Feeder for feeding photosensitive material

• US 4,928,897 A
• Filed: 01/18/1989
• Issued: 05/29/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Satou, Hiroyuki, Ookawa, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Jillions, John M.
• Application Number:
  US07/298,600
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 242/55, 242/55.53, 242/67.1 R, 242/198, 226/90, 355/72, 355/73, 355/74
• US Class Current: 242/564.4
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 27/588 Supply rolls; Cutting arrangements

Abstract

A magazine body accommodating a photosensitive material is loaded into a processor of a photo-printing device. The magazine body incorporates a pair of rollers for seizing a mid-portion of the photosensitive material, the rollers being separated from each other when feeding the material to the processor. When loading the magazine into the processor, the material is completely stored inside the magazine body. After loading the magazine, input rollers mounted on a light shielding cover of the processor are rotated while being pressed. At this time, the pair of rollers approach each other to seize the photosensitive material. Subsequently, the rollers rotate to feed the material to the processor.

Claims

1. A feeder, incorporated into a photosensitive material processor of a printing device, for feeding a photosensitive material to the printing device, said feeder comprising:

(a) a magazine body accommodating said photosensitive material therein and being formed with a take-out port for feeding out said photosensitive material;

(b) a pair of rollers, provided in said magazine body, for imparting a driving force while sezing a mid-portion of said photosensitive material;

(c) biasing means for separating one roller of said pair of rollers from the other roller of said pair of rollers; and

(d) driving force conveying means, partially exposed to the outside of said magazine body, for selectively displacing said one roller close to said other roller by applying pressing and rotational forces from outside of said magazine body to said pair of rollers, and for feeding out said photosensitive material from said take-out port by moving said photosensitive material while seizing said material, whereby said photosensitive material is totally stored in said magazine body before loading said magazine into said photosensitive material processor, thus preventing exposure of said photosensitive material to light to thus avoid the generation of unnecessary fogging in said photosensitive material.

2. The feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said driving force conveying means includes input rollers, whose outer periphery is partially exposed to the outside of said magazine body, used for imparting the pressing and rotational forces of an operator.

3. The feeder as set forth in claim 2, wherein said one roller and said other roller each comprise a shaft, and said shaft of said one roller is arranged to move toward said shaft of said other roller by said operator imparting a pressing force, and one of said rollers is placed close to the other by the movement of said shaft.

4. The feeder as set forth in claim 3, wherein said one roller and said other roller each further comprise a gear, wherein said gear fixed to said one roller meshes with said gear fixed to said other roller, thereby conveying an input rotational force to one of said rollers.

5. The feeder as set forth in claim 4, wherein said shaft of one of said rollers penetrates said magazine body, and said gear is fixed to the tip of said shaft passing therethrough.

6. The feeder as set forth in claim 5, wherein said shaft is provided with a hindering means for hindering the rotation in a draw-in direction of said photosensitive material in a state where the end of said photosensitive material is led into said magazine body.

7. The feeder as set forth in claim 6, wherein said hindering means includes a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft and a stopping pawl for hindering the rotation of said shaft by engaging with said ratchet wheel.

8. The feeder as set forth in claim 7, wherein said stopping pawl is axially supported on said other shaft, and the tip of said stopping pawl is biased toward said photosensitive material held between the pair of rollers, thereby engaging with said ratchet wheel during times when said stopping pawl does not contact said photosensitive material.

9. The feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said driving force conveying means conveys the rotational force to a rolled portion of said photosensitive material, and biases said rolled portion in the winding direction when retracting said photosensitive material.

10. The feeder as set forth in claim 9, wherein the driving force is conveyed via a roller shaft of one roller of said pair of rollers to said rolled portion of said photosensitive material.

11. The feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein interposed between said pair of rollers and a rolled portion of said photosensitive material is seizing means for seizing said mid-portion of said photosensitive material by a biasing force in such a state that when the top of said material is drawn into said magazine body said seizing means being for holding the top of said material in a seizable position with said pair of rollers for a next feed-out operation.

