Patent · US Expired

Film length checking apparatus

US5361112A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
21References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 24, 1993
Grant dateNov 1, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 24, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03D13/001
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

In some types of processing apparatus, there is a minimum length of film strip which can be processed. To overcome this problem, several film strips may be spliced together to provide the desired length and/or a leader attached to the leading edge of the film strip to guide it through the apparatus for processing. Described herein is a loading device (10) for photographic processing apparatus which allows a length of film (102) to be unloaded from its cassette (100) in a film unloading station, its length checked at a film length checking station (18), and passed to a storage station (16) prior to being directed to the processing apparatus. Any length of film not exceeding the minimum length requirement for the processing apparatus can be removed from the storage station thereby avoiding film jams because the film is too short to pass from one transport station to another in the processing apparatus.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.