Method of supplying and cartridge for supplying photographic processing chemicals

Abstract: A cartridge of photographic processing chemical comprises a main body (2) receiving the chemical, the main body (2) having an outlet by way of which the chemical may be introduced into and removed from the main body (2). The outlet (4) is provided with a closure in the form of a penetrable self-sealing cover (5) incorporating a moisture-absorbing material (8). A photographic processing apparatus with which the cartridge is used has a supply system for supplying the chemical to a processing tank. The supply system includes a hollow intake needle (10,11) which is insertable into the cartridge through the self-sealing cover. The cover (5) automatically forms a seal around the needle. As the needle is withdrawn the moisture absorbing material (8) absorbs any photographic processing chemical present on the needle of which may escape from the cartridge and the cover automatically closes up.

Description: The present invention relates to photographic processing chemicals generally and more particularly to a cartridge containing a photographic processing chemical, to a photographic processing apparatus using such a cartridge and to a method of supplying the chemical to the processing apparatus using the cartridge. A photographic processing apparatus comprises a series of tanks which receive various processing solutions through which photographic material is passed as it is processed. The processing solutions consist of chemicals which can, in some cases, be hazardous to handle. It is therefore known to provide photographic processing solutions as ready-mixed chemicals in reservoirs or containers which can be connected to a photographic processing apparatus by way of tubes incorporating non-drip valves. The processing solution can be pumped into a processing tank and then be returned to the container once it is spent. The operation of connecting the container to the processing tank is, however, awkward and there is a significant risk of the processing chemical coming into contact with the person connecting a new container to the processing apparatus or disconnecting an old one containing a spent processing chemical. Clearly this is a most undesirable situation. Whilst the use of non-drip valves and connectors might assist in reducing this risk, these items comprise many components and are therefore of a relatively complicated construction, are not cheap and may sometimes be unreliable. US-A-3565525 discloses a photographic recording apparatus in which a replaceable cassette is provided, one part of which contains photosensitive sheet material and the other part of which forms a container for a liquid photographic processing chemical. The container has at its lower end an outlet closed by a self-sealing penetrable elastomeric member which, when the cassette is fitted in the apparatus, is penetrated by an upwardly projecting hollow needle connected by piping with a reservoir for the processing liquid, into which dips a roller over which the exposed photosensitive sheet material is passed. Another example of photographic recording apparatus in which a replaceable cassette is provided is disclosed in US-A-5148208. The present invention seeks to provide an improved cartridge for photographic processing chemicals and a photographic processing apparatus using the cartridge which addresses the problems outlined above. According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a cartridge containing a photographic processing chemical as defined in claim 1. The closure of the cartridge may be formed of a resilient material and be mounted over the outlet of the main body of the cartridge such that the resilience of the material from which the closure is formed creates a seal with that part of the main body which defines the outlet. Alternatively the self-sealing septum may be formed integrally with the outlet of the main body of the cartridge. In another arrangement the self-sealing septum may be adapted to be located within an opening forming the outlet of the main body of the cartridge and to form a seal with the outlet upon being inserted into the opening. In yet a further arrangement the outlet of the main body may be formed with a screw-thread and a threaded cap may be mounted on the outlet with the self-sealing septum being held captive between the outlet and the cap, the cap defining an aperture through which the self-sealing septum is exposed when it is retained upon the outlet by means of the cap. The moisture-absorbing material may be impregnated with a chemical which renders the chemical contained in the cartridge harmless when the chemical in the cartridge comes into contact with the moisture-absorbing material. Conveniently, the closure comprises two penetrable self-sealing septums the septums being disposed at opposite ends of the space within which the moisture-absorbing material is received. Advantageously the or each self-sealing septum is formed from a rubber material. In a second aspect this invention provides a photographic processing apparatus comprising at least one tank for receiving a photographic processing chemical and a supply system for supplying the chemical to the tank from a supply cartridge as described above, the supply system including a hollow needle connected to the tank, the needle being insertable into the cartridge through the self-sealing septum, the septum forming a seal around the needle when the needle is passed therethrough. The supply system may include a pair of hollow needles, there being a hollow intake needle by way of which a processing chemical is supplied to the tank from the cartridge and a hollow return needle by way of which the chemical is returned from the tank to the cartridge. This invention also provides a system comprising the photographic processing apparatus as described above with at least one cartridge of photographic processing chemical as described above as defined in claim 7 and a method of supplying a photographic processing chemical