for opening said shutter mechanism when the lower end of said cassette is positioned therein, and further means in said entrance slot for wedging open the covers of said cassette to permit the film to drop out of said cassette into the driving rollers supported across the side walls adjacent the grooves at the entrance of said first tank.

Claim 6

The invention in accordance with claim 2 wherein said film transport means includes an individual film driving and guiding unit for each of said tanks and said drying chamber, and wherein the spaced side walls of the film driving and guiding unit for each of said tanks comprises a lower portion extending down into the tank and an upper portion overlapping the lower portion of the film driving and guiding unit extending down into the succeeding tank, the upper portion of the driving and guiding unit for the last tank overlapping a portion of the film driving and guiding unit provided for the drying chamber.

Claim 7

The invention in accordance with claim 4 wherein the upper portions of the side walls of each of said film driving and guiding units are provided with a pair of arms, wherein supporting rails having pairs of spaced notches therealong are provided in said housing above said tanks, wherein each of said film driving and guiding units is supported relative to its respective tank by positioning its pair of arms in a pair of notches provided on said rails, and a locking rail on one of said supporting rails for locking the pairs of arms of said film driving and guiding units in position on said supporting rails.

Claim 8

The invention in accordance with claim 2 wherein the grooves on the opposing surfaces of the side walls of said film transport means are v-shaped.

Claim 9

The invention in accordance with claim 2 including engaging gears on the ends of the driving rollers provided at the entrance and exit of each of said tanks and said drying chamber, a drive shaft extending longitudinally through said housing, said drive shaft provided with worms along the length thereof, and worm gears on the ends of one of the driving rollers on the entrance and exit of each of said tanks in said drying chamber, said worm gears engaging the worms on said drive shaft.

Claim 10

The invention in accordance with claim 2 including an upper and lower heater device supported across the side walls above and below the path of the film through said drying chamber, an upper fan supported in said housing above said upper heater device, a lower fan supported in said housing below said lower heater device, said housing being provided with upper, lower and middle windows on the front and rear sides of said drying chamber, said upper fan drawing in air through said upper windows and blowing said air past said upper heater device and across the upper surface of said film and then out said middle windows, and said lower fan drawing in air through said lower windows and blowing said air past said lower heater device and across the lower surface of said film and then out of said middle windows.

Claim 11

A processing machine for photographic films comprising: a longitudinally extending housing having a processing compartment and a drying chamber, said housing having an entrance slot on one end and an exit slot on the other end thereof, a row of open tanks within the processing compartment of said housing, film driving and guiding means supported in said housing, said means including spaced side walls extending down into each of said tanks and bridging each tank with the succeeding tank and the last tank with the drying chamber and extending through said drying chamber, the opposing surfaces of said side walls being provided with grooves forming a continuous path extending from below the entrance slot of said housing down into and out of each of said tanks in succession and then down into and through said drying chamber to the exit slot of said housing, said means further including driving rollers supported across said spaced side walls adjacent the grooves at the entrance and exit of each of said tanks and the entrance and exit of said drying chamber, drive means for said driving rollers, an upper and lower heater device supported across the side walls above and below the path of the film through said drying chamber, an upper fan supported in said housing above said upper heater device and a lower fan supported in said housing below said lower heater device, said housing being provided with upper, lower and middle windows on the front and rear sides of said drying chamber, said upper fan drawing in air through said upper windows and blowing said air past said upper heater device and across the upper surfaces of said film and then out said middle windows, and said lower fan drawing in air through said lower windows and blowing said air past lower heater device and across the lower surface of said film and then out of said middle windows. the sides of the grooves formed on the opposing side walls of the drying chamber in the vicinity of said heater device being formed with scalloped openings to enable the side edges of the film to be dried by the air blown thereover, whereby a film dropped into the entrance slot of said housing has its sides retained in the grooves on the opposing surfaces of said sidewalls while it is being driven along said continuous path by said driving rollers so as to successively pass through each of said tanks and then through said drying chamber to the exit slot of the housing.

Claim 12

A processing machine for photographic films comprising: a longitudinally extending housing having a processing compartment and a drying chamber, said housing having an entrance slot on one end and an exit slot on the other end thereof, a row of open tanks within the processing compartment of said housing, film driving and guiding means supported in said housing, said means including spaced side walls extending down into each of said tanks and bridging each tank with the succeeding tank and the last tank with the drying chamber and extending through said drying chamber, the opposing surfaces of said side walls being provided with grooves forming a continuous path extending from below the entrance slot of said housing down into and out of each of said tanks in succession and then down into and through said drying chamber to the exit slot of said housing, said means further including driving rollers supported across said spaced side walls adjacent the grooves at the entrance and exit of each of said tanks and the entrance and exit of said drying chamber, drive means for said driving rollers, an upper and lower heater device supported across the side walls above and below the path of the film through said drying chamber, an upper fan supported in said housing above said upper heater device and a lower fan supported in said housing below said lower heater device, said housing being provided with upper, lower and middle windows on the front and rear sides of said drying chamber, said upper fan drawing in air through said upper windows and blowing said air past said upper heater device and across the upper surfaces of said film and then out said middle windows, and said lower fan drawing in air through said lower windows and blowing said air past lower heater device and across the lower surface of said film and then out of said middle windows. the sides of the grooves formed on the opposing side walls of the drying chamber in the vicinity of said heater device being formed with scalloped openings to enable the side edges of the film to be dried by the air blown thereover, whereby a film dropped into the entrance slot of said housing has its sides retained in the grooves on the opposing surfaces of said sidewalls while it is being driven along said continuous path by said driving rollers so as to successively pass through each of said tanks and then through said drying chamber to the exit slot of the housing.

