GB2134667A - Method of and apparatus for identifying films in the processing thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Identifying indicia 16, such as numbers, in human and/or machine readable form, generated from an internal or external source is printed on the forward end of a continuous splicing tape (not shown) ready to form a splicing tab 14. The trailing end of a film 10 to be identified and the leading end of a next successive film 12 are brought into register. The tab 14 is severed from the splicing tape, and is used to splice together the adjacent ends of the adjacent films 10, 12 whilst corresponding identifying indicia 16 is imprinted on an associated container, e.g. envelope 30. After processing of the films, they are separated by severing the tab 14 when the indicia 14 is left only on the film 10 which can then correctly be allocated to its respective container. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method of and apparatus for identifying films in the processing thereof Modern film developing plants normally employ splicing apparatus for connecting a large number of exposed but undeveloped photographic films end-to-end prior to progressing them through developing and printing stations. The usual splicing procedure consists in providing an activatable adhesive across the abutting ends of the successive films so that the thus-connected films form an elongate strip or web which is wound on a reel ready to be transported through the developing and printing equipments. Such plants receive the exposed photographic films from film collecting agencies, the films in turn being received by the agencies from individual customers.

To avoid mix-up of customer's films, an identification is applied to each exposed film prior to its introduction into the processing equipment.

This operation can be rather complex and timeconsuming as it obviously must be carried out in a dark room.

In the prevailing practice, a label which carries the respective customer's identification is removed from a stock of labels or other suitable supply, by a workman in the dark room and this label is applied to the leading end of the respective film after the usual spool carrying the film has been removed from a respective cassette. The label is preferentially applied to a film portion which has not been exposed to light.

It is also known to employ a process in which an identification or other encoded information is exposed onto a previously unexposed portion of the respective film. Such identification of exposed films adds considerably to the developing and printing costs.

So-called "twincheck" systems of identification are also known in which an identifying number is placed on a container (e.g. envelope, bag or docket) in which the film arrives, with that same number being placed on the film, or in which a number is applied to the outside of the cassette in which the film is received and when the cassette is broken open, or when the film is removed therefrom, and the film is spliced to another film, the number from the twincheck put upon the cassette is photographed for transfer onto the film.

Also known is the use of pre-printed splicing tape for identifying purposes.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for applying identification information on such films at the time of splicing, and for simultaneously encoding related or corresponding information on associated containers such as bags or envelopes in which the films or their cassettes are brought to the processing facility and to which the processed films will be returned upon completion of the processing, the method being efficient, inexpensive and reliable.

Pursuant hereto, the present invention provides, in the processing of a plurality of successive films, in which the films, taken from respective containers, are spliced together as a succession to form a continuous web, the method of identifying the films, for association with their respective containers, which comprises imprinting respective identifying indicia upon successive tabs derived from a continuous tape, and applying said tabs respectively to the trailing end of one film and the leading end of a next successive film, so that the identifying indicia is associated with one only of the two films, and at the same time applying corresponding identifying indicia to the respective container.

With the method of the invention, the identifying indicia is preferably automatically printed on the splicing tape which is then applied to the film and also on the related container so that manual twin checking is unnecessary and the possibility of human error is eliminated.

The identifying indicia (the "ID") will be clearly readable at a packaging station in human and/or machine readable form, and every film will have been printed with its ID even though the film per se may be fogged in the conventional photographic ID area.

In addition to the identifying indicia, in the method of the invention other pertinent information, such as a machine number, an operator number, or a date, as well as other related indicia, such as a bar code from the film's container, which can be used for encoding or intelligence may be transferred to the respective splicing tab and, conceivably, onto other associated processing equipment.

The method of the invention permits a processor to select his own particular mode of handling multiple orders, that is by the use of the same ID on each film, or of ID in the form of consecutive numbers on film and container.

