Photography – Fluid-treating apparatus – Having fluid filter
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-16
2004-03-09
Rutledge, D. (Department: 2851)
Photography
Fluid-treating apparatus
Having fluid filter
C396S626000, C396S636000, C355S027000, C134S06400P
Reexamination Certificate
active
06702485
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photosensitive material processing apparatus and a pleated cartridge filter that maintains stable processing performance by purifying a processing solution charged in a processing tank in which the photosensitive material is immersed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photosensitive material processing apparatus for forming images on a variety of photosensitive materials, such as silver photographic photosensitive material (color print), are generally being used.
In some of these apparatus, a color print is obtained by successively immersing exposed photosensitive material (color print) in developing solution within a color developer tank, in bleaching-fixing solution within a bleaching-fixing tank, and in water within a rinsing tank, to thereby successively color develop, bleach-fix, and rinse the photosensitive material while the photosensitive material is conveyed at a predetermined speed.
As shown in
FIG. 33
, in the prior art there are photosensitive material processing apparatus disposed with a processing solution tank
100
(such as a color developing tank, a bleaching-fixing tank or a rinsing tank) for storing a processing solution into which the photosensitive material is immersed.
The processing solution tank
100
includes a substantially rectangular tank body
102
for storing a predetermined processing solution therein and a rack
104
that is detachably mounted within the tank body
102
and immersed in the processing solution.
The processing rack
104
is configured so that the photosensitive material is subjected to desired processing while the photosensitive material is immersed in the processing solution in the tank body
102
and conveyed along a U-shaped conveyance path by conveyance rollers.
The tank body
102
includes a subtank
106
that is integrally mounted to an upper part of a vertical side wall
102
A. A drainage port
108
leading to the interior of the subtank
106
is disposed in the vertical side wall
102
A at a position vertically lower by a predetermined distance from the surface of the processing solution stored in the tank body
102
. The drainage port
108
drains processing solution in the tank body
102
to the subtank
106
.
The subtank
106
includes a bottom that communicates with an opening at one end of a circulatory conduit
110
, and a filter
112
is disposed at the opening. An opening at the other end of the circulatory conduit
110
communicates with a central portion at the bottom of the tank body
102
.
The circulatory conduit
110
is formed as a series of conduits allowing communication between the bottom of the subtank
106
and the central bottom portion of the tank body
102
.
The circulatory conduit
110
is successively disposed, from the subtank
106
towards the tank body
102
, with a heater
114
and a pump
116
.
By driving the pump
116
, processing solution in the upper region of the tank body
102
is drawn into the subtank
106
through the drainage port
108
, and is sucked into the circulatory conduit
110
through the filter
112
. The filter
112
purifies the processing solution of the tank
100
by removing dust particles from the processing solution.
Processing solution sucked into the circulatory conduit
110
is heated to a predetermined temperature by the heater
114
and pressurized by the pump
116
, and then it is discharged from the opening in the central portion of the bottom of the tank body
102
to the lower region of the tank body
102
. The discharged processing solution rises from the lower region of the tank body
102
to the upper region of the tank body
102
, whereby the processing solution is circulated.
Namely, processing solution in the tank
100
is discharged from the circulatory conduit
110
to the lower region of the tank body
102
, flows upwards from the lower region of the tank body
102
to the upper region of the tank body
102
, flows though the drainage port
108
into the subtank
106
, and is then sucked through the filter
112
into the circulatory conduit
110
, whereby the filter
112
removes dust particles and purifies the processing solution.
In this type of system for circulating and purifying processing solution in the tank
100
, processing solution that is discharged from the opening, which has a small sectional area, of the circulatory conduit
110
in the bottom surface of the tank body
102
rises at a remarkably low velocity from the lower region of the tank body
102
to the upper region of the tank body
102
, which has a large sectional area.
Therefore, microparticles, such as dust particles that are not removed by the filter
112
and become mixed in the processing solution in the tank body
102
, settle at the bottom of the tank body
102
and remain in a floatable condition on the bottom surface of the tank body
102
.
If the processing rack
104
is mounted or removed while such particles are in a floatable condition on the bottom surface of the tank body
102
, the particles that have accumulated on the bottom surface of the tank body
102
rise up in the processing solution and adhere to the surface of the photosensitive material, whereby the photosensitive material may sustain damage as it is conveyed by conveyance rollers or the like.
There are photosensitive material processing apparatus disposed with horizontal multiple-chamber processors (disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication (JP-A) No. 2000-258881) that are partitioned by blades in order to expedite rapid processing of the photosensitive material. When the processing solution in the tank body
102
is circulated or when the processing rack
104
is mounted or removed, dust particles floating in the processing solution may adhere to the blades and damage the surface of the photosensitive material as the photosensitive material makes sliding contact with and passes over the blades. When the photosensitive material is processed with its emulsion surface facing down, dust particles floating in the processing solution may adhere to the emulsion surface, whereby the surface of the photosensitive material may be scrubbed by the dust particles and damaged as it makes sliding contact with and passes over the blades.
Additionally, when processing solution that has been purified by the filter
112
and heated and temperature-adjusted by the heater
114
rises up from the circulatory conduit
110
opening in the bottom surface of the tank body
102
at an extremely low flow velocity towards the upper region of the tank body
102
, it becomes easy for irregularities in the flow of the processing solution to arise because the processing solution rises up along a substantially fixed course from the lower region of the tank body
102
to the upper region of the tank body
102
.
Thus, the heated and temperature-adjusted processing solution is mixed with some of the processing solution in the tank body
102
, whereby the temperature of and distribution of components in the entire processing solution in the tank body
102
becomes uneven.
When the photosensitive material is immersed in and processed by processing solution within the tank body
102
whose temperature and component distribution have become uneven, developer streaks can appear in the photosensitive material.
Recently, in response to the increasing demand for rapid processing of photosensitive material, there have been proposed photosensitive material processing apparatus of a submerged conveyance system using a blade (e.g., JP-A No. 4-281452).
However, it has been found that, in such photosensitive material processing apparatus using a blade, dust particles up to 30 microns in size do not cause damage even if they are present in the processing solution while the photosensitive material is being processed.
Therefore, there has been proposed a plastic filter that is sintered and molded with resin particles finer than those of the prior art, as disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3145649.
However, because the amount of dust particles to
Hyodo Tomoyoshi
Mogi Fumio
Tanaka Katsuhiko
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Fuji Photo Film Co. , Ltd.
Rutledge D.
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