JPH07199443A - Storage container for processing agent for photographic material - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enhance the dropping property of solid agents by reducing the contact resistance between each solid agent stored in a storage container and the internal wall of the storage container, to ensure that the solid agents are supplied to a supply device in a predetermined quantity, to keep powders of the solid agents in the container from being brought into the supply device, and to protect the solid agents against the impact load of the storage container. CONSTITUTION:A storage container capable of storing agents for photographic material has a storage container main body 101 which is hollowed out with a agent-discharging opening 101F on at least one side thereof and which has projections 101S projecting from the inner surface of the storage container and along the direction in which the agents are discharged toward the opening 101F, with the projections 101S so provided as to partition the inside of the container into a plurality of substantial spaces and to enable the agents to be arranged in plural lines.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for a photographic processing agent for replenishing processing liquid components for processing a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional processing agents for automatic developing machines for processing silver halide photographic light-sensitive materials are composed of various components so as to exert good performance during photographic processing, and these components are in contact with each other. If left in a state, it may cause an unexpected reaction for a long time.
It is divided into two or more parts agents and made into a kit. At the time of use, these are dissolved in a certain amount of water and poured into each treatment tank for use. The kitted parts agent is
It is put in a container such as a bottle or a bag, and these are put together in a cardboard box or the like, and sold as a unit. Since it is necessary to mix each component in all of these parts agents, it is first necessary to confirm the amount and content for making a correct mix and examine it. Further, the work of dissolving it in water using a container probably requires skill, and the work is troublesome.

[0003]

As described above, in the conventional case where the treating agent is added to the treating tank, it is quite skillful to mix, dissolve, and inject the above parts agents without mistake. Was required and required manpower. For this reason, it has been desired in the industry that a processing agent that does not require much skill and does not require much labor in the working time and that does not cause an error will appear from the viewpoint of labor shortage. The present invention has been made in view of the above point, that is, the powder or crystalline processing agent has been required to be compounded because it was used as a packaged or part agent.
This can be achieved by preparing a single solid processing agent and storing it in a solid photographic processing container.

However, a problem with the above-mentioned container is that it is difficult for the solid processing agent to drop smoothly into the processing machine.

A probable cause is that, when the storage container is fixedly arranged in the processing machine, the inside of the processing machine is under high humidity, so that the solid processing agents stick to each other, resulting in a desired amount of the processing agent. It is thought that it is difficult to drop.

Further, as another problem, recently, a treatment agent in which the treatment agent is solidified like a tablet has been developed. Even with such a treatment agent, under the circumstances as described above, individual treatment agents are used. The processing agents of the above are stuck to each other and cannot be smoothly charged into the processing machine, and when the solid processing agent is crushed during the fall to generate powder, the contact resistance with the storage container also increases. However, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to drop smoothly, or the pulverized powdery processing agent adheres to the packing of the receiving port on the processing agent side, thereby deteriorating the moistureproof function on the processing machine side.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems and to propose a container in which a regular amount of a solid processing agent can be smoothly charged into a processing machine in order to obtain stable photographic performance.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A photosensitive material processing agent storage container of the present invention which achieves the above object is a storage container capable of storing a photosensitive material processing agent, wherein a protrusion is provided on the inner surface of the storage container. It is characterized by that.

A storage container capable of storing a processing agent for a photosensitive material, wherein the storage container main body has an opening for discharging the processing agent in at least one side, and the processing container is protruded from the inner surface of the storage container and processed into the opening. It is characterized in that it has a projecting portion formed in the direction of discharging the agent, and the projecting portion is provided so as to partition the processing agent housed therein into a plurality of substantial spaces.

Further, the present invention is a storage container capable of storing a processing agent for a light-sensitive material, wherein the storage container main body has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, protrudes from an inner surface of the storage container, and is substantially parallel to a longitudinal portion of the storage container. Has a protrusion formed on
It is characterized in that the projecting portion is provided so as to partition the processing agent accommodated therein into a plurality of substantial spaces.

