US3405456A - Film dryer - Google Patents

Description

5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Max Alvin Shepherd ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1968 M. A. SHEPHERD FILM DRYER Filed June 16, 1967 n'f -fi BY M Oct. 15, 1968 M. A. SHEPHERD 3,405,456

INVENTOR [1301K Max Alvin-Shepherd BY ,Wm-w-K ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1968 M. A. SHEPHERD 3,405,456

FILM DRYER Filed June 16, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR 49 54 Max Alvin Shepherd E BY ME ATTORNEY M. A. SHEPHERD Oct. 15, 1968 FILM DRYER Filed June 16, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR Max Alvin Shepherd ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1968 M. A. SHEPHERD FILM DRYER 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 16, 1967 INVENTOR Max Alvin Shepherd ATTORNEY U d W8 Pa e '0 Texas Filed June 16,-1967, Ser. No. 646,703 8 Claims. (Cl. 34155) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for drying photographic film which includes a housing through which the film is'moved as warm air is circulated thereover to dry sameQThe housing includes a plenum having vertical film conveyor passages spaced apart and connected at the lower end. Ribbed resilient rollers are rotatably disposed in parallel relationship in the film conveyor passages and are arranged to grippingly engage the film therebetween so that as the rollers rotate the film will be conveyed through the housing and deposited on the outlet side. A continuous air flow circuit is provided in the housing and the plenum to circulate heated air about the film as it is passed therethrough. The film conveyor rollers have spaced annular ribs thereon, and the ribs on opposed parallel conveyor rollers are spaced longitudinally and slightly overlap so as to grippingly engage the film passed there'between, to allow circulation of air between the ribs and to contact both surfaces of the film. The conveyor rollers are rotated by a continuous chain passing through the conveyor passages which chain engages sprockets on' the conveyor rollers to rotate same.

Background the invention In the processing of photographic film, the film is dipped or passed through a developer fluid container and it is necessary to dry same before use. Various means of drying same have been employed including the hanging of same on racks or passing same through an oven on a conveyor. However, no means has heretofore been provided whereby a film could be dried quickly and in production quantities in a manner to prevent the film from curling while being dried and in timed sequence so as to provide for uniform and thorough drying of same.

Summary of the invention The present invention provides a film drying apparatus wherein the time of drying may be controlled, the film is conveyed through the dryer in such a manner as to prevent same fromcurling and wherein heated air is uniformly circulated over both surfaces thereof while it is being conveyed through the machine. The film may be conveyed through the dryer device in continuous production quantities without interruption, and is uniformly and thoroughly dried, ready for immediate use, upon being discharged from the machine.

The dryer device disclosed and claimed herein is particularly useful in processing photographic film in large quantities, such as in printing establishments, producing newspapers, magazines, catalogs, yearbooks and so forth, wherein large numbers of photographs are reproduced and printed.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the invention to provide a device for drying photographic film in a continuous production process.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device for drying photographic film wherein both surfaces of the film are subjected to uniform application of heated air as it is conveyed therethrough.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device for drying photographic film wherein the film is 3,405,456 Patented Oct. 15, 19.68

maintained in flat state and prevented from curling while it is being passed through the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for drying photographic film wherein the film is uniformly dried as it is passed through the machine and is ready for production use upon being discharged from the machine.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device for drying photographic film in a continuous production process wherein the passage of the film through the machine may be timedso as to attain uniform and thorough drying of same. I

Another object of the invention is to provide a continuous film dryer device which occupies a minimum of floor space.

A general object of theinvention is to provide a film drying device which is simple and relatively economical in construction and operation and which driesfilm in large quantities in a continuous process resulting in the saving of labor and other expenses in the production processing of film.

Other and further objects of the inventionwill become apparent upon reading the detailed specification hereinafter following and by referring to the drawings annexed hereto.

Description of the drawings In the drawings,

FIGURE I is a top plan view of the film dryer apparatus,

FIGURE II is a cross-sectional elevational view taken on the line IIII of FIGURE I,

FIGURE III is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevational view taken on the line III-III of FIGURE II,

FIGURE IV is an end view of the machine taken from the right end of FIGURE I,

FIGURE V is a transverse sectional view taken along the line VV of FIGURE II,

FIGURE VI is a vertical sectional view taken along the line VIVI of FIGURE II,

FIGURE VII is a vertical sectional view taken along the line VIIVII of FIGURE III,

FIGURE VIII is a vertical sectional view taken along the line VIIIVIII of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE IX is a sectional view taken along the line IXIX of FIGURE VIII.

