Alignment station for aperture card photographic copying machine

Claim 2

An improved photographic apparatus of the kind for exposing photosensitive film inserts mounted in the apertures of aperture cards, wherein there is provided a card loading station, a film exposing station, and a card holder for moving an aperture card along a path from said loading station to said exposing station and for locating the card in an exposing position in which its film insert can be exposed at said exposing station, and wherein the improvement comprises: a card positioning station disposed along the path of movement of said card holder between said card loading station and said film exposing station; a plurality of card positioning members disposed at said card positioning station, said positioning members spaced apart to allow receipt of an aperture card therebetween and to allow edge contact with such a received card; an actuator member movable in first and second opposite directions; means supporting said card positioning members for movement between respective idle positions, in which an aperture card can be loosely received between said positioning members, and respective engaged positions, in which said positioning members are in edge contact with such a received card for positioning the received card in a particular relation to said card holder which enables said holder to accurately locate the received card in the exposing position; said card positioning member supporting means including a plurality of slide bars from which said card positioning members respectively project and means supporting said slide bars for movement toward and away from said actuator member for moving said positioning members respectively to their engaged and idle positions; a plurality of link bars pivotally coupled to said actuator member; means supporting said link bars for movement into and out of a motion transmitting relation with said slide bars respectively in response to said actuator member moving in the second and first directions, said link bars moving into such motion transmitting relation with said slide bars to move said slide bars away from said actuator member and resultingly move said card positioning members to their idle positions; and spring means elastically connecting said slide bars and said link bars for moving said link bars toward said actuator member, In response to movement of said actuator member in the first direction, and resultingly moving said card positioning members to their engaged positions.

Claim 3

The improvement as recited in claim 1, further comprising: means, connected to said card holder, activatable for securing an aperture card to said holder and deactivatable for releasing the card from said holder; means for deactivating said card securing and releasing means to release an aperture card from said card holder at said card positioning station and for activating said securing and releasing means to secure an aperture card to said holder in the particular relation to said holder which enables said holder to accurately locate the card in the exposing position; and means connected to one of said card positioning members for detecting the absence of an aperture card between said positioning members and, in response thereto, for preventing activation of said card securing and releasing means at said card positioning station.

Claim 4

The improvement as recited in claim 1, wherein said card positioning member supporting means includes means supporting said card positioning members for movement between respective first positions, in which said positioning members border an area which is larger than that occupied by an aperture card received between said positioning members, and respective second positions, in which said positioning members border an area which is smaller than that occupied by the received card, wherein said card positioning member supporting means further includes means for restricting movement of said positioning members between the respective first and second positions, and wherein said spring means elastically connecting said card positioning members and said actuator member exerts an urging force on a respective one of said positioning members which is weaker than an urging force exerted by said spring means on other of said positioning members so as to prevent said one positioning member from moving to its respective second position by edge contact with an aperture card received between said positioning members.

Claim 5

An improved photographic apparatus of the kind for exposing photosensitive film inserts mounted in the apertures of aperture cards, wherein there is provided a card loading station, a film exposing station, and a card holder for moving an aperture card along a path from said loading station to said exposing station and for locating the card in an exposing position in which its film insert can be exposed at said exposing station, and wherein the improvement comprises: a card positioning station disposed along the path of movement of said holder between said card loading station and said film exposing station; a plurality of card positioning members disposed at said card positioning station, said positioning members spaced apart to allow receipt of an aperture card therebetween and to allow edge contact with such a received card; means supporting said card positioning members for movement between respective idle positions, in which an aperture card can be loosely received between said positioning members, and respective engaged positions, in which said positioning members are in edge contact with such a received card for positioning the received card in a particular relation to said card holder which enables said holder to accurately locate the received card in the exposing position; means, connected to said card holder, activatable for securing an aperture card to said holder and deactivatable for releasing the card from said holder; means for deactivating said card securing and releasing means to release an aperture card from said card holder at said card positioning station and for activating said securing an releasing means to secure an aperture card to said holder in the particular relation to said holder which enables said holder to accurately locate the card in the exposing position; an means connecting to one of said card positioniNg members for detecting the absence of an aperture card between said positioning members and, in response thereto, for preventing activation of said card securing and releasing means at said card positioning station.

