An Improved Automatic Developing Apparatus for Photographic Exposures.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Nov., 1899-Accepted, 24th Mar., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Automatic Developing Apparatus for Photographic
Exposures.
We, ANTON POLLAK, of 45, Elisabethring, Hotel Royal, JOSEF VIRÁG, of 19,
Elisabethring, GYULA EGGER, of 7, Huszar utza, all of Buda Peath VII., in the
Kingdom of Hungary, and DR. FREDRICH SILBERSTEIN, of 5, Vorlaufstrasse,
Vienna I., in the Empire of Austria, Electrician, Mechanical Engineer, Director
and Lawyer respectively, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:-
This invention has for its object to enable photographic exposures taken on
a strip which moves forward to be automatically developed, independently of the
length of the strip containing the photographic exposures.
The successful carrying out of this process has failed hitherto on the one hand
owing to the difficulty of introducing or inserting the exposed strip or band into
the developer, and on the other hand because it could only be passed through the
apparatus when it possessed at least the length of its whole course in the
developer. Even if it were merely a question of developing an exposure of only a
fraction of the length of the strip, a strip of the length of the whole course must
be passed through the apparatus or the exposed piece must be extended to
the requisite length by means of a strip of paper or the like.
This drawback is avoided according to the present invention by the photographic
exposure being attached to endless guide bands of metal, leather, or any other
suitable material, provided with pins and travelling over the guide rollers or
cylinders of the apparatus, whereby any short piece of the exposed strip may be
passed without difficulty through the whole apparatus. According to circum-
stances one or more guide bands may be employed. A suitably shaped stripping
roller at the end of the course serves for removing the photographic exposure
from the endless guide band, whereupon the said exposure drops into the fixing
bath.
The whole apparatus is of course arranged in a box which does not admit light.
A form of construction of the apparatus will now be described with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus;
Figure 2 a section on the line A B of Figure 1;
Figure 3 a section on the line C D of Figure 1;
Figure 4a side view of the stripping roller;
Figure 5 an end view of the same.
1 is a box impervious to light having a door 2, in which a frame 3 is arranged
for holding the cylinders or rollers. The developing liquid is contained in a
Tessel resting on a removable bottom piece 5 through which an inlet pipe,
provided outside the box with a tap, is passed. The vessel 4 niay be removed
or withdrawn with the hotter in E
A

page_text: similarly arranged on a bottom piece 9, whilst a tray 10 with a syphon discharging
device 11 is arranged on the bottom of the box for collecting and carrying off the
developing liquid dropping from the developed photographic strips.
12
One or more endless bands 13 of metal or other suitable material and provided
with metal pins 12 serve for holding the photographic exposures 24 which are to
be introduced into the developer. In the drawing, two introducing bands are
shown, which pass over introducing rollers 14, guide rollers 15 and 16 and
stripping roller 17. The guide surfaces of the introducing rollers 14 and
also the guide rollers 15 and the stripping roller 17 are smooth,
whilst the guide rollers 16 for receiving the pins are grooved.
The introducing rollers 14 are operated in the direction of the arrow
by means of a suitable motor, such for instance as a clockwork, and carry
with them by friction the pressure roller 19. which is suitably grooved to receive
the pins. The stripping roller 17 has a smaller diameter on the two guide
surfaces of the band 13 than in its central part, over which the photographic
strips 24 travel. and the difference in radius is somewhat greater than the thickness
of the endless band inclusive of the height of the pins.
A feed pipe 20 provided with a tap 6 serves for introducing the developing
liquid into the vessel 4, and a feed pipe 21, with a tap 7 serves for introducing
water into the vessel 8, whilst an overflow pipe 25 serves for removing the
exhausted developing liquid, and an overflow pipe 26 for carrying off the dirty.
water. By this arrangement a constant renewal of both liquids is possible. A
vessel 22 also located in the box which is impervious to light contains the fixing
liquid (fixing soda).
Doors 2 and 28 allow of the apparatus being opened when necessary.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-
-
The strip coming from the photographic camera 29 passes through a slot 30 in
the box (light being excluded) between the rollers or cylinders 14 and 19,
where it is impaled on the pins 12. The rollers or cylinders then draw forward
the photographic strip into the apparatus until it can be broken off or cut off
at a desired place, for instance by means of shears or the like 31. The introduc-
tion of the paper strip from the camera takes place by means of rollers 32 and 33
arranged in the same, which for this object may be periodically rotated either
by means of a crank 34 by hand, or by means of a driving gear (which is capable
of being switched off) from a clockwork 18.
The part of the film adherent to or impaled on the guide bands may then
without difficulty be conveyed through the developing apparatus until it reaches
the stripping roller 17. As however the photographic strip travels over the
higher part of this roller and the guide bands over the lower
part of the same (Figures 4 and 5) the strip is thereby lifted off the pins
and falls into a fixing bath 22 standing in proximity to the washing vessel from
whence the strips may be removed from time to time. As shown, the photographic
exposure is developed in the vessel 4, drips in the space 23, and is then washed in
the vessel 8.
-
The intermediate space 23 may also be omitted, and the vessel containing the
developing liquid may be made larger, so that the photographic exposure travels
through a longer course in the bath.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: --
An automatic developing apparatus for photographic exposures on a movable
strip of any suitable length, comprising a box impervious to light, developing
and washing vessels contained therein, one or more endless guide bands provided
with pins and conducted over rollers or cylinders located in a box impervious to
light, guide rollers, a feed roller, a grooved pressure cylinder or rollers and a

page_text: stripping roller which is of smaller diameter at the parts where the guide band
runs over it than at the part over which the photographic strip runs, substantially
as herein before set forth.
Dated this 10th day of November 1899.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicants.