Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus – Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-12
2001-05-29
Rutledge, D. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
Fluid application to one side only of photographic medium
C396S605000, C396S609000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06238108
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus in which a photosensitive material is subjected to chemical processings in a step-by-step manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been proposed an image forming apparatus in which a photosensitive material, on which an exposed image is formed by heating, is subjected to development processing in such a manner that the photosensitive material, to which a liquid is applied by an applying device, is wound onto a heating drum and a processing sheet is superposed on the photosensitive material. Light transmitted through a dye image of the photosensitive material is digitally read by a CCD sensor of a reading section
50
(see
FIG. 5
) and is stored. Thereafter, silver contained in the photosensitive material is recovered by a desilvering device
52
. The photosensitive material and the processing sheet, which are described above, are shown in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 9-258402, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Laid-Open (JP-A) No 11-84609.
The present inventors have examined as to whether a development reaction and a fixing reaction can proceed concurrently in such an image forming apparatus.
When two processing sections for a development reaction and a fixing reaction are provided, as shown in
FIG. 5
, a heating drum
56
used for the development reaction and a heating drum
58
used for the fixing reaction are required.
Applying devices
60
and
62
which are each used to apply a required solvent to a film N, a development processing sheet
64
on which a layer of mordant for development of the film N is formed, and a fixing processing sheet
66
on which a layer of mordant for fixing processing of the film N is formed must be provided in such a manner that the heating drum
56
, the applying device
60
, and the fixing processing sheet
64
form a set for development, and the heating drum
58
, the applying device
62
, and the fixing processing sheet
66
form a set for fixing.
However, there is the problem that, if the number of processings increases, an additional set must be added for each additional processing, and therefore, the image forming apparatus is made larger.
Further, in the applying device
62
at the downstream side in a direction in which the film N is conveyed, the problem of turbidity arises due to water-soluble substances adhering to the film N dissolving in the liquid filled in the applying device
62
. As a result, the material formulations of the development processing sheet
64
which can be used are restricted considerably. Accordingly, there may be considered a method in which the film N is dried before the film N reaches the applying device
62
. However, in this case, the mechanism of the apparatus becomes more complicated, which is not practical.
Moreover, when the film N is conveyed from the heating drum
56
to the heating drum
58
via conveying roller pairs
68
and
70
, a state in which the film N is not conveyed uniformly arises, and therefore, uniform development processing cannot be achieved.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-described facts, it is an object of the present invention to realize plural chemical reaction processes of a photosensitive material by a small and simple apparatus and to prevent contamination of a solvent filled in an applying device.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus in which a dye image is formed on an exposed photosensitive material, comprising: a solvent applying device which applies a solvent to the photosensitive material; a single heating and conveying device which heats and conveys the photosensitive material to which the solvent is applied; and a plurality of processing members which are, in accordance with chemical reaction processes, sequentially superposed on the photosensitive material which is being heated and conveyed by the heating and conveying device, and thereafter, are peeled from the photosensitive material.
As described above, due to the plural chemical reaction processes being conducted during the period of time in which the photosensitive material is heated and conveyed by the single heating and conveying device, the photosensitive material is not processed non-uniformly when it is conveyed from one processing to another, and a desirable dye image is thereby formed on the photosensitive material. Further, it is not necessary to provide a set of a heating and conveying device, a solvent applying device, and a processing member for each chemical reaction process, and therefore, a small-sized and simple apparatus can be realized.
A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect of the present invention, an overlapping length of each processing member by which the processing member overlaps with the photosensitive material is in proportion to a processing time of the processing member. Due to the structure thus provided, even if the heating and conveying device is driven at a fixed speed, sufficient time for the chemical reaction process of each processing member can be ensured.
A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, immediately after a processing member disposed at an upstream side in a direction in which the photosensitive material is conveyed is peeled from the photosensitive material, a processing member disposed at a downstream side in the direction in which the photosensitive material is conveyed is superposed on the photosensitive material.
As a result, even if the additional solvent is not applied to the photosensitive material during the processings, the solvent does not evaporate until the final processing by the processing member disposed at the downstream side is completed, and the solvent applied by the solvent applying device can be continuously utilized. Accordingly, one solvent applying device suffices.
Further, water-soluble substances from the photosensitive material before processing do not dissolve in and come off into the solvent applied by the solvent applying device, and therefore, the problem of turbidity does not occur.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus in which a dye image is formed on an exposed photosensitive material, comprising: a single heating and conveying device which heats and conveys the photosensitive material; a plurality of processing members which are, in accordance with chemical reaction processes, sequentially superposed on the photosensitive material which is being heated and conveyed by the heating and conveying device, and thereafter, are peeled from the photosensitive material; and a solvent applying device which applies a solvent to the plurality of processing members.
In the aforementioned structure, it is not necessary that the solvent be applied to the photosensitive material, and therefore, there is no possibility that substances of the photosensitive material will dissolve into the solvent.
A fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, a drying section which dries the photosensitive material is provided immediately after a processing member, which is disposed the furthest downstream in the direction in which the photosensitive material is conveyed, is peeled from the photosensitive material. Since the drying section is thus provided to allow forced drying of the photosensitive material, the photosensitive material can be immediately transferred to a subsequent reading process.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2848931 (1958-08-01), Troidl
patent: 2930302 (1960-03-01), Tuttle
patent: 6022673 (2000-02-01), Ishikawa
patent: 6030755 (2000-02-01), Matsumoto et al.
patent: 9-258402 (1997-10-01), None
patent: 11-84609 (1999-03-01), None
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Rutledge D.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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