Claim 6

An improved photographic apparatus of the kind for exposing photosensitive film inserts mounted in the apertures of aperture cards, wherein there is provided a card loading station, a film exposing station, and a card holder for moving an aperture card along a path from said loading station to said exposing station and for locating the card in an exposing position in which its film insert can be exposed at said exposing station, and wherein the improvement comprises: a card positioning station disposed along the path of movement of said holder between said card loading station and said film exposing station; a plurality of card positioning members disposed at said card positioning station, said positioning members spaced apart to allow receipt of an aperture card therebetween and to allow edge contact with such a received card; means supporting said card positioning members for movement between respective idle positions, in which an aperture card can be loosely received between said positioning members, and respective engaged positions, in which said positioning members are in edge contact with such a received card for positioning the received card in a particular relation to said card holder which enables said holder to accurately locate the received card in the exposing position; means, connected to said card holder, activatable for securing an aperture card to said holder and deactivatable for releasing the card from said holder; means for deactivating said card securing and releasing means to release an aperture card from said card holder at said card positioning station and for activating said securing an releasing means to secure an aperture card to said holder in the particular relation to said holder which enables said holder to accurately locate the card in the exposing position; an means connecting to one of said card positioniNg members for detecting the absence of an aperture card between said positioning members and, in response thereto, for preventing activation of said card securing and releasing means at said card positioning station.

Claim 7

An improved photographic apparatus of the kind for exposing photosensitive film inserts mounted in the apertures of aperture cards, wherein there is provided a card loading station, a film exposing station, and a card holder for moving an aperture card along a path from said loading station to said exposing station and for locating the card in an exposing position in which its film insert can be exposed at said exposing station, and wherein the improvement comprises: a card positioning station disposed along the path of movement of said card holder between said card loading station and said film exposing station; a plurality of card positioning members disposed at said card positioning station, said positioning members spaced apart to allow receipt of an aperture card therebetween and to allow edge contact with such a received card; means supporting said card positioning members for movement to respective first positions, in which said positioning members border are area which is larger than that occupied by an aperture card received between said positioning members, and for movement to respective second positions, in which said positioning members border an area which is smaller than that occupied by the received card; means for restricting movement of said card positioning members between the respective first and second positions; means for moving several of said card positioning members from the respective first positions into the respective second positions and for moving at least one other of said positioning members from its respective first position against an aperture card received between said positioning members in a manner pushing the received card into edge contact with those of said positioning members in the respective second positions, for positioning the received card in a particular relation to said card holder which enables said holder to accurately locate the received card in the exposing position; said card positioning member moving means including a rotary solenoid energizable for rotation in a given direction and a plurality of spring and linkage means disposed about said solenoid and interconnecting said card positioning members an said solenoid, respectively, in a manner such that energization of said solenoid can pull said positioning members from the respective first positions into the respective second positions, and at least one of said spring and linkage means exerting a pulling force on a respective one of said positioning members which is weaker than a pulling force exerted by other of said spring and linkage means on other of said positioning members so as to prevent one of said positioning members from moving to its respective second position by edge contact with an aperture card received between said positioning members.

Claim 8

An improved photographic apparatus of the kind for exposing photosensitive film inserts mounted in the apertures of aperture cards, wherein there is provided a card loading station, a film exposing station, and a card holder for moving an aperture card along a path from said loading station to said exposing station and for locating the card in an exposing position in which its film insert can be exposed at said exposing station, and wherein the improvement comprises: a card positioning station disposed along the path of movement of said card holder between said card loading station and said film exposing station; a plurality of card positioning members disposed at said card positioning station, said positioning members spaced apart to allow receipt of an aperture card therebetween and to allow edge contact with such a received card; means supporting said card positioning members for movement to respective first positions, in which said positioning members border are area which is larger than that occupied by an aperture card received between said positioning members, and for movement to respective second positions, in which said positioning members border an area which is smaller than that occupied by the received card; means for restricting movement of said card positioning members between the respective first and second positions; means for moving several of said card positioning members from the respective first positions into the respective second positions and for moving at least one other of said positioning members from its respective first position against an aperture card received between said positioning members in a manner pushing the received card into edge contact with those of said positioning members in the respective second positions, for positioning the received card in a particular relation to said card holder which enables said holder to accurately locate the received card in the exposing position; said card positioning member moving means including a rotary solenoid energizable for rotation in a given direction and a plurality of spring and linkage means disposed about said solenoid and interconnecting said card positioning members an said solenoid, respectively, in a manner such that energization of said solenoid can pull said positioning members from the respective first positions into the respective second positions, and at least one of said spring and linkage means exerting a pulling force on a respective one of said positioning members which is weaker than a pulling force exerted by other of said spring and linkage means on other of said positioning members so as to prevent one of said positioning members from moving to its respective second position by edge contact with an aperture card received between said positioning members.