US 4,396,282 A · Disc film holder for photographic printer

Abstract

A disc film holder holds a generally disc-like photographic film unit having a plurality of image frames and indexes and disc-like photographic film unit to position selected image frames at a predetermined position, such as a print gate aperture in a photographic printer. The disc-like film unit is held coaxially about a central post and is rotationally indexed about a central axis. When the film unit is rotated for indexing a selected image frame to the print gate aperture, the film unit is biased upwardly to an indexing position so that both the top and bottom surfaces of the film is maintained out of contact with any surface during rotation. When the disc has been indexed so that the selected image is in alignment with the print gate aperture, the film unit is forced downwardly to a non-indexing position and the frame to be printed is clamped at the print gate aperture for transferring an image to photographic print paper.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus for holding a generally circular photographic film unit having a plurality of image frames and angularly indexing the generally circular film unit to position a selected image frame at a predetermined position, the apparatus comprising:

means for coaxially holding the generally circular film unit about a central axis;
means for angularly indexing the generally circular film unit about the central axis;
biasing means for biasing the generally circular film unit in a first direction generally parallel to the central axis to an indexing position during indexing a selected image frame to the predetermined position;
and
means for moving the generally circular film unit in a second direction opposite to the first direction to a non-indexing position after the selected image frame is indexed to the predetermined position.

2 more elements

An apparatus for indexing a selected image frame of photographic film to a print gate aperture of a photographic printer and clamping the selected image frame at the print gate aperture, the apparatus comprising:

a movable aperture plate at the print gate having a first aperture;
a stationary aperture plate at the print gate having a second aperture;
means for selectively moving a movable aperture plate between a clamping position in which an image frame of the photographic film is clamped at the print gate between the movable unstationary aperture plates with the image plane aligned with the first and second apertures, and a non-clamping position in which the movable aperture plate is spaced from the photographic film and the stationary aperture plate;
means for indexing the photographic film when the movable aperture plate is in the non-clamping position to index a selected image frame of the photographic film into alignment with the print gate;
and
biasing means for biasing the photographic film to an indexing position in which major surfaces of the image frames of the photographic film are spaced from and out of contact with the movable and stationary aperture plates when the movable aperture plate is in a non-clamping position and the means for indexing the photographic film is indexing the photographic film.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Disc film holder for photographic printer

Life of this patent

Disc film holder for photographic printer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20