Photographic media accumulator system

A photographic exposure and development system including a printer for exposing photographic media, a processor for developing the image exposed on the media and an accumulator intermediate the printer and processor for compensating for the differences in operational speed of the printer and processor. The printer is of the type which discharges exposed photographic media in sheet form, whether the initial supply be in sheet form or in roll form. The accumulator accepts exposed sheets discharged by the printer and stacks the same in ascending chronological order from the bottom of the stack while providing access to the exposed sheets for removal for processing by the processor in ascending chronological order at the top of the stack. In a preferred embodiment, the accumulator includes a plurality of bins which are rotatable with each other between a first position in which the exposed sheets are accepted for stacking and a second position where the stacked sheets are accessible for removal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a photographic exposure and development 
system and, particularly, to a system wherein an accumulator compensates 
for differences in the operational speed of a printer, which exposes a 
photographic media with the desired image, and a processor, which develops 
the image exposed on the media. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Photographic printers and processors are known in the prior art. In the 
former, the photographic media is exposed with a desired image while the 
latter develops the image exposed on the media by the printer. 
Advancing technology has provided a significant increase in the exposure 
speed of modern printers. However, the processing of an exposed image to a 
developed print remains a chemical process which requires a predetermined 
time, independent of the speed of the printing or exposure operation. As a 
result, modern printers are capable of exposing a significantly greater 
amount of photographic material during a given interval than current 
processors are capable of processing, during that same interval. Thus, to 
integrate current printers and processors into a system, it has been 
necessary to provide an interface which will compensate for the 
differences in printer and processor operational speeds. 
One approach to compensate for the relative slowness of the processor has 
been referred to by those familiar in the art as a "dealer". In these 
systems, exposed photographic media is accepted from the printer in sheet 
form and distributed across a conveyor such that multiple sheets that were 
exposed at different times are processed by the processor at the same 
time. In such systems, the distribution or placement of the exposed media 
is a complex mechanical operation that often results in a "dropping" of 
one or more of the sheet form media to be processed, prior to reaching the 
processor. 
An alternative to the "dealer," discussed above, operates on a web of 
exposed photographic media and provides a variable length travel path so 
as to accumulate the media at the rate it is discharged from the printer 
while feeding the media to the processor at its operational speed. This is 
accomplished by forming loops intermediate the printer and processor, as 
through the use of movable rollers which establish the loops and move to 
vary the loop dimensions in accordance with the relative operational 
speeds of the printer and processor. Clearly, such a system is restricted 
to use with a printer in which the photographic media to be exposed is in 
web form, typically carried by a supply roll, in known manner. Further, 
the space requirements for such a system are often significant which 
renders the system impractical in some environments. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides an improvement in a photographic exposure 
and development system wherein the printer exposes a photographic media 
with the desired image and a processor develops the image exposed on the 
media. An accumulator is positioned intermediate the printer and processor 
to accumulate the excess capacity of the printer relative to the 
processor. The accumulator of the present invention is adapted to 
cooperate with a printer that discharges exposed photographic media in 
sheet form, although the printer itself may be loaded with photographic 
media in sheet form or in roll form. In the latter case, the photographic 
media is cut into sheets prior to discharge to the accumulator. 
In accordance with the present invention, the accumlator accepts exposed 
sheets of photographic media and stacks the same in ascending 
chronological order within a bin. That is, exposed sheets of photographic 
media are stacked, within a bin, on top of previously exposed sheets with 
the lowermost sheet within a bin being the first exposed sheet within the 
stack and the uppermost sheet in the stack being the last exposed sheet in 
the stack. After a desired number of sheets have been accumulated and 
stacked, the bin is rotated about an axis such that the stack and exposed 
sheets are accessible in ascending chronological order from the top of the 
stack. A plurality of bins may be employed to accumulate continuing 
printer production while allowing previously exposed sheets to be removed 
from the accumulator and fed to the processor for further processing, in 
the order in which they were exposed (i.e. ascending chronological order). 