The salient advantage of the invention is that the ID is printed on the tab provided by the splicing tape before it is attached to the film and therefore it is the tape, and not the film to be processed which is run through the printing mechanism, so the possibility of film being scratched or otherwise marred is obviated, and the difficult step of printing the number directly onto the film is avoided. The other important advantage is that the ID is preliminarily imprinted on the tape in such location that when the tape is severed and the tab bearing the imprinting is adhesively secured to the film, all of the ID will overlie or be attached to the correct film to which it relates and not the other film making up the spliced connection, thereby alleviating the problem of proper film identification.

The invention further includes apparatus for processing a plurality of successive films, in which the films, taken from respective containers, are spliced together as a succession to form a continuous web, including means for identifying the films, for association with their respective containers, said means comprising imprinting means for imprinting respective identifying indicia upon successive tabs derived from a continuous tape, and applicator means for applying said tabs respectively to the trailing end of one film and the leading end of a next successive film, so that the identifying indicia is associated with one only of the two films, and at the same time for applying corresponding identifying indicia to the respective container.

In one way of carrying the invention into effect, a customer's cassette is introduced to a machine for cassette opening, film removal and film trimming procedures preliminary to the film being transported to a splicing section whereat the tab portion of the splicing tape carrying the pertinent imprint is severed from the tape and is used in the splicing section. A container, (e.g. envelope, bag or the like) in which the cassette was received, is at the same time introduced into a printing station so that the ID and other desired information can be printed thereon.

The apparatus and method achieve foolproof identification without manual twinchecking for the reason that the identifying numbers or indicia which the apparatus causes to be printed are printed on the splicing tape and on the envelope by means of a printing head or printing heads controlled by the same machine or control mechanism.

Herewith time and labour are conserved for the obvious reason that the operator who would normally effect twinchecking is enabled to load the apparatus at a rate which is faster than the rate which can be achieved when usual twinchecking had to be effected.

Ease of operation is obtained such as to eliminate the need for operator training, only a single operating step being required. The arrangement may be such that the operator merely inserts the cassette into a cassette receiving station and inserts the related container (e.g. envelope) into a container receiving station, the apparatus itself functioning automatically for the remainder of the operations.

The apparatus may be programmed automatically, upon film and envelope insertion, to remove the film from its cassette, to cut the film to a proper length, splice the film to the next preceding film by means of the splicing tab on which the ID has been printed, while printing the same ID on the complemental envelope, with the spliced films being collected in a light-tight reel cassette and the envelope being suitably stacked in consecutive order for subsequent usage.

Alternately, the arrangement may be such as to imprint externaliy-generated information, e.g. a dealer's identifying number, onto the splicing tape and a sequential number on the container and conceivably also onto the splicing tape.

This intelligence and other batch-related information might then be transmitted to other processing equipment such as a log-in computer for other related matching purposes.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which the single figure is a biock diagram illustrating a practical embodiment of the apparatus of the invention and its method of operation. As will be understood, the figure is a schematic showing of the system of transferring identifying indicia 1 6 to a tab 14 desired from a continuous length 12 of splicing tape and to a container 30 under the control of a common control apparatus 20 and of reading other identifying indicia, such as a bar code 32, on the container 30 and transferring it back to the control apparatus 20 for use in further ID purposes and of transferring any portion of the identifying indicia to other processing equipment such as a log-in computer 40.

The designed functions of supporting film preparing apparatus (not illustrated) are to remove the usual cap from an inserted film cassette and to drive the film and its spool outwardly thereof for finding the lead end of the film 10 and cutting away any waste at the trailing end of the film prior to bringing such film 10 and the next succeeding film 12 into adjacency at their trailing and lead ends respectively while the splicing tab 1 4 carrying the imprinted identifying indicia 1 6 is severed from a continuous length (not shown) of the tape and is brought into a sealing position so as to serve to join together the adjacent film ends as shown in the top left-hand side of the figure.

It is to be noted that the splicing tab 1 4 bearing the ID 1 6 represents the upper portion of the tab and not the middle or lower portion thereof, so that such ID becomes positioned upon the trailing end of the film 10 which is thus clearly identified.

