US2882611A

US2882611A - Apparatus for drying cinematographic films and the like

Info

Publication number: US2882611A
Application number: US483995A
Authority: US
Inventors: Debrie Andre Victor Le Clement
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-03-09
Filing date: 1955-01-25
Publication date: 1959-04-21
Anticipated expiration: 1976-04-21
Also published as: DE1048148B; FR1096787A

Description

April 21, 1959 A. v. L. c. DEBRIE APPARATUS FOR DRYING CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 25, 1955 United States Patent APPARATUS FOR DRYING CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS AND THE LIKE Andr Victor Lon 'Clment Debrie, Paris, France Application January 25, 1955, Serial No. 483,995

Claims priority, application France March 9, 1954 4 Claims. (Cl. 34-71) The present invention relates to a method for drying cinematographic films and the like and also to a device for carrying said method into practice.

It is a well known practice, particularly in machines for developing cinematographic films, to drain the films before drying them.

Particularly when treating color films, at the moment the localized sound track is being redeveloped, it is desirable that the gelatine be as little wet as possible in order to avoid spreading of the treating liquid.

If it is desired to obtain machines of small dimensions, such thorough draining operation should be quickly carried out because little time is available between the successive treating operations.

Generally, the draining of the film is obtained by directing upon the film over a limited area thereof, the air blown under pressure by a nozzle inclined at a convenient angle.

7 Such air blOWs away the drops of liquid and tends to carry with it the finest particles.

f This is a drawback detrimental to the subsequent operations by the possible interference of the carrying and difiusion in the atmosphere of hindering and even harmful particles.

The object of this invention is to provide a method for draining a film which is taken out of a treating bath,

consisting in causing the film to travel within an enclosure out of which the air is constantly sucked and in subjecting it locally, inside said enclosure, to a flat air stream inclined at a suitable angle striking theemulsioned surface so that the liquid particles and the moistened air be immediately carried away by the sucking action the etficiency of which is sufficient for absorbing the quantity of air coming in with the stream and sucked through the slots of said enclosure through which the film is driven in and out.

In this manner, no liquid particle and no air loaded with vapor are able to get out of the sucking and blowing enclosure, nor are they likely to hinder the operations or operators.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, from a consideration of the following description of one embodiment of the invention, shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is an elevational view of the embodiment illustrated' in the right-hand half of said figure and a sectional view taken along the plane of symmetry of the film in the left-hand half of said figure.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding side elevational view as seen from the exit side of the film,

Fig. 3 is perspective view, with portions taken away, of the body incorporating the sucking enclosure, and

Fig. 4 is perspective view of the part serving as a bottom for the above mentioned body.

In said Figures 3 and 4 are not shown the parts forming the top and the bottom of the passages for the film nor the sucking pipe, nor the parts which bring and direct the air stream.

The cavity 1 which constitutes the enclosure wherein the film is subjected to the sucking action and to the draining air stream, is provided within a body 2 obturated at the lower part thereof by a detachable bottom 3 arranged between the lateral walls 4 of the body 2 and cylindrical zones 5. Between said cylindrical zones 5, and extending from one wall 4 to the other are provided two rectangular passages 7 and 8 respectively, level with the axis of the cylindrical cavity 1 and through which extends the film 9.

On the entrance side of the film, the access into the passage 7 is restricted between a scraper 11 made of rubber for instance and an upper prismatical part 12.

The film, exteriorly driven and guided by known means (not shown) is constantly pressed with its non-emulsioned side, on the scraper 11 the bearing edge of which may be slightly arcuate. This scraper is clamped between the body 3 and a metal angle part 14, which cooperates with a rib 15 of the bottom 3 and a knurled thumbscrew 16.

On the exit side of the film 9, the passage 8 is bounded downwardly by the edge 17 of a scraper 18 similar to the scraper 11 upon which the film is pressed in the same manner as on 13. Said scraper is secured, as the scraper 11, by means of parts 14 15' 16'.

At the top, the slot is bounded by the lower side 19 of the nozzle slot 21 through which is blow out the air stream which is directed upon the film and which blows away the water in order to drain the emulsion side. This nozzle is provided between the sidewalls 4 in a prismatic block 22 secured to the part 2 by means of a screw 20. The converging section is bounded by a face 24 machined in 22 and the attached wall 19 serv-' ing as a lower side for the slot 21.

The lower face in which the slot 21 is thus arranged, at right angles to the direction of travel of the film, is, on the exit side, constituted by a bevelled section 25 of part 19 and by an edge 26 of the block 22.

The slot 21 is located near the emulsion side of the film 9 without engaging it and opens entirely within the passage 8 of the cavity 1 at the rear of 18. i

The section 23 of the nozzle opens into a cylindrical blind hole 27 horizontally directed in the block 22.

This hole 27 communicates with an air supplying tube 28.

Inside the cavity 1, a hole 29 provided in one of the side walls 4 of the body 2 communicates with the sucking side through a connecting pipe 31.

In order permanently to afiord an easy maintenance of the assembly and to make it possible to insert and draw out the film, even under wet condition and in any portion of its length, the bottom 3 is guidedly mounted by

pins

32 and 33 on each side thereof.

