DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY INSERTING PACKS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC NEGATIVES AND PRINTS INTO WALLETS

Abstract: A device for automatically inserting packs of photographic negatives and prints into wallets, characterised by comprising in combination: - a member for transversely moving the wallets (2) in both directions along their own guide (1), - a transferer (18) for transversely transferring each pack of negatives (7) along their own guide (9,10) towards said walet (2), - a transferer (5) for transversely transferring each pack of prints (4) along their own guide towards said wallet (2), - a pair of members (24,25,) for the independent mechanical engagement of the edges of the two pockets of the wallet (2), and mobile between a position in which they adhere to said guide (1) for the wallets (2) and a postion raised therefrom to present said open pockets facing said guides (9,10,13) for the pack of negatives (7) and for the pack of prints (4), and - a control system which halts the feed of said wallet (2) along its guide (1) after the edges of its two pockets have passed beyond their respective engagement members (24,25) and causes it to reverse to effect said engagement before it raises them in order to open said pockets.

Description: This invention relates to a device for automatically inserting packs of photographic negatives and prints into wallets. In photographic laboratories in which negatives are handled, developed and printed, it is known to insert the pack of negatives and the pack of the corresponding prints into separate pockets of a wallet at the end of the processing cycle. This operation, generally known as wallet-filling, is currently done in different ways according to the type of wallet used. In the case of automatic wallet-filling, automatic wallet-filling devices are known which use conventional wallets, also known as standard wallets, with two front pockets into which the negatives and prints are inserted. These devices open the two pockets by means of pneumatic systems in which sucker members have to be exactly positioned on the flaps of the two pockets to be lifted, and for this reason besides requiring a compressed air system they also demand a rigorously defined wallet format in contrast to current requirements which include wallet personalization for the different photographic shops. EP-A-0 024 342 describes an apparatus for processing photographic prints through an inpection apparatus where particular prints made from corresponding negatives are selected for reprinting. The stacked prints are moved as a group toward the front of the apparatus. A double-pocket envelope is removed from the bottom of a stack of such envelopes and positioned for receiving a stack of prints. Subsequently this envelope is moved in a rotate and pivot assembly and conveyed to an envelope opener so as to receive the corresponding customer negative filmtrips in the other of its pockets. An object of the invention is to overcome the limits of the prior art by providing a device which allows automatic insertion of negatives and prints into standard wallets. A further object of the invention is to provide a device which does not require pneumatic systems for its operation. A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is of simple construction and of safe and reliable operation. These and further objects which will be apparent from the description given hereinafter are attained according to the invention by a device for automatically inserting pack of photographic negatives and prints into wallets, as described in claim 1. The present invention is described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a partly sectional side view of the device according to the invention during the stage which precedes the opening of the two wallet pockets; and Figure 2 shows it during the insertion of the packs of negatives and prints into their separate pockets of the wallet. As can be seen from the figures, the device according to the invention is positioned in the zone of convergence of three superposed guides, namely a lower guide 1 for the wallets 2, which are fed by conventional belt systems, not shown on the drawings for simplicity; an intermediate guide 3, parallel to the guide 1, for guiding the pack of prints 4 which are fed transversely, ie parallel to their minor side, by a pusher member 5 which does not form part of the present invention; and an upper guide 6, disposed orthogonal to the preceding, for guiding the pack of negative strips 7. The guide 6 leads to a tray structure indicated overall by 8 and comprising in reality a transversely slotted lower plate 9 (that is orthogonally to the axis of the negatives 7), as an extension of the base of the guide 6, and an overlying tray 10 with the underside of its base facing the plate 9 and comprising slots identical to those in this latter, and with its interior housing the pusher members for the packs of negatives 7, as described hereinafter. The tray 10 is hinged to the plate 9 about a horizontal shaft 11 so that it can assume two different end positions, one being the working position in which the base of said tray 10 is parallel to the plate 9 and defines therewith an interspace designed to receive the pack of negatives 7, and the other being an inspection position for said interspace. In addition the tray structure 8, ie that formed by the plate 9 and actual tray 10, is fixed to a further shaft 12 parallel to the shaft 11 and fixed to the overall frame of the device according to the invention. A longitudinal strip 13 of thickness equal to the minimum height of the interspace formed with the tray 10 is applied to the plate 9, and is in the form of segments to define transverse slots which extend the slots of the plate 9 and of the base of the tray 10. Two pulleys 14 are applied to the shaft 11 on which