Photographic material feeder apparatus

Abstract: A photographic material feeder apparatus has a paper conveyor (1) for conveying cut papers to an exposure station. A plurality of paper magazines (M1 to M5) accommodate therein paper rolls (L1 to L5) respectively which are different in the width for corresponding to the size of images in a film, and have a paper supply opening (21) provided therein to face a loading end of the paper conveyor (1). A plurality of paper feeders (22) are each arranged for feeding a strip of paper from the paper roll in a respective paper magazine towards the loading end of the paper conveyor (1). A plurality of paper cutters (23) are each arranged for cutting the strip of paper (P1) fed from the paper magazine to a given length to produce a desired size of the cut paper.

Description: The present invention relates to a photographic material feeder apparatus for cutting a strip of photographic material to sheets of a given length and transferring the photographic material sheets to an exposure station, and more particularly, to a photographic material feeder apparatus for producing and supplying print sheets of different sizes from a roll of photographic material paper for printing action in an exposure station. Photographic printers are known for printing images in a negative film (referred to a film hereinafter) onto sheets of photographic material (referred to as papers hereinafter). More specifically, a strip of the paper provided in a roll form is cut into pieces of a length which are then transferred to the exposure station for printing. As the paper of a roll form is accommodated in a paper magazine, its leading end is drawn out for feeding. When it is desired to print a different size of images at the exposure station in the photographic printer, the paper sheets have to be supplied of a corresponding size. For allowing the selection of a desired size of the paper, there may be provided a plurality of paper rolls of different widths in their respective magazines. The paper of the desired size can be supplied by selecting and loading its magazine. In common, the print papers are classified by size into E, L, 2E, 2L, European, panorama, HDTV, 1/8, 1/6, 1/4, and other formats. Therefore, a number of the paper magazines are prepared and once one of the sizes is selected, its magazine is loaded to replace the existing one. This action will disturb more or less the efficiency of the exposure process during printing. In addition, the size of images frames in a film is classified into two types: a half size and a full size. The half size is equal to 1/2 of the full frame and its film images are thus elongated widthwisely of the film or at a right angle to the lengthwise direction of the film. If the half size image is projected in the same manner as for the full size, it lengthwise edges may be out of the paper. For compensation, the film with half size images is set at a right angle to the feeding of the paper for "transverse" printing. In general, the film is oriented in parallel to the feeding of the paper for "longitudinal" printing. It is however common that the film carrying half size images and the film carrying full size images are mixedly loaded for printing actions. The operator is thus requested for determining the feeding direction of a film whenever the film carrying different image sizes is loaded. This will decline the efficiency of a printing process. As an increasing number of different print sizes images are introduced, paper rolls with different widths have to be supplied. The number of magazines accommodating the paper rolls is thus increased and the replacement of the magazines will take a considerable length of time disturbing the routine of working steps. It will be most difficult for the operator to select one from a number of the paper magazines. As the printer apparatus needs a help from the operator, it may hardly be operated in a full automatic mode. A number of the paper rolls may be varied in the sensitivity thus requiring a troublesome colour compensation step during the printing process. Also, some of the paper rolls which are used with less frequency may be deteriorated with time. EP-A-0570651 and US-A-5335045 disclose a photographic printing machine having a storage reservoir for the copy material, and a feed mechanism which transports the copy material from the storage reservoir to an imaging unit. The storage reservoir comprises a plurality of cassettes arranged side by side along a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the copy material. A feed mechanism comprising a carriage arranged to move in a direction perpendicular to the direction of transport of the copy material, feeds the copy material from a respective cassette opening for transport to the imaging unit. US-A-5307114, corresponding to DE-A-4126578, discloses apparatus for making prints of exposed and developed film including a printing station having a platform carrying a turntable for rotating a sheet of photographic material. EP-A-0628854 (published 14 th December 1994) discloses a photographic printing apparatus having first and second magazines for feeding