Photocopying – Projection printing and copying cameras – With developing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-11
2001-04-17
Adams, Russell (Department: 2851)
Photocopying
Projection printing and copying cameras
With developing
C355S030000, C355S075000, C355S100000, C359S507000, C359S513000, C396S579000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06219128
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic processing apparatus for processing, with processing solutions, a photosensitive material inserted through an insertion slot after imagewise exposure.
2. Description of the Related Art
In case that a printing plate for printing high-volume printed matter is produced, proofing to check that there are no mistakes in lettering in the printing plate is performed. Further, when color printing is performed, proofing that includes checking that there are no errors in colors is performed. Therefore, for example, when color printing is performed, a color proof image is formed on a photosensitive material.
In order to produce such a color proof, a color proof producing device is used. In the color proof producing device, an image exposure device, which exposes the photographic material, is used as an output device, and an automatic processing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as a “processor”), which develops and processes the photographic material exposed in the output device, is connected to the output device.
Generally, in the processor, a photosensitive material that has been inserted through the insertion slot is immersed in processing solutions, for example, a developing solution, a bleach-fixing solution, a rinsing solution (or a washing water) to perform processing with processing solutions. Then, a drying is performed. At this time, the processing solutions e. g. the developing solution, the bleach-fixing solution, etc. are temperature-controlled so as to optimally finish the photosensitive material.
In such a processor, the processing solutions are stored within the apparatus and are temperature-controlled. Therefore, as the air temperature increases, the humidity in the processor increases. Further, corrosive gases from constituents of the processing solutions are retained within the apparatus.
Therefore, if air in the processor enters the output device which is connected to the processor, the air may be condensed in the output device, and the condensed moisture and the corrosive gases may cause corrosion of internal components (parts) of the output device.
When making a printing plate for printing, a plate-making method wherein image data is transformed to digital signals and a printing plate is exposed to a light beam modulated on the basis of this image data is widely used. In this plate-making method, a color proof producing device, in which a processor is connected to an image exposure device to which the photosensitive material for proofing is exposed on the basis of image data, is used.
For example, in the image exposure device to which the photosensitive material is exposed on the basis of the image data, the photosensitive material is wound around a rotating drum, and the rotating drum is rotated at high speed while holding the photosensitive material by suction due to negative pressure. Thus, the photosensitive material is imagewise scan-exposed.
In the image exposure device which holds photosensitive material by suction with negative pressure, when the photosensitive material is fitted to the rotating drum and held, pressure in the device may become lower than pressure outside the device. In case that a processor is connected to such image exposure device, and that the photosensitive material is fed from the image exposure device into the insertion slot of the processor, when internal pressure of the image exposure device becomes low, air in the processor will be sucked into the image exposure device through the insertion slot, which will be condensed and make the components in the image exposure device to corrode.
Therefore, there are color proof producing devices provided with an opening and closing mechanism such as a shutter in the insertion slot of the processor. The insertion slot is opened when the photosensitive material is passed through. The insertion slot is closed when the photosensitive material is not passed through, to prevent air in the processor from flowing into the image exposure device.
Further, there are color proof producing devices provided with an exhaust fan in the processor. Air in the processor is exhausted by this exhaust fan. Thus, inflow of air from the processor through the insertion slot into the image exposure device is prevented.
However, in order to prevent air in the processor from flowing into the image exposure device by an exhaust fan when pressure in the image exposure device is lowered, it is necessary to use a high capacity exhaust fan and it is difficult to reliably prevent outflow of air from the insertion slot.
Further, even though the exhaust fan is provided to exhaust air from the processor, air in the processor flows through the insertion slot into the image exposure device, where the interior of the image exposure device has a negative pressure. That is, in a rapid processing, when discharge of photosensitive material on which an image has been printed and attachment of subsequent photosensitive material onto the rotating drum by suction are simultaneously performed, and the insertion slot of the processing section of the processor is opened under the reduced internal pressure of the image exposure device, air in the processor flows into the image exposure device.
Therefore, to prevent air from flowing through the insertion slot of the processing section of the processor into the image exposure device, it is necessary to extend processing intervals of the photosensitive materials, and as a result, processing efficiency is reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made in view of the above-described facts, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gas outflow preventing device, which constitutes a part of a photosensitive material processing apparatus, and which prevents internal air from flowing out through an insertion slot of the photosensitive material processing apparatus which processes photosensitive material with processing solutions without reducing processing efficiency of the photosensitive material.
In order to accomplish the above-described object, an automatic processing apparatus for processing an exposed photosensitive material with processing solution according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises (a) a housing having an insertion slot for the photosensitive material defined therein for receiving the exposed photosensitive material therethrough into the housing for processing the photosensitive material with processing solutions; (b) a conveyor system disposed in the housing, which receives the photosensitive material and conveys the material along a transport path, while the photosensitive material is processed with processing solutions; (c) a gas outflow preventing device for reducing gas outflow from the housing, the gas outflow preventing device including: (i) a nozzle having an opening disposed toward the travelling direction of the exposed photosensitive material and transversely directed toward the insertion slot (i. e. directed toward the transverse direction of the photosensitive material); and (ii) a blower connected to the nozzle, so that air is supplied from the blower to the nozzle.
In accordance with the first aspect of this invention, air supplied by the blower is blown out from the opening of the nozzle toward the insertion slot. Air is blown out from the opening of the nozzle onto the whole areas of the insertion slot.
Therefore, although the insertion slot is always opened so that the photosensitive material can be inserted, outflow of air in the processing apparatus through the insertion slot is reliably prevented by the air blown out from the opening of the nozzle toward the insertion slot.
In accordance with the first aspect of this invention, the output device is connected to the insertion slot of the processing section of the processor. When the exposed photosensitive material is fed out from the output device and fed into the insertion slot of the processor, the opening of the nozzle are disposed adjacent to the transport path of th
Denawa Tatsuyuki
Nakatsuka Kimihiro
Adams Russell
Brown Khaled
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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