Air-platen bearing
AssigneeHarris Corporation
InventorsDavid C. Bailey, Robert E. Klein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid bearing platen for a film gate structure contains a pair of cavities to which pressurized fluid, such as air, to be applied against the opposing surfaces of a photographic film, is supplied. Between each respective cavity and one side of the film there is disposed a thermodynamically non-throttling material, such as porous stainless steel, through which the pressurized fluid from the cavities passes, to be directed against the opposite sides of the film. The non-throttling material effectively creates an adiabatic transfer from the cavities to the film's opposing surfaces, thereby eliminating temperature loss and avoiding the wrinkling or warpage of the film.
Claims16
An apparatus for supporting a substantially planar-shaped medium in a frictionless manner comprising:
- first and second fluid bearing elements, to which a fluid to be directed against respective opposite surfaces of said medium is supplied, disposed adjacent to, but spaced apart from, the opposite surfaces of said medium;
- and
- means for supplying said fluid to said first and second fluid bearing elements;
- and wherein
- each of said fluid bearing elements comprises a material which is thermodynamically non-throttling from the location at which fluid is supplied to said material to the location from which fluid exits said material and is directed against a respective side of said medium.
In an apparatus for supporting a substantially planar-shaped photographic film in a frictionless manner, said apparatus including
- first and second fluid bearing elements, to which a fluid to be directed against respective opposite surfaces of said film is supplied, disposed adjacent to, but spaced apart from, the opposite surfaces of said film, the surface of each of said fluid bearing elements adjacent to said film being substantially planar, and
- means for supplying said fluid to said first and second bearing elements so as to cause a respective fluid bearing to be generated adjacent to the substantially planar surface of each element and thereby be directed against a respective opposite surface of said film in support thereof,
- the improvement wherein
- each fluid bearing element is so configured as to prevent the fluid bearing generated thereby from distorting the surface of the film upon which the bearing is directed irrespective of movement of the film past said fluid bearing elements.
An apparatus for supporting a substantially flat photographic film in a frictionless manner, said apparatus including
- a fluid bearing element, having a substantially planar surface, to which a fluid to be directed against said film is supplied;
- and
- means for supplying said fluid to said fluid bearing element and causing a fluid bearing to be generated adjacent said substantially planar surface and thereby be directed against said film for support thereof, and wherein
- said fluid bearing element is so configured as to prevent the fluid bearing generated thereby from distorting the surface of the film upon which the bearing is directed irrespective of movement of the film past said fluid bearing element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.