first and second photosensitive material. First and second cutters separate sheets of material from rolls stored in said magazines. The second magazine feeding sheets at right angles to the direction of sheets fed by the first magazine. A transfer shifting means mounted at the intersection of the feeding directions of the first and second magazines transfers one of the sheets across a conveying pass line for transport to a developing station. It is an object of the present invention to provide a photographic material feeder apparatus capable of printing different sizes of film images at efficiency on photographic papers which are selected and supplied automatically after prepared from one or a minimum number of paper rolls. The invention provides a photographic material feeder apparatus as defined in claim 1. The present invention allows selecting one of the paper magazines which accommodates the paper roll with a width corresponding to the size of a desired print. A strip of paper is drawn out from the paper roll in the magazine and cut to a given length to produce a cut paper of the desired print size which is then transferred by the paper conveyor to the exposure station for printing process. In the action of the apparatus of the invention the size of an image in the film to be printed is detected by the image size sensor while the width of the paper roll in each paper magazine is detected by the width detecting means. Their detected data are sent as detection signals to the controller which in turn selects one of the paper magazine accommodating the paper roll of a width appropriate to the size of a desired print by comparing the detection signals. The controller then actuates the paper feeder and the paper cutter connected to the selected paper roll. As the result, an appropriate size of the cut paper corresponding to the size of the print is produced and transferred by the paper conveyor to the exposure station. The invention will now be described in more detail and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a paper magazine of the embodiment; Figure 3 is a block diagram of a controller device according to the embodiment. Figs. 1 and 3 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, a paper conveyor 1 includes an endless belt 2 having a multiplicity of apertures and a suction box 3 disposed beneath a carrying side 2a of the belt 2. In the paper conveyor 1, a suction force produced by the suction box 3 is applied through the apertures 2b of the belt 2 to hold each cut paper P1 supplied to a loading end K of the carrying side belt 2a. As the belt 2 runs, the cut paper P1 is transferred to an exposure station 4. Two sub paper conveyors 5,5 are disposed on both sides of an unloading end H of the paper conveyor 1. The sub paper conveyor 5 like the paper conveyor 1 includes a perforated endless belt 6 and a suction box 7 disposed beneath a carrying side 6a of the belt 6. The belt 6 of the sub paper conveyor 5 is arranged to run at the same speed and in the same direction as of the belt 2 of the paper conveyor 1. The exposure station 4 includes an exposure unit 10 for printing images in a negative film F onto cut papers P1. In action, an image in the film F held in an automatic negative film mask 12 is irradiated by a light source 12 and projected through a printing lens 13 on a cut paper P1 located in the exposure station 4. An image size sensor 14 is provided across a transfer path of the film F to the automatic negative film mask 12 for detection of the size of images. There are a group of paper magazines M1 to M5 disposed adjacent to the loading end K of the paper conveyor 1. The number of the paper magazines may be determined arbitrarily although it is five, M1 to M5, in the first embodiment. The paper magazines M1 to M5 contain five different width paper rolls L1 to L5 respectively. Each of the paper rolls L1 to L5 is identified by a set of width sensors Ph1 to PH4 detecting multiple width pattern pins 20 mounted to its paper magazine, as shown in Fig. 2. More specifically, the width pattern pins 20 are detachably fitted into pin holes (not shown) provided in each of the paper magazines M1 to M5 so that their pattern indicates the corresponding paper roll with a specific width accommodated in the paper magazine. The paper magazines M1 to M5 are located with their supply openings 21 facing the loading end of the paper conveyor 1. Each the paper magazine is provided with a paper feeder 22 for feeding a paper strip PO from the supply opening 21 and a paper cutter 23 for cutting the paper strip PO into cut papers P1 of a given length. As best shown in Fig. 2, the paper feeder 22 comprises a drive roller 25 driven by a motor 24 and a press roller 26 remaining urged against the drive roller 25. A length of feeding of the paper strip PO is detected by rotating distance of the drive roller 25. The means for detecting the feeding length is not limited to the above arrangement. The paper cutter 23 comprises a stationary knife 27 and a rotary knife 29 driven by a motor 28. The paper feeder 22 and the cutter 23 are mounted on a movable base 30 which is engaged with a lead screw 32 