US3683781A - Automatic processor - Google Patents

Abstract

A photographic apparatus for automatic photography, combined with an automatic processor for receiving an exposed film strip from the photographic apparatus and processing the strip step by step through a series of treating tanks for delivery to a customer. The strip is received in a carrier slidable along a horizontal track by two lead screws extending along the track and alternately engaged with the carrier as an incident to rotation thereof between film-raised and film-lowered positions at the ends of each tank by an oscillating operator. One screw has sections of differing pitch for feeding the carrier at differing rates for differing treating intervals constituting multiples of the cycle of the operator, and the other has sections for traversing the carrier between tanks. Transfer devices at the ends of the track shift carriers between the track and an overlying return bar which is associated with a conveyor for full loop movement of carriers, several being stored on the return bar. An alternate form has a second processing track.

Description

United States Patent 8 15] 3,683,781 Allen Aug. 15, 1972 AUTOMATIC PROCESSOR [57] ABSTRACT I [72] Inventor: Wilbus G. Allen, 1807 Kelly St., A photographic apparatus for automatic photography,

Oceanside, Calif. 92054 Primary Examiner-Samuel S. Matthews Assistant Examiner-Fred L. Braun Attorney-Fulwider, Patton, Rieber, Lee and Utecht combined with an automatic processor for receiving an exposed film strip from the photographic apparatus and processing the strip step by step through a series of treating tanks for delivery to a customer. The strip is received in a carrier slidable along a horizontal track by two lead screws extending along the track and alternately engaged with the carrier as an incident to rotation thereof between film-raised and filmlowered positions at the ends of each tank by an oscillating operator. One screw has sections of differing pitch for feeding the carrier at difiering rates for differing treating intervals constituting multiples of the cycle of the operator, and the other has sections for traversing the carrier between tanks. Transfer devices at the ends of the track shift carriers between the track and an overlying return bar which is associated with a conveyor for full loop movement of carriers, several being stored on the return bar. An alternate form has a second processing track.

52 Claims, 30 Drawing Figures PATENTEDI B I972 SHEEI 050F113 INVENTOR. l V/zaz/e 6 4445M PATENIEDwc 15 I972 3 683; 781

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emd 24M BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to automatic processors for moving articles step by step relative to a series of treating or processing stations for a predetermined sequence of operations and, more particularly, to an automatic processor for immersing an exposed film strip successively in different baths arranged in series, thereby to carry out the developing, washing and other steps required for the processing of a particular type of film.

While the processor is adaptible to many different processing situations, it is particularly well suited for use in a coin-operated automatic photographic apparatus of the type that typically is installed in a public place to make one or more exposures of a customer on a film strip, then to process the film strip through a series of tanks containing the requisite baths for the strip, and finally to deliver the completed photograph or photographs to the customer.

Early forms of such an apparatus are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,380,378 and 2,541,016, which are representative of the one basic apparatus that has met with commercial acceptance in this area for many years. Briefly, the apparatus is actuated by the insertion of an appropriate coin in a receiver to set up the proper, lighted environment in a booth or the like and, after a preselected delay permitting the subject to position himself before a camera, activates the camera to make the exposure or exposures. Then the exposed strip is delivered to a carrier to be advanced by an automatic processing mechanism past the series of processing tanks in a darkroom environment, the carrier having a film holder that is dipped in each successive tank for a preselected time interval. When the processing is completed, the strip is fed out of the cabinet of the apparatus for delivery to the customer.

It will be apparent that an automatic processor used in this manner must be reliable so as to avoid malfunctioning between the periodic servicing calls made by the vending machine personnel. Moreover, the service required should be relatively simple in view of the nontechnical nature of the personnel who service the apparatus periodically to replenish the various chemical solutions, which become exhausted and to some extent contaminated by interchange of the different chemicals after prolonged periods of use.

Machines of the basic type described in the aforesaid patents have fulfilled the need with respect to blackand-white pictures for several years, and a great number of these machines are in use throughout the world. Now, however, the trade is seeking ways to provide the same type of coin-operated photographic service with color film, the processing of which is much more complex than the processing of black-and-white film. For example, substantially different time intervals are required for the different color-processing steps, and the existing machines are not readily adaptible in a commercially acceptable manner to provide substantially different intervals in a high production processor in which several film strips often may be in process simultaneously, such existing machines being relatively inflexible with respect to the timing and sequence of steps. In addition, chemical contamination is a greater problem in color processing, wherein careful control,

particularly of key .chemicals, should be maintained with respect to purity and concentration as well as to temperature and treating time.

Thus, the desire for color photography in machines of the foregoing type has created a need for a new and different processor having the greater flexibility and improved performance characteristics necessary for the satisfactory processing of color film.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In keeping with the foregoing, the general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved automatic process that is easily adaptible to virtually any desired sequency of operations and number of processing steps that might be required by a particular film strip, and specifically those steps required for color film processing wherein widely varying time intervals are used for different treating operations, and to achieve this flexibility and versatility in a commercially practical processor that is relatively simple and compact in construction, easy to service, trouble-free in operation, capable of processing several strips in close succession, and highly effective for the processing of color film or the like. I

More specifically, a preferred embodiment of the processor utilizes a pair of spaced track bars along which the film carriers are slidable, with devices for transferring carriers one by one from one bar to the other and then back to the first bar for a full loop system, with a dual drive for feeding each carrier along one bar relative to each processing tank in a lowered position at a feed rate and for a time interval selected for that particular tank, independent of the intervals required for other tanks, and for tranversing the car riers in a raised position between tanks, and including means for operating in timed relation with the feed drive to shift the carriers back and forth between the raised and lowered positions at appropriate times. Specific features of the invention reside in the construction and mounting of two lead screws forming the dual drive, in the ease of adapting the drive to a desired sequence, and in the simple and effective manner of agitating carriers in the liquids as an incident to the feeding of the carriers; the construction, mounting and movement of the carriers for alternate engagement with the dual drive members; the novel manner of transferring carriers between bars; and the unique operating arrangement for cooperating with the dual drive in moving the carriers from tank to tank in accordance with the selected timing, while minimizing the transfer of liquid with the film so as to prolong the effective chemical life.

