Method and apparatus used in making copies of several various film sizes

Method of copying of negative or positive films onto a light sensitive material which is covered with a light sensitive layer using a copying frame, said copying frame comprising a frame plate having a frame rim of a non-transparent material and a glass plate inserted in a recess of said frame rim, against which glass plate one or more films are adapted to be suction connected under the actuation from suction channels arranged in the frame rim and are adapted to be copied down onto the light sensitive material by means of an exposure light passing through said glass, and in which the copying frame comprises two sets of suction grooves for handling of original films both of a "small" size format and of a "large" size format, said suction grooves comprising:

• a) two cooperating, separate, parallel grooves for the "small" size film format, each being located along the long side of the copying frame and extending a distance corresponding to the width of the "small" film format, and which grooves are spaced by a distance which corresponds to the length of said "small" size film format;
• and
• b) two separate and cooperating, mainly C-shaped grooves having the openings thereof facing each other, which grooves provide the main suction channel for the "large" size original film format, and each C-shaped groove of which extends over an entire short side and a slight distance along each long side of the copying frame, but not as far as to the grooves for the "small" size film format, said method comprising:
• placing small and large original films in a film magazine,
• placing a large masking film or cover foil having slits corresponding to the cooperating parallel grooves for a "small" original film over or under each "small" original film,
• lowering the copying frame to the film magazine, whereby, in one stage, a "large" original film is suction connected by means of both the parallel suction grooves for a "small" original film and the C-shaped grooves for a "large" original film, whereas, in another stage, a "small" original film is suction connected only by the parallel suction grooves,
• and, concurrently therewith, suction-connecting a masking film or a cover foil by the C-shaped suction grooves, so that the copying frame in the last mentioned stage carries both a "small" original film and a cover foil.