Graphic material registration apparatus and method

Claim 2

Photographic exposure apparatus comprising: a radiation transmissive platen disposed to support a photographic sheet in intimate registration with one surface for the exposure thereof to a source of radiation through the platen in a direction toward said one surface; another platen spaced away from said one surface of the radiative transmissive platen; a flexible, substantially gas-impervious membrane disposed intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and said other platen and being sealed substantially about the peripheral boundary thereof with respect to one of said platens for forming a common boundary wall between two gas-impervious chambers and for receiving a sheet of photographic material intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and the membrane; gas inlet means coupled to the region within the peripheral seal of the membrane for selectively admitting gas into the region; means coupled to the region between the membrane and said one surface of the transmissive platen for evacuating gas therefrom to urge the membrane toward said one surface of the transmissive platen in response to differential gas pressure on opposite surfaces of the membrane for supporting a sheet of photographic material in intimate surface registration with said one surface; and resilient hold-down means disposed with respect to the other platen and the membrane for resiliently urging the membrane toward the other platen to promote flexure of the membrane toward the transmissive platen that migrates over said one surface thereof.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said resilient means are spaced at intervals about the location adjacent the gas inlet means.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said resilient hold-down means includes magnetic means disposed in the membrane and in the other platen to provide attractive force therebetween.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein said resilient hold-down means includes resilient filaments coupled between the membrane and the other platen to provide attractive force therebetween.

Claim 6

Photographic exposure apparatus comprising: a radiation transmissive platen disposed to receive a photographic sheet in intimate registration with one surface for exposure thereof to a source of radiation through the platen in a direction toward said one surface; a support platen spaced away from said one surface of the transmissive platen; a flexible, substantially gas-impervious membrane disposed intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and said support platen and being supported on said support platen for selectively forming a gas-impervious chamber with said transmissive platen, and being disposed to communicate with a sheet of photographic material that is received intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and the membrane; support means coupled to the membrane and to the support platen for providing resilient force urging the membrane toward the support platen; and means coupled to the region between the membrane and said one surface of the transmissive platen for evacuating air therefrom to urge the membrane toward said one surface of the transmissive platen against the resilient force of said support means in response to differential air pressure on opposite surfaces of the membrane for supporting a sheet of photographic material in intimate surface registration with said one surface of the transmissive platen.

Claim 7

Photographic exposure apparatus comprising: a radiation transmissive platen disposed to receive a photographic sheet in intimate registration with one surface for exposure thereof to a source of radiation through the platen in a direction toward said one surface; a support platen spaced away from said one surface of the transmissive platen; a flexible, substantially gas-impervious membrane disposed intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and said support platen and being supported on said support platen for selectively forming a gas-impervious chamber with said transmissive platen, and being disposed to communicate with a sheet of photographic material that is received intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and the membrane; support means coupled to the membrane and to the support platen for providing resilient force urging the membrane toward the support platen; and means coupled to the region between the membrane and said one surface of the transmissive platen for evacuating air therefrom to urge the membrane toward said one surface of the transmissive platen against the resilient force of said support means in response to differential air pressure on opposite surfaces of the membrane for supporting a sheet of photographic material in intimate surface registration with said one surface of the transmissive platen.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 5 comprising: said support means being disposed with respect to said membrane at a plurality of locations over the area thereof for resiliently urging the membrane toward said support platen to promote flexure of the membrane toward the transmissive platen that migrates over said one surface thereof in response to the evacuation of the region between the membrane and the transmissive platen.

Claim 9

Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said support means are spaced at intervals about a selected region of the membrane to supply resilient force that is graduated from least force near the selected region to the most force at locations remote from the selected region.

Claim 10

Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said support means includes magnetic means disposed in the membrane and in the support platen to provide attractive force therebetween.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said support means includes resilient filaments coupled between the membrane and the support platen to provide attractive force therebetween.