The invention also resides in the novel manner of returning carriers along the second track preparatory to re-use; the construction of the processor to expedite and facilitate servicing; and the overall arrangement for maintaining positive control of each carrier at all times during the processing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the basic parts of an automatic processor embodying the novel features of the present invention, shown in combination with a photographic apparatus of the general type with which the processor may be used in a coin-operated machine.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view taken generally from the rear side of FIG. 1 and showing different positions and carriers along the processing path, in relation to the dual drive and the operating means.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-section taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. I, and showing alternate positions of the processing tanks and one of the transfer devices.

. FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of part of the tank arrangement as viewed from the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-section taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-section taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 7-7 of FIG. 1 and illustrating the film-raised and film-lowered positions of a carrier and a film holder thereon.

FIG. 8 is a broken-away fragmentary side elevation of the opposite side of the film holder shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a cross-section taken along the line 99 of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-section taken substantially along the line 10-10 of FIG. 1, with parts shown in moved positions.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary cross-section similar to part of FIG. 10 and illustrating the beginning of a transfer of a carrier at one end of the processor, immediately before the carrier is moved to the position shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is an elevational view taken from the rear side of the processor, in the direction of the arrow 12 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary end view from the left end in FIG. 12, as indicated by the line 13-13 thereof.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially in horizontal plane through the dual drive members, along the line 14-14 of FIG. 13, with central portions broken away.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the processor.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 16-16 of FIG. 15.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary plan view of the carrier shown in FIG. 16. v

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary crosssection taken from the side of the carrier as indicated by the line 18-18 of FIG. 17.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 11 with parts in moved positions illustrating the discharge of a processed film strip.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 20-20 of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is an elevational view of parts shown fragmentarily in FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a fragmentary perspective view of one section of the series of tanks, shown with the tank-supporting means and a servicing cover preparatory to removal of the tank section from the processor.

FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 are fragmentary cross-sections taken substantially along the line 2323 of FIG. 22 and illustrating different conditions of a latch for holding the cover on the tank section.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram of the fluid system and components thereof for operating the processor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRST EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration. the invention is embodied in an automatic film proces sor 40 for carrying an exposed film strip 41 (FIGS. 1 and 7-9) from a loading station at 42, step by step through a series of treating stations for the various steps involved in processing the film strip, and then to a discharge station at 43 for removal from the processor. As suggested previously, a primary use of such a processor is in coin-operated photographic machines of the type typically found in bus stations and other'public places for exposing, developing and delivering and direct-positive film strip in a completely automatic operation and entirely in response to the insertion of a coin of a selected denomination in the machine.

An illustrative photographic apparatus is shown at 44 in FIG. 1 as including a camera having a conventional lens-and-shutter apparatus 45 positioned beside a film strip 41 that extends downwardly from a supply roll 47 through a pair of feed rolls 48 and past the lens into a guide 49 provided with additional feed rolls 50, the two sets of feed rolls being driven by selectively operable motors 51 and 52 to draw the strip off the supply roll 47 preparatory to taking the pictures, and to feed the trip through the guide 49 to the loading station 42 of the processor 40 after the pictures have been taken. A reciprocating cut-off knife 53 is operated by a motor 54 to sever the exposed lower portion 41 from the supply strip after the pictures have been take, and a coin-actuated control mechanism, shown generally at 55, is provided to initiate and control the picture-taking operation.

Assuming that the lower end portion of the film strip is properly positioned relative to the lens, the insertion of a coin in the control mechanism 55 actuates the mechanism to initiate the automatic picture-taking sequence in a conventional manner. After a short time delay sufficient for the customer to position himself in front of the camera, the control mechanism actuates the camera through electrical lines 57 to expose the portion of the strip that is alined with the lens, and then energizes the feed motor 51 through electrical lines 58 and 59 to drive the rolls 48 and feed the strip downwardly by a preselected increment, thereby bringing an unexposed portion of the film into alinement with the lens. Usually, the control mechanism 55 is set to make two or more exposures, with appropriate film feeding between successive exposures.

Upon completion of the full number of exposures, the cut-off motor 54 is actuated through electrical lines 60 to reciprocate the knife 53 and sever the strip above the last exposure, thereby releasing the exposed portion for delivery to the loading station 42 through the guide 49. The feed rolls 50 are driven momentarily to discharge the severed strip through the guidewhile the rolls 48 are feeding a fresh portion into alinement with the lens preparatory to initiation of the next picturetaking sequence. The coin in the control mechanism 55 may be released at any appropriate time into a coinstorage box 61.

As shown generally in FIG. 1, the processor is housed in an open-sided box-like frame having upright end walls 62 and 63 connected by a bottom wall 64, and includes a plurality of tanks supported in a row, herein in a straight line, on the bottom wall to form the treating' stations through which each exposed film strip 41 is carried after being discharged from the photographic apparatus 44. Each tank has an open upper end through which the strips are lowered into and removed from the tank as they are moved sequentially from one tank to the next. To hold the strips, the processor includes at least one film carrier 65, and preferably several, for receiving strips one-by-one at the loading station 42, and has means supporting the carriers for movement along a path passing all of the tanks and controlling the motion of the carriers to dip each film strip successively into each of the treating tanks in moving along its path. Then, upon arrival of the carrier 7 at the discharge station 43, the developed strip is ready for removal from the carrier for delivery to the customer.

The construction and operation of the abovedescribed photographic apparatus 44 are well-known to those skilled in the art, and form no part of the present invention. Moreover, black-and-whit'e film strips from this general type of apparatus have been processed automatically for many years with satisfactory results. Existing commercial machines, however, have been limited to the taking and processing of black-and white pictures, primarily because of the state of color film technology and the complexity of the color-developing process, which requires more flexible and precise timing and careful chemical control than is required for black-and-white processing, and also requires materially different time intervals for different steps of the process. Accordingly, available automatic processors are basically unsatisfactory for the automatic processing of color film in machines of the foregoing general character.

GENERAL INTRODUCTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates a new and improved automatic processor 10 that is easily adaptible to any sequence of operations required for the processing of color film, including materially differing time intervals in different processing stations, and in which each film strip is advanced with independent sequential control permitting the simultaneous processing of several film strips in closely spaced relation so as to accommodate successive customers without need to delay until one strip has been processed before starting the processing of another. Moreover, the processor is easily programmed for one sequence of operations, may be changed readily to vary the sequence, is relatively simple in construction and trouble-free in operation, conserves processing chemicals for longer life and more effective operation between service calls,=and may be serviced in a novel manner with less difiiculty and in substantially less time than has been required with prior processors for blackand-white film. In short, the basic invention provides a highly versatile and effective processor that was designed to make color photography practical in commercial self-photography machines.

