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US 5,207,413 AGranted
Vacuum sheet film transport and method
OwnerStanislav Maroninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vacuum platen serially picks up a sheet of film from a stack of unexposed sheets of film, transports the sheet of film to a large format camera for exposure, retains the sheet of film planar during exposure, transports the sheet of film to a stack of exposed sheets of film and drops the sheet of film upon the stack of exposed sheets of film.
Claims33
Apparatus for transporting sheet film from a stack of unexposed sheet film past a location for exposing the sheet film and to a location for receiving the sheet film, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- a) a vacuum platen having a plenum and an apertured panel interconnecting said plenum with the ambient atmosphere;
- b) means for transporting said vacuum platen from a location in proximity to the stack of unexposed sheet film, to the location for exposing the sheet film, to the location for receiving the exposed sheet film and return;
- c) means for establishing a below ambient pressure environment within said plenum to draw a sheet of the sheet film off the stack of unexposed sheet film and against said panel and to retain the sheet of film against said panel during transport of said vacuum platen from the stack of unexposed sheet film, to the location for exposing the sheet film and to the location for receiving the exposed sheet of film;
- and
- d) a receiving bin disposed at the location for receiving the exposed sheet film;
- and
- e) means for depositing the exposed sheet of film in said receiving bin.
4 more elements
Apparatus for transporting sheet film from a stack of unexposed sheet film past a location for exposing the sheet film and to a location for receiving the sheet film, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- a) a vacuum platen having a plenum and an apertured panel interconnecting said plenum with the ambient atmosphere;
- b) means for transporting said vacuum platen from a location in proximity to the stack of unexposed sheet film, to the location for exposing the sheet film, to the location for receiving the exposed sheet film and return;
- c) means for urging the stack of unexposed sheet film upwardly and means for limiting the upward movement of the stack of unexposed sheet film to a position displaced from the plane of said panel when said vacuum platen is at the location in proximity to the stack of unexposed sheet film;
- d) means for establishing a below ambient pressure environment within said plenum to draw a sheet of the sheet film off the stack of unexposed sheet film and against said panel and to retain the sheet of film against said panel during transport of said vacuum platen from the stack of unexposed sheet film to the location for exposing the sheet of film and to the location for receiving the exposed sheet of film;
- e) a receiving bin disposed at the location for receiving the exposed sheet film;
- and
- f) means for depositing the exposed sheet of film in said receiving bin.
4 more elements
Apparatus for transporting sheet film from a stack of unexposed sheet film past a location for exposing the sheet film and to a location for receiving the sheet film, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- a) a vacuum platen having a plenum and an apertured panel interconnecting said plenum with the ambient atmosphere;
- b) means for transporting said vacuum platen from a location in proximity to the stack of unexposed sheet film, to the location for exposing the sheet film, to the location for receiving the exposed sheet film and return, said transporting means including a capstan drive and a cord interconnecting said capstan drive with said vacuum platen;
- c) means for establishing a below ambient pressure environment within said plenum to draw a sheet of the sheet film off the stack of unexposed sheet film and against said panel and to retain the sheet of film against said panel during transport of said vacuum platen from the stack of unexposed sheet film to the location for exposing the sheet of film and to the location for receiving the exposed sheet of film;
- d) a receiving bin disposed at the location for receiving the exposed sheet film;
- and
- e) means for depositing the exposed sheet of film in said receiving bin.
3 more elements
Apparatus for transporting sheet film from a stack of unexposed sheet film past a location for exposing the sheet film and to a location for receiving the sheet film, said apparatus comprising in combination;
- a) a vacuum platen having a plenum and an apertured panel interconnecting said plenum with the ambient atmosphere;
- b) a feed bin for housing the stack of unexposed sheet film, an aperture for withdrawing the unexposed sheet film and a platform disposed in said feed bin for urging the stack of unexposed sheet film toward said aperture;
- c) means for transporting said vacuum platen from a location in proximity to the stack of unexposed sheet film, to the location for exposing the sheet film, to the location for receiving the exposed sheet film and return;
- d) means for establishing a below ambient pressure environment within said plenum to draw a sheet of the sheet film off the stack of unexposed sheet film and against said panel and to retain the sheet of film against said panel during transport of said vacuum platen from the stack of unexposed sheet film to the location for exposing the sheet film and to the location for receiving the exposed sheet of film;
- e) a receiving bin disposed at the location for receiving the exposed sheet film;
- and
- f) means for depositing the exposed sheet of film in said receiving bin.
