Top-drop film feed system

Abstract

A film processor is provided with a top-drop film system which, in the perferred embodiment includes a slot in the top housing cover of the processor, an inclined-plane film guide directly beneath the slot, and a pair of opposing rollers positioned at the bottom edge of the film guide. The top-drop slot allows films to be dropped into the processor, rather than hand-positioning and hand-feeding each film. The specific roller locations and film guide angle allows films to be fed into the processor automatically and consistantly without "snapping" or over-bending, and without need for operator presence or attention. The inclined-plane film guide is designed for easy removal for cleaning. The guide is mounted in precise-angle slots to maintain angle consistency. The extra width of the top-drop slot allows panoramic films to be processed in a sideways configuration, thereby increasing processing speed by 30% over comparable prior art devices.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.