to a photographic processing apparatus as defined in claim 10. Preferably the photographic processing apparatus includes a plurality of tanks for receiving different photographic processing chemicals and a plurality of supply systems, there being a supply system associated with each processing tank, the needle or needles of each supply system being positioned at predetermined locations relative to each other, there being a cartridge of chemical to be supplied to each processing tank, the cartridges being supported at predetermined positions relative to each other in a common cassette or housing such that the needles of the plurality of supply systems can all be simultaneously inserted into respective cartridges in a single movement. In another aspect this invention provides a method of supplying a photographic processing chemical to a photographic processing apparatus as described above, the method comprising the steps of mounting the above-described cartridge of the photographic processing chemical in position upon the apparatus and piercing the self-sealing cover of the cartridge with the hollow needle of the supply system of the apparatus and transferring the chemical to a tank in the processing apparatus via the needle. In order that the present invention may be more readily understood and so that further features thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE 1 is a schematic side view of a cartridge of photographic processing chemical in accordance with this invention as it is about to be mounted upon part of a chemical supply system of a photographic processing apparatus; FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view showing, in greater detail, the outlet region of the cartridge of Figure 1; FIGURE 3 shows the cartridge of Figure 1 when it is mounted upon the chemical supply system of the photographic processing apparatus; and FIGURE 4 is a schematic illustration of a bank of cartridges of the type shown in Figures 1 to 3 for use in supplying a plurality of chemicals to the supply systems of a photographic processing unit. Referring initially to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, a cartridge for a photographic processing chemical comprises a bottle 1 having a main body 2 for receiving the chemical, the body 2 being formed with a tubular neck 3 which defines an outlet opening 4. The bottle 1 may be a plastic bottle. The neck 3 may be screw-threaded over its outer surface to enable it to receive a cap-like component, to which reference will be made below. The outlet 4 is closed by means of a sealed closure 5 providing a penetrable self-sealing cover or septum which extends over the opening 4 at the end of the neck 3. The septum may be formed of natural or synthetic rubber or any other elastic material with similar properties and which is penetrable yet self-sealing. The closure 5 is only illustrated in schematic form in Figure 1 and is shown in detail in Figure 2. Whilst in a basic arrangement the closure 5 may simply be located over enlarged projections formed adjacent the end of the neck 3 in order to provide an elastic, watertight fit, it could be fixed over the bottle outlet in any convenient fashion which provides an effective seal. Thus, for example, the septum may be retained over the outlet opening 4 by means of a screw-threaded cap which fits onto the end of the neck 3 and which is provided with an aperture in its end surface, the cap being screwed onto the neck 3 over the top of the septum 5 so that the septum is trapped beneath the cap and sealed against the neck 3. The septum may, alternatively, be formed integrally as part of the moulding of the neck of the bottle 1 or may be part of a separate moulding in its own right. With this latter arrangement the separate moulding incorporating the septum may be sealingly fitted into a hole forming the outlet of the bottle 1. This arrangement enables the septum to be renewed if the chemical cartridge is to be re-used. Figure 2 shows the detailed design of the moulded closure 5 which, as mentioned above, is designed to be fitted over the end of the neck 3 so as to produce a seal therewith. The moulding has a self-sealing cover or septum 6 which is disposed across the outlet of the bottle 1 when in situ. The septum moulding also includes an integral tubular extension 7 within which a moisture-absorbing material 8 is received. The moisture-absorbing material may comprise an open celled polyurethane foam, a foam rubber, cotton wool or any other suitably absorbent material. The material may be impregnated with a chemical or chemicals which render harmless the chemical contained within the bottle 1 when that chemical comes into contact with the moisture absorbing material. The free end of the tubular extension 7 of the moulding may optionally be formed with an additional septum 9 which acts, inter alia , to retain the moisture-absorbing material 8 in place. It is to be noted that the material from which the septum is formed is constantly in a state of compression. This helps to provide an improved seal, particularly between the neck of the bottle and the septum where the septum is located internally within the neck of the bottle. In use the bottle 1 receives a ready-mixed photographic processing chemical which is to be supplied to a processing tank in a photographic processing apparatus. When the bottle 1 has been charged with the chemical the septum closure is mounted upon the neck 3 of the bottle in order to seal the outlet 4. A photographic processing apparatus in which the chemicals are to be used is provided with a chemical supply system associated with each processing tank, the supply system incorporating a pair of hollow needles 10,11, such as hypodermic needles, which are connected to the processing tank by way of tubes 12,13 or the like (see Figures 1 and 3). The needles 10,11 are held in a support 14 which forms part of the chemical supply system associated with the photographic processing apparatus. When the chemical contained within the bottle 1 is to be used in the