Description of a preferred embodiment Numeral references are employed to indicate the various parts shown in the drawings and like numerals indicate like parts throughout the various figures of the drawings.

The numeral 1 indicates a general housing or plenum for the device which encloses and supports the various components thereof as hereinafter described.

The numeral 2 indicates a drive motor housing, which extends transversely of the housing and is attached thereto by means of mounting flanges 3, which may be welded, bolted or otherwise attached thereto. Preferably the motor housing is mounted in such a Way as to be removable for repair and servicing of the drive motor. The drive motor 5 is mounted and secured to the frame by means of a mounting 4 which may be affixed thereto by bolts 4a.

A ventilation screen 6 may be provided in the upper wall of the drive motor cover 2.

The drive motor 5 rotates a shaft 7 extending therefrom, which in turn rotates a bevel gear 8, attached thereto. Bevel gear 8 interengages a right angularly disposed bevel gear 9 and rotates same. The bevel gear 9 has a shaft 9a (FIGURE III) extending therefrom having a pair of drive sprockets 10 secured thereto which interengage the drive chain 11 to thereby rotate said drive chain.

The drive chain 11 is a double track drive chain, as indicated in FIGURE VI, for the purposes hereinafter mentioned.

The drive chain 11 extends about the end support sprockets 12 and 13 which are rotatably attached to the inner sides of the upper side walls of the plenum hereinafter described. a

Guide rollers 14 and 15 are also rotatably attached to the inner side of a side wall of the plenum and are arranged to urge the chain 11 into engagement with the drive sprockets 10.

A guide bar 16 is secured to the inner surface of the side wall of the plenum and extends outwardly to engage the chain 11 to guide and maintain the chain downward into engagement with the sprockets which rotate the guide rollers 17, as hereinafter described.

The specific construction of the rollers 17 will be hereinafter described, but suffice it to say at this point that there is a single layer of parallel rollers at the entry portion of the machine as indicated at 17a (FIGURE H) and that at a point beginning just prior to the vertical extension of the rollers 17, the rollers become parallel pairs of rows of rollers in co-acting relationship, as indicated at 18, and as will be hereinafter described.

At the points where the pairs of rollers 17 make right angular turns, there are turning rollers 19 which turn the film passing through the device right angularly in the manner hereinafter described.

The plenum 1 is constructed to provide an entry portion having side walls 20 between which are rotatably mounted the entry roller 17a.

The side frame members of the plenum (see FIGURE V) are spaced from the ends of the air duct and roller mount walls by spacer brackets 21 to provide air circulation passages 35 and 36 at the ends of the plenum for the purposes hereinafter mentioned.

The plenum includes a continuous encasement 22 in which are mounted inner partitions 22b providing air flow channels 22a, 23 and 23a.

The elongated circulation ports 24 and 25 are provided through the walls 22b of the circulation channels.

The vertical film conveyor passages in which rollers 17 are rotatably mounted are indicated at 26 and 27. The passages 26 and 27 extend between the inner and outer circulation channels 22a, 23 and 23a. The upper and lower ends of the circulation channels are closed as indicated in FIGURE II, but the outer ends thereof are open, as indicated at 28, 28a and 29 in FIGURE V. The ends of the channels 22a, 23, and 23a opposite the open ends are closed as indicated at 32, 32a and 33.

The vertical film pass channels 26 and 27 are provided with air return ports 34 through the side walls 30a and 31a thereof for the purposes hereinafter described.

Air circulation channels 35 and 36 are provided at the outer ends of the air circulation channels 22a, 23 and 23a. The plenum 1 is extended by walls, indicated at 37a and 37b, to provide an air return passage 37, which communicates with the end ducts 35 and 36. A passage 38 is provided through the wall of the return passage 37 which communicates with the fan housing 39a in which the fan 39 is rotatably mounted.

The fan 39 is rotated by an electric motor 40. The fan discharges air through a discharge duct 41 secured to the fan housing 39a. The discharge duct 41 is connected by flexible joinder members 42 and 43 to the heater housing 45a by means of suitable attachment rings 41a and 41b. The heater housing 45a is secured to the wall 44a of the passage 44 and is attached to the side plenum wall 22 by suitable extension flange 45b. The discharge passage 44 communicates with the air conduit space 36 at one side of the plenum.