12. The feeder as set forth in claim 11, wherein said seizing means includes a pair of rollers, and when said photosensitive material increases in tension, said one roller undergoing no large amount of tension is pressed against said another roller undergoing a large amount of tension by the biasing force.

13. The feeder as set forth in claim 1, wherein said take-out port is provided with shutters each opened by a driving force imparted from the outside of said magazine body, said shutters functioning to shield light from entering a cavity defined by said magazine body through said take-out port while in a closed state.

14. The feeder as set forth in claim 13, further comprising interlocking means for closing said shutters by opening a light shielding cover of said photosensitive material processor.

15. The feeder as set forth in claim 14, further comprising biasing means for biasing said shutters in such a direction as to close said take-out port, said shutters being opened by the force for closing said light shielding

16. The feeder as set forth in claim 13, further comprising connecting means connected by closing said light shielding cover and being interposed in mechanical connection with said shutters, and operating means mounted on said light shielding cover of said photosensitive material processor for operating said shutters.

17. A feeder, incorporated into a photosensitive material processor of a photo-printing device, for feeding a photosensitive material to this processor, said feeder comprising:

(a) a magazine body accommodating a rolled photosensitive material therein and being formed with a take-out port for drawing out the end of said photosensitive material led from said rolled photosensitive material;

(b) shutters, provided at said take-out port, for shielding the inside of said magazine body at the time of closing, and for permitting passage of said photosensitive material at the time of opening, and

(c) interlocking means, interposed between a light shielding cover of said processor and said shutters, for opening said shutters by a driving force, whereby said magazine storing all said photosensitive material, is loaded into said processor or dismounted therefrom while totally containing and shielding said photosensitive material from light, thus eliminating unnecessary fogging caused on said photosensitive material.

18. The feeder as set forth in claim 17, further comprising biasing means for biasing said shutters in the closing direction of said take-out port, wherein a force for closing said light shielding cover is conveyed and utilized as a force for opening said shutters.

19. The feeder as set forth in claim 18, wherein said light shielding cover includes means, connected to said shutters by closing said light shielding cover, for inputting an operating force by an operator.

20. A feeder, incorporated into a photosensitive material processor of a printing device, for feeding a photosensitive material to said printing device, said feeder comprising:

(a) a magazine accommodating said photosensitive material therein and being formed with a take-out port for feeding out said photosensitive material;

(b) a pair of rollers, provided in said magazine body, for imparting a driving force while seizing a mid-portion of said photosensitive material;

(c) biasing means for separating one roller of said pair of rollers from the other roller of said pair of rollers;

(d) photosensitive material mid-portion seizing means, disposed between said rollers and a photosensitive material rolled portion, for holding said photosensitive material in a position suitable for a next feedout between said rollers even after releasing a photosensitive material seizing force of said rollers; and

(e) driving force conveying means, partially exposed to the outside of said magazine body, for selectively displacing said one roller close to said other roller by applying pressing and rotational forces from the outside of said magazine body to said rollers and for feeding out said photosensitive material from said take-out port by moving said photosensitive material while seizing said material, whereby said photosensitive material is totally accommodated in said magazine body before loading said magazine into said photosensitive material processor, thus preventing exposure of said photosensitive material to light to thus avoid generation of unnecessary fogging of said photosensitive material.

21. The feeder as set forth in claim 20, wherein said seizing means includes a pair of rollers, and when said photosensitive material increases in tension, said one roller undergoing no large amount of tension is pressed against said another roller undergoing the large amount of tension by a biasing force.

22. The feeder as set forth in claim 20, wherein said one roller comprises a roller shaft which is provided with hindering means for hindering the rotation in a draw-in direction of said photosensitive material in a state where the top of said material is pulled into said magazine body.

23. The feeder as set forth in claim 22, wherein said hindering means includes a ratchet wheel fixed to said roller shaft of said one roller, and a stopping pawl for hindering the rotation of said roller shaft by engaging with said ratchet wheel.

24. The feeder as set forth in claim 23, wherein said other roller comprises a roller shaft having said stopping pawl axially supported thereon, and the tip of said stopping pawl is biased along a movement trajectory of said photosensitive material, thereby engaging with said ratchet wheel during times when said stopping pawl does not contact said photosensitive material.