To the foregoing general ends, the basic elements of the processor 10 include a main track formed by an elongated horizontal bar 67 defining the path for the film carriers 65 past all of the processing tanks, dual drive means 68 and 69 operable to move each carrier along the bar past each of the tanks at a preselected feed rate for the particular tank, and to move the carrier between adjacent tanks at a selected traverse rate, and mechanism operable automatically at each tank to move the carrier into a film-lowered position for processing of the film through the tank at the selected feed rate, each carrier being moved automatically at the end of the selected processing interval into a filmraised position for traversing to the beginning of the next tank.

For the cyclical operation necessary in a completely automatic and repetitive process, the processor 10 also includes an elongated return track in the form of a bar that is spaced from the main track 67, automatic transfer devices 71 and 72 adjacent the exit and entrance ends of the main track for removing each carrier 65 from the main track and placing it on the return track 70 at the end of a sequence and returning carriers one-by-one to the main track upon demand, as required for the processing of film strips 41 discharged by the photographic apparatus 44, and drive means for moving the carrier along the return track from adjacent the exit end of the main track to adjacent the entrance end thereof. Thus, the processor defines a full loop circuit for film carriers and advances each carrier independently and automatically through the processing portion of the circuit with a preselected sequence of timed motions to accomplish the required processing operations before returning the carrier toward its starting point preparatory to re-use.

While the present invention pertains to an automatic processor that is adaptible for use with processes involving almost any sequence of time and varying operations, and thus is particularly well suited for film processing involving a number of operations performed under carefully controlled chemical conditions with meticulous timing of each critical treatment, it is not concerned with an actual sequence of operations to be used, the actual chemicals required, or the actual time interval for any operation. lnstead, the improved processor 10 is designed to be programmed simply and effectively to produce the sequence for a practical process, whatever its requirements may be, and to be adjusted easily to accommodate any later changes that may be deemed necessary as the technology changes.

With respect to the technology of color processing, it should suffice for present purposes to point out that a representative process may include immersion in one or more developers, in stop or hardening baths, as appropriate, in bleaching solutions, and in a wash or rinse after one or more of the other steps. The particular chemicals, times, washes and the like will vary with the nature of the emulsions of the particular direct-positive paper that is to be used. Herein, and for purposes of illustration only, a row of ten tanks is disposed in a temperature-controiling jacket 66 along the main track 67 for a hypothetical process comprising ten different treating steps, the tanks being of different sizes selected to fit the volume requirements of the various steps of the hypothetical process. The tanks are arranged so that they substantially fill the space between the two end walls 62 and 63, each film strip 41 being immersed in the first tank at the left very close to the loading station 42 beneath the guide 49 of the photographic apparatus 44 and progressing sequentially across the frame to the last tank at the right preparatory to being delivered to the customer.

THE MAIN TRACK AND THE CARRIERS As shown most clearly in FIGS. 1, 2 and 12, the bar 67 forming the main track is simply a smooth, cylindrical bar extending horizontally between the end walls 62 and 63 of the frame and fastened at its ends to the end walls, short coaxial sections 73 and 74 of the bar adjacent the ends being turned down to a reduced diameter for entry and exit purposes. To adapt the carriers 65 for sliding movement along the bar, each carrier has a body 75 of generally horseshoe-shaped cross-section, as viewed in a vertical plane and-shown most clearing in FIGS. 2, 17 and 18. This cross-section defines a seat having a part-cylindrical wall 77 for resting on and partially encircling the track bar, and a restricted entry slot 78 extending from the underside of the body into the part-cylindrical portion. This entry slot is narrower than the diameter of the bar but wider than the reduced-diameter sections 73 and 74 so as to permit the carriers 65 to be fitted onto and removed from the bar adjacent its ends. When on the bar, the carrier bodies are freely slidable along the bar and also are rotatable about the bar.

The film carrying portion of each carrier 65 is in the form of an elongated hollow holder 79 of basically conventional form, preferably composed of sheet metal and having an open upper end for receiving a film strip 41, herein through a funnel-like inlet 80 for guiding the strip into the holder. It will be seen in FIGS. 2 and 7-9 that the holder has at least partly open sidewalls spaced to lie on opposite sides of the strip while permitting the free circulation of developing chemicals through the holder in contact with the strip. Herein, one side of the holder is formed with inclined slots 81 separated by fins 82, and the other sidewall is open except for connecting tabs 83 as shown in FIG. 8. The film strip is held primarily adjacent its longitudinal edges as shown in FIG. 9, and preferably is lightly gripped within the holder to prevent accidental displacement as the holder is immersed in a treating tank.

To support the holder 79 on the carrier body 75, an elongated arm 83 is fastened at one end to the body and projects outwardly therefrom at a preselected angle, generally radially of the track bar 67, and the holder is suspended from a pivot 84 between the outer end of the arm and the upper end of the slotted sidewall of the holder. The film-lowered and film-raised positions of a carrier are shown in FIG. 7 in full and broken lines, respectively, the holder 79 being disposed within one of the tanks when the carrier 65 is turned to the filmlowered position, and being lifted to a level well above the tanks as the carrier is turned to the film-raised position. It will be seen that the two preferred angular positions of the carrier body producing these positions of the film holder are separated by an angle 85 (FIG. 7) of almost degrees.

The central portion 830 of each carrier arm 83 is an upwardly offset, right-angled bend, and the inner and outer portions of the arm, joined respectively to the body 75 and to the holder 79, are coaxially alined. This permits the arm to drop the holder substantially vertically into a tank between the two positions illustrated in FIG. 7, and provides central clearance between the arm and a rear tank wall in the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 7. Thus, some of the tanks may extend only part way rearwardly to the rearmost portion of the row of tanks to afford greater versatility in the arrangement of tanks for optimum relative volumes of the various baths, as shown by the first and seventh tanks in FIGS. 1 and 15, the rear walls 87 and 88 of these tanks being forwardly offset partitions.

THE DUAL DRIVE The dual drive means 68 and 69 for alternatively feeding and traversing each carrier 65 along the track bar 67 and two elongated lead screws which extend between the end walls 62 and 63 of the frame, parallel to the track bar 67, and are joumaled at their ends in the end walls. The feed screw 68 is spaced forwardly from the track bar, that is, generally between the latter and the row of treating tanks, and the traversing screw 69 is behind the track bar, both screws being disposed at a level somewhat below the level of the track bar.