Furthermore, the present invention is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped processing agent storage container formed so that a solid processing agent obtained by solidifying a processing agent for a light-sensitive material can be stored, and the solid processing agent is provided on the inner surface of the storage container. It is characterized in that a partitioning projection is provided and a projection that can be brought into sliding contact with the outer surface of the solid processing agent is provided.

Furthermore, the present invention is a processing agent storage container capable of storing a solid processing agent obtained by solidifying a processing agent for a photosensitive material and discharging the solid processing agent from an opening having a substantially rectangular shape, A processing agent storage container capable of discharging a solid processing agent from a processing agent for a light-sensitive material, characterized in that a protrusion is provided on a bottom edge of an inner surface of the opening of the storage container, and from a substantially rectangular opening. A processing agent storage container capable of discharging a solid processing agent, characterized in that a raised portion is provided at a bottom edge of an inner surface of the opening of the storage container.

Furthermore, the present invention is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped processing agent accommodating container formed so as to be capable of accommodating a solid processing agent obtained by solidifying a processing agent for a light-sensitive material. A shock absorbing portion is provided on the inner surface of the storage container facing the opening for discharging the agent and elastically deformable with respect to the longitudinal force of the storage container due to the solid processing agent.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a storage container for storing the solid processing agent of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The figure processing agents include powders, granules, tablets and pills.

FIG. 7 shows various shapes of the tablet type solid processing agent J therein. FIG. 7 (A) is a cross-sectional view of a flat solid processing agent J having a circular cross section (a rounded chamfer (r) is formed at a corner, and FIG. 7 (E) is the solid processing agent J. 7B is a cross-sectional view of a drum-shaped solid processing agent J having a circular cross-section, the upper and lower surfaces of which are flat, and the circumferential surface of which has a convex radius R. FIG.
FIG. 7C is a cross-sectional view of a go-stone solid processing agent J having a circular cross section and spherical upper and lower surfaces, and FIG. 7D is a cross-sectional view of a donut-shaped solid processing agent J having a hollow hole. FIG. (F) shows a spherical solid processing agent, and FIG. (G) shows a rectangular solid processing agent.

FIG. 1 shows a storage container (cartridge) 10 for storing a solid processing agent according to the present invention. FIG. 1 (A) is a plan view including a partially cutaway sectional view, and FIG. 1 (B) is the storage container. 10 is a side view, FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view, and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view thereof. FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view of the storage container 10. An example in which a tablet-type solid processing agent is stored among the solid processing agents according to the present invention will be shown below.

The storage container 10 stores a plurality of tablet-type solid processing agents J and is capable of discharging the solid processing agents J. A front discharge opening 101F and a rear discharge opening 101F facing the discharge opening 101F. Container body 101 having a substantially rectangular prism shape having an opening 101G
A fixed lid 102 for closing an opening 101G at the rear of the container body 101, and a rail portion 101R on both sides of a flange portion of the container body 101 that slides up and down to open and close the discharge opening 101F. And an opening / closing lid 103 for opening.

Inside the container body 101, three sets of projecting partition walls (projections) 101S are integrally fixed, and the inside of the container body 101 is divided into four substantial spaces to divide into compartments 101A and 101B. , 101C, 101D. Each of the compartments can store about 10 solid treating agents J in a column. That is, the first branch 10
10 solid processing agents J1A to J10A are contained in 1A in the second compartment 1
In 01B, the same number of solid processing agents J1B, J
1C and J1D are stored respectively. This partition wall
101S does not have to be continuous from the top surface to the bottom surface inside the container, and may have a partition with a length that allows the solid processing agent J to circumscribe each outer circumference and be accommodated in a column. Of course, even if the treatment agent contained in each compartment is not solid, there is an effect that the treatment agents can be divided into substantially equal amounts.

