Patent GB-986291-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for manufacturing photographic products
IPC: G03B17/34
Filed: 1962-11-23
Abstract: 986,291. Laminates and laminating; seaming non - metallic sheet material. INTERNATIONAL POLAROID CORPORATION. Nov. 23, 1962 [Dec. 4, 1961], No. 44423/62. Headings B5K and B5N. [Also in Divisions B6 and G2] Units of photosensitive photographic material comprising a photosensitive sheet, a backing sheet, a "leader" " and a container of fluid processing material from which the material may be released by pressure are made from continuous webs of paper, plastic or other material carrying spaced processing-fluid containers and adhered together along longitudinal lines to form a composite web from which the units are cut. The photosensitive sheet which is enclosed in a light-tight housing until incorporation in the composite web, may comprise film base or paper carrying silver halide or other emulsion, or ferric salts or diazonium compounds. Adhesion between the webs may be secured by heat-sensitive material such as plasticized cellulose nitrate, ethyl cellulose or. polythene or by using the heat softening properties of the webs themselves or their coatings. A unit may comprise a photosensitive sheet 111, Fig. 16, attached at one edge to a "leader" " sheet 113 carrying a processing- fluid container 51 and having a Z-shaped fold at 119, and attached at the opposite edge to a strip 121 longitudinally folded and having in its folded edge 122 a notch 124. Attached to sheet 113 at 118 is a backing sheet 114, which may comprise a support 112 for a silver halide image-reversal layer, and an apertured paper sheet 116 secured thereto. The sheet 116 carries spacer elements 125, 126 of paper or cardboard and is adhered to the strip 121. The " leader " sheet 113 is cut away on each side to form a narrower tongue 110 and carries a tab 120 of metal sheet or foil folded on itself. In making the product, a web 20, Fig. 2, is drawn from a spool 21 and folded longitudinally into Z-section by a device at 22 (see Fig. 6). The folded portion has applied to it at spaced intervals tabs, e.g. of metal sheet or foil, supplied as a web 49 and cut and pressed on by a device 50. The tabs project beyond the edge of the web and are later turned in by means 95. Capsules of processing fluid 51 are placed at spaced intervals near the opposite edge of the web by an oscillatory vacuum transfer device 52, 53, and are secured by heat and pressure by a device 55 within a light-tight housing 54. A web 74 of light-sensitive material also within the housing is drawn from a roll 73 and attached along one edge to the edge of the web 20; to the opposite edge of the web 74 is attached a paper web 77 which is drawn from a roll 78 and passed through a device 79 in which it is folded longitudinally and has a notch cut into one folded edge at intervals. A paper web 85 has rectangular apertures cut in it by a device 87 and is joined at 88 to a web 83 which may be a plain flexible backing web or a web of image-reversal material. The double web has spacing tabs, which may be rectangular or may be tapered on their inner edges, attached to it at intervals by a device at 91, and passes through a light trap 93 into the housing 54 where it is attached to web 20 along a line spaced from the edge of the latter, so that the capsules 51 are covered by the attached web, and is also attached at its other edge to the border web 77 of the photosensitive web 74. The composite web then passes to a die block 104, which punches out portions of web 20 to form the tongues 110 (Fig. 16), and to a knife 105 which cuts the web laterally into finished units. The webs may be advanced through the apparatus continuously, preferably by rollers, heating, pressing and cutting being effected by rotary devices. Preferably, however, all webs are advanced intermittently by gripper feed mechanism 97, shown in detail in Fig. 14 (see below). Light-traps at the entries to the lighttight housing 54 may be of the directionchange type but that at 55, Fig. 2, has the construction shown in Fig. 8 (see below). The gripper-feed mechanism.-Fig. 14 comprises a pair of jaws 99 reciprocated on a guide bar 102 and a pair of non-reciprocatory jaws 103, 109, jaw 103 being mounted on a vertically moved frame 106 which also carries the airblock 104 and knife 105 (see Fig. 2). The pairs of jaws are operated in succession respectively to grip and advance the web 96 and to hold it during the return stroke of the reciprocating jaws. On closure of the holding jaws 103, 109 the die-block 104 and knife 105 operate to punch out portions of, and cut units from, the web as described above. The light-trap, Fig. 8, comprises vertically reciprocal panels 56, 62, having rubber or like edging strips 60, 72, the panel 62 being mounted on a reciprocal carriage 70 at the entry to a light-tight telescopic housing 66, 68. The panels are so timed that one is closed while the other is open. Thus panel 56 is closed during movement of panel 62, in open position, to the right, whereafter panel 62 closes and moves to the left with web 20, panel 56 being open during this period. The web-folding device, Figs. 6 and 7, comprises a base plate 23 carrying pivoted triangular plates 26, 33, 40, which are securable in appropriate angular positions, as by link-work and clamp screws beneath plates 26 and 33 and by a set screw 41 for plate 40. A pillar 42 has a slot with shaped sides 43, 44 in its upper part. The web 20 (Fig. 7) is drawn over plate 26, its edges being down-turned, passed under plate 40 to produce a central reverse fold and carried through the slot 43, 44, on emergence from which it is flattened on plate 33 to produce a Z-shaped longitudinal fold. Specifications 684,592, 706,901, 921,921, 921,927 and U.S.A. Specifications 2,435,720 and 2,554,889 are referred to.