Pako Corporation

Armer J Willenbring

Warren J Osby

James W Gausman

Charles L Euteneuer

Gerald A Jensen

Gerald R Strunc

A photographic slide mounter cuts photographic film transparencies from a photographic film strip and inserts the transparencies into slide frames. The slide mounter includes a slide advance device which advances a slide frame from a slide holder along a slide track to a position where an insertion opening in the slide frame is widened. The film strip is advanced by a film advance device, which inserts the transparency into the insertion opening in the slide frame. The transparency is then severed from the strip by a knife. As the next slide is advanced from the slide holder along the slide track, it ejects the previous slide. During ejection of the previous slide, the severed transparency is inserted the final distance into the slide frame to align the photographic image on the transparency with the aperture in the slide frame. Operation of the slide advance device, film advance device, and the knife is achieved by an operating lever which is movable by an operator in a first direction through a closed path during an operating cycle. An anti-reverse mechanism prevents the operating lever from moving in a second, reverse direction in the closed path, and therefore prevents jamming and destruction of film caused by accidental reversal of motion of the operating lever.

Semi-automatic slide mounter with anti-reverse operating lever

A photographic slide mounter includes a film advance mechanism which advances a photographic film web along a film track to insert the end of the film web into a photographic slide frame. The film advance mechanism includes a guide track parallel to the film track and a carriage which is movable on the guide track. A film advance pawl is connected to and movable with the carriage. The pawl engages sprocket holes in the film to advance the film as the carriage is advanced toward a first end of the film track. A drive mechanism advances the carriage toward the first end of the guide track during one portion of an operating cycle, and returns the carriage to the second end during another portion of the operating cycle. The film advance mechanism includes a breakaway mechanism for disconnecting the carriage and the drive mechanism when resistance to advancement of the carriage exceeds a predetermined amount. This prevents the pawl from tearing the sprocket holes of the film in the event the film, for some reason, is resisting movement.

Film advance breakaway mechanism for slide mounter

An improved photographic print stacking device includes a print slide concavely bowed transversely to the direction of travel proximate a discharge end of a conveying line, and a pair of drive rollers. Individual photographic prints are conveyed on the conveying line onto the concavely bowed print slide. The drive rollers engage and push the central portion of each print downwardly against the central portion of the print slide, while the slide edge portions of each print are deflected upwardly by the side edges of of print slide so that each print is bowed, thereby giving each print greater beam strength in the direction of travel.

Photographic stacking device

A photographic film packing apparatus cuts film segments from a web of photographic film, partially overlaps the segments in a shingled manner, and conveys the segments in partially overlapping relationship into an insertion opening of a package, such as a customer order envelope. The apparatus advances the web a selected distance past a knife location, at which a knife assembly is located. The knife assembly severs a film segment from the web. The movement of the film segment is then reversed to cause a trailing edge of the film segment to be deflected downward out of the path of the leading edge of the web. The web is then advanced while the segment is maintained stationary until the web has overlapped the segment by a predetermined amount. The web and the film segment are then conveyed together toward the insertion opening until a desired cut location on the web is aligned with the knife location. The knife assembly then cuts another film segment from the web. As the apparatus continues to operate, additional film segments are partially overlapped in a similar manner until all segments corresponding to a customer's order are severed from the web. The film segments are conveyed in partially overlapping relationship into the insertion opening.

Photographic film packing apparatus

A slide mounter includes a magazine for holding a stack of slide frames. A slide ejector pushes the lowermost slide within the magazine out of the magazine and into a slide track, where the slide frame is opened to permit insertion of a film transparency. A slide separator separates the stack of slides into an upper stack above a predetermined level and a lower stack below the predetermined level within the magazine. An out-of-slides inhibitor connected to the slide separator prevents movement of the slide ejector when the slide separator moves to a position indicating that there are no further slides in the upper stack.

Slide mounter with slide separator/out-of-slide inhibitor

Cut lengths or segments of photographic strip material, particularly photographic film, are stacked as they are discharged from a photographic film cutter. The device for stacking the cut lengths includes a tray, an arm, a base, and a guide. The base is connected to the film cutter, and supports the film tray with the first end of the tray positioned closely to the discharge end of the film cutter. The arm is positioned in generally overlying position with respect to the tray and is pivotally connected to the tray at the second end of the tray furthest from the discharge end of the film cutter. The arm preferably has a 'W' shaped cross section which provides two lines of contact with the cut lengths of film which are deposited between the tray and the arm. The guide provides a guiding surface parallel to the path of the cut lengths along their front edges. The guide may take a plurality of positions to accommodate films of different widths. In addition, the tray may be mounted in a plurality of different positions with respect to the base to accommodate even further variation in film widths. Removal of the cut lengths of film is from the rear rather than from the front of the film tray assembly.

Film tray assembly for photographic film cutter

An automatic photographic print and film packaging mechanism inserts individual orders of prints and film into multilayered packaging envelopes formed in a continuous strip. The mechanism sequentially seals the sides of the envelopes and cuts the envelopes from the strip. The mechanism has provision for either sealing the top of a cut envelope and depositing the same in a first collection station or depositing the cut envelope with the top unsealed into second collection station.

Growing community of inventors

Bloomington, MN, United States of America

Armer J Willenbring