GB1283214A - Method and means for loading film cartridges - Google Patents

Abstract

1283214 Loading cassettes with film M J ROOS (Kahle Eng Co) 25 Aug 1969 42318/69 Heading G2A A machine is described for automatically winding strips of photographic film and backing paper into a roll, and then loading the roll into a cartridge. As shown in Fig. 1A, the machine generally comprises two rotatable turrets 2, 3 mounted in a cabinet 33. The winding is carried out at the various stations I-VIII on turret 2, and the loading at the various station A-H on turret 3. The upper series of drawings in Fig. 1 show the eight steps in the winding sequence which are carried out respectively at the eight stations of turret 2. At station I a slotted arbor 7 is moved into its winding position by an insertion means 11. At station II the arbor is rotated so as to align its slot in position to receive the end of the backing paper strip 8. At station III the arbor is aligned with a support plate 280 which carries the paper feed system. A predetermined length of paper is unwound from a supply roll, cut off, and fed along a guide track so that its leading end enters the slot in arbor 7. At station IV a photo-electric sensing device checks the presence of the paper strip, i.e. that there has been no failure of the feed mechanism. At station V the arbor is now brought opposite a support plate 300 which carries the film feed system. A predetermined length of film is unwound from a supply roll, cut off, and fed along a guide track to engage in the arbor 7. At the same time a short length of pressure sensitive tape is attached to the upper end of the cut film. At station VI the arbor 7 is rotated so that the film and paper strips are wound together into a tight roll. At the end of this winding step the tab of pressure sensitive tape is forced against the paper, so that the ends of the paper and film strips are joined together. At station VII the arbor is removed from the roll, and at station VIII the roll is transferred across from turret 2 to turret 3. The lower series of drawings in Fig. 1 show the eight steps in the cartridge-loading sequence which are carried out respectively at the eight stations of turret 3. At station A a cartridge casing 12 is transferred from a conveyer 14 to a cradle 15 on the turret. At station B the cartridge is opened by lifting the cover 16 away. Station C corresponds to station VIII of turret 2, the roll being transferred from station VIII of turret 2 to the cradle 15 of turret 3 at station C. At station D a tab end portion 17 of the roll is positioned vertically, in preparation for the next step at station E. Here the spool 13 is lifted out of the cartridge, the tab 17 secured to it by a piece of tape 18, and then returned into the cartridge. At station F the cover 16 is replaced, and at station G the cover is sealed to the body of the cartridge case by an ultrasonic heating process. At station H the completed cartridge is unloaded and discharged down a chute 235. The mechanism at each station on turret 2 and turret 3 for carrying out the particular operation at that station is described in detail.