Processing Unit

Abstract: A photographic film processor comprises modular tanks (10,11) individually mounted in structure (20). Each tank (10,11) contains a different processing solution. There is a rack mechanism (16,17) in each tank (10,11) operable to circulate a length of film around a closed loop path immersed in the solution in the tank (10,11). When the film has been circulated for a time determined by programmable control means (30), a switch mechanism (24) is actuated to deflect the film from one tank to the next. The control means (30) also controls the speed at which the film is circulated within each tank (10,11) and transferred from one to another tank. The developer tank (10) is raised with respect to the bleach tank (11) and the other tanks to reduce the risk of contamination of the developer solution by splashing of bleach or some other solution from their tank (11).

Description: This invention relates to a processing unit, particularly, but not exclusively, for treating photographic material such as film and comprising a plurality of tanks, each tank being intended to contain a respective one of different processing solutions which are to be used at different stages of the process and having means by which material to be treated in it is introduced into it for processing in the solution in it and means by which treated material is transported out of it. The means by which material to be treated is introduced into each of the tanks and the means by which it is transported out of the tank are means by which other liquid can gain unintended access to the interior of the tank and contaminate the processing solution contained in that tank. If the numerous processing tanks, and more particularly the means by which material to be treated is introduced into each of the tanks and the means by which treated material is transported out of the tanks are all at the same level, which, at least as far as photographic material such as film is concerned, is desirable for various reasons such as to minimise crossover distance and thus time spent by the treated material in the atmosphere during transfer of the material from one tank to another, to facilitate heating of the tank in a water bath, and to simplify forming the tanks as a one piece moulding, there is a risk that the processing solution in one of the tanks may be contaminated by liquid from another tank because it is possible that liquid from one tank may splash into another. In particular, contamination of photographic developer solution with another processing solution could result in damage to a film. That can be a problem when processing black and white film, but it is a far greater problem with development of colour film because a greater number of different solutions are used in colour development with differing degrees of undesirable consequences when one contaminates another. One of those other solutions used in colour development is bleach and contamination of the developer solution with bleach would result in the spoiling or even destruction of the latent images on a customer's film. This is one of the worst things that could happen to a customer's film. Photographic film processing machines, in particular minilab processors, are usually operated in fixed locations by people with little chemical knowledge. Under these circumstances they may not appreciate the importance of keeping the processing tanks, especially the developer tank, free from contamination by other chemicals. US-A-4994839 discloses a processing unit comprising three open-topped tanks which are mounted side by side and which are filled to the top respectively with developing fluid, bleach-fixing fluid and stabilising fluid. These three tanks are all maintained at an identical level whilst the developing process is carried out, in order to shorten as much as possible the length of time during which the light sensitive material being processed comes into contact with air. The bleach-fixing tank is independently movable in the vertical direction. It is lowered when the processing unit is moved for routine maintenance or clearing of paper jams or the like, so that the surface of the bleach-fixing fluid is below the fluid levels of the developing and stabilising fluids, thereby preventing overflow of bleach-fixing fluid from the bleach-fixing tank into the developing tank and contamination of the developing fluid contained therein. Return of the processing unit after such routine maintenance or paper clearing automatically causes raising of the bleach-fixing tank so that it is returned to the same level as the other tanks and the developing process can be continued. There is a greater risk of such contamination where the processing machine is mounted on a moving platform, say on a ship, an aeroplane, a train or a lorry as motion of the platform may cause splashing of the chemical solutions in the tanks and that may lead to contamination. It is quite possible that the operator will not notice such contamination occurring or may not realise the problems that may ensue. Even if such contamination were to be noticed, the necessary remedial action would involve considerable waste of time and materials. According to this invention there is provided a processing unit comprising a plurality of open-topped tanks, each tank being intended to contain a respective one of different processing solutions which are to be used at different stages of the process and having means by which material to be treated in it is introduced into it for processing in the solution in it and means by which treated material is transported out of it, and material transport means operable to transport material from tank to tank for treatment in each tank in turn, the means by which material to be treated in one of the tanks is transported out of that one tank being at a higher level than are the means by which that treated material is introduced into the next tank to which that treated material is transported by the material transport means, wherein the open-topped tanks are modular tanks individually mounted within the processing unit, the means by which material treated in said one tank is transported out of that one tank comprises an aperture below the open top of that one tank, the open top of said one tank and the aperture being above the open top of each other tank when material treated in said one tank is transported out of said one tank through said aperture and is fed into the next tank at a lower level. Although the greater risk of contamination of the processing solution in said one tank is by unintended access through said means by which material to be treated