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US 5,665,257 AGranted
Flat bed thermophotographic film processor
AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
InventorJohn A. Svendsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A developer for sheets of dry silver media includes an oven having a film entrance and a film exit. A bed of spaced rollers of low thermal conductivity foam material is positioned within the oven between the entrance and exit. A roller drive mechanism rotates the rollers causing the film to be transported through the oven and developed without visible patterns.
Claims20
A thermal processor adapted to develop a thermally-developable image in an imaging material, comprising:
- a heated oven having an imaging material transport path;
- and
- at least three rotating members positioned within the oven along the transport path for supporting the imaging material, the rotating members being heated by the heated oven, the rotating members comprising means for preventing the rotating members from conducting heat to the imaging material in an amount and at a rate sufficient to unevenly develop the image as the rotating members support the imaging material.
A method for uniformly developing a thermally developable image in an imaging material, comprising the steps of:
- providing a heated oven for developing the thermally developable image;
- positioning at least three rotating members within the heated oven for supporting the imaging material when transported through the oven, the rotating members being heated by the heated oven;
- and
- preventing the rotating members from conducting heat to the imaging material in an amount and at a rate sufficient to unevenly develop the image as the rotating members support the imaging material.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.