Claim 12

Photographic exposure apparatus comprising: a radiation transmissive platen disposed to receive a photographic sheet in intimate registration with one surface for exposure thereof to a source of radiation through the platen in a direction toward said one surface; a support platen spaced away from said one surface of the radiative transmissive platen; a flexible, substantially gas-impervious membrane disposed intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and said support platen and being supported on said support platen for selectively forming a gas-impervious chamber with said transmissive platen, and being disposed to communicate with a sheet of photographic material that is received intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and the membrane, said membrane including a dimensionally stable central region that is laterally and longitudinally inextensible and including a portion of the perimeter region about the central region that is laterally and longitudinally flexible; support means coupled to the membrane in the central region thereof and to the support platen for providing resilient force urging the membrane toward the support platen; and means coupled to the region between the membrane and said one surface of the transmissive platen for evacuating air therefrom to urge the membrane toward said one surface of the transmissive platen against the resilient force of said support means in response to differential air pressure on opposite surfaces of the membrane for supporting a sheet of photographic material in intimate surface registration with said one surface of the transmissive platen.

Claim 13

Photographic exposure apparatus comprising: a radiation transmissive platen disposed to receive a photographic sheet in intimate registration with one surface for exposure thereof to a source of radiation through the platen in a direction toward said one surface; a support platen spaced away from said one surface of the radiative transmissive platen; a flexible, substantially gas-impervious membrane disposed intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and said support platen and being supported on said support platen for selectively forming a gas-impervious chamber with said transmissive platen, and being disposed to communicate with a sheet of photographic material that is received intermediate said one surface of the radiation transmissive platen and the membrane, said membrane including a dimensionally stable central region that is laterally and longitudinally inextensible and including a portion of the perimeter region about the central region that is laterally and longitudinally flexible; support means coupled to the membrane in the central region thereof and to the support platen for providing resilient force urging the membrane toward the support platen; and means coupled to the region between the membrane and said one surface of the transmissive platen for evacuating air therefrom to urge the membrane toward said one surface of the transmissive platen against the resilient force of said support means in response to differential air pressure on opposite surfaces of the membrane for supporting a sheet of photographic material in intimate surface registration with said one surface of the transmissive platen.

Claim 14

Apparatus as in claim 10 wherein said membrane includes a layer of laterally and longitudinally inextensible material within the central region thereof and including a surface layer of resilient polymeric material disposed to contact a sheet of photographic material received intermediate the transmissive platen and said membrane.

Claim 15

Apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the transition between central region and perimeter region of the membrane is located beyond the boundary dimensions of a photographic sheet that is receivable in contact with the membrane.

Claim 16

Apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the cross sectional dimension of said membrane in the central region thereof is substantially thicker than the cross sectional dimension of the membrane in the perimeter region thereof.

Claim 17

Apparatus as in claim 11 wherein said layer includes woven cloth having threads oriented at least in lateral and longitudinal directions.

Claim 18

Apparatus as in claim 13 comprising gasket means disposed about the perimeter region of the membrane and disposed to selectively form a gas-tight seal with said one surface of the transmissive platen.

Claim 19

Apparatus as in claim 11 wherein said layer includes a metal layer.

Claim 22

The method according to claim 17 wherein in the step of resiliently urging, magnetic force is established to urge the membrane away from the platen, and is overcome progressively to promote progressive urging of the member toward the platen from near a substantially central location toward the perimeter of the membrane in response to the evacuation of the first chamber.

Claim 25

The method according to claim 19 wherein in the step of forming the pressure chamber, the membrane is formed with a substantially inextensible central region and a dimensionally flexible perimeter region about the central region to provide a flexible boundary wall of the pressure chamber for urging photographic materials positioned therein to contact the platen when in place as a boundary wall of the pressure chamber in response to selective evacuation of the pressure chamber.

Claim 26

The method according to claim 19 including the step of: resiliently urging the membrane away from the platen with resilient force that varies progressively outwardly from a central region toward the perimeter thereof to promote progressive urging of the membrane toward the platen from the substantially central region toward the perimeter of the membrane in response to the evacuation of the pressure chamber.

Claim 27

The method according to claim 21 wherein in the step of resiliently urging, magnetic force is established to urge the membrane away from the platen, and is overcome progressively to promote progressive urging of the membrane toward the platen from a substantially central region toward the perimeter of the membrane in response to the evacuation of the pressure chamber.

Claim 28

The method according to claim 21 wherein in the step of resiliently urging, elastic members urge the membrane away from the platen at a plurality of locations positioned about the substantially central region.