In a preferred embodiment, the bins are generally horizontal during the 
acceptance and stacking of exposed sheets and are inclined during sheet 
removal. In the inclined orientation, a wall forming a part of the bin 
provides a registration surface for one edge of each exposed sheet stacked 
within that bin. In this manner, sheets of varying sizes may be 
accomodated within the accumulator of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention provides a photographic exposure and development 
system including a printer which exposes a photographic media with a 
desired image and a processor which develops the image exposed on the 
media. Modern control and material handling improvements have allowed 
printer speed to increase to a point where it exceeds the processing 
capabilities of state of the art photographic media processors. Thus, to 
integrate those components within an overall exposure and development 
system, it is necessary to run the printer at less than capacity or to 
otherwise compensate for the differences in operational speed. In 
accordance with the present invention, this is accomplished by way of an 
accumulator which accepts exposed photographic media from the printer in 
sheet form and stacks the same in ascending chronological order within a 
bin. These stacked, exposed sheets are removed from the bin, also in 
ascending chronological order, at the top of the stack and in accordance 
with the processing capabilities of the processor. Thus, an accumulator in 
accordance with the present invention, compensates for the differences in 
operational speed between the printer and processor while feeding 
photographic media to the processor in the order in which it was exposed 
by the printer. For the purposes of this specification and claims, the 
phrase "ascending chronological order" means that a sheet of exposed 
photographic media is being operated on in the order of its exposure. 
During stacking, as that term is used herein, an exposed sheet of 
photographic media is positioned atop previously exposed sheets in the 
order of their exposure (ascending chronological order from the stack 
bottom). During removal, earlier exposed sheets are positioned of the top 
of the stack (ascending chronological order from the top) and are removed 
from the stack top before later exposed sheets. Also, the term "sheet 
form" or "sheet" is intended to cover a relatively short portion of 
photographic media bearing a single exposed image or an identifiable array 
of exposed images. This is in contrast to "roll form" or a "roll" 
photographic media which constitutes an elongated web of material 
typically contained on or as a supply roll. In accordance with the present 
invention, the initial supply of photogaphic media may be either sheet 
form or roll form with the discharge from the printer being in sheet form. 
Within the context of the present invention, the term "discharge from the 
printer" is intended to embrace an input to the accumulator. 
FIG. 1 illustrates the concept of the present invention and includes a 
printer 10, accumulator 11 and processor 12. As noted above, the printer 
may operate on a photographic media in either roll or sheet form with its 
discharge (the input to the accumulator 11) being in sheet form. Exposed, 
sheet form photographic media is withdrawn from the accumulator 11 and 
conveyed to the processor 12 for processing in conventional manner. 
Accumulator 11 accepts exposed sheet form media from the printer at the 
printer's normal operating rate and conveys accumulated media to the 
processor at the processor's normal processing rate. In this manner, 
differences in operational speed between the printer 10 and processor 12 
are accomodated. 
FIG. 2 illustrates the operational characteristics of an accumulator 11 in 
accordance with the present invention and also illustrates its interface 
between the printer 10 and processor 12 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the 
wall 13 represents the outer case of the printer 10 with rollers 14 
serving to support and convey a sheet of exposed photographic media 15 
through a slot or discharge opening 16 in the wall 13. Rollers 17 serve as 
an input to a conveying system 18 which convey the exposed sheets of 
photographic media to the processor 12, as indicated by the arrow 19. 
As shown in FIG. 2, the accumulator 11 includes a frame 20 supported for 
rotation with a shaft 21. The shaft 21 may be supported at one end by a 
bearing 22 carried by the wall 13 of the printer 10 and at the other end 
by a bearing 23 carried by a support 24. The bearings 22 and 23 may be 
supported otherwise than as shown in FIG. 2 while the support 24 is for 
purposes of illustration only in that its function may be provided by any 
suitable structural member forming a part of the accumulator 11. 
The shaft 21 carries a pulley 25 which is driven by a pulley 26 powered by 
a motor 27 via a belt 28. The pulleys 25 and 26 may be formed as gears 
through the provision of teeth with corresponding structure being 
incorporated into the belt 28. Also, the motor 27 may be a stepper motor 
to provide a better control over the angular orientation of the shaft 21 
in known manner. 