in it is transported out of it, there is some risk of contamination by unintended access through said means by which material to be treated in it is transported into it. Accordingly it is preferred that the means by which material to be treated is introduced into said one tank are at a higher level than are the means by which material treated in said one tank is introduced into the next tank. It is also preferred that the means by which material to be treated in said one tank is introduced into it and/or the means by which material treated in said one tank is transported out of it are at a higher level than are the means by which material treated in the next tank is transported out of that next tank. In a preferred embodiment the means by which material to be treated in said one tank is introduced into it and the means by which material treated in said one tank is transported out of it are at a higher level than are the corresponding means of any of the other tanks that contain solutions which could contaminate the solution in said one tank undesirably if mixed therewith. Furthermore each tank is conveniently arranged so that said means by which material to be treated in it is introduced into it are at the same level as are said means by which material treated in it is transported out of it. The means by which material to be treated is introduced into the next tank and the means by which treated material is transported out of that next tank may be at a higher level than are the corresponding means of a further one or more of the other tanks that contain other solutions which would contaminate the solution in that next tank undesirably if mixed therewith. Preferably the unit is a photographic processing unit and the solution that said one tank is to contain is the developer solution. An inevitable consequence of arranging the developer tank so that its means operable to transport treated photographic material out of it to the next tank of the unit are higher than the means by which that treated material is introduced into the next tank is that the path between the two tanks is longer than it is if they are at the same level. That is not an option with conventional photographic film processing units because the film speed is so slow that the greater time exposed to the atmosphere would be intolerable nor is it an option to increase the speed of the photographic material in such processing units because the photographic material would not be immersed in the developer solution for the required time. Accordingly the preferred form of processing unit in which the present invention is embodied is one which is provided with means operable to immerse photographic material in processing solution in each tank for a time which is selectable separately from the setting of the speed at which that material is transported through the unit, means operable to select the speed of transport of the photographic material through the unit and to select the time of immersion of photographic material in processing solution in each tank being provided together with means operable at the end of that time to initiate transport of that photographic material out of each tank. Hence, in the preferred embodiment the material transport means are operable to transport material from the developer tank sufficiently quickly for the time in which the material is not immersed in the developer solution in that tank after being immersed in that developer solution to be less than a predetermined time. Preferably said means operable to immerse photographic material in processing solution in each tank comprises means operable to circulate the photographic material around within the tank immersed within the solution in the tank for said selected time and said means operable to initiate transport of that photographic material out of the tank comprise means operable to selectively deflect the photographic material either for further circulation within the tank immersed in solution in the tank or out of the tank, there being provided means operable to control operation of said deflecting means independently of setting of the speed of the photographic material. Conveniently the means of each tank operable to circulate photographic material around within that tank are driven by common drive means. The tanks may be modular tanks individually mountable within structure of the unit. A tank which is to contain such another solution which would contaminate the solution in said one tank may be formed with an inwardly curved tank wall portion at its top whereby solution in that tank which is slopped upwards is deflected back into the tank by the inwardly curved tank wall portion. Shield means positioned to shield said one tank and/or any of the other tanks from solution being splashed into it from one of the other tanks may be provided. There may be gate means in such shield means operable to allow passage through said shield means from one tank to another of material to be treated in such another tank. A floatable cover may be inserted into a respective one of the tanks so as to float on solution within that tank and thereby minimise the exposed surface area of the solution within that tank. The processing unit may be mounted in a gimbal frame which is for mounting the unit on a mobile platform. The unit may be adapted to be mounted on a mobile platform which is part of a vehicle, wherein the unit is adapted to be mounted with the developer tank at its rear in the sense of the direction of forward travel of the vehicle. One embodiment of this invention is described now by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:- Figure l is a diagrammatic illustration of part of a mini-lab colour film photographic processor machine in which the invention is embodied, the part illustrated including the developer and bleach tanks of the machine, Figure 2 is a diagram similar to Figure l illustrating a common drive mechanism for the machine illustrated in Figure l, Figure 3 illustrates a refinement of the machine illustrated in Figures l and 2, and Figure 4 illustrates a mounting arrangement for certain installations of the machine illustrated in Figures l and 2. Figures l and 2 illustrate a machine which is of the kind described and illustrated in our PCT International Patent Publication no. WO/08981. It has a number of similar, modular tanks individually mounted within structure 2O of the machine. Each tank contains a different processing solution. For example the tank 10 contains developer solution and the tank ll contains bleach. In each tank there is a so-called 'rack mechanism' which is operable to circulate a length of film along its length around a closed-loop path immersed in the respective processing solution for a predetermined number of times. The rack mechanism of the developer tank l0 is generally indicated at l6 and that of the bleach tank ll at l7. The time taken to circulate the film around the closed loop path for the predetermined number of times is substantially the optimum time for the film to be immersed in the developer solution. When the film has been so cycled for the predetermined number of times, a switch mechanism 24 is actuated to deflect the film out of the closed loop path and to direct it to a film transfer mechanism by which it is fed out of the tank (say tank lO) and into the next tank 11 where it is taken up by the rack mechanism 17 of that next tank 11 and circulated around the respective closed loop path in that tank 11 for the predetermined number of times. The rack mechanisms of all the tanks are driven by a common drive mechanism 35 (see Figure 2) so that the film is moved at a constant speed within and between the tanks. Central control means 3O are provided for controlling operation of components of the machine including, for example, the common drive mechanism 35 and actuation of the switch mechanism 24 to which the control means 3O are connected by line 3l. Since the film can be circulated within each tank for several circuits of the closed loop path, the speed can be fast so that the time taken for transfer through air between juxtaposed tanks is minimised. It will be understood that the time the film spends immersed in the processing solution in each tank is not dependent solely upon its speed but also on the number of times it is cycled around the tank and that can be set independently of setting the speed by appropriately programming a microprocessor of the central control means 3O. The developer tank 10 is higher than the bleach tank ll. Thus the apertures l2 and l3 through which film is fed into and out from the developer tank lO and the open top l4 of the developer tank lO are above the open top l5 of the bleach tank ll. The modular form of the tanks facilities their being mounted at different levels. Other tanks of the machine, of which only one is shown chaindotted in Figure l, would be downstream of the bleach tank ll in the sense of the direction in which film to be processed is transferred from each tank to the next and thus to the right of the bleach tank ll as shown in Figure l. They would also be lower than the developer tank lO and one could be lower than another if there is a further risk of contamination of the solution in the higher of the two by solution from the lower one. The rack mechanisms are similar and that l6 of the developer tank lO will be described in more detail by way of example. It conveniently comprises a pair of driven rollers l8 and l9 journalled in support structure so as to rotate one above the other. They are driven by the common drive mechanism 35 of the processor machine. The drive mechanism 35 comprises a common drive shaft 38 which is driven by a motor 36 through a clutch 37. The shaft 38 carries worms, one for each tank. Each worm meshes with a respective worm wheel by which motion is transmitted from the drive shaft 38 to the respective rack mechanism of the respective tank by a transfer shaft 39. The latter carries a pair of spaced worms which each mesh with a respective worm wheel to drive the respective driven roller l8,l9. Film 2l introduced into the machine for processing is fed by appropriate input feed means through the aperture l2 and directed between the upper driven roller l8 and a co-operating squeegee nip roller 22 by which is directed towards the lower driven roller l9. The film 2l is passed between a lower squeegee nip roller 22A and the lower roller l9, around the lower roller l9 and between the lower roller l9 and another squeegee nip roller 23A. It is then returned to the upper driven roller l8, being fed between that driven roller 18 and another squeegee nip roller 23. The switch mechanism 24 is provided near to the squeegee nip roller 23. It has two settings. In the first setting it directs the film 2l around the upper driven roller l8 to be fed downwards to the lower driven roller l9 between the squeegee nip roller 22 and the upper driven roller l8. In the alternative setting to which it is switched when the film 2l has been cycled around the two driven rollers l8 and l9 for a predetermined number of times whilst being totally immersed in the developer solution in the developer tank lO, it deflects the film 2l away from the upper driven roller l8 directly upwards to be fed between a pair of squeegee nip rollers 25 and 26 from which it is passed by the film transfer mechanism (not shown) out through the outlet aperture l3 of the developer tank lO, through a gate and shield arrangement 27 and into the bleach tank ll being directed towards the rack mechanism l7 mounted therein. The upper edge of the bleach tank ll is formed by an inwardly-curved tank wall portion 28 which helps to reduce the risk of bleach splashing out of the tank ll, since any bleach in that tank ll which was slopped upwards would tend to be deflected back into the tank ll by the inwardly curved wall portion 28 if it struck that wall portion 28. The mounting of the developer tank 10 above the bleach tank ll leads to a reduction in the chance of bleach splashing into the developer and contaminating it. That risk is further reduced by the use of the shields and the gate arrangement, and also by the use of floating covers 45 (see Figure 3) which are inserted through the open tops of the tanks so that they float on the top of the solution 46 in those tanks in order to minimise evaporation. A processing unit in which this invention is embodied is suitable for use when mounted on a mobile platform such as in a ship, a plane, a train or a lorry where there is a risk of splashing of the chemical solution in the tanks. Figure 4 shows such a unit 50 mounted in a gimbal frame 51 on such a moving platform in order to reduce the risk of splashing. In the case where the unit is mounted on a vehicle, such as a train, it would be expedient to arrange it with the developer tank 10 at the rear of the unit, in the sense of the forwards direction of travel so that, in the event of sudden braking solution would tend to surge up and splash away from the developer. It will be understood the machine could be used for developing black and white photographic material in which case treated material transported out of the developer tank 10 would bypass the bleach ll and be directed directly to the next tank appropriate for black and white processing.

