Agfa-gevaert Ag

Agfa-gevaret Aktiengesellschaft

Klaus Weber

August Hell

Wolfgang Zahn

Gunter Findeis

Friedrich Hujer

Eberhard Escales

Andreas Schubert

Ernst Biedermann

Karel Pustka

Heinz Ludemann

Ferdinand Schaner

Gerhard Kustner

Adolf Hofler

Franz Komenda

Rudolf Dobler

A deformable container for sections of developed photographic roll films and for prints of images on such film sections has a square or rectangular base sheet of paper, cardboard or the like and a cover sheet of paper or synthetic plastic material. The sheets overlie each other and are bonded to one another along three marginal sections and a median section to define a narrower film compartment and a wider print compartment. Both compartments are open at those ends which face the fourth marginal sections of the sheets. One or more fold lines are provided between the two compartments to allow for folding of one compartment over the other compartment. Several containers form a strip of coherent containers, and the containers of the strip can be formed with one or more rows of perforations to facilitate automatic transport in a photographic processing laboratory wherein the film sections and the prints are introduced into the respective compartments by automatic equipment. The open ends of compartments can face a marginal portion of the base sheet or the closed ends of compartments of the adjacent container. Slots or similar markers are provided adjacent to partitions between the compartments. Such markers serve to allow for stoppage of the strip when the compartments of a container are ready to receive film sections and prints, and/or to initiate separation of the foremost container from the next-following container of the strip.

Container for photographic films and prints

A copier has a movable housing which accommodates a support for an original to be copied, a source of illumination for the original, a lens system for forming an image of the original and a support for photosensitive material which is to receive the image. The housing has an opening in one of its sides and carries a hinged lid for lighttight sealing of the opening. A reflector is pivotally mounted inside the housing in the vicinity of the opening and can be moved between an operative position in which it intercepts the image from the lens system and an inoperative position in which it does not. When an image of normal size is required, the reflector is in its inoperative position and the image is projected onto the photosensitive material located inside the housing. When an image of large size is required, the reflector is brought into its operative position and the opening in the housing is uncovered. The reflector can then project the image through the opening and onto a large sheet of photosensitive material held on a wall or other suitable support.

Photographic copier

Apparatus for detection of holes in a running web of photographic paper has a U-shaped housing with two spaced-apart legs between which a portion of the web travels toward a severing device. One leg of the housing contains several photoconductive detectors, and the other leg of the housing contains the light emitting portion of a light conducting prism whose light admitting portion is adjacent to a light source mounted in the housing inwardly of the detectors. The prism disperses the incoming light so as to uniformly illuminate the web portion in the gap between the two legs of the housing. The light source, the detectors and an amplifier for signals which are transmitted by the detectors are mounted on a plate which further carries conductors connecting the detectors with the amplifier.

Apparatus for detecting holes in webs of photographic paper or the like

Assemblies of collated film sections and related prints, each belonging to a customer, are fed seriatim into a tray at the right-hand side of a horizontal table in front of a seated attendant so that the attendant can remove an assembly with the right hand while the left-hand opens the corresponding customer pocket which is held in a position of readiness at the left-hand side of the table. The attendant can observe the collating operation by inspecting successive film frames while the frames move above an illuminated window below and in front of the web of photographic paper with exposed and developed prints thereon. The pockets are removed seriatim from a magazine and are transported to the left-hand side of the table where the rear panel of an oncoming pocket is held by suction to facilitate the task of opening the pocket by pulling the front panel away from the rear panel.

Apparatus for processing developed photographic films and prints

A lengthy strip of originals is transported along a transport path. Positioned along the transport path are a plurality of copying stations, for simultaneous copying of plural successive originals. The originals are transported setwise or batchwise, thereby lowering the average transport time per individual original and increasing copying-machine productivity without the need to speed up the performance of other operations attendant to copying-machine operation. When originals are correctly spaced and all copiable, they are processed setwise or batchwise as just outlined. When not spaced in accordance with a standard and/or when not all copiable, the machine changes over to one-at-a time operation, disabling all but the most downstream copying station, until the arriving originals are again all copiable and spaced by the standard distance. During normal operation, a strip of print paper is advanced by an increment corresponding to the plural concurrently exposed originals. During one-at-a-time copying, the strip of print paper is advanced one print at a time, and the strip of originals is advanced until the next copiable original arrives at the most downstream station.