Still referring to FIG. 2, a first bin 30 is supported in a generally 
horizontal orientation by the frame 20 and includes an upper support wall 
31, a lower support wall 32, end walls 33 and 34 and side walls 35. 
Preferably, the frame 20 is configured to support the bin 30, when the bin 
30 is in the horizontal orientation illustrated in FIG. 2, generally at 
and around its periphery. A pair of plates 36 (only one being illustrated 
in FIG. 2) are secured to and extend upwardly from frame 20 to lie outside 
each of the side walls 35 generally at the junction of the side walls 35 
with the end wall 34 and bottom wall 32. An axle 37 extends between the 
plates 36 associated with the bin 30 to secure the bin 30 to the frame 20 
while allowing a pivotal movement of the bin 30 relative to the frame 20, 
in a manner to be described more fully below. 
End wall 33 of bin 30 is provided with a slot 38 which accepts exposed 
sheets of photographic media, such as that illustrated at 15 in FIG. 2, as 
those sheets are discharged from the printer. Exposed sheets from the 
printer pass through the slot 38 and into stacking relation with other 
exposed sheets discharged by the printer. In this manner, the exposed 
sheets are accumulated within the bin 30 in ascending chronological order 
from the bottom wall 32 in that the lowermost sheet is the first exposed 
of those within the bin 30 while the uppermost sheet is the last exposed 
of those within the bin 30. Exposed sheets excepted and accumulated within 
the bin 30 are bracketed by the bracket 39 and are illustrated in spaced 
relation for the purpose of illustration. However, it is to be understood 
that the sheets lie atop one another when in stacking relation within the 
bin 30. 
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the accumulator 11 includes a 
second bin 40 which may be otherwise generally identical to the bin 30 
with element 41 corresponding to element 31, element 42 corresponding to 
element 32, etc. However, bin 40 is shown in an inclined orientation 
pivoted away from the frame 20 about an axle 47. The orientation of the 
bin 40 is controlled by a cylinder 50 acting on the end wall 44 of bin 40 
through its shaft 51 and an associated roller connection 52. Roller 
connection 52 may be merely a sphere supported within a holder and being 
rotatable on movement of the end wall 44 relative to the sphere surface. 
Extension of the shaft 51 will cause the bin 40 to raise to a generally 
horizontal position while retraction of the shaft 51 will allow the bin 40 
to pivot to an inclined orientation. A stop 53 may be provided to limit 
the amount of pivotal motion of the bin 40 about the axle 47 although this 
may be controlled through the cylinder 50 alone. The cylinder 50 may be of 
any convenient, controllable type including hydraulic, pneumatic and 
electrical such as a solenoid, for example. 
Bins 30 and 40 are adapted for rotation about the shaft 21, under the power 
of the motor 27, between a first position occupied by the bin 30 in FIG. 2 
in which exposed photographic media is accepted from the printer in sheet 
form and stacked within the bin 30 on its lower wall 32 and a second 
position, occupied by bin 40 in FIG. 2. Assuming for the moment that the 
bin 40 is empty and that operation of the exposure and develoment system, 
including the printer and processor, has just been initiated, the bin 30 
will accept and accumulate, in stacked relation, the desired number of 
sheets discharged by the printer. When the desired number of sheets have 
been accumulated and stacked, and with the shaft 51 of cylinder 50 in the 
extended position such that the bin 40 is also in a horizontal position, 
the motor 27 is activated to rotate the shaft 21 and, accordingly, the 
bins 30 and 40. During this rotation, the roller bearing 52 rolls along 
the wall 44 to maintain the bin 40 against the frame 20 until the wall 34 
of bin 30 comes into contact with the roller 52. At that point, the roller 
52 maintains the bin 30 against the frame 20 while gravity will begin to 
act on the bin 40 to maintain it against the frame 20. When the bins 30 
and 40 have reversed the positions illustrated in FIG. 2, the motor 27 is 
stopped. At that point, a registration device 53 having an extendable pin 
is activated with the pin extending from the device 53 and into engagement 
with an aperture (not shown in FIG. 2) in the frame 20 to assure 
registration of the slot 48 of bin 40 with the discharge of the printer. 