On the feed screw 68 are a plurality of axially spaced helical thread sections (see FIG. 14) of differing pitches that are engaged to advance a carrier from left to right (FIGS; 1 and 15) along the screw and the track bar 67 at rates determined by the pitch of the particular section. In this manner, the feed rates can be varied in accordance with the needs of the various processing steps to produce materially differing time intervals for different steps without regard to the axial length of the tanks. Thus, the tanks may be sized in accordance with the volume requirements of the process, so that all of the chemicals will become substantially exhausted at the same time, after processing a given number of film strips, for optimum economy of operation. Where a relatively long interval is required in one tank, followed by a relatively short interval in the next tank, equal volumes of chemicals being required, thetanks may be of the same width, longitudinally of the track, and threads of similar length but materially different pitches may be used to provide the different intervals. Of course, variations in tank width also may be used in obtaining the desired time interval, particularly if volume requirements also are different.

Herein, the feed screw 68 comprises a central shaft 89 (FIG. 14) joumaled at its ends in anti-friction bearings 90 in the end walls 62 and 63 of the frame, with a series of tubular sleeves of selected lengths, corresponding generally to the tank widths, telescoped snugly onto the shaft between the end walls and abutting against each other in end-to-end relation, the helical flights of the screw thread sections being wrapped around and soldered to the outer sides of the tubular sleeves. The section 68a at the left end of the feed screw, the upper end as viewed in FIG. 14, has an end flange 91 formed by a washer that abuts against the frame wall 62, and has an opposite end 92 that abuts against an annular flange 93 on the next or second section 68b. Each successive section along the screw is similarly formed and mounted, so that the ends of each pair of adjacent sections are separated by an annular shoulder formed by one of the washers.

Adjacent the right end (FIG. 1) of the feed screw 68 is a snap ring 94 (FIG. 14) that is removably anchored to the screw shaft 89 and abuts against the last screw section 68n, wherein herein is a blank spacer sleeve formed without any screw flight. This end of the screw shaft extends through the bearing 90 in the end wall 63 and is rigidly attached to a gear 95 outside the wall for driving the screw. The opposite end of the screw shaft has a threaded end 97 outside the other end wall 62 with a nut 98 threaded on the shaft and tightened against the wall.

The traversing screw 69 is the same in basic construction, similar parts other than the screw sections being indicated in the drawings by the same, but primed, reference numerals. The first screw section 690 abuts against the end wall 62 and the bearing 90' therein, and the remainder of sections 69b-69n fill the space between the first section and a snap ring 95' on the screw shaft 89' adjacent the end wall 63, the last section 69n being a blank spacer. A drive gear 99 is fast on the shaft 89' outside the end wall 63 and preferably meshes on one side with the gear 95 so that the drive rates of the two lead screws are directly interrelated according to the ratio provided by the two gears. A third gear 100 also meshes with one of the drive gears to drive both screws, this gear being power-driven by a motor 101 (FIGS. -12 and 19) suitably mounted on the inner side of the end wall 63 with its shaft 102 projecting through the wall to the gear 100. A fan 103 on the opposite projecting end of the shaft circulates air within the frame.

With the lead screws 68 and 69 formed in the foregoing manner, the screw sections may be held on the shafts 89 and 89' entirely by the axial squeezing action of the nuts 98 and 98' which draw the shafts and the snap rings 94 and 94 toward the wall 62 to clamp the sections endwise into tight frictional engagement with each other. Accordingly, each thread section is removably telescoped onto its shaft and is readily removable therefrom for replacement in case a change in length or pitch (and therefore time interval) is deemed desirable. The result is a versatile and flexible dual drive system in which each segment of feeding and each segment of traversing may be tailored quickly and easily to the requirements of the process to be performed.

The engagement of the respective lead screws 68 and 69 with a carrier 65 to be moved along the track bar 67 is effected by two follower lugs 104 and 105 (see FIGS. 7 and 16-18) mounted on the carrier body 75 to interfit with the flights of the respective lead screws in the different angular positions of the body. Herein, the two lugs are formed onan end plate 107 fastened to one end of the body by screws 108, and are positioned so that the lug 104 projects generally forward and downward from the body toward the feed screw when the carrier is in the film-lowered or feed position, and the lug 105 projects generally rearward and downward toward the traversing screw when the carrier is in the film-raised or traversing position. Accordingly. each lug is movable into interfitting, engaged relation with the flights of its associated screw as an incident to turning of the carrier about the track bar between the two angularly spaced positions described.

It will be seen in FIG. 7 that the follower lug 104 of each carrier 65 rests on top of the feed screw 68 as the carrier advances along the track, the projection of the lug outwardly from the carrier being greater than the radial height of the screw flights. Advantage is taken of this arrangement to agitate the film holders 79 within the tanks for effective liquid circulation and exposure of the strips to the chemicals, all in an extremely simple manner as an incident to the axial feeding of the carrier. Specifically, the shaft 89 of the feed screw 68 is eccentrically mounted in the bearings 90 to produce an up-and-down camming action by the screw sections against the feed lug during each revolution of the feed screw. This camming action is applied through the feed lug to the carrier body 75 at a point spaced outwardly from the track bar 67, and thus cooperates with gravity to raise and lower the film holders continuously with a gentle, agitating motion that is effective to maintain motion between the film strip and the treating liquids.

" At the trailing end of each screw thread section on the feed screw 68 is a gap 109 (see FIG. 14) in the thread, separated from the next thread section by one of the shoulders 93 which, in effect, form stops for holding the feed lug 104 in a dwell position at the end of each feed section preparatory to rotation of the carrier 65 to the film-raised position for traversing the next tank. The leading end portion of each thread section of the traversing screw 69 is axially alined with or overlaps the dwell gap 109 in a feed section so as to receive the traversing lug 105 and initiate traversing of the carrier during such rotation. Similarly, the trailing end portion of each traversing screw section axially overlaps the leading end of the next feed section so as to move the carrier and the lug into alinement with the feed section before the carrier is rotated back to the feed position, and has a gap 109 for a dwell of the traversing lug adjacent a stop shoulder 93.

