The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 23, 1999
Filed:
Nov. 06, 1997
David L Patton, Webster, NY (US);
Kevin M O'Connor, Webster, NY (US);
Anne E Bohan, Pittsford, NY (US);
Ralph L Piccinino, Jr, Rush, NY (US);
Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY (US);
Abstract
The present invention relates to a coating apparatus having a removable coating module for applying a protective coating to at least one surface of a photosensitive material. The coating apparatus can be a stand-alone unit and can be added to an existing or new photographic processor. The coating product can be a solution having a predetermined viscosity which is applied to at least one surface of the photosensitive material prior to drying in a manner that allows the solution to be uniformly applied to the at least one surface at a specific layer thickness. The viscous solution after drying functions as a protective coating which can protect the processed photosensitive material against scratches and moisture. The removable coating module facilitates maintenance and cleaning after the viscous solution has been consumed. The apparatus includes a control mechanism which controls the thickness, uniformity and laydown amount of the applied viscous solution so as to insure that a uniform coating that provides protection to the entire surface of the photosensitive material is provided.