UNIT FOR COLLECTING DEVELOPED FILMS IN A FILM DEVELOPING MACHINE, PARTICULARLY OF INDUSTRIAL KIND

Abstract: In a film developing machine of industrial kind in which the films are entrained by leaders, a collecting unit is situated at the outlet side of the films after having been treated, which unit is constituted by a box-like envelope (9) in which it is disposed a series of pairs of rollers (19-20) which drive the leaders and the subsequent films thereof connected to these leaders toward a subsequent roller (32), in such a direction that the leaders may penetrate between the last roller and two lateral guide supports (33-34) disposed at its ends and able to diverge said leaders upward, permitting them to penetrate inside some housing (16) of lateral forks (10-11), which are substantially extended from the end portion of said box-like envelope (9). As soon as the leaders are completely disengaged from said roller (32) and the relative lateral guide supports (33, 34) they fall into recesses (17-18) provided at the lower ends of said lateral forks (10-11) so resulting laterally supported by such recesses (17-18). The subsequent films, which are pushed by the pairs of rollers (19-20), are progressively folded as they are coming out from the opening provided in the lower side of the box-like envelope (9), between said lateral forks (10-11), until they are vertically extended, hung to the respective leaders which may collect themselves progressively within the space determined by the housing (16).

Description: The invention refers to an unit for collecting developed films as claimed in Claim 1, which is applied in correspondence of the terminal part of a film developing machine, particularly of indu­ strial kind. As it is known, the film developing machines utilized in the industrial field for developing laboratories and the like are substantially constituted by a series of separated treatment tanks, containing the different conventional chemical substances which are required for developing the same films, as well as by transport means such as suitable conveying pinions and entrainment rol­ lers etc., in order to determine the subsequent passage of these films through all the tanks and a following drying zone, until the so developed and dried films ar­ rive in correspondence of a collecting unit, from vhich they may be drawn. Particularly, for permitting the films to pass through the developing machine they are applied in advance onto respective leaders, by means of a tape or adequate adhesive substances, wherein each leader is constituted by a thin flexible sheet made of a conventional plastic and provided by a series of holes, which are reciprocally aligned and equally spaced for permitting the conveying pinions to be engaged therein and therefore the same leader and the films to be entrained through the machine, wherein the films are also entrained by the above descri­ bed entrainment rollers. In turn, the unit for collecting developed films results to be disposed in correspondence of the terminal part of the developing machine and generally is shaped in such a manner as to permit a series of leaders together with the respective films to be stored automatically therein. Particularly, it is known a collecting unit comprising a series of rollers which are reciprocally opposite and adjacent and shaped for determining the entrainment of each leader by means of the engagement of the same rol­ lers with corresponding holes, which are provided in a central position of the said leader, as well as for determining the frictional entrainment of the films which are connected to such a leader. In addition, the collecting unit referred to results to be provided with at least a guide baffle constitu­ ted by a portion of sheet, which is inclined upward and disposed within the sliding path of each leader together with the relative films, in a manner that as soon as the leaders arrive in correspondence of the said sheet, they are deviated in the same direction inclined upward, thus coming within a box able to store a definite number of leaders. To this aim, the box referred to results to be provided in its inner side with a protruded tongue, which is inclined upward and situated at a level higher than that one of the baffle and which is also provided in a posi­ tion correspondent to that one of the holes of the leader. In this manner, as soon as the said leader arrives in front of the tongue, the latter engages itself with a correspondent hole of the same leader and consequently this leader is hooked in position without possibility of being shifted therefrom. In turn, the continuous rotation of the rollers deter­ mines a steady advancement of the films in the same di­ rection of the leader, however, due to the fact that the films are more flexible than the leader and are not guided by the baffle, these films are folded downward and progressively stored in a vertical direction wi­ thin a proper container, which is placed in a position below the said box. Likewise, each subsequent leader results to be hooked to the tongue and stacked over the leaders which are always hooked in position, while the correspondent films of such a leader are all introduced within the container, in the same manner which has been previously described. Then, the hole series of leaders, together with the films connected to the same, is detached from such tongue and extracted from the box, which in a so emptied condition is agains applied onto the developing machine, which is ready for permitting other leaders to be stored therein. Such a collecting unit is described in EP-A-0158806. The invention makes it possible to have a system for collecting the developed films and the relevant leaders thereof, which is more simple, rational and reliable than the systems known from the state of the art, for any operating condition of the same machine and for any leader which is employed, either with a central hole or holes which are provided in different positions thereof as well as also without any hole. These and other scopes are obtained, according to the invention, by means of an unit for collecting developed films in a film developing machine, in particular of the industrial kind, said collecting unit being provi­ ded at the end portion of the machine and comprising a series of opposed sprung rollers, which are driven in rotation in a per se known manner for the entrainment and the guide of the films and the relative leader thereof, to which the films are connected, in such a way that the said films are folded and fall gradually into a container disposed below the same for permitting the films to be collected therein. The collecting unit referred to is characterized in that further sprung roller, which is driven in rotation in a per se known manner and disposed near at least a fork element having two lateral forks directed upward, said further roller co-operating with guide supports in such a manner as to determine an upward movement of the said leader and then the falling thereof within said lateral forks, from which said leader is supported. The following description, given by way of a not limiting example only, makes evident the features of the invention, referring to the enclosed drawings in which: fig. 1-5 show, in a lateral cut view, the unit for collec­ ting developed films in five different and subsequent operating positions; fig. 6 shows the unit of fig. 1, cut along the line I-I; fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the present collec­ ting unit. Referring to fig. 1 end 7, there is represented the unit 8 for collecting developed films, which is prodded at the end portion of a conventional film developing machine of the industrial kind (not shown). In particular, such an unit comprises a box-like envelope 9 whose end portions result to be provided with a fork element having two lateral forks 10 and 11, directed up­ ward and disposed parallel and spaced each other in a lateral direction. Moreover, both the forks are connected to a vertical por­ tion of a flat wall 12, which in turn is connected to the upper wall 13 of the box-like envelope 9 for the whole distance of the same forks, the said flat wall being spaced by a certain amount from the correspondent inclined walls 14 and 15 of the respective lateral forks 10, 11 so as to determine a housing 16 for accommodating a determinate number of leaders, as it will be hereinafter described. Finally, the lateral forks 10 and 11 are provided with a respective recess 17 and 18, connected to the correspon­ dent housing 16 and constituting a reduced flat surface for permitting the leaders which are introduced within the same housing to be laterally supported thereon. In turn, some pairs of sprung rollers 19 and 20 which are driven in rotation in a per se known manner are pivoted horizontally within the box-like envelope 9, which rollers are constituted by opposed rollers, dispo­ sed adjacent each other, in order to allow each leader together with the relative developed films, connected in a conventional manner to the same leader, to pass therebetween. In the specified embodiment, it is shown a leader 21 together with two films 22, 23 connected to it (see fig. 6), said leader being provided at the two sides thereof with a respective row of holes 24, 25, which are recipro­ cally aligned and spaced, for permitting the corresponding toothings (not shown) of the feeding rollers of the ma­ chine to be engaged therein, so obtaining the entrain­ ment of the leader and the films. In correspondence of the above described pairs of rol­ lers there are foreseen two lateral guides 26, 27, which are fitted against the respective lateral walls 28, 29 of the box-like envelope 9, said guides being so shaped as to present a respective inclined portion 30, 31 direc­ ted downward, which is able to change the sliding path of each leader and the relevant films thereof, by driver­ ging them toward the gap formed between a further sprung roller 32, which is also pivoted horizontally within the box-like envelope 9, and a relative guide support 33, 34 which is provided at the to ends of the roller and applied against the respective lateral wall 28, 29 of the box-like envelope 9. In particular, the roller 32 is disposed driven in ro­ tation, in a conventional manner, near the housing 16 of each lateral fork 10, 11, while the guide supports 33, 34 are disposed beneath the roller 32 and provided with a relative upper surface 35, 36, wich is so incli­ ned as to accommodate each leader together with the re­ levant films thereof, which are coming from the pairs of rollers 19 and 20, and to transfer them into the respective housing 16 above described, due to the entrainment of the same by means of the rotating roller 32, in a direction inclined upward. Besides, such guide supports are provided with respec­ tive vertical slots 37, 38 for permitting to effect a limited adjustment of the distance and the inclination of the same supports with respect to the roller 32, depending on the leaders thickness, and to change and adapt both the inlet opening and the outlet inclination thereof. Finally, at least a container 39 which is adequately dimensioned for receiving a determinate amount of deve­ loped films, which are coming out from the developing machine, is disposed beneath the present collecting unit 8. Referring now to the fig. 1-5, there are shown the diffe­ rent operating positions of each leader together with the relevant films thereof, when they are passing through the collecting unit according to the invention. In the fig. 1 it is to be noted that the leader 21 is entrained toward the outlet side of the pair of rollers 20 and diverged slightly downward, by the effect of the inclined portions 30, 31 of the respective lateral guides 26, 27, in the direction of the inclined surfaces 35, 36 of the relative guide supports 33, 34, which sur­ faces are situated beneath them. In the fig. 2 it is to be noted that the leader 21, by passing through the gap existing between the said guide supports and the rotating roller 32, is entrained upward by the latter so that the lateral edges of the same lea­ der arrive into the housing 16 of the respective lateral forks 10 and 11 thereof, and arrange themselves against the relevant inclined walls 14 and 15 of the same forks. In the fig. 3 it is to be noted that the leader 21, by sliding progressively upward against the said inclined walls 14,15, is raised in such a position as to become completely disengaged from the roller 32, making it possible to be shifted in the subsequent position of fig. 4, due to the action of the gravity and the thrust of the films which are entrained, in which position the leader is leaned against both the recesses 17 and 18 as well as the inclined surfaces 14,15 of the respective lateral forks 10, 11. In addition, since the leader 21 is supported by the forks 10, 11 in the above described manner without pos­ sibility to fall down, as its lower part is supported laterally by the recesses 17, 18, while on the contrary the films which are connected to such a leader (in the fig. 1-5 it is shown the sole film 22) are continuously entrained by the different rollers of the present col­ lecting unit, for the whole lenght thereof it follows that in the latter position such films are progressively folded and shifted downward (which films are drawn with dashed line in fig. 4) and, passing through the free space comprised between the lateral forks 10, 11, they gradually arrive inside the container 39. Finally, in the fig. 5 it is to be noted that such films are completely disengaged from the rollers of the collec­ ting unit 8, in such a way that the film portion which is connected to the leader 21 be extended vertically. In this position, it is to be noted also that a subse­ quent leader 40 is entrained by the rollers of the collec­ ting unit 8 in the same operating position of fig. 1, which was assumed by the former leader 21. Therefore, such a leader and all the subsquent ones will be reciprocally put side-by-side, by overlapping themselves until the housing 16 of the lateral forks 10 and 11 is completely filled, while the films which are connected to such a leader will be collected within the container 39 below in the same manner which has been already described. As soon as the housing 16 is completely filled up, a suitable signaling may be released and the oparation of the collecting unit 8 may be also eventually automati­ cally stopped, so permitting the operator to remove the leaders which have been collected therein. The relevant removal occurs either by lifting the lea­ ders therefrom or by bending them in a central position during their extraction, so that the bundle of collec­ ted leaders may be removed therefrom for permitting the subsequent required operations to be carried out. Thus, there appear evident the advantages of the present collecting unit with respect to the other one which was previously described. In fact, since this collecting unit does not foresee the hooking of the leaders in a superimposed position thereof, as it was previously foreseen, it is avoided any possibility of positioning the same leaders in a wrong or unstable manner and hence also of damaging the films which are connected to such leaders.

Claims: 1. Unit for collecting developed films in a film develo­ ping machine, particularly of industrial kind, said col­ lecting unit being provided at the end part of the ma­ chine and comprising a series of opposed sprung rollers, which are driven in rotation in a per se known manner for the entrainment and the guide of the films and the relevant leader to which said films are connected, in such a manner that said films are folded and falling gradually toward a container below for collecting the same, characterized in that said series of rollers (19, 20) is associated with at least a further sprung roller (32), which may be driven in rotation in a per se known manner and is disposed near at least a fork element, provided laterally with lateral forks (10, 11) directed upward, said further roller (32) co-oparating with guide supports (33, 34) in such a manner as to determine an upward movement of said leader and then a falling down of the same into the recess (17, 18) of said lateral forks (10, 11), in which said leader is therefore suppor­ ted, wherein such a system of lateral support of the leaders permits leaders having entrainment holes, arran­ ged in different manners and also without entrainment holes to be utilized. 2. Collecting unit according to claim 1, characterized in that said guide supports (33, 34) are disposed in a po­ sition situated near said further roller (32), beneath the same and provided with a relative upper surface (35, 36), which is so curved as to be able to accommodate said leaders coming from said series of rollers (19, 20) and to transfer them, in a direction inclined upward, into a correspondent housing (16) of said lateral forks (10, 11), said housing (16) terminating in its lower part with relative recesses (17, 18) at the lateral lower ends of said forks (10, 11), which are able to accomodate a plurality of leaders. 3. Collecting unit according to claim 2, characterized in that said guide supports (33, 34) are provided with respective vertical slots (37, 38), for permitting to effect a limited adjustment of the distance between said guide supports (33, 34) and said further roller (32) as well as of their inclination so allowing to change the amplitude of the inlet opening for the leaders.

Inventors: MARSON, ROBERTO
Applicants: GRETAG SAN MARCO S.P.A.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: G03D13
IPC codes: G03D13, G03D3