THE OPERATOR FOR ROTATING THE CARRIERS Turning or rotation of the carriers 65 between the two angularly spaced positions at the beginning and end of each timed interval is accomplished by mechanism including an operator 110 mounted on the frame for periodic movement between a raised, pick-up position and a lowered, traversing position, and engageable with a coupling abutment 111 on each carrier dwelling at the end of a feed section to shift the carrier from the film-lowered position to the film-raised position, thereby to terminate treating in one tank and initiate traversing of the carrier to the next tank. Moreover, the operator herein holds the carrier in the film-raised position during traversing, and returns it to the film-lowered position after the carrier has been moved into alinement with the next tank.

In this instance, the coupling abutment 111 on each carrier 65 is an upwardly facing surface on a plunger 112 (see FIG. 16) projecting rearwardly from the rear side of the carrier body 75, the plunger comprising a generally cylindrical sleeve telescoped over a rearward extension 8312 of the carrier arm 83 and secured thereto with a lost-motion connection formed by a pin 113 extending through alined holes in the sleeve and an elongated slot in the arm extension. A spring 114 is coiled around the arm extension 83b and compressed to urge the plunger rearward until the pin abuts against the rear end of the slot, thus holding the plunger yieldably in an extended position. The pin also prevents the plunger from turning about the extension and thereby holds the abutment surface 111 in an upwardly facing position, the rear end of the plunger sleeve being beveled at 115, downwardly and forwardly to form a cam surface on the plunger.

The operator 110 comprises an elongated operating bar 117 (see FIGS. 2, 12 and 14) parallel to the track bar 67 and of approximately the same length, means at the ends of the bar supporting the latter for up and down movement behind the track bar, preferably along an arc concentric-with the track bar, and a series of operating abutments I18 spaced apart along the operating bar for engagement with the coupling abutments 111 of the carriers at appropriate points along the track. The ends of the operating bar are fastened, as by welding, to the free ends of two parallel arms 119 each telescoped loosely at its other end over an enlargement on the end of the track bar so as to pivot in unison about the axis of the track bar. The length of the arms is such that the operating abutments 118 are spaced the same distance from the axis of the track bar as are the coupling abutments 111 on the carriers 65 moving along the track bar, and thus swing along the same are about the bar.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 2, l2 and 14, the operating abutments herein are downwardly facing, axially elongated shoulders on split sleeves 120 telescoped on the operating bar 117 and clamped adjustably in spaced positions thereon by means of screws connecting flanges on the two halves of each sleeve. When the clamping screws are loosened, the split sleeves may be slid to any selected longitudinal positions, according to the spacing of the thread sections on the tranversing screw 69, and then fixed in place, both angularly and longitudinally, by tightening the clamping screws. One abutment is provided for each transition from one tank to another.

To move the operating bar 117 up and down, a reciprocating actuator 121 (FIGS. 7, l2 and 25) is attached to the bar and operated on a timed basis providing a selected minimum treating cycle constituting one cycle of the operator, with longertreating cycles in multiples of the minimum cycle. Herein, the actuator is a fluid-powered cylinder disposed in an upright position with its lower end pivoted between two L-shaped brackets 122 on the bottom wall of the frame and with a piston rod 123 projecting upwardly out of its upper end to a pivot 124 approximately midway between the ends of the operating bar. The bar is disposed below the level of the two lead screws 68 and 69 in its lowered position and is almost directly above the traversing screw 69 in its raised position. These extreme positions are determined by stop plates 125 and 127 (see FIGS. 3, and 11) on each of end walls 62 and 63 engageable with the arms 119 of the operator. A spring 128 is stretched between the operating bar 117 and the upper portion of the frame to assist the cylinder in raising the bar.

The cylinder 121 is of the double-acting type and is controlled by a valve 129 (see FIGS. 3 and 25 through which fluid under pressure is admitted alternately to lines 130 and 131 leading to the opposite end portions of the cylinder. The condition of the valve is controlled by a solenoid 132 which is actuated by two timing motors 133 and 134 (FIGS. 12 and 28) to provide the minimum dwell of the operator in the raised position, for example, for a period on he order of two seconds, followed by a downstroke, a dwell in the lowered position for any selected interval sufficient for traversing, such as one second, and an upstroke to return the operator to the raised position. The timing motors control the dwell interval of the operator 110 in the raised position by maintaining the solenoid 132 deenergized with the valve 129 in the condition shown in full lines in FIG. 26 in which a pressure line 135 communicates with the line leading to the lower end of the cylinder 12] to maintain the piston rod 123 extended. After the timed interval, the solenoid is energized to shift the spool 137 of the valve to the right to the broken-line position in which the pressure line communicates with the line 131 leading to the upper end of the cylinder, thus retracting the piston rod to lower the operator 117. The selected interval for the lowered position is then timed before the solenoid is deenergized to return the valve spool to its full line position and thereby extend the piston rod and raise the operator.

Each operating abutment 118 is positioned along the operating bar 117 to engage the coupling abutment 111 on a plunger 112 of a carrier 65 dwelling on the track bar 67 at the end of a section of the feed screw 68 during a downstroke of the operator 110, thereby to swing the plunger down with the operator while turning the carrier about the track bar to the film-raised position, raising the film holder 79 out the tank wherein the treatment has been completed. It will be seen that this raising motion of each film holder is in a vertical plane and is free of any movement longitudinally of the track. This maintains the film holder momentarily above each tank from which it has been withdrawn so that the liquid from the tank has time to drain off the holder and the film strip 41 therein, and to fall back into the tank, thereby reducing the amount of such liquid that is carried to the next tank as contamination.

To control the movement of the film holders 79 as they are lifted out of the tanks during the downstrokes of the operator 110, the rate of flow of exhaust fluid out of the lower end of the cylinder 121 through the line 130 and the valve 129 is controlled, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27, by a restriction 138 formed by a manually adjustable needle valve 139 partially closing a bleed passage 140, and also by a regulating plunger 141 positioned by'the operator 117 and controlling the escape of fluid through a second bleed passage 142. Both of these bleed passages open into the valve bore 143 adjacent the solenoid 132 so as to receive exhaust fluid from the line 130 when the spool 137 is in the dottedline position to deliver air from the pressure line 135 to the line 131 leading to the upper end. Thus, the combined flow areas of these two bleed passages control the rate of downward movement of the operator 110 and the accompanying upward movement of the film holders 79.