A heater 45, which may be heated by suitable electric power, is mounted in the heater housing 45a so that air discharged by the fan 39 through the ducts 41 and 44 will pass over the heater 45 and heat will be imparted thereto.

The motor 40 is mounted to, and supported by, a platform 46 which is secured to the duct frame 37a by means of angular braces 47 (FIGURE II). Said braces are secured to the frame extension 48.

Typical mountings of the rollers 17 are illustrated in FIGURES VI and IX. 1 l v The endsof the rollers 17 are rotatably mountedon bearings 51 secured inside the outer ends of the tubular cores 52 of said rollers. The inner race of each bearing 51 has a threaded extension -49thereon which extends through passages in the opposite end walls 30 and 30a and 31-3la of the film passages 26 and 27 of the plenum. A lock washer 50a is positioned about the threaded shaft 49' .The shafts 49 are fixed in place by nuts 50 threaded thereupon against the lock washers 50a.

Each of the rollers 17 includes a metal tubular core 52 which has resilient rubber or plastic material 53 bonded to the outer surface thereof and formed or molded with spaced rounded ribs 54 thereon. Sprockets 55 (FIG- URE VI) are fixed about-one end of the cores 52. The sprockets 55 on adjacent rollers 17 are offset longitudinal- 1y thereof, as shown in FIGURE VI, so that the teeth thereon may engage the dual tracks of the drive chain 11.

It will be observed from FIGURE VI that the ribs 54 on adjacent parallel rollers are staggered with relationship to each other and that the outer edges thereof slightly overlap. Thus, it will be seen that when a photographic film or other flat article 56 is passed therebetween, same is grippingly engaged by the ribs and slightly fiexed between the ribs so that it is maintained in flat state as it is conveyed between the ribs as the rollers 17 rotate, yet there is no undue pressure imparted thereto at any given point as would be the case if pressed between adjoining ribs or between the surfaces of resilient rollers. The spacing of the ribs 54 provides spaces 17a and 17b between the ribs on opposite sides of the film 56 through which heated air may circulate and thereby uniformly expose both sides of the film to air flow as the film is transported through the machine.

It will be observed that the pairs of parallel rollers '17, indicated generally at 18, begins just prior to the entry of the film being transported thereby into the vertical film passage 26 and that the pairs of rollers indicated at 18 return to horizontal position after the film leaves the vertical outlet film transfer passage 27 For the purpose of right angularly turning the film for entry into and out of the vertically disposed film transfer passages 26 and 27 and for turning same at the lower ends of said passages there are provided turning rollers 19 which are interposed between the transfer roller 17 at such points. 0 The turning rollers 19 prevent the film from continumg to move in the same direction because it intercepts same and turns the edge thereof in a right angular direction to cause it to be grippingly engaged between pairs of rollers arranged on a different plane. The rollers 19 are constructed and mounted exactly as rollers 17, save and except that it is smaller in diameter and the ribs thereon are flattened on the outer edge, as indicated at 56 (FIGURE IX).

Furthermore, turning rollers 19 are rotated through gears 57 secured to the ends thereof which mesh with gears 58 secured to rollers 17 at the upper and lower ends of the vertical column of rollers mounted in the film transfer passages 26 and 27. It will be noted from FIG- URE I that the gears 57 and 58 are secured to the ends of rollers 17 and 19 opposite the chain drives therefor. Thus, the rollers 19 are rotated through the rollers 17 x which in turn are rotated by the drive chain 11.

The operation and function of the device hereinbefore described is as follows:

The motor 5 is energized, which rotates the drive chain 11 through the drive gears 8, 9, and sprocket 10. The speed of motor 5 could be varied as by a variable rheostat through which power is supplied. The drive chain 11 rotates the rollers 17 by interaction of the drive chain tracks with the sprockets 55 secured to the ends of the rollers. It will be noted that the chain 11 rotates about the guide rollers 12 and 13 and passes downwardly through the film conveyor channel 26 below the lower end of the central air conduit 23, and upwardly through the vertical film conveyor channel 27. As the chain rotates, the adjoining surfaces of the double rollers 18 rotate in the same direction so that film gripped therebetween, as shown in FIGURE VI, will be progressively conveyed between the adjoining pairs of rollers downwardly through the vertical channel 26 about the lower end of the conduit 23, upwardly through the vertical channel 27 and outwardly of the machine to be deposited on the discharge chute 59.