As an alternative, the lower portion of the tab 14 could be printed with the ID 16 so that the ID 1 6 instead becomes affixed to the next-following film 12, if desired.

The salient point is that all of the ID 16 remains intact on its appropriate film after the tab 1 4 is subsequently severed (upon completion of processing the films) to separate the films 10 and 12.

Additionally, it is to be explained that the ID 1 6 does not appear in any image area of what might otherwise serve for making an acceptable print, thereby assuring a maximum number of saleable prints.

The control apparatus 20 controls the imprinting of the ID on the tape from which the successive tabs 14 are severed, as well as on the associated envelopes or other containers 30.

Additionally thereto, the associated envelope 30 might carry machine-readable or humanreadable indicia 32, which indicia can be transferred to the control apparatus 20 for transmission to a tape-imprinting mechanism (not shown) for imprinting on that part of the tape which eventually serves as the splicing tab 14 and/or to other processing equipment in the processing programme such as the log-in computer 40.

In carrying the invention into effect, naturally the films 10, 1 2 are incremented so that the trailing end of the film 10 and the leading end of the next successive film 12 are brought, by the apparatus, into register for splicing. The tape is incremented to bring its leading end, as an imprinted tab 14, into register with said ends; the tab 14 is severed from the tape and applied across the film ends to splice them together, all prior to the resulting continuous length being processed.

After processing, each of the tabs 14 is severed to separate the adjacent films, the part of the tab 14 bearing the ID 1 6 remaining on the film 10 and the blank part of the tab remaining on the film 12 in the case illustrated, and comparable tab portions being left on the corresponding ends of the next adjacent film pair.

Claims (14)

1. In the processing of a plurality of successive films, in which the films, taken from respective containers, are spliced together as a succession to form a continuous web, the method of identifying the films, for association with their respective containers, which comprises imprinting respective identifying indicia upon successive tabs derived from a continuous tape, and applying said tabs respectively to the trailing end of one film and the leading end of a next successive film, so that the identifying indicia is associated with one only of the two films, and at the same time applying corresponding identifying indicia to the respective container.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the indicia are numbers in human and/or machinereadable form.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the tabs are imprinted before application to their respective films.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 in which the imprinting is effected under the control of control means responsive to applied data signals.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the control means serves to read other indicia on each container and to transfer that other indicia to the respective tab and/or to supply a corresponding signal to processing equipment which processes the films.

6. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each container is associated with its respective film, after the processing of the latter.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the films are separated by severing the tabs, severance being effected to leave the imprinted indicia of each tab on one only of the respective separated films.

8. A method as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the films are incremented so that the trailing end of each film and the leading end of the next successive film are brought into register for splicing, incrementing the tape so as to bring the leading end, as a respective imprinted tab, into register with said ends, severing the tab from the tape, and applying the tape across said ends.

9. A method of identifying films in the processing of a plurality of successive films, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

1 0. Apparatus for processing a plurality of successive films, in which the films, taken from respective containers, are spliced together as a succession to form a continuous web, including means for identifying the films, for association with their respective containers, said means comprising imprinting means for imprinting respective identifying indicia upon successive tabs derived from a continuous tape, and applicator means for applying said tabs respectively to the trailing end of one film and the leading end of a next successive film, so that the identifying indicia is associated with one only of the two films, and at the same time for applying corresponding identifying indicia to the respective container.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 in which the imprinting means is under the control of control means responsive to applied.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein the control means serves to read other indicia on each container and to transfer that other indicia to the respective tab and/or to supply a corresponding signal to processing equipment which processes the films.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, 11 or 12 further including separating means for separating the film by severing the tabs to leave the imprinted indicia of each tab on one only of the respective separated films.

14. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 10 to 1 3 further including incrementing means whereby the films are incremented so that the trailing end of each film and the leading end of the next successive film are brought into register for splicing, and for incrementing the tape so as to bring the leading end, as a respective imprinted tab, into register with said ends, and severing means for severing the tab from the tape, and applying the tape across said ends.

1 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10 and substantially as hereinbefore described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing.