Eastman-kodak Company

Lee F Frank

James K Lee

Jeffrey L Helfer

Paul Wagner

Mark J Devaney, Jr

Haribhajan S Kocher

Joseph Y Kaukeinen

David K Bischoff

Robert John Baron

Robert Michael Train

Constantine N Anagnostopoulos

William E Moore

Douglas O Hall

Bruce R Muller

David N Lambeth

John S Lercher

Ralph Schaetzing

Muhammed I Sezan

Donald F Kaiser

Haribbajan S Kocher

Apparatus and method for depositing water onto the surface of a substrate passed through the apparatus. The apparatus has a housing that defines an internal atmosphere confined in at least partial isolation from the ambient atmosphere. The housing has a moisture saturation portion, a deposition portion, and a passageway. The moisture saturation portion has a water supply and a vapor reservoir. The water supply contains a quantity of water. The vapor reservoir holds a volume of the interior atmosphere in thermal and phase equilibrium with the water in the water supply. The deposition portion has a plenum wall surrounding a central chamber. The plenum wall is substantially insulated from ambient temperature variations and has a pair of opposed substrate gaps. The gaps define a path for the substrate through the chamber. The passageway communicates with the vapor reservoir and the chamber. A primary heater is disposed to heat the water in the water supply. A secondary heater is disposed within the passageway between the vapor reservoir and the chamber. A fan drives the internal atmosphere from the vapor reservoir through the passageway to the chamber. A controller is operatively connected to the primary and secondary heaters. The controller senses wet and dry bulb temperatures of the internal atmosphere in the chamber. The controller actuates the primary heater at a range of wet bulb temperatures below a predetermined wet bulb limit temperature and actuates the secondary heater at a range of dry bulb temperatures below a predetermined dry bulb limit temperature. The dry bulb limit temperature is greater than the wet bulb limit temperature.

Water deposition apparatus and method

A method for reforming the surface of a photographic emulsion layer. In the method, the surface of the emulsion layer is dried to at least sensible dryness. Water is then deposited onto the surface of the emulsion layer. The depositing is substantially uniform and in an amount that is less than about 0.80 grams of water per square foot of emulsion layer.

Photographic emulsion surface reforming method

An air tube for use in a drying apparatus includes a tapered main tube body comprising an open air inlet end and a closed end opposite the open air inlet end, an air discharge port including an air exhaust slot, and an air diffuser located between the main tube body and the air discharge port, wherein the air diffuser includes a plurality of air flow apertures that are located at a position offset from the air exhaust slot of the air discharge port. The air tube is readily incorporated into a film processing system that includes a plurality of processing tanks, a film drying apparatus including a plurality of the air tubes, and a mechanism for transporting a photosensitive film through the processing tanks and into the film drying apparatus.

Film drying apparatus with uniform flow air tubes

A method and apparatus for recovering of ions present in a pressurized fluid stream. The apparatus comprises at least one ion exchange chamber having a first passage for providing fluid communication between the at least ion exchange chamber and the pressurized fluid stream and a second fluid passage for allowing fluid to exit the at least one ion exchange chamber. The first and second passages being positioned such that a substantially spiral vortex is created in the pressurized fluid stream as it flows through the at least one ion exchange chamber.

Captive vortex high agitation device

A processor for processing a photosensitive material. The processor having a housing chamber. At least one modular wall structure is provided for dividing the housing chamber into a plurality of fluid processing chambers. A modular processing device is placed may be placed in at least one of the plurality of fluid processing chambers for circulating a processing fluid placed in said fluid processing chamber.

Processing apparatus

A processor having an elongated channel for receiving a web to be treated with a fluid. The fluid is injected into the channel at one or more injection sites. Fluid is evacuated from the channel at spaced evacuation sites and spaced therefrom such that fluid will flow from the injection site to the evacuation sites with laminar flow and be evacuated when the boundary layer of the fluid reaches a predetermined minumim thickness.

Apparatus for enhancing heat and mass transfer in a fluid medium

In the replenishment of a washing fluid with a replenishment fluid a chemical property of the replenishment fluid is compared to the chemical property of the washing fluid. Replenishment fluid is added to the washing fluid according to the difference in the properties of the washing fluid and replenishment fluid.

