US1623528A - Process and apparatus for treating film - Google Patents

Description

l Patented Apr. 5, 1927.

UNITEDv STATES PATENT OFFICE.Y

i CHARLES DE MOOSyiOF, FORT LEE, NEXV JERSEY, A SSIGNOR TO EASTMAN `KODAK COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION F NEW YORK.

:PROCESSl AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING FILM.

Application led March 3, 1923.

This invention relates to photography and has particular reference to machines in which long film bands are treated in various .fiuid baths, polished and dried. One object of my'invention is to provide a process by which the film band may be completed and conditioned for use in a single machine; another object is to provide a machine in which the film may be dried and polished lo before finally being wound into 'the completed roll; another object is to provide a means for drying and polishing one side of the film before it enters the drying chamber; another object is to provide a suitable polishl ing belt and mount from which the belt may be easily removed for cleaning; and other objects will appear from the following specification, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

It is common practice to develop, wash, fix, wash, tint or tone, wash and finally dry long lengths of film band in commercial lants. This series of treatments does not, owever, prepare the film for its ultimate use, that is, either asa negative film from which the positivesused for projection are made, or a-s a positive itself. There are, after the treatments above described, imperfections on the film band, such as the moisture lines and irregularities left on the back of the film or there may be markings from the toning bath, and a certain amount of dirt or dust in the form of 'very minute particles .which collect on the film in spite of such precautions as the use Vof air conditioners, etc. The film is, therefore, after drying, usually passed through a bath of suitable character such as alcohol, to soften'the dry im erfections and the back is then burnis ed to as high a gloss as possible after the undesirable markings and dust particles have been as nearly removed as possible. After having dried the film there are liable to be tiny bits whichy the particles have caused in the base, and these are frequently turned into scratches when the filmv is retreated unless great care is taken. Moreover it is difficult to get the high gloss which is desirable on the lm base where the fiuid markings have dried on the film.

With my invention I first remove all surface moisture and dry the lm back, after which I polish the back before drying the entire film band, thus not only producing because the front or emulsion side of the lm a clean film back before the final winding Serial No. 622,690.

.particles on the back may be (and frequently are) transferred to the emulsion side of the film when Wound together. This is serious cannot be buffed and treated as the back, so that my process also eliminates this difficulty. As it is also obvious that dirt or foreign particles will not stick to a dry highly polished film base, the total amount of Such particles will be greatly reduced by drying and polishing the film base immediately upon being drawn out of the fluid treatment baths, where, of course, the film is clean.

Coming now to the drawing in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout:

Fig. 1 illustrates dia ammaticall the essential parts of a mac 'ne upon w ich my process may be carried out;

Fig. 2 is a detail of a. portion of the machine constructed in accordance with and`illustrating one form of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail of another portion of the machine constructed in accordance with my invention; y I

Figf is a section on line IV-IV of Fig. 3; an

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of a screw.

The film band F Vis moved by sprockets 1 through a series of liquid treatmentbaths, here indicated as developing in tanks 2,

,washing in 3, fixing in 4, and washing in water in 5. I also contemplate using more tanks than illustrated for tinting and toning and for additional washing as may be required.

Afber passing through these fluid treatment tanks the film is drawn up over rollers 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, the latter four being shown 100 in detailin Fig. 2. These rollers are sup-- ported b shafts 11, 12, 13 and 14 carried by the racket 15 from which there eX- tends two lugs 16 and 17. Each lug supports a suction nozzle 18 consisting of a 105 tapered portion 19 having a narrow suction slit 20. Lugs 21 of nozzle 18 embrace a shaft 22 about which a spring 23 is coiled thrusting the nozzle in the direction of the arrow. A screw 24 limits this movement by 110 contacting) with the tapered end 19.. This screw, is est shown in Fig. 5, whereln the These nozzles not only remove the Superf fluous water from the emulsion side f of the film, but completely dry the back of the film f or that side opposite the emulsion side. By completely dry I mean that no appreciable amount of moisture can be felt by the hand on the back surface of the film after passing the nozzle, and that a pad of polishing felt 29 will not become damp after running in contact with such film for hours.

