US 5,555,042 A · Apparatus for automatically feeding slides into a film scanner

Abstract

Apparatus for automatically inserting 35 mm photographic slides into a slide scanning gate in the scanning station of a film scanner, scanning the slide, and ejecting the slides on completion of scanning. A vertical mount in the film scanner housing receives a rotatable slide tray having customer orders in selected tray slots to present each selected slide into alignment laterally in a horizontal plane with the film scanning gate. A load arm is actuated to load the slide from the tray slot into the scanning gate. The scanning gate accepts slides in mounts of varying size and thickness and centers the slide film image frame in alignment with a film scanning plane in the scanning station. The scanning gate is translated in the scanning station out of the load position for low and high resolution scans and returned to the load position. A return arm is actuated to eject the slide from the scanning gate and back into the same slot in the tray, and the tray is rotated to present the next selected slide into alignment with the load and return arms and the slide scanning gate. The system scans slides of different customer orders in accordance with instructions entered into an electronic control system.

Claims17

Dependent claims

Apparatus for automatically feeding a slide from a slide tray slot into a film scanning plane of a slide scanning gate of a film scanner and returning the slide into the tray slot after the scanning process is completed comprising:

a film scanner frame having an aperture there aligned with said slide scanning gate for allowing the passage of a slide into and out of said slide scanning gate;
slide tray positioning means formed in said film scanner frame for accepting a slide tray and aligning a slide tray slot with said aperture;
slide tray moving means for moving a slide tray positioned by said slide tray positioning means to selectively align a tray slot with said aperture and said slide scanning gate of the film scanner;
a load arm mounted with respect to said film scanner frame at a first end thereof for movement of a second end thereof in a load arm path of travel between a home position and an engaging and moving position with respect to a slide in the aligned tray slot;
load arm drive motor means for moving said load arm in said load arm path of travel for engaging and moving a slide from said aligned tray slot through said aperture and into the scanning gate to enable the scanning thereof and for returning said load arm to said home position;
a return arm mounted with respect to said film scanner frame at a first end thereof for movement of a second end thereof in a return arm path of travel between a home position and an engaging and moving position with respect to a slide in the slide scanning gate;
and
return arm drive motor means for moving said return arm in said return arm path of travel for engaging and moving a slide from said slide scanning gate back through said aperture and into the aligned slot of said slide tray upon completion of the scanning thereof and for returning said return arm to said home position.

5 more elements

A scanning system for automatically scanning slides of different customer orders and types assembled in a single slide tray in a slide scanning gate comprising:

means for entering slide scanning data related to customer order and slide type for each slide included in a slide tray;
electronic control means for receiving the entered data and controlling operations of a slide scanner for automatically adjusting scanning parameters for scanning each slide in accordance with the film type and customer order instructions entered and for scanning slides in said slide scanning gate;
and
slide insertion/ejection means operable by said electronic control means for automatically inserting each identified slide from said slide tray into said slide scanning gate and ejecting scanned slides back into said slide tray upon completion of scanning.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Apparatus for automatically feeding slides into a film scanner

Life of this patent

Apparatus for automatically feeding slides into a film scanner

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17