Claims: A processing unit comprising a plurality of open-topped tanks (10,11), each tank (10,11) being intended to contain a respective one of different processing solutions (46) which are to be used at different stages of the process and having means (12) by which material (21) to be treated in it is introduced into it for processing in the solution in it and means (13) by which treated material is transported out of it, and material transport means (18,23,24,25,26,35 and 39) operable to transport material from tank to tank for treatment in each tank (10,11) in turn, wherein the means (13) by which material to be treated in one (10) of the tanks (10,11) is transported out of that one tank (10) are at a higher level than are the means by which that treated material is introduced into the next tank (11) to which that treated material is transported by the material transport means (18,23,24,25,26,35 and 39); characterised in that the open-topped tanks (10,11) are modular tanks individually mounted within the processing unit, said means by which material treated in said one (10) of the tanks (10,11) is transported out of that one tank (10) comprises an aperture (13) below the open top (14) of that one tank (10), the open top (14) of said one tank (10) and said aperture (13) being above the open top (15) of each other tank (11) when material treated in said one tank (10) is transported out of said one tank (10) through said aperture (13) and is fed into the next tank (11) at a lower level. A processing unit according to claim l, wherein the means (l2) by which material (2l) to be treated is introduced into said one tank (lO) and/or the means (l3) by which material treated in said one tank (10) is transported out of it are at a higher level than are: (i) the means by which material treated in said one tank (lO) is introduced into the next tank (ll); or (ii) the means by which material treated in the next tank (ll) is transported out of that next tank (11); and/or (iii) the corresponding means of any of the other tanks (ll) that contain solutions which could contaminate the solution in said one tank (10) undesirably if mixed therewith; and/or said means by which material to be treated is introduced into said next tank (ll) and said means by which treated material is transported out of said next tank (ll) are at a higher level than are the corresponding means of a further one or more of the other tanks that contain other solutions which would contaminate the solution in said next tank (ll) undesirably if mixed therewith. A processing unit according to claim l or claim 2, which is a photographic processing unit (50) and wherein the solution (46) that said one tank (lO) is to contain is the developer solution. A photographic processing unit (50) according to claim 3 provided with means (24,30,31) operable to immerse photographic material in processing solution (46) in each tank (lO,ll) for a time which is selectable separately from the setting of the speed at which that material is transported through the unit (50), means (30) operable to select the speed of transport of the photographic materials through the unit (50) and to select the time of immersion of photographic material in processing solution (46) in each tank (lO,ll) being provided together with means (34) operable at the end of that time to initiate transport of that photographic material out of each tank (10,ll). A photographic processing unit (50) according to claim 4, wherein said means operable to immerse photographic material in processing solution (46) in each tank (10,11) comprises means (l6,17) operable to circulate the photographic material around within the tank (lO,ll) immersed within the solution (46) in the tank (10,ll) for said selected time and said means (24) operable to initiate transport of that photographic material out of the tank (lO,ll) comprise means operable to selectively deflect the photographic material either for further circulation within the tank (lO,ll) immersed in solution (46) in the tank (lO,ll) or out of the tank (lO,ll), there being provided means (3O) operable to control operation of said deflecting means (24) independently of setting of the speed of the photographic material. A photographic processing unit (5O) according to claim 5 wherein the means (16,17) of each tank (1O,ll) operable to circulate photographic material around within that tank (1O,ll) are driven by common drive means (35). A processing unit according to any one of claims l-6 wherein one (ll) of the other tanks which is to contain such another solution which would contaminate the solution in said one tank (1O) is formed with an inwardly curved tank wall portion (28) at its top whereby a solution in that tank (11) which is slopped upwards is deflected back into the tank (11) by the inwardly curved tank wall portion (28). A processing unit according to any one of claims 1-7 including shield means (27) positioned to shield said one tank (lO) and/or any of the other tanks from solution being splashed into it from one of the other tanks. A processing unit according to any one of claims l-8 including a floatable cover (45) inserted into a respective one (10) of the tanks (10,ll) so as to float on solution (46) within that tank (lO) and thereby minimise the exposed surface area of the solution (46) within that tank (lO). A processing unit (50) according to any one of claims l-9 mounted in a gimbal frame (5l) which is for mounting the unit (50) on a mobile platform.

Inventors: PUMMELL LESLIE JAMES HORACE, PUMMELL, LESLIE JAMES HORACE
Applicants: EASTMAN KODAK CO, KODAK LTD, EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, KODAK LIMITED
Application year: 1993
Main classification: G03D3
IPC codes: G03D13, G03D3