In this position, the bin 40 can accept and stack exposed sheets from the 
printer while those previously stacked in the bin 30 may be removed from 
the bin 30 to be conveyed to the processor 12, as described below. Before 
withdrawal, the bin which underlies the frame 20 is allowed to assume an 
inclined orientation, under the action of gravity, by retraction of the 
shaft 51. 
It should be noted that the sheets stacked within the uppermost bin (30 in 
FIG. 2) are arranged in ascending chronological order from the wall 32 
which supports them. However, on rotation of the shaft 21, the sheets 
within the bin are supported by the opposing supporting surface (41 in bin 
40 as illustrated in FIG. 2). When supported on the opposing surface, the 
sheets are stacked in ascending chronological order from the top of the 
stack toward the supporting wall. Thus, the order in which the sheets are 
exposed may be maintained as the sheets are withdrawn from the lowermost 
inclined bin and conveyed to the processor 12. 
Sheet withdrawal is assisted by a cylinder 60 whose shaft extends through 
an aperture 61 of that bin which is in the inclined orientation and into 
engagement with the stacked sheets contained therein. On further extension 
of the shaft of cylinder 60, the stack of exposed sheets is raised with 
the uppermost sheet being brought into contact with a "picker" which 
engages the uppermost sheet through the aperture 38 or 48 of the 
associated one of the bins 30 and 40. At this point, the shaft of cylinder 
60 may be retracted to "drop" all but the uppermost sheet which is 
retained by the picker 62. Preferably, the picker 62 is a vacuum device 
movable in and out of the slot 48 of bin 40 (in the orientation shown in 
FIG. 2) as illustrated by the double headed arrow 63. The arrow 64 
illustrates the suction by which the vacuum is established. By known 
mechanical devices, picker 62 is withdrawn from the slot of the associated 
bin to bring the uppermost sheet within the bin into contact with the 
rollers 17 which accept that sheet into the conveyor 18 for delivery to 
the processor 12. The sheet removed from the bin by the picker may be 
ejected from the picker by reversing the vacuum described above, that is, 
an airflow may be established from the picker against the sheet it holds 
to facilitate separation of the two. The rate at which sheets are 
withdrawn and conveyed to the processor 12 is controlled by the processing 
rate of the processor, in known manner. 
FIG. 3 is a view of the embodiment of FIG. 2 taken along the line 3--3 with 
various supporting, motion imparting and registration devices removed for 
the sake of clarity. What is illustrated in FIG. 3, but not in FIG. 2, is 
the aperture 70 which cooperates with the pin of the registration device 
53 to maintain the position of the frame 20 such that the aperture of the 
uppermost bin is in proper registration with the discharge of the printer. 
A similar view to that of FIG. 3 is illustrated in FIG. 4 in an embodiment 
employing four bins 75-78. The bins 75-78 are supported for rotation about 
a shaft 21 by a structure corresponding functionally to the frame 20 of 
FIG. 2. However, in most instances it is believed that a two bin system 
will be adequate, particularly in those instances where printer operation 
is intermittent. 
It should be noted that the stacked sheets with exposed photographic media 
embraced by the bracket 49 of FIG. 2 are of varying length with those 
sheets being operated upon by gravity to urge them against the end wall 43 
of bin 40. Thus, the end wall 43 of bin 40 (and the end wall 33 of bin 30 
when the bin 30 is in the orientation illustrated by bin 40 in FIG. 2) 
provides a reference surface for one edge of each exposed sheet stacked 
within the bin without reference to the length of the sheet. The raising 
and dropping of the stack by the shaft of cylinder 60, as described above, 
and the action of gravity on the sheets in the stack promotes the movement 
of those sheets into engagement with the reference surface. 
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are 
possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the removal of 
exposed sheets may be monitored by a reflection photo-electric device 
whose "light" impinges on sheets within a bin through an aperture in one 
of the bin walls. The absence of sheets within the bin will eliminate the 
reflection to result in a signal that the bin is empty. It is therefore to 
be understood, that, within the scope of the appended claims, the 
invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.