the tray 10 is hinged to the plate 9, and drive two belts 15 which pass about two further pulleys 14′ which are mounted on a shaft 11′ parallel to the sfaft 11. A bar 16 is fixed to the two belts 15 and is mobile along two guide rods 17 disposed orthogonal to the shafts 11 and 11′, to the bar 16 there being applied a plurality of pushers 18 for the pack of negatives 7. Each pusher 18 consists of an L-shaped plate with its lower edge housed in a corresponding slot in the plate 9 and its body traversing the overlying slot in the base of the tray 10. An electric motor 19 is keyed to the shaft 11 to drive the bar 16 between two end positions, namely a rear position in which the horizontal part of the pushers 18 is completely housed between the segments of the strip 13 (see fig. 1), and a front position in which the ends of the pushers 18 emerge beyond the front edge of the interspace which houses them (see fig. 2 ). An arm 20 is keyed to the shaft 12 about which the tray structure 8 is hinged to the overall frame of the device, and to its end there is fixed a member 21 which is driven axially by an electric motor 22 by way of a screw system. A spring, not shown on the drawings for simplicity of representation, keeps the tray structure 8 balanced so that its movement about the axis of the shaft when driven by the motor 22 is smoother. A shaft 23 is also rotatably supported by the overall frame of the device in a position overlying the guide 3 for the prints 4, and to it there are fixed two blades 24,25, which are of different length in the sense that their edge parallel to the shaft 23 is further from said shaft in the case of the upper blade 24 than in the case of the lower blade 25. The lower blade 25 extends in an arm 26, which a member 27 is connected to driven axially by an electric motor 20. A plurality of automatic controls of known type provide correct operation of the device as is clear from the following description. This operation will be clearer by describing it with reference to the moment in which one wallet-filling cycle has just been completed and the device is ready to effect the next cycle of a new order. At this moment the tray structure 8 is disposed horizontally and the two blades 24,25 rest by gravity with their front edge against the guide 1 for the wallets 2. The wallets 2 are of standard wallet type and are provided with two transverse pockets with the edges of the two openings parallel and such that the upper pocket for the negative 7 is less tall than the lower pocket for the prints 4. In this configuration the lower slotted plate 9 acts as an extension of the base of the guide 6 for the pack of negatives, 7 and the longitudinal strip 13 acts as an extension of the lateral edge of said guide. In the meantime a pack of negatives 7 to be inserted is formed in an upstream station; the pack of corresponding prints 4 to be inserted is formed in another upstream station; and the wallet 2 relative to that particular order is held ready in the wallet magazine. When the pack of negatives 7 has been formed it is driven by conventional systems along the guides 6 until it enters the interspace between the plate 9 and the base of the tray 10 to remain adhering by its edge to the strip 13. During this stage, in which the pushers 18 are totally retracted with respect to the segments of the strip 13, any jamming of the negatives 7 is prevented notwithstanding the presence of the slots in the plate 9 and in tha base of the tray 10, or of the strip 13, because of the sawtoothed shape of the various segments. Simultaneously with the entry of the pack of negatives 7 into the interspace reserved for them, the wallet 2 relative to that order is fed along the guide 1 until the edges of its two pockets have passed beyond the front edge of the two blades 24,25. This event is indicated by a photoelectric cell 29 positioned along the guide 1. When the photoelectric cell senses the arrival of the wallet 2, after a short predetermined delay time which takes account of the dimensions of the wallet, it halts the wallet conveyor belt and reverses its direction of movement. The rearward travel of the wallet 2 causes its two pockets to be engaged by the two blades 24,25 and stops when this engagement has occurred. The distance of this return travel is also related to the dimensions and configuration of the wallet, and can be easily determined by a computer which has previously identified the type of wallet, for example by reading a bar code printed on it. After the two pockets of the wallet have been engaged by the two blades 24,25, a command is fed to the electric motor 28 to cause its member 27 to act against the arm 25 and rotate the shaft 23, so raising the two blades 24,25 which open the two pockets of the wallet 2. A silmultaneous command is fed to the electric motor 22 to cause its member 21 to act against the arm 20 and rotate the shaft 12 and the tray structure 8 downwards. On termination of these movements the upper pocket of the wallet 2 is open facing the interspace formed by the plate 9 and the base of the tray 10, this interspace being inclined downwards and already containing the pack of negatives 7 ready for insertion. The lower pocket of the wallet 2 is also open facing the guide 3 for the prints 4. When this condition is attained a command is fed to the pusher 5 for the prints 4 to cause it to advance the pack of prints until it has entered the corresponding pocket of the wallet 2, and a command is fed to the electric motor 19 to drive the belts 15 and cause the pushers 18 to move along the respective slots, to withdraw the pack of negatives and feed it along its interspace as far as the corresponding open pocket of the wallet 2. On termination of this insertion stage a further automatic command restarts the belts for conveying the wallet 2 towards the next handling station and at the same time initiates the return