Patent · US Expired

Photographic processing apparatus

US5448326A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
31References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 24, 1993
Grant dateSep 5, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 24, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG03D13/005
  • 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 which removes the need for splicing and attachment of leaders to the film strip prior to processing. The device allows a film to be automatically removed from its cassette and loaded into processing apparatus and comprises a housing in which a cassette unloading station (12), a film delivery station (14) connected to processing apparatus, a storage station (16), a film length measuring station (18), a direct film loading station (22), and a cutting station (24) are arranged. Pairs of transport rollers (26, 28) and (30, 32) are provided to transport the film through the device.

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