By adopting such a constitution, it is possible to solve the problem that the respective processing agents stick to each other and do not drop smoothly into the processing machine. Of course, not only tablets but also powder-type and granule-type treatment agents have the above effect because the amount of sticking to each other is regulated to a predetermined amount by the partition.

However, it is preferable that at least a part of the partition wall 101S is continuous from the top surface to the bottom surface in terms of the strength of the container, prevention of distortion during assembly in the manufacturing process, and high manufacturing efficiency.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the container body 101 as seen from the discharge opening 101F side.

Of the plurality of partition walls 101S, the first partition wall 101S1 and the third partition wall 101S3 are container main bodies.
Upright wall surfaces projecting from the top and bottom of the inner surface of 101 are formed respectively, and there is no central part in the vertical direction, and a pair of upper and lower independent projections are formed. Central partition wall 101S
2 forms a continuous upright wall surface from the top to the bottom of the inner surface of the container body 101 and retains the strength of the container body 101, but from the discharge opening 101F to the vicinity of the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the container body 101, It is notched as shown in FIG. 4 (notch portion 101S2A). Each of the above partition walls 101S1, 101S
2, 101S3 and 101S4 are formed in a thin shape, have elasticity, and form protrusion protrusions 101K on a part of both wall surfaces thereof. In the case of the tablet-type solid processing agent J, the protrusion 101K is connected to the outer surface by a wire to reduce the frictional resistance when the solid processing agent J is discharged.

When the solid treatment agent is a tablet-type solid treatment agent J, the protrusions 101E project from the bottoms of the compartments of the container body 101 so that the solid treatment agent J comes into contact with the outer surface at a point to facilitate the movement of the solid treatment agent J. At the same time, the powder dropped from the solid processing agent J is dropped from the top of the protruding strip 101E into the space at the bottom of the inner wall of the container body 101. The powder that has fallen off the solid processing agent J collects in the groove below the protrusion 101E. Therefore, even if the powder adheres in this groove, the solid processing agent J will not
There is no problem because it moves over. There may be two or more protrusions 101E.

On the inner wall surface of the container main body 101, in addition to the bottom projection ridge 101E, an inner surface top ridge 101M and both inner surface ridges 101N are formed. By significantly reducing the area in contact with the inner surface, the contact resistance at the time of discharging the solid processing agent J can be reduced, and the solid processing agent can be taken out from the storage container 10 in a stable manner.

The protrusions 101E, 101M, 101N and the protrusion protrusion 101K are formed substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the container body 101. In addition, the installation position of the protrusion is solid treatment agent J
Should be formed in a portion that does not enter between the protrusions, and it is desirable that the number of protrusions is as small as possible. The width of the protrusions is 1/100 to 1/1 of the diameter of the tablet J.
A height of 1/100 to 1/10 is desirable to satisfy the above requirements. The cross-sectional shape of the ridge is substantially semicircular, trapezoidal, etc., and it is preferable to make it R-shaped so that the solid processing agent J does not easily get into the peripheral surface.

Further, the discharge opening 101F of the container body 101
Protrusions 101P are provided in the vicinity in the longitudinal direction and / or the lateral direction of the discharge opening 101F, and the powder of the solid processing agent generated from the solid processing agent during transportation or the like is the protrusion 101P.
It is received by the tank and accumulated, preventing it from going to the next process, and supplying a stable system.

A separate member may be installed on the container body 101 for the protrusion 101P, but in view of productivity, it is preferable to integrally mold the container with the container body 101.

When the container is manufactured by injection molding, the protrusion 101P is undercut, but it can be manufactured integrally with the container body 101 by using polyethylene resin as a material. In that case, it is desirable that the height of the protrusion 101P be set in the range of 0.3 to 2.0 mm.