stroke of the print pusher 5 and operates the three electric motor 19,22,28. The motor 19 returns the pushers 18 to their waiting position between the segments of the strip 13. The motor 22 drives the relative member 21 in the opposite direction to the preceding stage, to return the tray structure 8 into its initial horizontal position ready to receive a new pack of negatives. The motor 20 drives the relative pusher 27, which withdraws from the arm 26 to enable the two blades 24,25 to again bear on the guide 1 in their rest position, to await the next wallet, the entire assembly then being ready to implement a new operating cycle. From the description it is apparent that the wallet insertion device of the present invention offers a more advantageous performance than known devices which perform analogous functions, and in particular: it uses standard wallets of any format, ie wallets which always contain two opening pockets but having a format which is not constant but depends on the particular photographic shop (customer) using them, it is of simpler construction and more reliable operation as it uses a single movement member which transfers the wallets into the insertion station, causes its pockets to be simultaneously engaged by the members which open them, and finally transfers the filled wallets to the next station, it automatically adapts to the different wallet formats by simply reading the bar code printed on every wallet. This is particularly important because it enables photographic laboratories to automate the different orders, while using for each order wallets which are personalized for the corresponding client, it enables negatives and prints to be inserted simultaneously into the wallets, so considerably reducing the overall average wallet-filling time, it operates with exclusively mechanical members and therefore requires no air distribution system, it can be used for negatives and prints of practically any format, its various parts can be easily inspected and in particular the zone in which it handles the packs of negatives, this always being the most critical part of the device.

Claims: A device for automatically inserting packs of photographic negatives and prints into wallets (2), each wallet (2) being provided with two pockets open to the longitudinal side of the wallet (2), the edges of the two openings being parallel and such that the pocket for the negatives is less high than the pocket for the prints, comprising in combination: a member for moving the wallets (2) back and forth along a first guide (1), the wallets being aligned in that their openings lie transverse to the direction of transportation, the lower pockets being that of the prints the upper ones that of the negatives, a transferer for transferring each pack of negatives (7) parallel to its minor side along a second guide (9,10) into the corresponding pocket of said wallet (2) by means of a first pusher member (18), a transferer for transferring each pack of prints (4) parallel to its minor side along a third guide (13) into the corresponding pocket of said wallet (2) by means of a second pusher member (5), a pair of engagment members (24,25) for the independent mechanical engagement of the edges of the two pockets of the wallet (2), and mobile between a position in which they adhere to said first guide (1) for the wallets (2) and a position raised therefrom to present said open pockets facing said second and third guides (9,10,13) for the pack of negatives (7) and for the pack of prints (4), and a control system which halts the feed of said wallet (2) along its first guide (1) after the edges of its two pockets have passed beyond their respective engagement members (24,25) and causes it to reverse to effect said engagement before it raises them in order to open said pockets. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the negative transferer consists of a pair of transversely slotted surfaces (9,10) between which the pack of negatives (7) to be inserted into the wallet is introduced, and a plurality of pusher members (18) mobile along the slot in said surfaces between a rear position in which it awaits the arrival of the pack of negatives and a position in which it inserts said pack into the pocket of the wallet (2). A device as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the first surface (10) houses the driving means of the first pusher member (18), and is provided with means (16) mobile transversely along guides (17), said first pushers (18) consisting of L-shaped members, the vertical part of which pass through said first surface (10) and the lower edge of the horizontal part of which is housed in the corresponding transversely slotted second surface (9). A device as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that the first surface (10) is hinged to the second surface (9) and is also hinged, together with said second surface (9), to the overall frame of the device. A device as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that said first (10) and second surface (9) are hinged to the frame of the device by means of a shaft provided with an arm (20) cooperanting with a member (25) driven by an electric motor (22) to rotate said first (10) add second surface (9). A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the two engagement members (24,25) are rigid with a single shaft (23), to which an arm (26) is also keyed for rotating said members under the action of a member (27) driven by an electric motor (28). A device as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the two engagement members (24,25) form the terminal portion of the guides which guide the pack of negatives (7) and pack of prints (4) towards the open pockets of the wallet (2).

Inventors: SIGNORETTO, ROBERTO
Applicants: SYSTEL INTERNATIONAL S.P.A.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: B65B25
IPC codes: B65B25, G03D15