Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Stuart J Wyman

Hajime Takei

Naoyuki Matsuda

Richard R Lemberger

Sadanobu Murasaki

Homare Sano

Gerald L Metcalf

Melinda Kaye Kovach

Kenneth J Hagen

Devin L Cantonwine

Norman Herauf

A sheet supply device supplying sheets from a magazine thereof to an image forming apparatus and a mechanism for setting the magazine to a body of the image forming apparatus. The magazine storing stacked sheets is provided with reinforcing members which are disposed at side walls of the magazine to form convex portions relative thereto so as to reinforce the side walls and regulate the position of the stacked sheets in a sheet width direction. A projecting portion having an inclined surface is provided in either the magazine or a receiving portion in the image forming apparatus body to which the magazine is set. When the magazine is slid on an upper surface of the receiving portion for being set to the image forming apparatus body, a leading end of the magazine in a magazine setting direction is lifted by use of the inclined surface of the projecting portion so as to be accurately and smoothly set to the body.

Sheet supplying device

A container and a method of using the container for storing sheets of material, such as photosensitive materials, enables individual sheets to be transported from the container to an imaging unit by a feed mechanism of the imaging unit. The container fits within the imaging unit to provide a light-tight environment for the photosensitive material. The container includes shiftable walls, including a front ramp which can have a serrated surface to separate sheets. The container also includes a clamping components to allow for the removal of a light-tight bag which encloses the sheets.

Imaging unit container having shiftable walls

A resealable cartridge for sheets of photographic film includes a one-piece, photo-inert and optically opaque polymer tray. The tray has a generally planar bottom wall and front, back and side walls with upper edges and outwardly extending lips. The lip extending from the front wall includes a series of spaced cut-outs. A flexible, photo-inert and optically opaque foil laminate cover for the tray has front, back and side edges. The front edge of the cover includes spaced opening/closing mechanism-engaging apertures which overlie the cutouts in the front lip of the tray. Photo-inert and optically opaque adhesive segments on the lips of the tray provide a resealable opaque seal between the edges of the cover and lips of the tray.

Resealable film cartridge for a laser imager

A light-tight canister for a roll of photosensitive media including an opaque tubular sleeve having outer ends, a pair of identical end caps with peripheral edges configured to engage and enclose the ends of the sleeve, and a tie bar extending through the sleeve and configured for locking engagement with the end caps. The tubular sleeve includes a media exit slot extending between the outer ends and a tapered notch on each end positioned with respect to the media exit slot. Each end cap includes a media exit slot accommodating structure and a tapered tab configured to mate with a notch in the sleeve. The tab is positioned with respect to the media exit slot accommodating structure so the media exit slot accommodating structure is aligned with the media exit slot of the sleeve when the end cap is engaged with the sleeve and the tab is mated with the notch. Sloping guide walls are radially positioned on the inside surface of the end cap about a location at which the tie bar is engaged with the end cap.

Film canister with self-locating assembly features

A C-shaped adapter for mounting on a spool on which a web of material is to be wound shortens the effective winding width of the spool. The adapter has a web-blocking portion which blocks the web by forming a flange. A holding portion positions the web-blocking portion on the spool. A lug on the adapter mates with a depression in the spool to prevent axial movement of the adapter along the spool. The web-blocking portion includes a body and two arms which extend from opposite sides of the body. The holding portion includes an open circular portion terminating in two legs which fit around the spool to secure the adapter to the spool.

Spool adapter

An opaque cartridge for storing and dispensing light sensitive web materials from a roll includes a box defining a right angular sexahedron and made up of a top section and a bottom section hingedly connected to each other at an upper rear edge of the box and providing a straight light-tight exit slot at a lower front edge of the box, and a spool consisting of a cylindrical hub on which the web material is wound and a pair of discoid end flanges concentric with the hub. The hub is rotatably mounted in openings provided in split end walls of the box. Light blocking and trapping flanges, baffles, plates, ledges, bars, recesses, and light steps are provided in conjunction with the hinge connection between the top and bottom box sections, the mating connections between the top and bottom end walls, and along the edge of the box providing the exit slot to the end that no light can enter the chamber provided by the box and spool of the cartridge.

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Stuart J Wyman