Processor for imaging media
AssigneeCarestream Health, Inc.
InventorsKent R. Struble, David J. McDaniel, Duane A. Preszler, Paul Stelzig
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal processor including an oven and a cooling section. The oven is configured to heat an imaging media to a development temperature. The cooling section is configured to cool the imaging media from the development temperature to a desired exit temperature as imaging media moves along a transport path from an entrance to an exit. The cooling section provides a varying rate of heat transfer from the imaging media along the transport path so as to create a varying cooling temperature gradient in the imaging media substantially equal to and not exceeding a varying maximum cooling temperature gradient of imaging media.
Claims14
A cooling section suitable for use with a thermal processor, the cooling section comprising:
- an entrance;
- an exit;
- and
- a plurality of rollers positioned to form a transport path from the entrance to the exit and, through contact with the imaging media, configured to move the imaging media through the cooling section along the transport path, wherein the rollers are configured to absorb heat from the imaging media to cool the imaging media from a development temperature to a desired exit temperature as the imaging media moves along the transport path from the entrance to the exit, and wherein a thermal conductivity of the rollers increases along the transport path from the entrance to the exit to vary the heat transfer rate.
A method of cooling an imaging media, the method comprising:
- receiving a heated imaging media;
- providing a varying rate of heat transfer from the imaging media by moving the heated imaging media across a plurality of surfaces of increasing thermal conductivity to create a varying cooling temperature gradient substantially equal to and not exceeding a varying maximum cooling temperature gradient of the imaging media.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.