Film which has been passed through developer fluid and is wet is deposited either by hand or by a conveyor upon the single layer of rollers indicated at 17a. It is carried on the single layer of rollers 17a until it reaches the double layer of rollers '18 at which time the edge thereof is engaged between the ribs 54 in the manner shown in FIGURE VI, and is moved by frictional engagement between ribs and the film through the film transfer passages.

The fan 39 discharges air through passage 41 and the air passes through and about the heater 45 where it is heated and forced through open ends 28, 28a and 29 of the circulation channels 22a, 23 and 23a. The heated air is forced to pass through the passages 24 and 25 into the film transfer passages 26 and 27 (FIGURE V) in order to reach the return ports 34 at the opposite side of the plenum. The heated air passes through the return ports 34, through end passage 35 and fan inlet passage 38 to be re-circulated through the system in the manner hereinbefore described, and as indicated by direction arrows in FIGURE V. Thus the air is forced about the parallel rollers 17 and through the spaces 17a and 17b on opposite sides of the film 56 so as to expose both sides of the film to the moving, heated air uniformly and continuously as the film moves through and about the vertical film transfer channels 26 and 27.

The vertical disposal of the film transfer channels 26 and 27 not only provides for the uniform circulation of air currents over the film as it passes therethrough, but same conserves space in that the maximum length of conveyor within a heated chamber is attained with the minimum amount of linear space. Thereby the device is compact and occupies a minimum area of floor space in the film processing area.

Another advantage of the machine is that it will convey and dry film of different dimensions. The only requirement being that the film must be wide enough to be gripped by at least two adjacent ribs 54.

It will thus be seen that the device for drying photographic film provides for uniform drying of film as it is conveyed through the machine, grips and transfers the film in such a way as to prevent the curling thereof as it dries, is rapid in its operation, and conserves space and labor.

It will be understood that other and further forms of invention may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. In a device for drying photographic film or the like, a plenum; vertically disposed entrance and outlet conveyor channels in the plenum, a horizontally disposed conveyor channel joining the vertical channels at the lower end thereof; parallel pairs of rollers rotatably mounted in the channels arranged to grippingly engage a film therebetween; means to rotate the pairs of said rollers in opposite directions to cause adjacent surfaces to move in the same direction; means for circulating air through the channels and about the rollers.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 with the addition of means to heat the air as it circulates.

3. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein the rollers have resilient ribs longitudinally spaced thereon, the outer surfaces of the ribs on opposed rollers being longitudinally spaced and slightly overlapped, providing air circulation passages between the ribs on opposite sides of film conveyed therethrough.

4. The combination called for in claim 1 with the addition of a single layer of conveyor rollers rotatably secured to the plenum arranged to convey film or the like between the entrance to the parallel pairs of rollers.

5. The combination called for in claim 1 with the addition of turn rollers rotatably disposed at the right angular turns connecting the vertical and horizontal conveyor channels arranged to engage and turn the edge of film or the like passing between the rollers.

6. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein the drive means for the rollers comprises sprockets on adjacent ends of the rollers; a continuous drive chain extending between the sprockets in operative engagement therewith; and means to drive said drive chain.

7. The combination called for in claim 6 wherein the drive chain has a double track; and the sprockets on adjacent rollers are staggered so as to engage dilferent tracks on said chain.

8. In a device of the class described, a plenum comprising, a horizontal entry area; spaced vertical conveyor channels joined at their lower ends by a horizontal conveyor channel; vertical air circulation passages on the outside and in between the conveyor channels; the circulation passages being open at one end and closed at the opposite ends; air flow passages adjacent the ends of the circulation passages; the conveyor channels being closed at their ends adjacent the open ends of the circulation passages and having ports through opposite end walls; ports through the walls of the circulation channels communicating with the circulation passages; a single horizontal layer of rollers rotatably mounted in the entry area; a double row of parallel rollers rotatably mounted in the conveyor channels, and terminating in a horizotnal double layer of rollers rotatably mounted to the plenum at the outlet end thereof; means to circulate air through the conveyor channels, air flow passages, ports, passages and circulation passages; means to continuously rotate said rollers; and means to heat the air as it circulates.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,340,618 9/1967 Bentzman 34162 3,345,928 10/ 1967 Krehbiel -94 FREDERICK L. MATTESON, JR., Primary Examiner.

A. D. HERRMANN, Assistant Examiner.

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