Claims (52)

1. An automatic film processor having, in combination: a box-like frame having spaced upright end walls and a bottom wall; a cylindrical track bar extending horizontally between said end walls above said bottom wall and having reduced diameter end portions adjacent said end walls forming an entry end for said track bar adjacent one end wall and an exit end for the track bar adjacent the other end wall; a series of tanks disposed side by side in a row along said bottom wall and having open upper ends spaced apart longitudinally of said track bar; a return bar spaced above said track bar and having free ends spaced from said end walls to leave gaps overlying said reduced-diameter portions; means supporting said return bar on said frame, including a rib narrower than the return bar connected to the underside thereof; a plurality of carriers having bodies formed with openings shaped to fit around said bars and support the carriers slidably on the bars, arms projecting outwardly from said bodies to overhang said tanks, and holders on said arms for film strips to be processed through said tanks; said bodies being rotatable about said track bar between spaced angular positions to lower said holders into said tanks in one angular position and to raise the holders above the tanks in the other angular position, said carriers normally being stored in a row on said return bar; first and second transfer arms pivoted on said end walls to swing about axes parallel to, and equidistant from, said bars, said transfer arms having means thereon for transferring carriers from said return bar to said track bar at said entry end for processing of a film strip along the track bar, and for transferring carriers back to said return bar at said exit end after such processing; an elongated feed screw extending along one side of said track bar and having a series of axially spaced feed screw sections thereon of differing pitches, each of said sections being positioned to feed carriers past one of said tanks; an elongated traversing screw extending along the other side of said track bar and having axially spaced traversing screw sections thereon spanning the spaces between the adjacent ends of said feed screw sections and between said tanks; follower means on said carrier bodies for engaging said feed screw when said bodies are in said one angular position and engaging said traVersing screw when said bodies are in said other position; means operating on a timed sequence to shift each carrier on said track bar to said one angular position at the leading end of each of said feed screw sections to feed said holders through said tanks, and to said other angular position at the trailing end of each feed screw section for traversing of said holders between tanks, thereby cooperating with said screws to advance each carrier along said track bar and move the holder of the carrier through successive tanks along said path; and means for returning carriers along said return bar for reuse.

2. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 in which said transfer arms have saddles of arcuate cross-section projecting laterally from their free end portions and movable onto said reduced-diameter portions for transfers to and from said track bar, said saddles being movable into said gaps in axial alinement with said return bar for transfers to and from the latter.

3. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 2 in which said transfer arms and said carriers have opposed surfaces for holding the carriers in a preselected angular position during the transfers.

4. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 3 in which one of said screws has end sections for feeding carriers off one saddle and onto said track bar at said entry end, and off said track bar and onto the other saddle at said exit end.

5. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 4 in which said carriers are transferred to and from said track bar with said bodies in said other angular position, and said traversing screw has said end sections for feeding the carriers to and from said saddles.

6. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 2 including a fluid-activated operator for moving said first transfer arm back and forth between said bars at said entry end, and further including a gate mechanism for mechanically blocking movement of said first arm from a raised position adjacent said return bar and actuated with said operator to release the first arm for movement toward said entry end, whereby said gate mechanism maintains said first arm in said raised position when said operator is deactivated.

7. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 2 in which said second transfer arm is movable between said exit end and the overlying end of said return bar, and has means thereon for holding said carrier against downward rotation during the transfer motion, and further including a discharge device disposed above the position of the holders adjacent the upper end of said transfer motion to receive the upper ends of film strips prior to movement of the carriers off the saddle and onto said return bar.

8. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 7 further including a stop engageable with each carrier adjacent the upper end of said transfer motion and operable to rotate the carriers to swing the holders upwardly as the transfer motion is completed, thereby to raise each film strip into said discharge device.

9. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 in which said feed screw comprises a central shaft journaled on said frame for rotation alongside said track bar, a plurality of tubular sleeves telescoped onto said shaft in end-to-end relation with said feed screw sections on said sleeves, and means holding said sleeves on said shaft for rotation therewith.

10. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 9 further including an annular shoulder between each pair of adjacent sleeves forming a stop for limiting movement of said follower means at the end of each feed screw section, the latter terminating short of the shoulder to permit the carriers to dwell relative to said feed screw.

11. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 in which said follower means include a lug on each carrier body radially spaced from said track bar and riding against said feed screw when the body is in said one angular position on the track bar with the holder in one of said tanks, said feed screw being arranged to shift said follower lug radially in and out thereby to agitate the holder up and down in the tank as the holder is fed through the tank.

12. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 11 in which said feed screw is eccentrically journaled on said frame to act through said follower lug in agitating said holder up and down during each revolution of the feed screw.

13. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 in which said operating means include a plurality of operating abutments spaced apart longitudinally of said track bar on one side thereof and supported for back and forth movement in unison in planes generally perpendicular to the track bar, one of said abutments being provided for each space between two adjacent tanks, power-operated means for moving said abutments periodically back and forth through active and return strokes between two spaced positions, and a coupling abutment on each of said carriers positioned to be engaged by one of said operating abutments during said active strokes when the carrier is at the end of one of said feed screw sections and to be moved about said track bar in a manner to shift the carrier body to said other angular position, said coupling abutments being disposed between adjacent operating abutments when said follower means are engaged with one of said feed screw sections.

14. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 13 in which said abutments are supported on an elongated operating bar mounted for oscillation about the longitudinal axis of said track bar in parallel therewith between raised and lowered positions on the side of said track bar remote from said holders, and said coupling abutments are spaced outwardly from said track bar to be disposed under successive abutments when the operating bar is in said raised position, thereby to be lowered and to raise the holder on the carrier as said operating bar is moved through said active stroke to said lowered position.

15. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 13 in which each of said carriers has a plunger projecting outwardly from one side thereof to move into the paths of successive operating abutments as the carrier moves along said track bar, the outer end portion of said plunger carrying the coupling abutment on one side of the plunger and being spring-urged outwardly, said plunger and said operating abutments having coacting cam surfaces causing said plungers to yield inwardly to permit the operating abutments to pass the plungers in moving in one direction into position to engage the coupling abutments.

16. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 13 in which said power-operated means include a power actuator, means controlling the actuator to cause said operating abutments to dwell for a first preselected time interval in one of said spaced positions before being moved through said active stroke, and also controlling the actuator to cause said operating abutments to dwell for a second preselected time interval in the other of said spaced positions before being moved through said return stroke.

17. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 16 further including means controlling the active strokes of said operating abutments to cause the latter to pause momentarily with the holder of a carrier above a tank before completing said active stroke, thereby to permit drainage of liquid back into a tank before engaging said traversing screw and advancing the holder into alinement with the next tank.

18. An automatic film processer as defined in claim 17 in which said means for controlling said active strokes also cause the actuator to complete the active strokes with a snap action after the momentary dwell, thereby to shake the holders to separate any drops of liquid clinging thereto.

19. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 in which said tanks are joined together to form at least one tank unit comprising a plurality of tanks, and further including: means supporting said tank unit for movement on said frame between a treating position generally beneath said track bar and a servicing position spaced laterally from said treating position, a cover adapted to be placed over said tank unit and having a lifting handle thereon, and means for releasably securing said cover to said unit in order to lift the latter out of said frame during servicing of said processor.

20. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 19 in which said tank-supporting means include a slide movable between said treating and servicing positions, and a temperature-controlling jacket on said slide having an open upper side for receiving said tank unit into said jacket.

21. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 further including a cam track extending along said return bar in spaced relation therewith, and a follower roller on each of said carriers engageable with said cam track to hold the carrier in a preselected angular position about said return bar during movement thereon, said cam track extending at least partially across said gaps to maintain said carriers in said preselected angular position as the carriers are moved onto and off of said transfer arms.

22. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 in which said means for returning carriers along said return bar includes a conveyor movable along said return bar, an abutment on said conveyor engageable with each carrier moved to said return bar by said second transfer arm and operable to slide the carrier along said bar toward said first transfer arm, and means for driving said conveyor to feed successive carriers off said second transfer arm in response to the transfers of carriers to said return bar.

23. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 22 in which said conveyor is of the endless type having a run extending along said return bar to move said abutment along the return bar, from an out-of-the-way position spaced from the end of said return bar overlying said exit end, to the other end of the return bar, and including a reversible motor for driving said conveyor.

24. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 23 further including means responsive to the transfer of a carrier to said return bar to activate said motor and shift the carrier onto the return bar, and then to reverse the motor to move said abutment back to said out-of-the-way position.

25. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 24 further including means operable on demand to activate said motor to shift all carriers along said return bar until a carrier is fed off the return bar onto said first transfer arm, and then to reverse the motor to return said abutment back to said out-of-the-way position.

26. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 further including a third bar disposed between said track bar and said return bar and supported on said frame with its ends free and alined with the ends of said return bar, a second series of tanks in a row along said third bar, second feed and traversing screws extending along said third bar, second operating means for shifting carriers between said angular positions on said third bar, and means for transferring carriers between said third bar and the other two bars, whereby the carriers are processed along two levels through two rows of tanks.

27. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 26 in which the axes of said transfer arms are equidistant from all three bars, whereby the arms are swingable into alinement with each bar to serve as said means for transferring carriers to and from said third bar.

28. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 1 in which at least one of said tanks has means partially covering the open upper end of the tank, said covering means defining a limited open area for admitting the film holders downwardly into the tank, a limited open area for removal of the holders from the tank, and a connecting open area for movement of the holders betwEen said open areas during feeding of the carriers by said feed screw.

29. An automatic film processor as defined in claim 28 in which said covering means comprise insets attached to the upper end portion of said one tank.

30. An automatic film processor having, in combination: a frame including spaced, upright end walls; a plurality of film carriers; an elongated, substantially straight, track bar supported on said frame and defining a predetermined path for said carriers; each of said carriers having a body movable along said bar and also rotatable relative thereto, an arm projecting outwardly from said body to move between film-raised and film-lowered positions during rotation of said body between first and second angular positions about said bar, and means on said arm for holding film to be processed; a series of tanks supported on said frame between said end walls for treating film on one of said carriers when the arm thereof is in said film-lowered position; an elongated feed screw extending along said bar and having feed sections engageable with a carrier thereon when the feed screw body of the carrier is in said first position, said feed screw acting, when engaged, to advance carriers along each of said feed sections at a preselected feed rate; an elongated traversing screw extending along said bar and engageable with a carrier thereon when the body of the carrier is in said second position, said traversing screw acting, when engaged, to advance carriers along said bar at a preselected traversing rate; means for rotating the body of each carrier on said bar back and forth between said first and second positions in accordance with a timed sequence, thereby alternately engaging said feed screw while disengaging said traversing screw for movement of a carrier at a feed rate in said film-lowered position, and then disengaging said feed screw while engaging said traversing screw for movement of said carrier at said traversing rate in said raised position; and mechanism for delivering carriers one by one and upon demand to one end of said bar for processing of a film along the bar, removing each carrier adjacent the other end of the bar after such processing, and storing said carriers off the bar preparatory to re-use.

31. A film processor as defined in claim 30 in which said feed screw has a plurality of first screw sections thereon having screw threads of differing pitches to advance said carriers along the various sections at rates differing in accordance with said pitches.

32. A film processor as defined in claim 31 in which the screw threads of said sections are axially separated whereby said carrier is advanced along each section to the end thereof, and then dwells at the end until said body is rotated to said second position.

33. A film processor as defined in claim 32 in which said traversing screw has screw threads spanning the separations between said sections to become engaged as said body is rotated to said second position and thereby to traverse each carrier from the end of each first section to the beginning of the next first section.

34. A film processor as defined in claim 32 in which the screw threads of said traversing screw are axially separated second screw sections extending between the adjacent ends of adjacent first sections whereby said carrier is traversed across the separations in said first screw and then dwells at the end of a second section until said body is rotated to said first position.

35. A film processor as defined in claim 34 in which said rotating means comprise: a coupling abutment on each carrier spaced radially from said bar and angularly movable between third and fourth positions as said body turns between said first and second positions; an operator movable from a pick-up position to a traversing position and engageable with said abutments during such movement, when the abutments are at the ends of said first sections, to shift the same from said foUrth position to said third position thereby to turn said body from said second position to said first position in order to raise said arm and engage the carrier with said traversing screw; said operator acting upon movement back to said pick-up position to shift said abutments from said third position back to said fourth position when the abutments are at the end of said second sections; and means for moving said operator back and forth between said pick-up position and said traversing position in accordance with said timed sequence.