The storage container 10 for the treating agent this time is the container body 10
In any of the above cases, the mold core has an elongated shape because the inner surface is provided with the protrusion to form a plurality of substantial spaces. Therefore, it is desirable that at least one notch is provided in the continuously formed protrusion in order to prevent the core from falling down during injection molding and to obtain good molding. Since the die core is connected to the die at this cutout portion, the strength can be increased. Therefore, a container for forming a plurality of substantial spaces by providing at least one notch in a protruding portion that is continuously formed in the container and obtaining good molding in which the collapse of the core does not easily occur is provided. can do.

Rail portions 101R are formed on both outer side surfaces of the flange portion of the discharge opening portion 101F, and the rail portions 101R are fitted into groove portions 103A formed on both side surfaces of the opening / closing lid (shutter) 103 and can be slid. It has become. Further, the protrusions 103B projecting from both ends of the lower portion of the opening / closing lid 103 are used to automatically close the slide lid 103 by engaging with the opening / closing regulating member of the solid processing agent supplying means of the automatic developing machine.

The back surface 102A of the fixed lid 102 is pressed by a pressing member having a spring property of the storage container loading means,
The storage container 101 is pressure-bonded to the reference surface of the supply means. Alternatively, the leaf spring presses the guide pin 101Q of the storage container 101 to press the storage container 101 against the reference surface. A plurality of identification protrusions 102B are integrally formed on the back surface 102A of the fixed lid 102 to prevent erroneous loading of another storage container 101 containing different solid processing agents.

Further, a cushioning piece 102C having a shock absorbing effect is integrally formed on the inside of the back surface 102A of the fixed lid 102 to prevent swinging and impact during storage or transportation of the storage container 101. In contrast, the solid processing agent J included
Is being prevented from being destroyed. It is desirable that the portion for contacting with the solid processing agent of the surgical action mitigating member 103C has an R shape so as to mitigate the contact with the solid processing agent. With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide a mechanism for cleaning the powder generated from the tablet-type solid processing agent J.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view in the vicinity of the impact absorbing member 102C.

The impact absorbing member 102C may have a shape as shown in FIG. 6 (A). However, variations in the manufacturing dimensions of the solid processing agent J, dimensional changes due to water absorption of the solid processing agent J, and storage containers.
Considering molding variation of 10, storage container 10 dimensional change due to environmental temperature (expansion at high temperature, contraction at low temperature), assembly variation of storage container 10, etc. The shape of is desirable.

Example When 10 tablets were placed in each space and placed in a container having a total length of 308 mm Variation in manufacturing size of tablet type solid processing agent: 0.2 mm
/ Tablet x 10 tablets = 2mm Dimensional change of tablet type solid processing agent due to water absorption: 2mm /
10 tablets Molding variation of tablet type solid processing agent container: 0.8m
Dimensional change of m tablet type solid processing agent storage container due to ambient temperature
: 2 mm (-20 ° C to 50 ° C) Assembling variation of storage container: 0.5 mm is considered, fluctuation of maximum 7.3 mm occurs, and shock absorbing member 102C that absorbs this play as much as possible is required for transportation.

Considering this content, the shape shown in FIG. 6B is preferable.

In FIG. 6B, in order to simplify the mold structure for injection molding, it is desirable that the shock absorbing member 102C is forcibly removed.

In this case, it is desirable that the width L is 2 to 6 mm, the thickness W is 0.5 to 2.0 mm, and the angle θ with the bottom surface of the cap is 30 degrees or more so that the mold release can be performed well.

Further, it goes without saying that the contact surface with the solid processing agent J is provided with R so that there is no corner.

Further, when the total length of the storage container 10 is short, the fixed lid 102 and the container body 101 can be integrally molded, but when the total length of the storage container 10 is long, the fixed lid 102 and the container main body 101 are formed.
Can be manufactured as separate parts, and then fixed by ultrasonic welding, an adhesive, an adhesive tape, or the like. In that case, the shape of the container body 101 in the vicinity of the mounting portion of the fixed lid 102 is such that the outer shape of the container body 101 is substantially the same as the outer shape of the fixed lid 102 so that the step difference between the fixed lid 102 and the container body 101 is reduced. Is preferred. This is because the fixed lid 102 is less likely to come off and the deformation is less likely to occur when the step is small against an impact such as a step.

