Raymond O Erickson

US Patent:

44404859, Apr 3, 1984

Filed:

Jan 17, 1983

Appl. No.:

6/458374

Inventors:

Robert Maldonado - Santa Clara CA
Raymond A. Erickson - Gilroy CA

Assignee:

Pennwalt Corporation - Philadelphia PA

International Classification:

G03D 308

US Classification:

354322

Abstract:

Cooperating pairs of drive rollers propelling the film through the developer, fixer, and rinse tanks and drying area, have one roller of each pair mounted to a separate cantilever spring member formed in each of both roller frame supports which rotatably resiliently mount the roller thereby permitting plastic rollers to be employed, which require no separate springs, in lieu of expensive rubber rollers which require close control over the degree of tangential contact between individual rollers of each pair thereof and proper durometer values in order to avoid damaging moving film squeezed thereinbetween as well as proper porosity to avoid caking of dried chemicals thereon. The cantilever springs are formed by creating an air space partially therearound in the molding process of each roller frame support. Processor also employs improved film deflector guides for automatically deflecting moving film into the converging rotating rollers of successive downstream rollers disposed in a curvilinear path through the respective tanks without causing film jamming.