photographic processing apparatus the cartridge is mounted upon the apparatus in the manner shown in Figure 3 such that the hollow needles 10,11 pass through the outer septum 9, the moisture-absorbing material 8 and the inner septum 6. The processing chemical may then be circulated through the processing bank via the needles 10, 11 and the tubes 12, 13 by means of a pump provided in the processing apparatus. Arrows 15, 16 in Figure 1 of the drawings illustrate the direction of flow of the chemical as it is pumped into the processing tank and then returned to the cartridge. When the chemical is spent the circulating pump is switched off and the cartridge is removed from the processing apparatus by simply pulling it off, whereupon the needles 10,11 are withdrawn through the septum 6, the moisture-absorbing material 8 and the septum 9. The moisture-absorbing material 8 serves to wipe off or absorb any drips of chemical which may be present on the ends of the needles as they are withdrawn and thereby ensures that there is no risk of contamination from any chemical which may be left on the ends of the needles. Similarly the material 8 absorbs any chemical which may escape through the septum 6 at the instant when the ends of the needles 10,11 are withdrawn through the septum. Should there still be any chemical residue on the needles 10,11 as they are withdrawn from the moisture-absorbing material 8, the additional end septum 9 will clear any such residues from the needles. As the needles are withdrawn through the septum the holes where the needles previously passed through the septum automatically close up, leaving a watertight seal over the outlet 4 of the bottle. The cartridge can then be safely transported for disposal or recycling. It will be appreciated that with the cartridge design described above, the cartridge is fully sealed both before and after use. In addition there is virtually no risk of any of the processing chemical escaping from the cartridge as it is being located upon or removed from the processing apparatus because of the way in which the septa automatically form a seal around the external surface of the needles 10,11 when they are passed through the septum and the way in which the septa automatically close up as the needles are withdrawn. The fact that the material from which the septum is formed is in a state of compression helps to produce an effective seal around the needles when they have penetrated the septum and also to produce an effective seal when the needles have been removed. Whilst an arrangement has been described in which the chemical supply system associated with the photographic processing apparatus comprises a pair of needles 10,11 this arrangement is only intended to enable the chemical to be circulated through a processing tank and where the cartridge 1 is to be used merely to replenish a static supply of chemical processing solution in a processing tank, the chemical supply system need only have one hollow needle which is passed through the septum and into the bottle 1 when the bottle is mounted upon the apparatus, a pump then drawing the chemical from the bottle to the processing tank. It is not essential that the needles 10,11 be sharp as shown in the accompanying drawings. In a slightly modified arrangement the septum could be pre-pierced as it is produced in the factory with the pierced site automatically closing as a result of the inherent properties of the material from which it is formed and from the fact that this material is in a state of compression when it is located upon the bottle or cartridge 1. The pre-pierced site on the septum can be marked in any appropriate manner. The chemical supply system associated with the photographic processing apparatus may then use one or more needles which are round-nosed, hollow needles which are closed at their free end but which have a hole extending into their hollow interior from one side at a position displaced from the free end of the needle. The round-nosed needles can then be used to penetrate the marked, pre-pierced site on the septum so that the hole in the side of the needle is located within the bottle or cartridge 1 thereby enabling the photographic processing chemical to be withdrawn from the bottle or cartridge. Whilst the cartridge has been illustrated as lying horizontally in Figures 1 and 3, it could of course be disposed vertically with the outlet 4 directed downwardly, as shown in Figure 2, or at any other orientation which permits the chemical to be withdrawn from and returned to the cartridge. The photographic processing apparatus will, of course, have a number of processing tanks, each of which receives a different processing chemical. Each processing tank will be associated with its own chemical supply system for receiving a processing chemical from a cartridge as shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings. Figure 4 illustrates one way in which a plurality of cartridges 1 may be interconnected or provided in a common holder or cassette 17 such that they are held at predetermined positions relative to each other. The chemical supply systems associated with the various processing tanks are similarly positioned relative to each other such that the single cassette or housing 17 can be mounted upon the processing apparatus in one operation which results in all of the appropriate cartridges 1 being connected to their respective chemical supply systems with the needles 10,11 passing through the septa on the outlets of the cartridges. When a processing apparatus is being set up for use, it is a very simple operation to locate the appropriate cartridges of processing chemicals in the cassette 17 and then to mount the cassette on the processing apparatus in a single movement. It would, of course, be a far more time-consuming operation to have to connect each of the different cartridges to the apparatus individually. It will be appreciated that using a self-sealing cover for the chemical cartridges which can be penetrated by the needles of the chemical supply system