Apparatus and method for washing light sensitive material

Apparatus for treating a web with treatment fluid comprises a two part housing defining a recess for receiving the web and a fluid distribution system for supplying treatment fluid to the recess. The fluid distribution system comprises a series of passages connected in a whiffletree configuration for dividing and subdividing the treatment fluid to supply treatment fluid to the recess at a plurality of locations across the recess to uniformly treat the web with the treatment fluid. In another embodiment the processor comprises a pair of plates defining a recess for receiving a web. The plates have at least one pair of elongated liquid injection openings extending transversely of the recess on opposite sides of the web respectively in juxtaposed relationship for injecting liquid into the recess. The plates further include at least one pair of elongated evacuation openings extending transversely of the recess on opposite sides of the web respectively in juxtaposed relationship for evacuating liquid from the recess. A whiffletree liquid distribution system is associated with each of the openings to supply liquid to the injection openings and to evacuate liquid from the evacuation openings.

A processor for a web of light sensitive material comprises a plurality of hydrostatic bearings positioned within a processing tank to be submerged within a processing solution. Each of the bearings comprise a pair of juxtaposed housings on opposite sides of the web. Each of the housings include an aperture for emitting liquid under pressure to establish liquid cushions on opposite sides of the web which support the web without physical contact with the bearings.

Processor for light sensitive material

Apparatus for drying a web comprises a pair of spaced parallel plates defining a channel there between of predetermined thickness and length for receiving the web. The plates are provided with juxtaposed elongated openings respectively for injecting drying air into the channel on opposite sides of the web. Air under pressure is supplied to the openings to establish a high velocity laminar flow of air from the openings in opposite directions along the surface of the web. Air is evacuated from the channel on opposite sides of the web at a predetermined distance from said openings to maintain the heat transfer rate in the air higher than the heat transfer rate in the web.

Drying apparatus

A web treatment apparatus comprises a means defining a channel through which the web is transported. Treatment fluid is injected into the channel on opposite sides of the web at spaced injection sites and evacuated from the channel on opposite sides of the web at spaced evacuation sites. The injection sites and evacuation sites alternate so that injected fluid is evacuated from adjacent evacuation sites. The streams of evacuated fluid are combined such that streams varying in flow path length and chemical depletion are sequentially mixed together in an ordered sequence prior to reinjection into the chemicals. In one embodiment means are also provided for sequentially dividing the fluid flow from a recirculation pump into fluid streams that are supplied to the injection sites.

Apparatus for drying webs of light sensitive material comprises means defining a channel for receiving a web, a plurality of elongated spaced injection slits for applying drying fluid to opposite sides of the web, and a plurality of elongated spaced evacuation slits for evacuating drying fluid from opposite sides of the web. The injection and evacuation slits are substantially parallel and angularly oriented relative to the longitudinal axis of the web.

Apparatus for treating a web with a fluid comprises means defining an elongated channel for receiving the web. The fluid is injected into the channel on opposite sides of the web at one or more injection sites. Fluid is evacuated from the channel on opposite sides of the web at one or more evacuation sites. Each injection site is located between two evacuation sites and spaced therefrom such that fluid will flow in opposite directions from the injection site to the adjacent evacuation sites with laminar flow and be evacuated from the channel when the boundary layer of the fluid reaches a predetermined thickness.

A phototimer for controlling x-ray exposure includes an array of x-ray sensors, and digital processing electronics for calculating x-ray exposure by selecting one or more signals from the x-ray sensors, and calculating the x-ray exposure from the selected signals. After calculating the x-ray exposure, the calculated exposure is employed to control the x-ray exposure either by displaying the calculated exposure to an operator who compares the calculated exposure with a desired exposure and repeats the exposure if necessary, or by automatically terminating the exposure by sending a control signal to the x-ray source. The improvement in the state of x-ray phototimer technology resides in the automatic selection of a subset of signals from a plurality of photosensors, thereby improving the reliability of the measurement. In prior art devices, the signals from a plurality of sensors were either selected manually by a switch, or all employed in a predetermined algorithm.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Lee F Frank