Film changer
First Claim
1. A medical film-processing device for an x-ray apparatus, which comprises:
- a medical film exposure device for holding a sheet of film during an exposure operation;
a cassette, which includes no film driving mechanism, for receiving successively exposed films from the film exposure device, the cassette including a guide plate disposed in the cassette and formed into an inwardly spiraling configuration having an outer open end and an inner end, such that an initial film fed into the open end of the spiraling configuration and fed along an interior surface of the guide plate assumes a configuration corresponding to that of the guide plate, and subsequently received films each nest in spiral relationship inside a respective previously received film, to facilitate storage of the films; and
film feeding means in the film exposure device for feeding each of the exposed films from the film exposure device into the cassette and along a path essentially parallel to the interior surface of the guide plate after exposure of the film.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is a film feeding mechanism for use during medical x-ray techniques, particularly angiography. Sheets of film are fed sequentially at high speed from a film magazine into a film exposure device, and then into a film receiving cassette, in a manner so as to reduce damage to the films, including the build-up and discharge of static charge on the films. In the film exposure device, a free-floating lower clamping assembly clamps each film against an upper clamping assembly from the center of the film progressively outward towards its leading and trailing ends, to eliminate wrinkling of the film. The upper clamping assembly is of thin construction so as to enable the locating of an object being x-rayed closely adjacent the x-ray film, to produce x-rays of exceptionally high resolution. Feed-in wheels and pinch rollers drivingly engage one of the exposed films after an exposure operation prior to the film being engaged by feed-out wheels and pinch rollers, so as to buckle or peel the exposed film away from the upper clamping assembly and thereby precluding sticking of the film to the assembly. An optical type indicia forming device, including an electronic display, produces readily readable white indicia on the films on a dark background. A film-receiving cassette, including a spirally arranged inner guide plate, receives and stores exposed films in a relatively small space for subsequent developing.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A medical film-processing device for an x-ray apparatus, which comprises:
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a medical film exposure device for holding a sheet of film during an exposure operation; a cassette, which includes no film driving mechanism, for receiving successively exposed films from the film exposure device, the cassette including a guide plate disposed in the cassette and formed into an inwardly spiraling configuration having an outer open end and an inner end, such that an initial film fed into the open end of the spiraling configuration and fed along an interior surface of the guide plate assumes a configuration corresponding to that of the guide plate, and subsequently received films each nest in spiral relationship inside a respective previously received film, to facilitate storage of the films; and film feeding means in the film exposure device for feeding each of the exposed films from the film exposure device into the cassette and along a path essentially parallel to the interior surface of the guide plate after exposure of the film. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A cassette which includes no film driving mechanism, for receiving successively exposed films from a film exposure device, which comprises:
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a housing having a film-receiving feed-in portion; and a guide plate formed into an inwardly spiraling configuration having an outer open end and an inner end, such that an initial film fed into the open end of the spiraling configuration and fed along an interior surface of the spiral guide plate assumes a configuration corresponding to that of the guide plate, and subsequently received films each nest in spiral relationship inside a respective previously received film, to facilitate storage of the films. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A medical film-processing device for an x-ray apparatus, which comprises:
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a medical film exposure device for holding a sheet of film during an exposure operation; a cassette, which includes no film driving mechanism, for receiving successively exposed films from the film exposure device, the cassette including guide means disposed in the cassette and having arcuate interior surface means for guiding films fed into the cassette from the exposure device, the arcuate interior surface means forming an inwardly facing, coil-shaped configuration having an outer open end and an inner end, such that an initial film fed into the open end of the coil-shaped configuration and fed along the arcuate interior surface means of the guide means assumes a coil-shaped configuration corresponding to that of the surface means, and subsequently received films each nest in coiled relationship inside a respective previously received film, to facilitate storage of the films; and film feeding means in the film exposure device for feeding each of the exposed films from the film exposure device into the cassette and along a path essentially parallel to the arcuate interior surface means of the guide means after exposure of the film. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A cassette which includes no film driving mechanism, for receiving successively exposed films from a film exposure device, which comprises:
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a housing having a film-receiving feed-in portion; and guide means disposed in the cassette and having arcuate interior surface means for guiding films fed into the cassette, the arcuate interior surface means forming an inwardly facing, coil-shaped configuration having an outer open end and an inner end, such that an initial film fed into the open end of the coil-shaped configuration and fed along the arcuate interior surface means of the guide means assumes a configuration corresponding to that of the surface means, and subsequently received films each nest in coiled relationship inside a respective previously received film, to facilitate storage of the films in a compact area. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A medical film-processing device for an x-ray apparatus, which comprises:
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a medical film exposure device for holding a sheet of film during an exposure operation; a cassette for receiving successively exposed films from the film exposure device, the cassette including guide means disposed in the cassette and having arcuate interior surface means for guiding films fed into the cassette from the exposure device, the arcuate interior surface means forming an inwardly facing, smooth and essentially continuous coil-shaped configuration having an outer open end and an inner end, such that an initial film fed into the open end of the coil-shaped configuration and fed along the arcuate interior surface means of the guide means assumes a coil-shaped configuration corresponding to that of the surface means, and subsequently received films each nest in coiled relationship inside a respective previously received film, to facilitate storage of the films; and film feeding means in the film exposure device for feeding each of the exposed films from the film exposure device into the cassette and along a path essentially parallel to the arcuate interior surface means of the guide means after exposure of the film. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A cassette for receiving successively exposed films from a film exposure device, which comprises:
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a housing having a film-receiving feed-in portion; and guide means disposed in the cassette and having arcuate interior surface means for guiding films fed into the cassette, the arcuate interior surface means forming an inwardly facing, smooth and essentially continuous coil-shaped configuration having an outer open end and an inner end, such that an initial film fed into the open end of the coil-shaped configuration and fed along the arcuate interior surface means of the guide means assumes a configuration corresponding to that of the surface means, and subsequently received films each nest in coiled relationship inside a respective previously received film, to facilitate storage of the films in a compact area. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification