Eastman-kodak Company

Paul C Ward

Leslie J Pummell

Stephen J Kingdon

James A Oldfield

Anthony Earle

Edward C Glover

Andrew Green

David A Skye

Nicholas John Taylor

Christopher M Graebe

John R Fyson

Siu C Tsoi

Michael Ridgway

Nigel E Milner

Geoffrey D Marshall

This invention describes a process for improvements in security for personal identification documents, particularly for machine-readable passports. An image of a personal identifier of a holder of the document is stored as a highly-compressed digital image in a magnetic medium dispersed invisibly within the material of a visible print forming part of the document or within the body of the document itself. The document is then scanned magnetically at the place where identification is required and the stored image decompressed and displayed. This provides confirmation that the holder of the document is the person shown on the visible image, that the document has not been tampered with, and by checking the image code against a database, that the document was originated by the proper authority.

Recording of images

A plurality of different materials which are required for use in a process and which are to be kept separate up to a predetermined stage in the process are supplied with each different material being encapsulated within a plurality of discrete shells, the shells serving to keep the different materials separate from each other. The shells for the different materials are distinguishable from each other so as to permit subsequent sorting of the shells into batches of shells all containing the same material.

Kit for supplying photoprocessing chemicals

It is known to use the leading edge of a film strip to guide the strip through processing apparatus. However, this leading edge may be damaged as the film is loaded into and unloaded out of a camera. Described herein is a film unloading device in which a curved guillotine blade (240) is used to provide a newly cut leading edge by which a film strip can be guided through processing apparatus. The guillotine blade (240) is reciprocated between a rest and an operative position by a motor which operates in one direction only. The blade (240) is mounted on a rotating drum (250) by means of a crank pin (258), the drum being rotated through 180.degree., in the direction indicated by arrow 252, to move the blade (240) from its rest to its operative position and then through a further 180.degree. to move the blade (240) back to its rest position.

Flexible guillotines

Material supply

A photographic film processor comprises six juxtaposed processing tanks, a rack mechanism in each tank operable to circulate the film within processing solution in the respective tank for a certain time. A switch mechanism operable to direct the film from being circulated at the end of that certain time and to direct it to a transfer mechanism by which it is passed to the rack mechanism of the next tank for circulation in that tank. The penultimate tank is a washing tank and there is a transfer mechanism for transferring the film from that washing tank to a dryer which is the last processing station. The film is driven for circulation within and for transfer from one to the next of the six tanks by a first motor which drives a common shaft. A clutch couples or decouples the common shaft to a shorter coaxial shaft by which the film is circulated within the washing tank. Another clutch couples the shorter shaft to another slower motor when it is decoupled from the common shaft by the clutch so that the film can be circulated within the washing tank independently of circulation of film in the other five tanks and is transported out of the washing tank and transferred to the dryer at a speed which is slower than that of which it is circulated on and transferred between the first five tanks.

Film processor

Processing of photographic film

In some types of processing apparatus, there is a minimum length of film strip which can be processed. To overcome this problem, several film strips may be spliced together to provide the desired length and/or a leader attached to the leading edge of the film strip to guide it through the apparatus for processing. Described herein is a loading device which removes the need for splicing and attachment of leaders to the film strip prior to processing. The device allows a film to be automatically removed from its cassette and loaded into processing apparatus and comprises a housing in which a cassette unloading station (12), a film delivery station (14) connected to processing apparatus, a storage station (16), a film length measuring station (18), a direct film loading station (22), and a cutting station (24) are arranged. Pairs of transport rollers (26, 28) and (30, 32) are provided to transport the film through the device.

Photographic processing apparatus

A method for making a photographic silver halide developer composition, preferably immediately before use, by electrolysing an aqueous medium containing a developing agent precursor composition which forms or releases a silver halide developing agent at an electrode upon electrolysis.

Method of making a photographic developer solution

It is well-known to use grooves to guide photographic material through processing apparatus. However, there is a tendency for debris to accumulate in the bottom of the grooves. Furthermore, the machining operation needed to form such grooves is complicated in particular where bends and changes in direction are required. Described herein is a guiding arrangement in which pairs of parallel plates (20, 22, 24, 26) are used to define a gap (30) through which material (40) is transported. The arrangement comprises an upper plate pair (20, 22) which is arranged to be offset with respect to a lower plate pair (24, 26), the plates in each pair being parallel to one another.

Guide apparatus

In some types of processing apparatus, there is a minimum length of film strip which can be processed. To overcome this problem, several film strips may be spliced together to provide the desired length and/or a leader attached to the leading edge of the film strip to guide it through the apparatus for processing. Described herein is a loading device (10) for photographic processing apparatus which allows a length of film (102) to be unloaded from its cassette (100) in a film unloading station, its length checked at a film length checking station (18), and passed to a storage station (16) prior to being directed to the processing apparatus. Any length of film not exceeding the minimum length requirement for the processing apparatus can be removed from the storage station thereby avoiding film jams because the film is too short to pass from one transport station to another in the processing apparatus.

Film length checking apparatus

Described herein is a film extraction unit for use in a loading device for photographic processing apparatus. The unit comprises an unloading station (12) into which a film cassette (100) is positioned with the film leader extending therefrom to lie between rollers (26, 28). Roller (26) is a pinch roller which engages with drive roller (28) to transport the film out of its cassette. Drive roller (28) is driven by a motor via a clutch arrangement so that once all the film (102) has been extracted from the cassette (100), the clutch will slip allowing the motor to continue to rotate whilst the drive roller (28) becomes stationary, thereby preventing damage to the film (102).

Growing community of inventors

Watford, United Kingdom

Paul C Ward