There is a notch in a part of the partition wall 101S in the container body 101, so that the mold core is prevented from falling during the molding process, and a highly accurate and stable molded product can be obtained.

A reverse insertion preventing projection 101T is projected on the upper surface side of the container body 101. When the storage container 10 is installed upside down on the loading portion surface by mistake, the reverse insertion preventing projection 101T is formed. Abutment on the loading surface prevents normal loading.

A container body 101 that constitutes the storage container 10,
The material of the opening / closing lid 103 and the fixed lid 102 is 30 ml / m ² · atm · 24hrs (25 ° C) or less, preferably 10 ml as a container.
The material should be selected so that it does not exceed / m ² · atm · 24hrs (25 ° C), and the moisture-proof property improves the storage stability of the solid processing agent to be stored. Further, it is preferable that these constituent members are made of molded products of substantially the same synthetic resin material having excellent impact resistance.

As the synthetic resin material, polyethylene (either high pressure method or low pressure method), polypropylene (either unstretched or stretched), polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, nylon (stretched or unstretched), poly Vinylidene chloride, polystyrene, polycarbonate, vinylon, eval, polyethylene terephthalate (PE
T), other polyesters, acetic acid rubbers, acrylonitrile butadiene copolymers, and epoxy-phosphoric acid resins.

The wall thickness of the container body 101 is thin in the range of 50 to 3000 μm, preferably 200 to 2000 μm from the viewpoint of the moistureproof property of the contained solid processing agent and the difficulty of destruction.

Referring again to FIG. 2, a label 104 indicating the type of solid processing agent contained therein, the handling method, the mounting direction to the loading means, etc. is adhered to the upper surface of the storage container 10 to prevent erroneous operation and to prevent operation. It is provided for convenience.

FIG. 8 shows a package 10 for packaging the storage container 10.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of 5. The packaging body 105 is a pillow packaging body in which a moisture-proof sheet obtained by laminating an aluminum foil and a plastic film (PE, nylon, etc.) is formed in a tubular shape, and after housing the storage container 10 inside, both ends are bonded by heat sealing or the like. . Predetermined printing is also applied to the surface of the package 105. The storage container 10 that is moisture-proof packaged by the above-mentioned package is further packaged in an outer box and protected from external force.

Next, an automatic developing machine (photosensitive material processing machine) to which the storage container 10 is applied will be described with reference to FIG.

The solid processing agent replenishing device 20 for loading the storage container 10 and replenishing it to the processing tank of the automatic processor is installed above the processing tank 31, and is provided with a storage container loading device 21, a supply device 22, and a driving means.
23 and control means 24.

The opening / closing door 25 at the upper part of the main body of the automatic processor is opened in the direction A, and the storage container 10 is mounted / replaced. A predetermined storage container 10 is grasped and inserted from the direction B in the drawing to be mounted at a predetermined position of the loading device 21, and subsequently swung to automatically open the opening / closing lid 103, and the storage container 10 is opened at the opening of the supply device 22.
The discharge opening portion 101F is connected. The rotor 221 in the supply means 22 is rotated by the drive of the drive means 23, and the storage container 10
The solid processing agent J therein is sequentially transferred to the pocket portion of the rotor 221, and is put into the circulation tank 32 below. Solid treatment agent J
The control means 24 supplies the appropriate amount of the material in a timely manner.

[0052]

As described above, the solid processing agent accommodating container of the present invention is provided with a special shape for the inside of the container to prevent the solid processing agent from sticking to the inner wall of the container. Reduces resistance, improves drop performance,
A predetermined amount of solid processing agent can be reliably supplied to the supply device side. Further, in the case of tablets, it prevents the pulverized powder of the solid processing agent generated in the storage container from entering the inlet packing or the inside of the supply device to reduce the moisture-proof effect or cause a defective supply. Further, even if an impact force is applied to the storage container, the encapsulated tablets are less likely to be damaged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view and a side view of a solid processing agent storage container according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the storage container.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the storage container.

FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view of the storage container.

FIG. 5 is a front view seen from the discharge opening of the container body.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view near the impact absorbing member.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view and a perspective view showing various shapes of a solid processing agent.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a storage container package.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an automatic processor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Solid processing agent storage container (storage container) 101 Container body 101A, 101B, 101C, 101D Branch chambers 101E, 101M, 101N Projection strip 101F Discharge opening (front opening) 101G Rear opening 101S Partition wall (projection) 101P Projection strip (protrusion) 101Q Guide pin 101R Rail section 101T Reverse-return prevention projection 102 Fixed lid (rear lid) 102B Identification projection 102C Impact absorbing member 103 Open / close lid (shutter) 104 Label 105 Packaging

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location B65D 85/84

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A storage container for storing a processing agent for a photosensitive material, comprising a protrusion on an inner surface of the storage container. 2. A storage container capable of storing a processing agent for a light-sensitive material, wherein the storage container main body has an opening for discharging the processing agent in at least one side, and the processing container protrudes from the inner surface of the storage container to the opening. A processing agent for a photosensitive material, characterized in that it has a projecting portion formed in a direction in which the agent is discharged, and the projecting portion is provided so as to partition the processing agent stored therein into a plurality of substantial spaces. Storage container. 3. An accommodating container capable of accommodating a processing agent for a photosensitive material, wherein the accommodating container body has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, is protruded from an inner surface of the accommodating container, and is formed substantially parallel to a longitudinal portion of the accommodating container. A processing agent storage container for a light-sensitive material, which has a protruding portion, and is provided so as to partition the processing agent stored in the protruding portion into a plurality of substantial spaces. 4. The photosensitive material processing agent storage container according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the protrusions are provided on the inner surface of the storage container. 5. At least one of the projecting portions is continuously formed from one inner surface of the storage container forming the projecting portion to the other inner surface facing the other. A processing agent storage container for a photosensitive material as described in 1. 6. The projecting portion formed continuously,
At least a part is notched, The processing agent storage container for photosensitive materials of Claim 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. The photosensitive material according to claim 6, wherein the notch of the continuously formed protrusion is provided at least at a part near the opening of the storage container. Processing agent storage container. 8. A processing agent storage container having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape formed so as to be able to store a solid processing agent obtained by solidifying a processing agent for a light-sensitive material, the projecting portion partitioning the solid processing agent on an inner surface of the storage container. A processing agent storage container for a photosensitive material, which is provided and is provided with a protrusion capable of slidingly contacting a peripheral surface of the stored processing agent. 9. The photosensitive member according to claim 8, wherein the projection is formed on the inner surface of the storage container and / or the projection so as to be substantially parallel to the longitudinal portion of the storage container. Material processing agent storage container. 10. The plurality of protrusions are provided on the inner surface of the storage container, and at least one protrusion is formed between the first protrusion and the second protrusion. Item 8. A processing agent storage container for a photosensitive material according to Item 8 or 9. 11. A processing agent storage container capable of storing a solid processing agent obtained by solidifying a photosensitive material processing agent and discharging the solid processing agent from an opening having a substantially rectangular shape. A processing agent storage container for a photosensitive material, characterized in that a raised portion is provided on a bottom edge of the inner surface of the opening. 12. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped processing agent storage container capable of storing a solid processing agent obtained by solidifying a photosensitive material processing agent, wherein the solid processing agent stored in the storage container is discharged. A processing agent storage container for a photosensitive material, which is provided on an inner surface of the storage container facing the opening and is provided with an impact relaxation portion which is elastically deformable with respect to a longitudinal force of the storage container due to the solid processing agent.