Feedpipe for a refilling container

In a feedpipe of a container for refilling a photographic developing tank with a developer radial discharge holes are provided in the region of a valve mounted at the lower end of the feedpipe extended outwardly of the container. The developer liquid is discharged into the valve and then into the tank through these radial holes. To prevent overflowing of the liquid through these holes meshed elements are inserted into the radial holes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a feedpipe for a refilling container, 
preferably for refilling a wet-developing apparatus for a film base with 
developer and regenerate liquids. 
Refilling bottles or cans filled with a developer or regenerate liquid 
normally have a feedpipe extended through the bottle and opening into a 
valve connection element having an outlet opening. The feedpipe is also 
provided in the region of the valve connection element with a number of 
radial holes through which liquid is discharged from the bottle into the 
apparatus for wet-developing. 
The refilling container with the feedpipe of the type under consideration 
is discussed, for example in DE AS 1,086,577. For extracting a dosed 
amount of the liquid from the refilling container, and to ensure a uniform 
pressure compensation in the container an additional dosing container is 
placed in the refilling container. Liquid flows lengthwise through the 
respective openings into the dosing container and then through the 
discharge holes in the feedpipe. However, the additional dosing container 
is considerably expensive. 
Refilling containers not provided with the aforementioned additional 
containers are also utilized in the industry. These containers have the 
disadvantage that the large amounts of liquid discharged through the holes 
in the feedpipe provided in the proximity of the valve cause overflow of 
the liquid into the developing tank. Furthermore, large streams of air due 
to under-pressure have frequently flowed into the feedpipe of the 
refilling container and instead of leaving the pipe via its front opening 
they have been discharged through the holes in the vicinity of the valve 
and flowed into the refilling container. These air streams having usually 
caused disturbance in the liquid contained in the refilling container and 
because of air mixed with the liquid an undesired oxidation and thus 
worsening of the quality of the refilling liquid. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved refilling 
container. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide a refilling container in 
which flooding and spilling of the liquid over the developing tank, into 
which the liquid is to be filled, are avoided and wherein mixing of air 
entering the container from below with the liquid in the container will be 
also prevented. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a container 
with which a uniform discharge of the liquid from the container and an 
inflow of air through the upper opening of the feedpipe would be ensured. 
Since the incoming air flows in the usual fashion through the upper 
surface of the liquid the possibility of oxidation would be avoided. 
These and other objects of the invention are attained by a feedpipe for a 
refilling container, preferably for filling a wet-developing apparatus for 
a photographic film base with a developer or regenerate liquid contained 
in the container, the feedpipe comprising a pipe portion extended through 
the container and having an upper end and a lower end; a valve member at 
said lower end and positioned outside the container, said feedpipe being 
open at said upper end and having at said lower end and near said valve 
member a plurality of radial holes through which the liquid is discharged 
from the container; and meshed elements inserted into said radial holes 
for preventing air from flowing through the feedpipe into the liquid in 
the container. 
The feedpipe may further include an additional meshed element arranged at 
said open upper end of the feedpipe. 
In the event of a viscous liquid contained in the container the meshed 
elements in the radial holes may have a mesh greater than that in the 
additional meshed element. 
The pipe portion and the meshed elements may be formed integral with each 
other. 
The pipe portion and the meshed elements may be formed of synthetic plastic 
material.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now to the drawings in detail, reference character 1 in FIG. 1 
denotes a container for refilling a wet-developing apparatus with filling 
liquids, preferably with developer or regenerate liquids 2. This container 
may be a bottle or can which has a grip 1a. Container 1 is provided on the 
underside thereof with a discharge member 1c having an outer thread 1c and 
a discharge valve 3 which has an inner thread and is screwed on thread 1c 
of the discharge member with the aid of the commonly known sealing. 
Reference number 3a designates a valve disk, reference character 3b 
denotes a compression spring of valve 3 and reference number 4 identifies 
a plunger extended into the tank not shown herein. Container 1 is 
superimposed on that tank for refilling the latter with liquid 2. 
When container or refiller 1 is placed on the tank plunger 4 pushes valve 
disk 3a into a position 3a' shown by a dotted line so that liquid 2 can 
flow in the downward direction into the non-illustrated tank. A feedpipe 5 
extends upwardly from the valve disk. Feedpipe 5 has a lower opening 5a 
and an upper opening 5b and is also provided near and above valve 3 with a 
plurality of radial holes 5c. These holes as can be observed in FIG. 2 in 
particular are made in the lower region of the pipe. 
During the positioning of the bottle or can 1 onto the non-illustrated tank 
plunger 4 via the valve disk 3 opens the liquid supply into the tank. 
Liquid 2 flows through the radial holes 5c in the feedpipe and is 
discharged through valve 3. Due to the underpressure existing in bottle 1 
air is sucked through valve 3 into the feedpipe 5. 
In order to avoid large overflow of the liquid through the radial holes 5c 
in the feedpipe 5 downwardly, which overflow would lead to running the 
liquid over the tank, and to prevent large air streams in the feedpipe 5, 
which could occur in this pipe with such a pressure that some of those air 
streams would leak out through radial holes 5c and flow back from below 
into bottle 1, meshed elements 6 are arranged in radial holes 5. Thereby 
bubbling of the liquid 2 and its oxidation will be also avoided. Meshed or 
strainer elements 6 act as brakes and uniformly distribute the liquid 
discharged from bottle 1 through feedpipe 5 and valve 3 and thereby 
prevent undesired liquid overflow from bottle 1. These meshed elements 
also prevent flowing of large air streams in the backward direction 
because these air streams can seek a quick way through those radial holes 
upwardly into the pipe. These large air streams, the movement of which 
through the liquid can cause undesired oxidation, must be first dispersed 
on meshed elements 6 before air can come out through radial holes 5c. 
Since air meets a small resistance airstreams rise in the feedpipe 5 
unless they reach the upper opening 5b and then they normally flow out 
through the liquid surface. In order to avoid large air streams also at 
the upper end of the feedpipe 5 a meshed element 7 is arranged in the 
upper opening 5b of the pipe. This upper meshed element serves to disperse 
rising large air streams whereby air streams are inhibited and are 
permitted to leave the tube iniformly via the upper liquid surface. 
Furthermore, due to the provision of meshed elements in radial holes 5c a 
dosed and uniform discharge of the liquid and a uniform rising of air in 
the feedpipe 5 are obtained in a very simple fashion. Due to the 
arrangement of meshed element 7 provided in the upper opening 5b and 
mounted flush with the upper surface of pipe 5 an additional uniform 
distribution of air entering the bottle 1 is provided and disturbance of 
the upper liquid surface is avoided. The meshed elements 6 and 7 can be 
formed as one piece with feedpipe 5 made from synthetic plastic so that 
for extraction of a dosed amount of liquid a constant lowering of the 
liquid upper surface, a stabilized air supply and a steady pressure 
compensation are not required, as in the case with known feedpipes having 
no meshed elements. 
If necessary, for example in the case of viscous liquids, it is expedient 
to make the lower meshed elements 6 in radial holes 5c with the mesh 
greater than the mesh of upper element 7 in opening 5b. 
It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or 
more together, may also find a useful application in other types of 
refilling containers for filling wet-developing apparatus with developer 
or regenerate liquids differing from the types described above. 
While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a 
feedpipe for a container for refilling a wet-developing apparatus with 
developer or regenerate liquids, it is not intended to be limited to the 
details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be 
made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present 
invention. 
Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of 
the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, 
readily adapt if for various applications without omitting features that, 
from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential 
characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of the invention.