4 more elements
Apparatus for serially transporting sheets of film to be exposed by a camera, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- a) means for retrieving the topmost sheet of film from a stack of unexposed sheets of film, said retrieving means including means for establishing a below ambient pressure environment adjacent the top surface of the topmost sheet of unexposed film to create a force urging the topmost sheet of unexposed film adjacent to and retained by said retrieving means;
- b) means for transporting said retrieving means and retained sheet of unexposed film from the stack of unexposed sheets of film to a first location for exposing the sheet of unexposed film with the camera and for transporting said retrieving means and retained exposed sheet of film to a second location for collecting the exposed sheets of film;
- c) means for releasing the exposed sheet of film from said retrieving means at the second location;
- and
- d) means for relocating said retrieving means to the stack of unexposed sheets of film.
2 more elements
A method for serially transporting sheets of film to be exposed by a camera, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) retrieving the topmost sheet of film from a stack of unexposed sheets of film, said step of retrieving including the step of establishing a below ambient pressure environment within a vacuum platen locatable adjacent the top surface of the topmost sheet of film to create a force urging retrieval of the topmost sheet of film;
- b) transporting the vacuum platen and the retrieved topmost sheet of unexposed film to a first location for exposing the sheet of film with the camera and transporting the vacuum platen and the exposed sheet of film to a second location for collecting the exposed sheets of film;
- c) releasing the exposed sheet of film at the second location;
- d) returning the vacuum platen to the stack of unexposed sheets of film;
- and
- e) repeating steps (a), (b), (c) and (d) until all of the sheets of film to be exposed have been exposed.
3 more elements
Apparatus for transporting sheet film from a stack of unexposed sheet film past a location for exposing the sheet film and to a location for receiving the sheet film, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- a) a vacuum platen having a plenum and an apertured panel interconnecting said plenum with the ambient atmosphere;
- b) means for transporting said vacuum platen from a location in proximity to the stack of unexposed sheet film, to the location for exposing the sheet film, to the location for receiving the exposed sheet film and return;
- c) means for urging the stack of unexposed film upwardly;
- d) means for limiting the upward movement of the stack of unexposed sheet film to a position juxtaposed with the plane of said panel prior to said vacuum platen being returned to the location above the stack of unexposed sheet film;
- e) means for establishing a below ambient pressure environment within said plenum to draw a sheet of the sheet film off the stack of unexposed sheet film and against said panel and to retain the sheet of film against said panel during transport of said vacuum platen from the stack of unexposed sheet film to the location for exposing the sheet film and to the location for receiving the exposed sheet of film;
- f) a receiving bin disposed at the location for receiving the exposed sheet film;
- and
- g) means for depositing the exposed sheet of film in said receiving bin.
5 more elements
Apparatus for serially transporting sheets of film to be exposed by a camera, said apparatus comprising in combination:
- a) means for retrieving the topmost sheet of film from a stack of unexposed sheets of film, said retrieving means including means for establishing a below ambient pressure environment adjacent the top surface of the topmost sheet of unexposed film to create a force urging the topmost sheet of unexposed film adjacent said retrieving means, said retrieving means including means for urging the stack of unexposed film upwardly and means for limiting upward movement of the stack of exposed sheet film to a position displaced from the plane of said panel when said vacuum platen is being returned to the location in proximity to the stack of unexposed sheet film;
- b) means for transporting said retrieving means from the stack of unexposed sheets of film to a first location for exposing the sheet of unexposed film with the camera and for transporting the exposed sheet of film to a second location for collecting the exposed sheets of film;
- c) means for releasing the exposed sheet of film from said retrieving means at the second location;
- and
- d) means for relocating said retrieving means to the stack of unexposed sheets of film.
2 more elements
A method for serially transporting sheets of film to be exposed by a camera, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) retrieving the topmost sheet of film from a stack of unexposed sheets of film, said step of retrieving including the step of establishing a below ambient pressure environment within a vacuum platen locatable adjacent the top surface of the topmost sheet of film to create a force urging retrieval of the topmost sheet of film;
- b) urging the stack of unexposed film upwardly and limiting the upward movement of the stack of exposed sheet film to a position displaced from the plane of the vacuum platen when the vacuum platen is returned to a location adjacent the stack of unexposed film;
- c) transporting the vacuum platen and the retrieved topmost sheet of unexposed film to a first location for exposing the sheet of film with the camera and transporting the exposed sheet of film to a second location for collecting the exposed sheets of film;
- d) releasing the exposed sheet of film at the second location;
- and
- e) repeating steps (a), (b), (c) and (d) until all of the sheets of film to be exposed have been exposed.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.