US 4,011,573 A · Apparatus for developing dental X-ray films

Abstract

An apparatus for developing dental X-ray film of the dip and dunk type, in which the apparatus is provided with a plurality of processing stations disposed in an arcuate path that is concentric about a vertical axis, which stations comprise loading, developing, rinse, fix, final rinse, drying, and unloading stations, with the developing, rinse, fix, and drying stations being defined by open topped receptacles. The individual films are clipped to special film hangers which are removably suspended from a cantilevered support that rotates intermittently about the said vertical axis, and also is moved vertically to dispose the individual hangers elevationally to move between stations and then lower the hangers into the respective receptacles for the processing to be performed there, in which position the hanger support reciprocates vertically for purposes of agitating the film in its bath. At the drying station, the individual hangers are journaled for rotation about their longitudinal axes at a speed on the order of 3,000 rpm for spin drying of the film.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A film hanger for use in developing dental X-ray film and the like, said hanger comprising:

a handle member defining a rectilinear rod portion,
a U-shaped clip spring member defining spaced legs and a bight portion and having on one leg thereof a pair of spaced gripping tangs projecting from either side of same oppositely of the other leg thereof in substantial parallelism with the plane of said clip spring member,
said one leg of said clip spring member including a projecting handle portion extending away from said bight portion thereof,
a clip spring holder member mounted on the handle member rod portion and comprising an annular body received over said rod portion,
said body being formed with a U-shaped slot in the plane thereof in which said clip spring is received in close fitting relation thereto with said handle portion thereof projecting outwardly of said slot and said tangs disposed on either side of said slot exteriorly of said body,
and a pair of disc elements disposed one on either side of said body in close fitting relation thereto,
said disc elements each being formed to define a notch for receiving the respective clip spring tangs and a protuberant edge portion opposing the respective tangs whereby a film may be gripped by said tangs pressing same against the respective edge portions.

4 more elements

In film developing apparatus having a frame defining processing stations including loading and unloading stations and a plurality of receptacles disposed in an arcuate path concentric about a vertical axis, a carrier member mounted for rotation about said axis in a substantially horizontal plane over said receptacles, means for dependently supporting from said carrier member one or more film hangers positioned for sequential insertion into said receptacles, means for intermittently rotating said carrier member to move said hangers about said path, means for raising and lowering said carrier member in strokes of predetermined length in timed sequence to said rotating means to dispose said hangers elevationally to be moved from one of said receptacles to another in sequence and lower said hangers for insertion into the respective receptacles, and means for moving said carrier member while in the lowered position thereof for agitating the hangers when disposed within the respective receptacles, the improvement wherein:

said stations include in sequence about said axis said loading station, a developer station, a rinse station, a fix station, a final rinse station, a drying station, and said unloading station,
said developer, rinse, fix and drying stations being defined by said receptacles,
said hangers including means for clipping to the hangers the individual films carried thereby,
and including means for spinning the individual hangers when disposed at said drying station and within the receptacle thereof for spin drying of the film carried by the individual film hangers,
said spinning means including;
means for rotatably removably mounting the individual film hangers on said carrier member,
a spin driving member journalled in the lower end of said drying station receptacle,
means for selectively spin driving said spin driving member,
and means for releasably coupling the individual hangers to said spin driving member when the individual hangers are disposed within said drying station receptacle.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus for developing dental X-ray films

Life of this patent

Apparatus for developing dental X-ray films

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14