driven by a motor 31. As the lead screw 32 rotates, the movable base 30 is moved to and from the paper conveyor 1. The motors 24, 28, and 31 for driving the paper feeder 22, the cutter 23, and the lead screw 30 respectively are controlled by a controller 40 shown in Fig. 3. The controller 40 is adapted to receive detection signals from the image size sensor 14 and the paper width sensors PH1 to PH4 and a command signal indicative of a desired print size from a print size entry device 41. The action of the photographic material feeder apparatus of the first embodiment having the foregoing arrangement will now be explained. In common, the print sizes includes E, L, 2E, 2L, HDTV, panorama, and other formats and the photographic paper with a specific width corresponding to a desired one of the print sizes is selected. The paper magazines M1 to M5 are filled with their respective paper rolls L1 to L5 of different widths corresponding to a desired group of print sizes. Each of the paper magazines M1 to M5 has a set of the width pattern pins 20 arranged in a corresponding pattern thereon for allowing its accommodated paper roll to be identified with the width sensors PH1 to PH4. As a desired print size has been registered to the print size entry device 41, the film F is loaded to the automatic negative mask 12 and its size is measured with the image size sensor 14. A resultant image size signal of the image size sensor 14 is transmitted to the controller 40 where it is compared with size data of the paper rolls L1 to L5 in their respective paper magazines M1 to M5. The controller 40 upon receiving the image size signal from the image size sensor 14 selects a corresponding one from the paper rolls L1 to L5 in their respective magazines M1 to M5 for feeding a series of the cut papers P1 of a desired print size. As a desired image in the film F detected by the image size sensor 14 is advanced and placed at an exposure location in the automatic negative mask 12, a cut paper P1 of the corresponding print size is transferred to its printing location beneath the mask 12 for exposure action. According to the embodiment, the exposure location in the automatic negative mask 12 is spaced by a given distance from the image size sensor 14 while a number of the cut papers P1 corresponding to the number of images throughout the given distance are loaded on the paper conveyor 1 for printing in a sequence. It is also possible to feed a succeeding cut paper P1 to the paper conveyor 1 upon unloading of the current cut paper P1 which has been exposed to irradiation of an image.

Claims: A photographic material feeder apparatus comprising: a paper conveyor (1) for conveying cut papers to an exposure station (4); a plurality of paper magazines (M1-M5), each magazine accommodating a paper roll (L1-L5) different in width corresponding to the size of the images in a film, each magazine having a paper supply opening (21) provided therein facing a loading end of the paper conveyor; a paper cutter (23) provided for each magazine arranged for cutting the strip of paper fed from the paper magazine to a given length to produce a desired size of the cut paper; a paper feeder (22) for feeding the cut paper toward the leading end of the paper conveyor; said conveyor (1) including an endless belt (2) having a loading end proximate said plurality of magazines and an unloading end for unloading said cut papers after exposure at the exposure station; characterised in that two pairs of said magazines (M1,M4;M2,M3) are arranged opposing each other on either side of the loading end of said endless belt (2) and a fifth magazine (M5) is located so as to face the loading end of the belt along the longitudinal axis of the belt (2) such that each paper supply opening (21) is arranged at said loading end of said conveyor belt (2) and is arranged to face said conveyor belt (2), the paper feeder (22) is provided for each magazine (1) and is arranged for feeding a strip of paper from the paper roll in the corresponding paper magazine to the loading end of the paper conveyor belt (2), the paper feeder and the paper cutter (23) are mounted on a movable base (30) for movement to and from said loading end of the belt of the conveyor (1), an image size sensor (14) is provided for detecting the size of an image in the film to be printed, a width detecting means (20) is provided for each magazine (M1-M5) for detecting the width of the paper roll in the paper magazine, and a controller (40) responsive to image size data from the image size sensor and paper roll width data from the width detecting means (20) is provided for selecting one from the paper rolls in their respective paper magazines, for actuating the paper feeder (22) and the paper cutter (23) for the selected paper roll to produce a desired size of the cut paper corresponding to the size of the image in the film and for feeding the cut paper to the loading end of the belt of the paper conveyor.

Inventors: YAMAMOTO YUJI, YAMAMOTO, YUJI, YAMAMOTO, YUJI, C/O NORITSU KOKI CO. LTD.
Applicants: NORITSU KOKI CO LTD, NORITSU KOKI CO., LTD.
Application year: 1995
Main classification: G03B27
IPC codes: G03B27