Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus – Having photographic medium feed
Utility Patent
1999-08-25
2001-01-02
Rutledge, D. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
Having photographic medium feed
C396S621000
Utility Patent
active
06168322
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to apparatus for processing photosensitive elements and relates more particularly to apparatus for processing small photosensitive elements such as photographic slides or dental film.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Intra-oral dental x-ray films are inserted into a patient's mouth to obtain x-ray images of one or more teeth to determine their health. The opaque dental x-ray film pack can be processed in several ways. One process uses hand processing of the film using a number of trays in a darkroom. This process is messy and inconvenient since it requires handling several processing fluids in a darkroom environment. Several automatic processing machines have also been proposed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,852, issued Nov. 14, 1978, inventor Brooks, discloses a dental film carriage for conveying dental film chips through a series of processing stations in an electrically powered dental x-ray film processing machine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,011,573, issued Mar. 8, 1977, inventor Braico, discloses apparatus for developing dental film including a housing, a plurality of receptacles disposed in an arcuate path for processing fluids, and a rotatable film hanger for automatically carrying dental film elements through the sequence of processing steps. The equipment disclosed in these two patents are disadvantageous in needing a source of electrical power, and in their complexity and cost. (See also: U.S. Pat. No. 2,733,645, issued Apr. 18, 1952, inventors Rose et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,968, issued Sep. 29, 1981, inventor Work, disclose processing devices for strips of film which require either a source of electrical power or a source of water.)
Ways of developing film without a processor or darkroom are also known. Such processes include injecting developing solutions into a film pouch (U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,684, issued May 21, 1985, inventor Martin) or introducing them by breaking a seal between prepackaged film and solution packet U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,691, issued Dec. 28, 1993, inventor Neri). These processes are inherently messy and often produce undesirable conditions for the personnel using them.
There is thus a need for a dental film processing system that is safe, convenient, inexpensive, and easy to use and that does not need sources of electrical power or water hooked up to a processing device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for processing photosensitive elements, such as dental x-ray film, that solves the problems discussed above.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided apparatus for processing exposed photosensitive elements comprising: a cylindrical container having an open end and having a plurality of circumferentially disposed containment vessels for containing processing fluids; an index plate which is rotatably mounted on the container at the open end; a holder for holding an exposed photosensitive element; support structure for mounting the holder on the index plate for movement downwardly and upwardly; and a member on the index plate for manually rotating the plate to sequentially align the holder with the plurality of containment vessels so that at each vessel the holder is manually moved downwardly to submerge the photosensitive element in the processing fluid contained in the vessel and then moved upwardly to remove the element from the fluid.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has the following advantages.
1. The user is isolated from contact with processing solutions.
2. The developed image can be viewed before processing is completed.
3. The apparatus is simple in construction, low in cost, easy to use, and easy to wash and clean.
4. Chair-side processing in the dental operatory.
5. There is no need for a dark room when film capable of room-light processing is used.
6. There is no need for a source of electricity hooked up to the processing apparatus.
7. There is no need for special plumbing or drains hooked up to the processing apparatus.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2733645 (1956-02-01), Rose et al.
patent: 3412667 (1968-11-01), Hunt
patent: 4011573 (1977-03-01), Braico
patent: 4125852 (1978-11-01), Brooks
patent: 4291968 (1981-09-01), Work
patent: 4518684 (1995-05-01), Martin
patent: 4853729 (1989-08-01), Tanaka
patent: 5005036 (1991-04-01), Wilsin et al.
patent: 5274691 (1993-12-01), Neri
patent: 5870172 (1999-02-01), Blume
Brayer Franklin C.
O'Dea Dennis J.
Perry Ronald J.
Sherburne David G.
Eastman Kodak Company
Noval William F.
Rutledge D.
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