The pins 32 slide in grooves 34 provided in the lower portion of the sidewalls 4 of the body 2, while the pins 33, which are longer and internally screw-threaded for the purpose of receiving thumb screws 35, are held in place and clamped by said screws 35 in open slots 36 of the sidewalls 4. 7

- The operation is obvious: the air is blown under pres sure through the pipe 28 and a sufiicient sucking action is maintained through 31 in the cavity 1.

The air which enters the cavity through 21, together with the water particles and the moisture that loads this air after the latter has impinged upon the emulsion of the film 9, and also the air coming in through between 12 and 13 and between 17 and 25, are progressively expelled through 29 and the sucking pipe 31.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitating sense.

In particular the sucking efiect through 31 may be sufiicient not only for maintaining air under pressure in the cavity 1 and for expelling the liquid blown away from the emulsion but also mighty enough for causing the air naturally to come in through 27 and get out through 21 with a velocity suflicient for draining the surface of the film 9 and in this case, any supply of pressure air through a pipe 28 may be omitted provided 27 communicates with the atmosphere.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for removing liquid from a web of sheet material, comprising, in combination, a housing having top and bottom walls interconnected by a pair of opposed side walls, said side walls and top and bottom walls defining a hollow interior portion of said housing; means connected to the ends of said top and bottom walls and extending between said side walls for defining an entrance gap and an exit gap for respectively leading a web of sheet material into and out of said housing, said gap defining means including a pair of scraper elements which define the lower edges of said gaps, respectively, and which are adapted to engage the under side of a web of sheet material moving through said entrance gap along the interior of said housing and out through said exit gap; means connected to one of said side walls and communicating with the interior of said housing for withdrawing air from the interior of said housing so as to create an air stream moving into said housing through said gaps and along the upper face of a web of sheet material located in said housing to remove liquid from the upper face of the web; and adjusting means operatively connected to said scraper elements for adjusting the elevation thereof and thereby adjusting the width of said gaps, respectively.

2. Apparatus for removing liquid from the exterior of a web of sheet material, comprising, in combination, a housing having top and bottom walls and a pair of opposed side walls interconnecting said top and bottom walls, the latter and said side walls providing a hollow interior within said housing; means connected to the ends of said top and bottom walls for defining gaps respectively extending across said housing between said side walls thereof and communicating with the interior of said housing, said gap forming means including a pair of scraper elements defining the lower edges of said gaps, respectively, and said gap forming means further including a nozzle means located over and spaced from one of said scraper elements for directing air under pressure into the interior of said housing at an acute angle to a plane in which the upper edges of said scraper elements are located; and suction means communicating at one of said side walls with an interior portion of said housing located below said plane.

3. Apparatus for removing liquid from the exterior of a web of sheet material, comprising, in combination, a housing having top and bottom walls and a pair of opposed side walls interconnecting said top and bottom walls, said top and bottom walls respectively having faces directed toward each other and formed with a pair of opposed grooves, respectively, which form part of a cylinder, said top and bottom walls and side walls defining a hollow interior portion of said housing; means carried by the ends of said top and bottom walls and extending across said housing between said side walls thereof for defining an entrance gap and an exit gap for leading a web of sheet material respectively into and out of said housing, said gap forming means including a pair of scraper elements having upper free edges which respectively define the lower edges of said gaps; and suction means communicating with the interior of said housing at one of said side walls thereof and at an elevation lower than a plane in which the upper edges of said scraper elements are located for drawing air into said housing through said gaps thereof and then removing the air from said housing.

4. Apparatus for removing liquid from a web of sheet material, comprising, in combination, a substantially U-shaped rigid element having a pair of opposed side walls forming the side walls of a housing and having a third wall which forms the top wall of said housing, said side walls respectively having lower edge portions distant from said top wall and formed at surfaces directed toward each other with a pair of elongated grooves, and said side walls having end faces respectively formed with notches substantially at the elevation of said grooves; a wall member forming a bottom wall for the housing and having a pair of opposed pins respectively slidable along said grooves for connecting said bottom Wall of said housing to said side walls and top wall thereof, said bottom wall having also a pair of pins respectively located in said notches and adapted to receive screw members for removably fixing said bottom wall to said U- shaped member; a pair of clamps respectively fixed to end faces of said bottom wall; a pair of resilient scraper elements respectively connected to the ends of said bottom wall by said clamps and extending upwardly from said bottom wall so that said scraper elements have free edges located at a higher elevation than said bottom wall; a gap forming member connected to an end face of said top wall and located over one of said scraper elements in spaced relations thereto to define a gap therewith; nozzle means fixed to the other end face of said top wall and located over and adjacent but spaced from the other scraper element to define a second gap therewith, said nozzle means directing an air stream into the interior of the housing at an acute angle to a plane in which the upper free edges of said scraper elements are located; and suction means communicating with one of said side walls of said housing and through the latter with the interior of said housing at a portion of the latter located below said plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,065,070 Hanson Dec. 22, 1936 2,095,471 Hayward Oct. 12, 1937 2,119,261 Andrews May 31, 1938 2,144,919 Gautreau Jan. 24, 1939 2,205,391 Brunkow June 25, 1940 2,225,505 Ofien Dec. 17, 1940 2,234,697 Hickman Mar. 11, 1941 2,289,753 Capstaff July 14, 1942 2,565,576 Runton Aug. 28, 1951 2,574,844 Roden Nov. 13, 1951 2,627,667 Gillis Feb. 10, 1953 2,645,031 Edwards -July 14, 1953