Claim 13

In a film processor, a housing having an entrance slot and an exit slot, a plurality of tanks aligned in said housing, each said tank containing a body of fluid, a drying chamber in said housing located adjacent the last aligned tank, transport means comprising spaced parallel side walls having lower portions extending into each of the tanks and upper portions bridging each tank with the succeeding tank, said upper portion of the side walls for the last tank providing for bridging the last tank with the drying chamber, grooves provided on the opposing surfaces of said side walls, said grooves forming a continuous curved path extending from the entrance slot of said housing down into and out of each of said tanks in succession and through the drying chamber to the exit slot of the housing, an incoming pair of drive rollers disposed adjacent the grooves at the entrance of each of said tanks and the entrance of said drying chamber, an outgoing pair of drive rollers disposed adjacent the grooves at the exit of each of said tanks and the exit of said drying chamber, said incoming and outgoing pairs of drive rollers associated with each said tank being located above the level of the body of fluid contained therein, a lower guide bail located midway between the lower portions of the sidewalls extending into each of the tanks, each said lower guide bail having a curvature similar to but displaced radially outwardly from the curvature of said path in the associated lower portion of the side walls and having a length extending from below the incoming pair of drive rollers to the outgoing pair of drive rollers of each of the tanks, an upper guide bail located midway between the upper portions of the side walls bridging each tank with the succeeding tank and the last tank with the drying chamber, each said upper guide bail having a curvature similar to but displaced radially outwardly from the curvature of said path in the associated upper portion of the side walls and having a length extending from above the outgoing pair of drive rollers of each of the tanks to the incoming pair of drive rollers of the following tank, the upper guide bail for the last tank extending to the incoming pair of drive rollers of the drying chamber, drive means for simultaneously driving said drive rollers, and a cassette adapted when positioned in the entrance slot of said housing to drop a length of film therethrough into said incoming pair of drive rollers of said first tank, said film having a length so that it is advanced along said path by the incoming pair of drive rollers of each tank until its leading edge engages the outgoing pair of drive roLlers of each tank, said outgoing pair of drive rollers for each tank advancing the film along the path to the incoming pair of drive rollers of the following tank, and the outgoing pair of drive rollers of the last tank advancing the film along said path to the pair of incoming drive rollers of the drying chamber which advances the film through the drying chamber until the leading edge of the film engages the outgoing pair of drive rollers of the drying chamber which then advances the length of film through the exit slot of the housing.

Claim 14

In a film processor, a housing having an entrance slot and an exit slot, a plurality of tanks aligned in said housing, each said tank containing a body of fluid, a drying chamber in said housing located adjacent the last aligned tank, transport means comprising spaced parallel side walls having lower portions extending into each of the tanks and upper portions bridging each tank with the succeeding tank, said upper portion of the side walls for the last tank providing for bridging the last tank with the drying chamber, grooves provided on the opposing surfaces of said side walls, said grooves forming a continuous curved path extending from the entrance slot of said housing down into and out of each of said tanks in succession and through the drying chamber to the exit slot of the housing, an incoming pair of drive rollers disposed adjacent the grooves at the entrance of each of said tanks and the entrance of said drying chamber, an outgoing pair of drive rollers disposed adjacent the grooves at the exit of each of said tanks and the exit of said drying chamber, said incoming and outgoing pairs of drive rollers associated with each said tank being located above the level of the body of fluid contained therein, a lower guide bail located midway between the lower portions of the sidewalls extending into each of the tanks, each said lower guide bail having a curvature similar to but displaced radially outwardly from the curvature of said path in the associated lower portion of the side walls and having a length extending from below the incoming pair of drive rollers to the outgoing pair of drive rollers of each of the tanks, an upper guide bail located midway between the upper portions of the side walls bridging each tank with the succeeding tank and the last tank with the drying chamber, each said upper guide bail having a curvature similar to but displaced radially outwardly from the curvature of said path in the associated upper portion of the side walls and having a length extending from above the outgoing pair of drive rollers of each of the tanks to the incoming pair of drive rollers of the following tank, the upper guide bail for the last tank extending to the incoming pair of drive rollers of the drying chamber, drive means for simultaneously driving said drive rollers, and a cassette adapted when positioned in the entrance slot of said housing to drop a length of film therethrough into said incoming pair of drive rollers of said first tank, said film having a length so that it is advanced along said path by the incoming pair of drive rollers of each tank until its leading edge engages the outgoing pair of drive roLlers of each tank, said outgoing pair of drive rollers for each tank advancing the film along the path to the incoming pair of drive rollers of the following tank, and the outgoing pair of drive rollers of the last tank advancing the film along said path to the pair of incoming drive rollers of the drying chamber which advances the film through the drying chamber until the leading edge of the film engages the outgoing pair of drive rollers of the drying chamber which then advances the length of film through the exit slot of the housing.