Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus – Heating – cooling – or temperature detecting
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-17
2001-04-17
Mathews, Alan A. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
Heating, cooling, or temperature detecting
C396S571000, C396S618000, C396S620000, C396S622000, C396S626000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06217238
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to photographic film processing, and more particularly to a compact, energy efficient apparatus and a method for processing such film.
Processing of film, requires chemically treating the film followed by rinsing and drying. The chemical treatment typically involves the application of a series of specific chemical agents, in a specific order, with the film being exposed to each treating chemical for minimum amounts of time. To obtain this processing, the film being treated is typically passed through a series of treatment tanks and into the dryer area. One such prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,613,221 to Takase et al., issued Sep. 23, 1986.
But the known prior art devices suffer two principle disadvantages: 1) the exposure requirements of certain treating chemicals, such as the developing solution, require relatively large treatment tanks, and 2) the drying process requires enormous amounts of energy. As a result, the known film processing devices are large and cumbersome, and are also extremely expensive to use due to high energy consumption. The known prior art also either requires the use of custom, proprietary drive belts which are costly to replace, or a multiplicity of gears and drive shafts which undesirably increase maintenance costs. Finally, the known film processing equipment either requires separate additional drive mechanisms or undesirably permits significant amounts of the treating chemicals to be transferred, either by the drive mechanism or the film being processed, to subsequent treatment tanks thereby increasing the consumption of the treating chemicals and causing contamination of the treating chemicals found in subsequent tanks.
There is need for a compact and energy efficient apparatus of the present invention, which enables rapid and energy efficient automatic processing of photographic film, as during its exposure to different liquids or solutions, prior to a final drying stage which uses standard drive belts to move the film through the processing equipment and which minimizes cross-tank contamination caused when the film carries treatment chemicals to subsequent treatment tanks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a major object of the invention to provide improved energy efficient apparatus and method, meeting the above needs. Basically, the improved apparatus comprises:
a) receptacle means having a succession of short, low volume processing tanks containing liquids,
b) efficient drive means for advancing the film strip endwise through those tanks and to selected depths in the liquids corresponding to required exposure times of the film to the different solutions,
c) precise and efficient heating means for warning solutions to process temperature,
d) means for employing waste heat generated by control circuitry, power supply, circulation means, and heating means to supplement the dryer heater in evaporating residual solution from the film strips as they pass through the drying zone,
e) control means and power supply to efficiently deliver power to said heating, driving and circulating means.
It is another object to provide an apparatus wherein the heating means includes heaters located outside the film processing zones, and a waste heat recovery system having an air flow passage which channels the air heated by waste heat generated by the solution heaters, circulation pumps, control circuitry and power supply toward a film strip drying zone. At least one of the heaters may typically include a heating element exposed to the air flow passage, there being a duct for circulating processing liquid in heat transfer relation with that element, and toward one of the processing zones. Multiple such elements such as electrical coils may be employed for heating processing liquids circulating in heat transfer relation with the respective elements while flowing toward the respective processing zones.
A further object is to provide one or more pumps located in series with the duct or ducts, to pump processing liquid for circulation to the receptacle tanks. Such pumps, heating elements and ducts may be compactly located at one side of the receptacle means, the air flow passage being located at that side of the receptacle means, whereby air flowing through the passage contacts the heaters and pumps in series sequence.
Yet another object is to provide electrical control circuitry to control pumps, drive system and heaters, such circuitry generating heat, and the air flow passage extending in such proximate relation to that circuitry that generated heat is transferred to air flowing in said passage, toward the drying zone to assist in the film drying process.
An additional object is to provide the receptacle means to define a series of tanks to receive film processing liquid, and removable racks received in the tanks, the drive means extending into the racks to drive the film strips downwardly and upwardly in the respective racks. The racks typically have associated rotors and guides to direct a leader card with attached film strips downwardly and upwardly therein. Further, the leader card engaging rotors associated with one rack include lower and upper rotors, with longer racks employing a third mid-way rotor, to direct the leader card sequentially downwardly and upwardly within that rack. Drive may be transmitted to lower rotors from upper rotors utilizing a pulley associated with each rotor, said pulley engaging a timing belt to transmit drive, whereby only one main drive shaft is required per belt. The leader card with attached film strips may be entrained by a sprocket associated with each rotor. In at least one of the racks, the films are directed downwardly and upwardly twice each so that longer exposure to processing fluid will be obtained within a shallower tank. Means are provided to direct said leader card and films from an entrance area to said racks and from said racks to the exit.
A further object of the present invention is the reduction of the amount of treating solution which is undesirably carried from one treatment tank to the next.
The method of the invention basically includes:
a) providing receptacle means having a succession of film processing tanks containing different processing liquids to contact the endwise traveling film strips,
b) advancing the film strips endwise through those tanks and to selected depths in the liquids corresponding to required exposure times of the film to the different liquids,
c) heating the liquids in different tanks to selected processing temperatures,
d) employing waste heat generated in said apparatus to supplement heating means for film drying,
e) and a control circuit and power supply which advantageously employ low voltage direct current to unpart power to the heating elements.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following specification and drawings, in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 3943539 (1976-03-01), Bown
patent: 4613221 (1986-09-01), Takase et al.
patent: 4736222 (1988-04-01), Stromberg
patent: 4775873 (1988-10-01), Blackman et al.
patent: 4929976 (1990-05-01), Cunningham et al.
patent: 5281989 (1994-01-01), Sitte
patent: 5526087 (1996-06-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5627619 (1997-05-01), Kimura et al.
patent: 5629751 (1997-05-01), Tsumura et al.
Konica “Film Processor CL-FP34E, Parts List,” Konica Nice Print System.
Eastman Kodak Company, “Site Specifications for the Kodak Minilab System 40,” Publication No. XP2274-2, Mar. 1986.
Eastman Kodak Company, “Parts List For the Kodak Film Processor, System 75,” Publication No. XP2341-2, Jan. 1988 (Supersedes XP2341-1, May 1987).
COPAL “Foto First FF-5CII, CFP-522,” Parts List.
Marett David Bradley
Mastrodicasa Nando Alfonso
Mathews Alan A.
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Phototrader, Inc.
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