Abstract A wet gate assembly in a photographic strip film printer having a pair of complementary gate halves demountably fastened together to form between opposed faces thereof a through strip film path from top entrance ends down to bottom exit ends thereof. A pair of light-transmitting optical windows having substantially aligned transverse central axes respectively are fitted into one of a pair of opposed apertures that are separately formed in these gate halves with these windows located in transversely spaced-apart relation on opposite sides of the film path to define a chamber therebetween. Cooperative leakage blocking means are provided on the opposed faces of the gate halves along opposite sides of the windows to close the sides of the chamber. Transverse leakage blocking means are cooperatively provided on the entrance ends of the gate halves for preventing leakage up out of the gate assembly chamber while permitting strip film to be drafted down therethrough between the transversely spaced windows. A pair of transverse manifolds are provided with one on each of the gate halves above the window in such gate half, and each manifold has means adapted to be connected to a source of pressurized liquid and provided with transversely spaced passage outlets communicating with the upper portion of the chamber. A pair of cooperating transverse squeegee rollers each rotatably mounted at the face of and by one of these gate halves below the window therein with at least an arcuate longitudinal zone of each roller extending laterally forward beyond the face of the gate half supporting it with the opposed arcuate longitudinal zones of these rollers biased toward longitudinal contact with each other; and these rollers extend laterally to cooperating positions relative to the side leakage blocking means and in cooperative sealing relation with respect to each other for closure of the bottom of the chamber. Means behind each of these rollers defines in the gate half supporting the latter a transverse channel connectable to suction means for drawing off liquid from the chamber at said rollers while substantially blocking leakage below the latter.
In a photographic strip film printer a wet gate assembly comprising: (1) a pair of complementary gate halves demountably fastened together to form between opposed faces thereof a through strip film path from top entrance ends down to bottom exit ends thereof; (2) a pair of light-transmitting optical windows having substantially aligned transverse central axes respectively fitted into one of a pair of opposed apertures separately formed in said gate halves with said windows located in transversely spaced-apart relation on opposite sides of said path to define a chamber therebetween; (3) cooperative leakage blocking means provided on the opposed faces of said gate halves along opposite sides of said windows closing the sides of said chamber; (4) transverse leakage blocking means cooperatively provided on the entrance ends of said gate halves for preventing leakage up out of the gate assembly chamber while permitting strip film to be drafted down therethrough between said transversely spaced windows; (5) a pair of transverse manifolds each provided in one of said gate halves above the window in such gate half with each manifold having means adapted to be connectable to a source of pressurized liquid and provided with transversely spaced passage outlets communicating with the upper portion of the chamber; (6) a pair of cooperating transverse squeegee rollers each rotatably mounted at the face of and by one of said gate halves below the window therein with at least an arcuate longitudinal zone of each roller extending laterally forward beyond the face of the gate half supporting it with the opposed arcuate longitudinal zones of said rollers biased toward longitudinal contact with each other, said rollers extending laterally to cooperating positions relative to said side leakage blocking means and in cooperative sealing relation with respect to each other for closure of the bottom of the chamber; and (7) means defining behind each of said rollers in the gate half supporting the latter a transverse channel connectable to suction means for drawing off liquid from the chamber at said rollers while substantially blocking leakage below the latter.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
342 words
In a photographic strip film printer a wet gate assembly comprising: (1) a pair of complementary gate halves demountably fastened together to form between opposed faces thereof a through strip film path from top entrance ends down to bottom exit ends thereof; (2) a pair of light-transmitting optical windows having substantially aligned transverse central axes respectively fitted into one of a pair of opposed apertures separately formed in said gate halves with said windows located in transversely spaced-apart relation on opposite sides of said path to define a chamber therebetween; (3) cooperative leakage blocking means provided on the opposed faces of said gate halves along opposite sides of said windows closing the sides of said chamber; (4) transverse leakage blocking means cooperatively provided on the entrance ends of said gate halves for preventing leakage up out of the gate assembly chamber while permitting strip film to be drafted down therethrough between said transversely spaced windows; (5) a pair of transverse manifolds each provided in one of said gate halves above the window in such gate half with each manifold having means adapted to be connectable to a source of pressurized liquid and provided with transversely spaced passage outlets communicating with the upper portion of the chamber; (6) a pair of cooperating transverse squeegee rollers each rotatably mounted at the face of and by one of said gate halves below the window therein with at least an arcuate longitudinal zone of each roller extending laterally forward beyond the face of the gate half supporting it with the opposed arcuate longitudinal zones of said rollers biased toward longitudinal contact with each other, said rollers extending laterally to cooperating positions relative to said side leakage blocking means and in cooperative sealing relation with respect to each other for closure of the bottom of the chamber; and (7) means defining behind each of said rollers in the gate half supporting the latter a transverse channel connectable to suction means for drawing off liquid from the chamber at said rollers while substantially blocking leakage below the latter.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
85 words
The wet gate assembly of claim 1 characterized by said means which rotatably mount said rollers being of a type which resiliently supports at least the ends of one of said transverse rollers relative to the other whereby a film strip that may be drafted down through said chamber and between said chamber and between said rollers will be in substantially liquid-tight contact with the latter while preventing undesirable liquid leakage thereat despite any particular thickness of the film and presence of lap joints therein.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
82 words
The wet gate assembly of claim 1 characterized by said cooperative transverse leakage blockage means provided on the top entrance ends of said gate halves being in the form of a pair of cooperative, transverse, top squeegee rollers with one thereof mounted on the inner face of the top end of one of said halves above its liquid supply passage outlets and its window and the other thereof mounted in similar fashion on the inner face of the other of said halves.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
47 words
The wet gate assembly of claim 3 characterized by means which rotatably mounts the ends of at least one of the pair of top squeegee rollers being of the type which resiliently supports said roller ends with biasing of this top roller toward its cooperative companion roller.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
88 words
The wet gate assembly of claim 1 characterized by each of said transverse channels being a lateral and open-face groove in the concerned gate half of a vertical width greater than the diameter of the squeegee roller mounted threat with free nesting of the latter therein while providing space in said groove above and behind said roller for redy liquid evacuation therepast, said rollers in their nested positions within the open faces of said grooves having their opposed longitudinal arcuate zones resiliently biased toward contact with each other.