Photographic processing drum and method for using

A photographic processing drum comprising a tubular body member,

• a forward end cap sealingly attached to one end of said body member,
• a rearward end cap sealingly attached to the other end of said body member,
• first means for conducting a fluid into said drum,
• second means positioned within said body member and having an open top extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body member for receiving said fluid from said first means and holding said fluid isolated from the interior surface of said body member while said drum is stationed in a first horizontal position and for discharging said fluid over a side wall of said receiving means in response to rotation of said drum about its horizontal axis, said second means having its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body member, and
• means, isolated from the first means, for draining said fluid from the interior surface of said drum.

A photographic processing drum comprising a tubular body member,

• a forward end cap sealingly attached to one end of said body member,
• a rearward end cap sealingly attached to the other end of said body member,
• a spout projecting forwardly from said forward end cap and a fluid conducting passageway communicating between said spout and an orifice on the interior surface of said forward end cap,
• a trough affixed to the rearward end cap and extending substantially parallel to said body member for substantially the entire length of the body member toward the forward end cap, said orifice being juxtaposed over one end of said trough,
• a pair of longitudinal rails mounted in a predetermined spaced apart relationship on an inner surface of said drum,
• a longitudinal spacer member mounted on an inner surface of said drum and positioned midway between and parallel to said rails, and
• said body member bearing a radially projecting stub at each end, and said stubs adapted to mate with a corresponding cut-out on each of said end caps whereby the orifice will be juxtaposed over the trough when said end caps are mounted on said body member.

A photographic processing drum comprising a tubular body member,

• a forward end cap sealingly attached to one end of said body member,
• a rearward end cap attached to the other end of said body member,
• a spout projecting forwardly from said forward end cap,
• a fluid conducting passageway communicating between said spout and an orifice on the interior surface of said forward end cap,
• a trough affixed to the rearward end cap and extending substantially parallel to said body member for substantially the entire length of the body member toward the forward end cap, said orifice being juxtaposed over one end of said trough,
• a pair of longitudinal rails mounted in a predetermined spaced apart relationship on an inner surface of said drum,
• a longitudinal spacer member mounted on an inner surface of said drum and positioned midway between and parallel to said rails, and
• each of said end caps comprising an essentially circular construction consisting of an outer ring, an inner ring concentric with the outer ring, an end wall integrally formed with and substantially transverse to the plane of each ring, and a flattened base section integrally formed with the outer ring of the cap.

A method of developing an exposed photographic sheet which comprises:

• positioning said sheet circumferentially about the interior surface of a tubular container with the exposed surface facing the interior of said container, said container having a elongate open top fluid containing trough mounted therein,
• sealing said container to prevent admission of light,
• stationing said sealed container in a fixed horizontal position with the longitudinal axis of said container being substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said trough,
• loading a predetermined quantity of a photographic processing fluid into said trough while said trough and said sealed container are resting in said horizontal position, and
• rotating said container about its horizontal axis to discharge said fluid substantially simultaneously over a side wall of said trough and substantially uniformly along the axial length of said exposed photographic sheet.