US1325748A

US1325748A - Machine for developing and fixing cinematographic

Info

Publication number: US1325748A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-12-23
Anticipated expiration: 1936-12-23

Description

. 4 1. MARETTE. I MACHINE F08 DEVELOPING AND FIXING CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS.

- APPLIQATION FILED MAY 19, 1914. 1,325,748.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Patented Dec. 23,1919;

MACHINE FOR DEVELO' v III'III ,1

"""IIIIIIIIIA w J. MARETIE. PING AND- FIXING CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS. APPHCATION FILED MAY 19. 1914- Patehted Dec. 23, 1919.

fivenz or Jlmwas AMI/6H1;

H3 #Hornc J. MARETTE. MACHINE FOR DEVELOPING AND FIXING CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS.

v APPLICATION FILED MAY I9. |9I4-' 1,325,748. Patented Dec. 28,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- UNITED STATES- PATENT or ce JACQUES MARE'ITE, ,OF VINCENNES, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR T COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETAIBLISSEMENTS PATHE FRERES, PHONOGRAPHE ET CINEMATOGRAPHE, OE

PARIS, FRANCE. I

MACHINE FOR DEVELOPING AND FIXING CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS. 7

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 23, 1919.

Application filed May 19, 1914. Serial No. 839,505.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LJAC UES MARETT'E,

citizen of the Republic of France, residing at 30 Rue des Vignerons, Vincennes, Seine, in the Republic of F rance,'have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines ,for Developing and Fixing Cinematographic Films, of which the following is a specifica- This invention relates to a machine for developing and fixmgcinematographic films. This machine pa ticularly distinctive in that it comprises vertical vats of consider- I culation of the baths.

able height and circular or rectangular cross -sect1on, that respectlvely contaln the varlous baths used for developing, rinsing. fixing, washing, coloring, toning, etc.,- these vats being arranged beside one another in. the same plane and provided with the nozzles required for obtaining a suitable cir- The film which is to be developed and is wound off a reel is guided by mechanically controlled feed rollers and is lowered successively into the various vats while being kept stretched by heavy rollers that are suspended in equilibrium at the lower part of the loops formed by the film in the several vats. Devices for'controlling the driving mechanism allow of regulat ing at will and in a very simple manner the duration of the immersion of the film in the developing bath.

In the accompanying drawings shown by way of example:

Figure 1 is a general diagrammatic-view of a machine for developing and fixing arranged according to the invention.

Fig. 2 'shows at a larger scale a part of the machine in sectional elevation.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows another part of the machine in sectional elevation this part being adapted to be joined to the former part along the line AA.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4 and is adapted to be joined along the line BB of Fig. 3. Figs. 6 and 7 together constitute an eleva-v tional View of the machine.

The machine shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings comprises a selar or a rectangular section and may be made of metal, wood, glass or any other material, according to the nature of the bath through which the film is passed, and being caused to flow up through tube 9. The film passes over a lantern N located between the

vats

8 and 9 for observing the film and after passing through

vats

9 and 10. goes through a series of vats 11 containing hyposulfitesupplied to the upper part of a pipe 7, the

film being subsequently passed through rinsing vats 12. Vat's 12 are followed by a wiping device 0 and by vats 13 containing the color baths for dyeing the film in a known manner. 7 1 h Thefilm M to be developed is contained in a magazine or box g and is guided on a series of rollers in such amanner that it is passed down into each vat in the form of a loop. Two feed rollers ii, i adjoining each vat are placed above the vat and the film is passed over these rollers. The film is kept stretched in each vat bya smooth roller 70 provided with two checks that are sufliciently heavy to allow the roller to roll in equilibrium in the loop formed by the film and give the film suflicient tension in the bath, the roller being therefore-11inch like the reel of a diabolo game. The bottom roller is will,

as a rule and in its ordinary working position be in the lower part of the vat and will secure the transition of the film throughout the height ofthe vat without allowing the filn to wave. The time of immersion of the film in the bath contained in the vat will naturally depend on the level of this bottom roller.

If the vats are of opaque material they com rise at their lower art "lass sleeves such as m that have an adequate length and allow of observing the bottom rollersused as stretchers and determine their level at the mo'men t the machine is started. e

'rics of vertical vats juxtaposed in the same i In the construction shown, the feed rollers provided at the top of the vat or tube 1 are toothed feeders 2' that are driven by a transmission.

ukeyed to 1 a shaft G.

longitudinal haft 0 With the intervention of cross shafts a, and bevel wheels. The longitudinalshaft 0 also drives by means of bevel wheels a smooth roller or guide roller it placed in advance of the first feed roller 2', a smooth roller h which passes the film into the vat :2 and a toothed friction roller 2' that may moreover be actuated directly by means of a friction crank p. The shaft driv ing the roller '6 drives by means of a chain Q the shaft of the smooth roller ]L of vat 3. By means of similar chain transmissions the toothed feed roller z of -tubes 3, a, 5 and 6 drive the smooth rollers it of tubes at, 5, 6

and 7 respectively. 1Shaft 0 is driven'with the intervention of a clutch r by a shaft 0 the latter belng driven with the interventlon of a clutch r by, a shaft 0 The shaft 0 is driven with the intervention of a clutch r" by a shaft 0. Shaft 0 is driven with the intervention of a clutch r by shaft 0 and 0* is driven with the intervention of a clutch r by a shaft 0.

vers H to H on which springs I are made to act that tend to normally keep the clutches engaged.

By means of bevel wheels, shafts 0 to 0 are made to drive the toothed feed rollers of vats 3 to T respectively. Shaft 0 moreover drives by means of bevel wheels the smooth roller h of vat S, and this shaft is connected by means of gearwheels s, t, to an accessory or secondary shaft u and gear wheels o, w to a shaft 1r, which is driven directly by shaft 2 by means of bevel wheels 3 Shaft 2 is driven by means of any suitable On the'accessory shaft "11, a gear wheel D is loosely mountedthat can be geared with this shaft by means of a lever E and which engages. with a gear wheel F The latter shaft Gr drives the toothed rollers i of vats S, 9 and 10 as well as the smooth rollers II, of

vats

9 and 10 and one i of the toothed rollers of vat 11, this roller being moreover provided with a driving friction crank J.

.By means of bevel wheels shaft w drives the second toothed roller 2' of vat 11 and the toothed feed rollers of the

other tubes

12 and 13 of the arrangement.

The working of the machine i as follows: The film to be developed is placed on a reel or spool that is stored in the magazine 9 and the film then passes in the direction of' the arrow over the smooth feed roller 72, and over the first toothed roller 2' of the first Vat, which roller 1'. is driven in the manner described and secures the unwinding of the film. 011 having made a loop in vat l in which it carries a bottom roller 70. the film passes over the second toothed roller over the smooth roller 71 into vat 2 and then goes over the various rollers-by successively passing down into the vats.

The clutches r to-r, are controlled by le- The film is thus submitted to the deieloping operation (in vats or tubes 1 to 8), the -rinsing operation (in tubes 9 and l0),the fixing (in tubes 11), the rinsing (in 'tubes 1'2) and the dyeing (in tubes I The duration of each operation is regulated:

(1) By the speed of the winding off of the film in the machine.

(2) By the number of tubes passed through in each operation.

(3) By the level of the each of the tubes.