36. A film processor as defined in claim 35 in which said operator comprises a plurality of axially spaced operating abutments axially alined with said second screw sections to span the separations between said first screw sections and remain in engagement with said coupling abutments during traversing of said carrier and during movement of one of said bodies from said second position to said first position, said operating abutments being supported for back and forth movement in unison between said pick-up and traversing positions.

37. A film processor as defined in claim 36 in which the coupling abutments are supported on said bodies to yield around said operating abutments as said operator moves to said pick-up position and to move the bodies to said second position and back to said first position as said operator moves from said pick-up position to said traversing position and back.

38. A film processor as defined in claim 36 in which said coupling abutments are surfaces on plungers slidably mounted on said bodies and spring-urged outwardly to extended positions, said plungers and said operator having coacting cam surfaces for shifting said plungers inwardly to permit the operator to pass the plungers to said pick-up position in order to engage said coupling abutments and move the latter from said fourth position to said third position.

39. A film processor as defined in claim 30 in which said mechanism includes a return bar spaced above and generally parallel to said track bar with ends generally overlying the ends of said track bar, and automatic transfer devices adjacent the ends of said bars for transferring carriers to said track bar upon demand and to said return bar upon completion of processing of a film along said path.

40. A film processor as defined in claim 39 in which said return bar is supported on said frame between its ends by means of an element engaging one side of the bar, said carrier bodies being generally horseshoe-shaped in cross-section so as to slide along said return bar and said supporting element.

41. A film processor as defined in claim 40 in which said track bar has a portion of reduced thickness at each end for receiving said bodies, and said transfer devices include members movable vertically between said bars between positions on top of said reduced-thickness portions to positions alined with the ends of said return bar thereby to receive a carrier from one bar and deliver the carrier to the other bar.

42. A film processor as defined in claim 41 in which one of said screws has end sections for sliding carriers from one transfer device onto said track bar at one end and off the track bar to the other transfer device at the other end.

43. A film processor as defined in claim 41 in which said members are supported on arms having free end portions swingable about axes equidistant from corresponding ends of the bars thereby to swing each member back and forth between the bars.

44. A film processor as defined in claim 39 in which said mechanism includes a conveyor extending along said return bar and operable in response to delivery of carriers to the return bar from said track bar to shift the carriers onto the return bar and then slide the carriers along the return bar.

45. An automatic processor having, in combination: a frame; at least one carrier for holding an article to be processed; means on said frame forming a plurality of upwardly opening treatIng compartments for said article, said compartments being arranged side by side in a row; an elongated track supported on said frame to extend along said row, said carrier being movable along said track and also swingable relative thereto between raised and lowered positions, said carrier supporting said article within said compartments in said lowered position and above the compartments in said raised position; first and second drive members extending along said track and alternately engageable with said carrier, said first member engaging said carrier in said lowered position to feed the article within a compartment, and said second member engaging said carrier in said raised position to traverse said carrier between compartments; said first member having means thereon for moving said article through different compartments at different rates; means responsive to the arrival of said carrier at the end of each compartment to shift the carrier to said raised position and into engagement with said second member; and means responsive to movement of the carrier by said second member into alinement with each successive compartment to shift the carrier into said lowered position and into engagement with said first member.

46. An automatic film processor having, in combination: a frame; a plurality of carriers; means forming an elongated, generally horizontal first slide track defining a path for said carriers and having entrance and exit ends; means on said frame forming a plurality of treatment stations along said path; means spaced vertically from said first track and forming an elongated second slide track defining a return path for said carriers from said exit and back to said entrance end; said carriers being slidable forwardly along said first track and reversely along said second slide track and being storable on said second slide track; first transfer means adjacent said entrance end for moving carriers one-by-one from said second slide track to said entrance end; second transfer means adjacent said exit end for moving said carriers one-by-one from said first slide track to said second slide track; loading means for placing film to be processed on said carriers adjacent said entrance end; means operable to move each carrier independently along said first slide track through a plurality of film processing stations in accordance with a prearranged sequence of motions thereby to process the film on each carrier; unloading means for removing processed film from said carriers adjacent said exit end; and means for moving said carriers reversely along said second slide track toward said entrance end preparatory to re-use.

47. An automatic processor for advancing a film strip through successive tanks containing processing liquids, said processor having, in combination: a frame; at least one carrier having means thereon for holding a film strip to be processed; means on said frame forming a track for movement of said carrier past said tanks and also supporting said carrier for rotation about said track between first and second angular positions, said holding means moving from a lowered position to a raised position as the carrier is rotated from said first position to said second position thereby to raise the film strip out of a tank; drive means for advancing said carrier along said track in said first angular position and traversing the carrier between successive tanks in said second angular position; and means for rotating the carrier in a timed sequence back and forth between said angular positions, said rotating means including an operator engageable with said carrier while the latter is in said first angular position and operable to rotate the carrier to said second angular position preparatory to traversing to another tank, and means controlling said operator during such rotation first to delay movement of the carrier momentarily through an intermediate position to aLlow time for draining of liquids, and then to snap the carrier into said second position to shake remaining liquid therefrom.

48. An automatic processor as defined in claim 47 in which said carrier is disengaged from said drive means in said intermediate position for draining of liquid into the tank from which the holding means have been raised, and is engaged with said drive means after being snapped to said second position whereby liquid shaken from the holding means also falls back to the same tank.

49. An automatic processor as defined in claim 48 in which said drive means include separate drive members for advancing said carrier in said first and second angular positions, said drive members being disengaged while said carrier is between said positions.

50. An automatic processor as defined in claim 49 in which said operator is moved periodically back and forth through active and return strokes, said rotating means also including means for holding said operator at the ends of said strokes for preselected, timed intervals.

51. An automatic processor as defined in claim 50 in which said operator is an elongated bar movable back and forth through active and return strokes, in parallel with said track, by a reciprocating fluid actuator, and said control means include a valve variably regulating the fluid flow for said actuator in accordance with the position of said operator along said active stroke, restricting said flow momentarily as said operator moves through said intermediate position for delayed motion, and releasing the restriction for the remainder of said active stroke to snap the carrier to said second position.

52. An automatic processor as defined in claim 51 in which said operator is formed with spaced abutments thereon engageable with said carrier after the latter has been driven to the end of each of said tanks by said drive means, said valve having a flow regulator moved by said operator during said active stroke to control said flow as an incident to movement of said operator.

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