US2252259A - Film developing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Aug. l2, 1941. L, HQRNER 2,252,259

FILM DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filed June 26, 1940 (6,1? i4 /6 l /a IN VEN TOR.

Patented Aug. 12, 1941 FILM DEVELOPING APPARATUS Carl L. Horner, Bellevue, Pa., assignor of one-half to Robert D. Kreider, Mauch Chunk, Pa.

Application June 26, 194), Serial No. 342,565

(Cl. 95-9ii) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to means for use in developing and xing photographic lms and is designed primarily for handling the film outside the dark room after lit has once been placed in the device, without danger of being exposed to light.

Another object is to provide a new and novel form of tank for receiving a lm holder and a treatment liquid, it being possible to supply liquid to and remove it from the tank while the lm is located therein and without permitting the film to become light-struck.

A further object is to provide a closure for the tank which serves both to exclude light and support the film holder.

A still further object is to provide a nlm holder of simple construction in which a length of film can be placed readily, this holder serving to hold the film during the several steps of developing,

xing, washing and drying, so that it need be handled solely while being placed initially in the holder and while being removed after drying.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invent-ion as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing- Figure l is a vertical transverse section through the tank with the film holder shown in elevation therein, parts being broken away.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3 3, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4, Figure l.

Referring to the gures by characters of reference, T designates a tank formed of any suitable material which will not be aifected by lm treatment liquids. It is preferably rectangular and proportioned to receive a holder in which a :dat strip of film has been placed. The open top of the tank has its front and back walls I extended along upwardly diverging planes as at 2. Thus they cooperate with the parallel side walls 3 to form a funnel-like inlet 4.

The bottom 5 of the'tank has a drain opening 6 normally closed by a removable plug 'I of rubber or the like and at the top of one of the inclined walls 2 there can be provided a pivotally mounted ring 8 by which the ltank can be suspended from a hook or the like.

At points near the inlet 4 the walls I are formed with zig-zag grooves G pressed outwardly thereinto and substantially parallel, the upper end portions 9 of each groove being located well above the lower end portion IIJ.

Removably mounted in the tank is a holder H. This includes a. plug II preferably of soft rubber proportioned to fit snugly in the upper portion of the tank. It is adapted to bridge the intermediate portion of the grooves G so that only the end portions thereof are left uncovered, the lower ends being below the plug and the upper ends above the plug. The plug has slots I2 in its ends and secured to and extending upwardly from the plug is a stem I3 which can be provided with an eye I4 or the like.

The plug, when in closing position, engages a seat I5 which can be formed of upwardly inclined strips of material joined at their lower edges to the walls I and 3 while its free upper edges engage the seated plug and are adapted to press thereinto to form a seal. The grooves G extend between these strips.

Gppositely disposed channeled members I6 are seated removably at their upper ends in the slots I2 and are joined near their ends by cross rods Il, thus forming a rigid frame. These members I6 are spaced apart to receive the side edges of a dat strip of lm and, to facilitate insertion and removal of the film, the front wall of each channeled member I6 is removed at its upper end to provide inlets I8 for the endwise insertion of the Iilm.

While the device is in a dark room, the lm to be developed is inserted endwise into the members I6 so as to lie flat therebetween. The complete holder H, including plug II and the frame formed by members I E and I1, is then inserted into the tank with the plug engaging seat I5. I'he tank with the enclosed film can then be taken from the dark room and the developing iluid poured into the funnel like inlet 4. From this it will drain through grooves G into that portion of the tank below the plug. Thus the supported lm will be submerged. After the development has been completed the tank can be partly inverted and the liquid drained therefrom. Thereafter the Washing and fixing fluids can be poured into and removed from the tank in the manner described and in proper succession, the nal washing being effected by removing plug l and allowing water to flow freely through the tank. Finally the holder His removed, thus withdrawing the lm from the tank and it can then be suspended by stem I3 from a hook or the like until the film is dry. The film thereafter is removed from the members I6 by sliding it upwardly through the inlets l1 and is then ready for printing.

It will be noted that the zig-zag grooves exclude light rays at all times during the treatment of the iilm so that the only time a dark room is necessary is while the film is being placed in position in the tank.

The space above the closed plug ll can be used to measure the approximate amount of liquid to be delivered into the tank.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus of the class described including a tank having an inlet and zig-zag grooves in opposed Walls below the inlet, a removable plug seated in the inlet and bridging intermediate portions of the grooves, and means suspended from the plug for engaging and holding the edge portions of a lm.

2. Apparatus of the class described including a tank, a seat therein, a measuring inlet portion on the tank above the seat, there being grooves in opposed walls of the tank extending above and below the seat and having offset end and intermediate portions, a plug removably vengaging the seat and bridging intermediate portions of the grooves, and a film-engaging frame depending from the plug.

3. Apparatus of the class described including a tank, a seat therein, a measuring inlet portion on the tank above the seat, there being grooves in opposed walls of the tank extending above and below the seat and having offset end and intermediate portions, a plug removably engaging the seat and bridging intermediate portions of the grooves, and a nlm-engaging frame depending from the plug, said frame including opposed connected channeled members each having a portion of its wall removed to form a lm inlet, the upper ends of the members being removably seated in the ends of the plug.

CARL L. HORNER.

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