Film magazine for feeding film developing machines and device for preparing said magazine

The combination of a film developing machine and apparatus for preparing film for insertion thereof into the film developing machine.

• said apparatus comprising a preparation station including a table having a plurality of seats;
• and a plurality of film containers capable of receiving films of different sizes, a plurality of film leaders, film splicing material capable of joining film to the leaders, film identification, and a magazine all received in the seats of said table;
• said magazine including a flat plate-like member having an opening extending transversely therein which forms a film insertion space of dimensions corresponding to those of said film containers such said film containers are individually insertable into said magazine within said film insertion space, a second plate-like member integral with and extending perpendicular to said first plate-like member at a front end thereof, and a door hinged to said first plate-like member so as to be pivotable between respective positions at which said door covers and uncovers said film insertion space, said first plate-like member also having an opening extending longitudinally therein and of a width corresponding to that of said film leaders such that said film leaders can be individually inserted into said first plate-like member, said first plate-like member also having a through-hole extending therein and open to the longitudinally extending opening so that a leader fully inserted in said first plate-like member will be exposed at said through-hole, and said first plate-like member also having a plurality of additional through-holes extending therein and open to the longitudinally extending opening, said additional through-holes spaced from one another in the transverse direction of said first plate-like member;
• and
• said film developing machine including an outer casing which house chemical baths used to develop film, optoelectronic means disposed within said outer casing for detecting the size of film introduced into the film developing machine for development, and a loading station defining an opening in said outer casing through which film is introduced therein to the chemical baths,
• said loading station comprising an elongate box-like casing into which said magazine is insertable, a pair of coacting cylindrical driving rollers disposed within said box-like casing at such a position as to entrain a film leader located within said opening extending longitudinally in the magazine when the magazine is fully inserted into said box-like casing and the rollers are driven, first and second microswitches located on said box-like casing at positions at which the microswitches are actuatable by respective portions of said magazine including said first plate-like member thereof when said magazine is inserted into said box-like casing, at least one spring pushing element projecting in said box-like casing and exerting a biasing force acting in a direction extending toward the outside of the film developing machine such that the biasing force is exerted on the magazine when the magazine is inserted into the box-like casing of the loading station, a spring pin actuator movable into and out of said box-like casing so as to selectively engage the magazine when inserted into the box-like casing of the loading station to maintain the magazine within the box-like casing against the biasing force exerted by said at least one spring pushing element and release the magazine to allow said at least one spring pushing element to push the magazine in a direction out of the box-like casing of said loading station, and a film cutter actuable to cut a terminal end of film withdrawn from the magazine by the entrainment of the film by said cylindrical driving rollers,
• said microswitches being operatively connected to said optoelectronic means, said cylindrical driving rollers, said spring pin actuator and said cutter in a manner in which the operational states said optoelectronic means, said cylindrical driving rollers, said spring pin actuator and said cutter are controlled based on actuation states of said microswitches.