for the photographic processing apparatus is a very simple and therefore inexpensive method of sealing the cartridges. It permits the cartridges to be mounted upon the processing apparatus and removed therefrom without the need to in any way open or undo a closure on the cartridge and therefore requires the minimum of handling by an operator. The arrangement of a moisture-absorbing material within the cover reduces any risk of contamination from chemicals escaping from the cartridge as it is located on the processing apparatus or from chemicals present on the apparatus itself when the cartridge is removed. The cartridges, including the septum closure, may be recycled after they have been removed containing a spent processing chemical. The features disclosed in the foregoing description, in the following claims and/or in the accompanying drawings may, both separately and in any combination thereof, be material for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims: A cartridge containing a photographic processing chemical, the cartridge comprising a main body (2) to receive the chemical, the main body having an outlet (4) by way of which the chemical may be introduced into and removed from the main body, the outlet being provided with a closure (5) comprising a penetrable, self-sealing septum (6) which is disposed across the outlet of the main body so as to close the main body outlet characterised in that the closure (5) is arranged to define a space, outside the main body and on the side of the septum separated from said chemical, within which a moisture-absorbing material (8) is received. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the self-sealing septum (6) is formed of a resilient material and is mounted over the outlet of the main body (2) of the cartridge such that the resilience of the material from which the septum is formed creates a seal with that part of the main body (2) which defines the outlet. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the self-sealing septum (6) is formed integrally with the outlet of the main body (2) of the cartridge or is adapted to be located within the opening forming the outlet of the main body (2) of the cartridge and to form a seal with the outlet upon being inserted into the opening. A cartridge according to claim 1, wherein the outlet of the main body is formed with a screw-thread and a threaded cap is mounted on the outlet with the self-sealing septum being held captive between the outlet and the cap, the cap defining an aperture through which the self-sealing septum is exposed when it is retained upon the outlet by means of the cap. A cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the moisture-absorbing material (8) is impregnated with a chemical which renders the chemical contained in the cartridge harmless when the chemical in the cartridge comes into contact with the moisture-absorbing material. A cartridge according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closure comprises a further penetrable self-sealing septum (9), the septums (6 and 9) being disposed at opposite ends of the space within which the moisture-absorbing material (8) is received. A system comprising at least one supply cartridge according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and a photographic processing apparatus comprising at least one tank for receiving a photographic processing chemical and a supply system for supplying the chemical to the at least one tank from the at least one supply cartridge, the supply system including a hollow needle (11) connected to the at least one tank, the needle being insertable into the at least one supply cartridge through the self-sealing septum (6) of the cartridge, the septum forming a seal around the needle (11) when the needle (11) is passed therethrough. The system of claim 7 wherein the supply system includes a pair (10, 11) of hollow needles, comprising a hollow intake needle (11) by way of which a processing chemical is supplied to the at least one tank from the at least one cartridge and a hollow return needle (10) by way of which the chemical is returned from the at least one tank to the at least one cartridge (1). The system of claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of tanks for receiving different photographic processing chemicals and a plurality of supply systems, there being a supply system associated with each processing tank, the needle or needles (10, 11) of each supply system being positioned at predetermined locations relative to each other, there being a cartridge (1), according to any of claims 1 to 6, of chemical to be supplied to each processing tank, the cartridges being supported at predetermined positions relative to each other in a common cassette or housing (17) such that the needles (10, 11) of the plurality of supply systems can all be simultaneously inserted into respective cartridges (1), through the respective spaces containing moisture-absorbent material (8), and through the respective septums (6), in a single movement. A method of supplying a photographic processing chemical to a photographic processing apparatus having a tank for receiving a liquid photographic processing chemical and a hollow needle (11) connected to the tank via a supply system for supplying such chemical from said needle (11) to the tank, the method comprising the steps of mounting a cartridge (1) of the photographic processing chemical according to any one of claims 1 to 6 in position upon the apparatus so that the hollow needle (11) passes through said moisture-absorbing material (8) and pierces the self-sealing Septum (6) of the cartridge, and thereafter transferring the chemical to the tank via the needle.

Inventors: EARLE ANTHONY, FRYSON JOHN RICHARD, GLOVER EDWARD CHARLES TIMOTHY, EARLE, ANTHONY, FRYSON, JOHN RICHARD, GLOVER, EDWARD CHARLES TIMOTHY SAMUAL
Applicants: EASTMAN KODAK CO, KODAK LTD, EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY, KODAK LIMITED
Application year: 1995
Main classification: G03D3
IPC codes: G03D3, G03D13, G03C5