The device described allows of varying the duration of the developing as follows: 'Lhe immersion of the film is always complete in

tubes

1 and 2, but its immersion can be varied in tubes 3 to 8. By operating one of the five levers H to H, the part of the mechanism.situated on the left of the disengaged lever can be stopped. If lever II is disengaged for instance, asshown, the film is kept still intubes 1 to 5 and as it continues to be drawn by roller of tube 6 the bottom roller rises in this tube and the duration of immersion of the film in the developing bath contained in this tube diminishes. If on the contrary the bottom roller is to be lowered in this tube 6 so as to prolong the duration of the developing operation, it will merely be necessary. while keeping the lever ll." disengaged, to turn the crank 72 in the direction of the movement of the rollers at a faster rate than the normal speed of the operation. i

In order to submerge the film still farther in tube 8 it is merely necessary on the other hand to keep the lever E disengaged so as to keep shaft G at rest. The bottom roller is thenlowered in tube 8. At the same time the duration of the immersion in the hyposulfite contained in tube 11 diminishes as the bottom roller of this tube is raised. This is however of econdary importance, as the number of tubes for fixing is always kept higher than is necessary. In order to diminish the duration of immersion in tube 8, it suiiices to turn the crank handle J at a higher speed than the normal speed of the machine, while keeping lever E disengaged. This will have the subsidiary eifect of increasing the duration of immersion in the fixing tube 11'.

The invention is not restricted of course to the details of the arrangement shown and described, which has been chosen by way of an example. 7

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for developing and fixing cinematographic films comprising vertical vats juxtaposed in the same plane, means for, supplying said vats with the various baths used for developing and the subscbottom roller in quent operations. means for contimlously "driving the film and guiding thesame so that it descends successively into eaeh of the, vats, said means embodying smooth feed the purpose set forth.

rollers and toothed feed rollers arrangedin the -'same horizontal plane above the vats,

H transversely arranged shafts, carrying said feed rollers, a longitudinal shaft divided intoseveral sections,-means for driving said shaft atone end, bevel-gears connecting the fvarious sections of the longitudinal shaft with the transverse shafts, clutches on said longitudinal shaft whereby various sections of the same may be disengaged and kept, still and stretching means for the film in each vat, substantially as described and for 2. A machine for developing and cinematographic films comprising yertical' vats juxtaposed in. the same plane ,imeans for supplying said .vats /with .the 1 various baths used for developing and the subsequent operations means for continuously driving 'ther'fi'linand guiding the same so that it descends successively into each of the vats, said means embodying smooth feed rollers and toothed feed rollers arranged in the same horizontal plane. above the vats,

faster than the. normal speed and stretching means for the film in each vat, substantially as described and for'the purpose set'forth. -3. A machine for developing and fixing cinematographic films; comprising vertical =film away from, the last of the vats con ing feed-rollers up to that carrying thefiln f into the first of the vats containinghypog", I,

vvats juxtaposed in the same plane, means for supplying said Vatswith the various baths used for developing and-the subsequent operations, means for continuously driving the film and guiding the same so that it descends successively into each of the vats, said means embodying smooth feed the same -horizontalvplane above the vats, transversely arranged shafts carryingsaidfeed rollers, a longitudinal shaft divided into several sections, meansfor driving'said 'shaft at one end, bevel gears connecting the various sections of the longitudinal shaft with the transversefshafts, clutches on said longitudinal shaft whereby various sections ofthe same can be'fdisengagedand kept still, one section of said longitudinal shaft driving the feed roller which carries the tainingthe developer and the. next sueceedsulfite, inclusively, a: secondary shaft coupling together the adjacent sectio of the longitudinal shaft at-both ends of the above sections, a clutch whereby said secondary above section, a friction crank whereby the-f feed rollerwhich carries the film into the first of the .hyposulfite containing vats-may be driven at will at a speed-faster than the normal speed, and stretching means for the film in each vat,fsubstantially as described f and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof. I have'zsigned my name to thisspecification in the presence of so two.v subscriblng wltnesses. j Y 5 JACQUES MARETTE, Witnesses: v j I I i CHAS. P. PREssLY,

A FRED GEHET.

50 rollers and toothed feed rollersarranged in 2 .70' shaft may be used at will for driving the