Developing apparatus
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorsHaruo Takase, Yoshimitsu Hanai, Ryuzi Otomo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
One end of a long or continuous film is retained by a leader. The leader is engaged with engagement projections formed on the outer periphery of an endless timing belt stretched between sprocket wheels in order to guide the leader such that the film is conveyed through a treating solution contained in a treating tank. Guide means are disposed in the treating tank such as to oppose the outer periphery of the timing belt, thereby maintaining the engagement between the leader and the timing belt.
Claims33
A developing apparatus which conducts a developing operation by conveying a film through a treating tank containing a developing solution, comprising:
- (a) an endless timing belt at least one portion of which is immersed in said treating tank;
- (b) sprocket wheels engaged with said timing belt such as to guide and drive the same;
- (c) engagement projections formed on the outer periphery of said timing belt at a predetermined spacing from each other;
- (d) a leader to which one of the ends of a film to be developed is attached and which has engagement bores engageable with said engagement projections, and is pulled by said timing belt so that said film is conveyed through said treating tank;
- and
- (e) guide means disposed such as to oppose the outer periphery of said timing belt and adapted to retain said leader between the same and said timing belt when said leader is driven through said engagement projections, thereby preventing disengagement of said engagement projections from said engagement bores in said leader.
A developing apparatus which conducts a developing operation by longitudinally conveying a film through various treating solutions, comprising:
- (a) a plurality of treating tanks respectively containing said treating solutions;
- (b) a plurality of endless timing belts at least one portion of each of which is immersed in the treating solution in the corresponding treating tank, each belt having engagement projections formed on one of the sides thereof at equal spacings;
- (c) a plurality of sprocket wheels each engaged with the corresponding timing belt such as to rotate the same, each timing belt being disposed in a straight line between the associated wheels;
- (d) a leader having engagement bores engageable with said engagement projections of each of said timing belts, said leader conveying said film through each of said treating tanks by the driving force of the associated timing belt while pulling one end of said film;
- (e) guide means for preventing disengagement of said leader from each of said timing belts at a straight portion thereof;
- and
- (f) transfer means into which said leader moves as it comes out of one of said treating tanks and off the timing belt in that treating tank and which transfers said leader to the timing belt in a subsequent treating tank.
A developing apparatus in which a film is longitudinally moved such as to be successively dipped in the treating solutions for development contained in respective treating tanks, comprising:
- (a) a looped timing belt provided in each of said treating tanks, said belt having on its inner periphery timing projections and on its outer periphery engagement projections, these projections being formed at equal spacings;
- (b) sprocket wheels engaged with said timing belt at at least two positions a predetermined distance apart from each other to guide said timing belt such that the portions of said timing belt between these wheels are straight and at least one portion of said belt is immersed in the treating solution contained in the corresponding treating tank;
- (c) a leader retaining one end of the film to be treated and provided with bores engageable with said engagement projections of said timing belt;
- (d) guide means respectively disposed such as to oppose the outer peripheral straight portions of said timing belt, with a space defined between said means and said timing belt, thereby allowing said leader to be conveyed by the driving force of said timing belt while retaining said leader between said guide means and said timing belt;
- (e) transfer means disposed at the upper ends of a pair of treating tanks and having a leader inlet on the extension of the upwardly moving straight portion of the timing belt in the upstream side treating tank and a leader outlet on the extension of the downwardly moving straight portion of the timing belt in the downstream side treating tank so that said leader coming out of the upstream side treating tank is turned around by said transfer means and is transferred to the downstream side treating tank;
- and
- (f) a leader turning means provided at the turnaround point of the timing belt inside each treating tank and having a leader inlet on the extension of one of the straight portions of said timing belt and a leader outlet on the extension of the other straight portion so that said leader is disengaged from the one straight portion such as to be turned around by said turning means and is then fed to the other straight portion, whereby it is possible to cope with a change in pitch of said engagement projections at the portion of said timing belt at which it is engaged with said sprocket wheel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.