Cleaning and liquid contact with solids – Apparatus – For work having hollows or passages
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-15
2002-12-10
Stinson, Frankie L. (Department: 1746)
Cleaning and liquid contact with solids
Apparatus
For work having hollows or passages
C134S16800C, C134S16900A
Reexamination Certificate
active
06491047
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for taking out a photographic treatment composition from a container to clean the empty container when photographic treatment solution for use in an operation for processing silver-halide color photographic photosensitive material is prepared. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning a container filled with a photographic treatment composition such that handling and transportation easiness can be realized, apprehension that contact of the photographic treatment composition with the hand occurring when the photographic treatment composition is dissolved can be eliminated and the state of filling is realized to be adaptable to an automatic developing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a process of a silver-halide photographic photosensitive material, for example, a process of a silver-halide color photographic photosensitive material consists of steps for stabilizing an image including a color developing step, a step for removing silver and a cleaning step using water. In each step, solution (called “processing solution”) is used which contains one or more types of processing chemicals except for the cleaning step using water. Since each processing solution has a relatively low density, it is improper that manufacture of each solution in a state in which the solution can be used, transportation of the solutions to a processing laboratory and preservation of the same are performed. The reason forth is lies in that reduction in the cost and preserving space cannot be realized and easy handling is not permitted. Therefore, so-called rich processing solution is usually delivered which is obtained by filling a container with rich solution arranged to be diluted with water so as to be used.
The process for raising the concentration of the photographic treatment solution in the uniform liquid phase encounters a limitation because of restraint of the solubility and reactions of components. Therefore, the volume and weight cannot satisfactorily be reduced. Hence it follows that a suggestion has been made that the photographic treatment composition is formed into powder, granules, tablets or slurry so as to reduce the volume and the weight.
Although the foregoing method is effective to reduce the volume and the weight, there arises a problem in that collapsed fine particles in the composition in the form of powder, granules, tablets or slurry and coagulated and solidified fine particles adhere to the inner surface of the container and remain on the foregoing surface. A portion of the components of a solid photographic treatment composition, such as the tablets or granules, firmly adheres to the inner surface of the container because of slight moisture adsorption. Thus, the portion cannot easily be removed. The foregoing portion raises a problem from viewpoints of environmental conservation, safety work and recycling of the containers.
It is preferable that the container for the photographic treatment composition is reused to effectively utilize the resources. To achieve the foregoing object, a method has been disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-220722 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.6-82988, the method having the steps of discharging the components from the container; and cleaning the inside portion of the container with water.
When the foregoing method is applied to the components in the form of powder, granules, tablets or slurry such that cleaning water is poured to the solid or slurry particles, local coagulation and solidification occur. Thus, a portion of the component remains in the container and, therefore, the portion cannot easily be discharged from the container. When the components is in the form of the slurry, the particles of the components are introduced into the container. Thus, the slurry components cannot easily be removed by cleaning using water.
When the form of the photographic treatment composition is changed from the rich composition solution in a uniform phase to the components in the form of powder, granules, tablets or slurry, the volume and the weight can be reduced. Thus, easy transportation and handling and cost reduction can be realized. However, the foregoing problems must be overcome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to overcome problems caused from considerable reduction in the volume of a photographic treatment composition and including adhesion of the components of the photographic treatment composition to a container and formation of coagulated and solidified substances which cannot easily be discharged when the photographic treatment composition in the form of powder, granules, tablets or slurry is taken out from the container to dissolve the photographic treatment composition to prepare a photographic treatment solution and the empty container is cleaned. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for cleaning a container for a photographic treatment composition in the form of powder, granules, tablets or slurry such that the photographic treatment composition can easily be taken out from the container, adhesion of the components to the wall of the container and remaining of coagulated and solidified substances in the container can be prevented and the inside portion of the container can satisfactorily be cleaned.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the inventor of the present invention has performed a variety of investigations. As a result, the facility of cleaning and removing the substances allowed to adhere to the wall of the container and coagulated and solidified substances considerably depends on the method of cleaning the container and the material of the container. As for the material of the container, a container made of a high-density polyethylene having a density and a melt index satisfying predetermined ranges enables a required cleaning effect to be obtained. A variety of investigation have furthermore been performed on the basis of the foregoing fact. As a result, the present invention has been achieved. That is, the foregoing objects can be achieved by the present invention having the following aspects.
1. A method of cleaning a container for a photographic treatment composition comprising the steps of: taking out a photographic treatment composition from a container to dissolve the photographic treatment composition in water; and cleaning the empty container so as to prepare photographic treatment solution, wherein the photographic treatment composition is in the form of powder, granules, tablets or slurry, the container filled with the photographic treatment composition comprises as a resin, only high-density polyethylene (HDPE) having a density of 0.941 to 0.969 g/cm
3
and a melt index of 0.3 g/10 min to 5.0 g/10 min, the container is loaded into a cleaning apparatus, an inlet opening of the container is opened, the photographic treatment composition is injected into a dissolving tank, and cleaning water is sprayed to the inside portion of the empty container so as to clean the container.
2. A method of cleaning a container for a photographic treatment composition according to aspect 1, wherein the container for the photographic treatment composition is manufactured by blow molding using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) having a liquidity ratio of 20 to 30.
3. A method of cleaning a container for a photographic treatment composition according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the operation for cleaning the inside portion of the container by spraying cleaning water is repeated spray cleaning which is performed such that spraying of cleaning water is performed plural times to perform intermittent spraying.
4. A method of cleaning a container for a photographic treatment composition according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein cleaning water which has been used to clean the inside portion of the container is used as a portion or the overall portion of water for diss
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Mion, PLLC Sughrue
Stinson Frankie L.
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