Photographic copying machine

Webs of customer films and webs of related prints are transported in synchronism vertically downwardly toward a severing unit which subdivides the films into sections each of which includes several film frames and which simultaneously subdivides the web of prints into discrete prints. The film sections and the related discrete prints are gathered in separate magazines immediately below the severing unit and are automatically transferred into neighboring compartments of a pocket below the magazines when one of the magazines collects all sections of a customer film and the other magazine collects all related prints. Two closely adjacent windows are provided above the severing unit side-by-side to allow for simultaneous observation of film frames and related prints.

Apparatus for processing developed photographic prints and films

Apparatus for splicing successive exposed photographic films end-to-end by means of uniting bands one side of which is coated with hotmelt has a ribbon which is severed at regular intervals at the splicing station to yield a succession of uniting bands. Each band is caused to overlie the ends of films at the splicing station and is thereupon pressed against the films by two heated rams which move toward each other as soon as a fresh band is separated from the ribbon. The ribbon is retracted from the splicing station immediately upon severing to avoid the flow of hotmelt thereon as a result of heating action of the rams.

Apparatus for splicing photographic films or the like

An elongated web of exposed and developed photographic film is moved lengthwise and is severed at regular intervals to yield a succession of discrete sections. Related sections (e.g., those belonging to a customer) are assembled into groups of overlapping sections, and such groups are thereupon introduced into discrete envelopes. The assembling of groups takes place in a fan-shaped magazine having a plurality of separate compartments and being movable relative to belts or analogous transporting means for successive sections of the severed film so that each section enters a different compartment. When the magazine accumulates a group of related sections, the sections are expelled from the magazine by a pusher which moves them forwardly (i.e., in the same direction in which the sections were transported to enter the magazine) or sideways and into the respective envelope. The width of each compartment decreases in the direction of forward movement of sections or at right angles to such direction. Since the sections are out of contact with each other during introduction into the magazine, raised portions around perforations or other projections of the sections cannot cause an interlacing of sections during stacking.

Method and apparatus for assembling and pocketing sections of

Each customer order has the form of an image band segment comprised of one or more image sections bearing respective images. The customer order image band segments together form an elongated image band. The image band is provided with order marks of different types, each image section of one customer order being provided with an order mark of one type, and each image section of the next customer order being provided with an order mark of another type, so that the order mark type changes from one customer order to the next on the image band. The changes of order mark type are detected using a detecting arrangement which is operative for generating control signals in dependence upon such detection. The operation of an order-sorting arrangement is controlled by applying the control signals thereto.

Method and arrangement for cutting and sorting photographic prints, and

A panel consisting of elastic cardboard, synthetic plastic material or a combination of both has one or more openings for reception of selected portions of cartridges for exposed but undeveloped photographic film and elastic lugs or tongues which hold the cartridge in its opening or openings or bias one or more projections of the cartridge against the panel. The cartridge is attached to the panel by a dealer who receives it from a customer and forwards the panel with the cartridge to a developing laboratory. A first section of the panel with a serial number and date of receipt is broken off the major portion of the panel and handed to the customer as a receipt. Another section of the panel which is provided with the same serial number as the first section and with the name of the customer is broken off and held by the dealer. The main portion of the panel is provided with encoded and/or unencoded information including the serial number, the dealer identification number and/or other data. The panel is used as a simpler and less expensive substitute for presently employed envelopes wherein the dealers mail or ship cartridges to the developing laboratory.

Growing community of inventors

Leverkusen, Germany

Klaus Weber