Combined storing, transporting, exposing and processing apparatus for camera
AssigneeVisual Graphics Corporation
InventorQuentin D. Vaughan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for storing, transporting, exposing and developing photosensitive film is disclosed in which a camera supports a table along which a carriage is slidable. The carriage serves to store and feed out lengths of film into a camera exposure station. A source of vacuum acting between a sheet of flexible plastic material and a translucent platen for the camera at the exposure station causes the film to be flattened against the platen for film exposure. Thereafter, the vacuum is broken by movement of the carriage and the exposed film is urged into the nip of rollers which carry the film through a developing station supported by the table.
Claims20
Apparatus for use in combination with a camera having an object plane and an image plane comprising:
- a. an elongated table coupled to the camera having a top surface parallel to the image plane of the camera;
- b. a film transport section slidably carried on the table at one end thereof;
- c. a light tight cassette on the transport section;
- d. a supply of imaging film in said cassette;
- e. means carried by the transport section to advance at least a portion of the imaging film from the cassette on to the table;
- f. A translucent platen carried by the table to receive light directed through the camera from the object plane;
- g. an elongated flexible sheet of light filtering material yieldably secured at one end within the transport section and adapted to be extended from said transport section along the table to overlie the platen;
- h. control means to advance the imaging film across the table and beneath the light filtering material to overlie the platen;
- i. at least one groove in the top surface of the table adjacent the platen and beneath the elongated flexible sheet;
- j. a vacuum source coupled to said groove;
- k. means to control the vacuum source to evacuate air from the space between the flexible sheet and the platen to bring the film into uniform contact upon the platen;
- l. a processing station carried by the table opposite the transport section;
- m. means to interrupt the vacuum source to release the atmospheric pressure against the flexible sheet and the film;
- and,
- n. film advancing means carried by the transport section to urge the film into the processing station as the transport section is advanced along the table in the direction of said processing station.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.