After passing from the last roller 10 the film F passes over a buffer 30,` here shown as consistlng of a felt belt 29 mounted upon rollers 31 and 32. It should be noted (Fig. 3) that the film is drawn to and from ,the bufferat such an angle that good contact is always obtained. Roller 32 is carried by a shaft 33 affixed to bracket 34, and is preferably equipped with flanges 35 to confine the belt 29 to a definite path. Roller 31, similarly fianged at 36 is carried by shaft 37 mounted on a link 38 hinged at 39 to bracket 34. A spring latch normally holds the parts in the osition shown, but permits link 38 and ro er 31 to be swung to the broken line position whenl latch 40 is sprung from its connection with link 38, thus lpermitting a clean belt to be placed on the rollers. In practice a series of belts are used so that they can be frequently changed, being'- thoroughly cleaned before being used on the machine.

The belt 29 is driven against the direction of the film movement-see arrows Fig. 3--to exert a cleanin and bufiing action on the film, being moved y a roller 41, mounted on shaft 42 and driven through pulley 43 and lbelt 44. Small oints or serrations 45v grip the belt and t e roller may be cut away between the gripping portions as indicated at 46. i

From the cleaning and polishing station just described the film passes into a drying chamber 47 and 48 through which air is blown by a suitable mechanism, not shown. Passing out over spockets 49, 50 and roller 51 the film is wound into a roll at 52 completely ready for its final use. The wind-up mechanism consists of rollers 53 and 54, the former being preferably power driven, while the later is equipped with a handle 55 for manual operation.

It is to be understood, of course, that, while the drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of such a machine but contemplate as within thc scope of my invention all such machines and processes as shall come within the .scope of the appended claims..

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The process of treating motion picture film which consists in the following steps: first, passing the film band through aqueous baths; second, removing the surface moisture from the film and drying one side thereof; third, polishing the dry side of the film, and fourth, passing the film band through a drying chamber.

2. The process of treating motion picture film having a support with a photographically sensitive coated side and an uncoated side which consists in passing the film through aqueous baths, removing the surface moisture from the photographically sensitive coated side, drying the uncoated sidc, polishing the uncoated side, and finally drying the complete film band.

3. The process of treating motion picture film having a support with Ia photographically sensitive coated side and an uncoated side which consists in passing the film through aque/ous baths, removing the surface moisture from the photographically sensitive coated' side, drying the uncoated side immediately after the removal of the film from the fluid bath, polishing the dry side to 'a high gloss thus reducing the film area upon which dust may collect to a minimum, and finally drying the complete film band.

4. An apparatus for treating motion picture film bands, including a series of aqueous treating tanks through which the film is passed, a suction nozzle mounted above an aqueous treating tank, a movable mount for the suction nozzle, means for guiding the film band past the suction nozzle, and means including an eccentric adapted to contact with and move the suction nozzle for adjusting the suction 'nozzle to or from the film.

5. An apparatus for treatingl motion picture film bands comprising a series of liquid treating tanks and a suction nozzle mounted above a liquid treating tank, means for guiding the filmband past the suction nozzle, and an eccentric screw having a head eccentric with its shank, a portion of the head contacting with the suction nozzle, whereby the nozzle is moved to or from the film by turning the screw head on its shank. l

6. An apparatus for treating motion picture film bands comprising a series of liquid treatment tanks,- a suction nozzle mounted over a treatment tank, rollers mounted above the tank adapted to guide the film band past the suction nozzle, a support, the suction nozzle being hingedly mounted upon the support, a spring for pressing'the nozzle in one direction and an adjustable stop limiting the movement ofl the nozzle .under the" ture film bands comprising a series of treatvzo ment tanks, a series of guide rollers mounted over a tank, means for removing moisture from the film near the guide rollers, a film buing device located on one side of the film path, comprising a buing belt mounted upon rollers, means for swinging one roller relative to the other to permit changing the builin belt.

, '8. n apparatus for bufling film strips comprising a pair of rollers,a belt passing over the rollers, a support, one rollerbeing` carried upon ashaftiailixed to the support, a link ada ted to swing into two positions, the other ro ler being' carried by the swinging ,link,a power driven rollercarried'by the -support,`said roller driving the belt when the swinging link is in one position.

'9. An apparatus for buiing lilm strips comprising a pair of rollers, a belt passing over the rollers, a support, one roller being carried upon a shaft aixed to the suppo a link adapted to swing into two'positlons,

the other roller being carried by the swinging link, and means for retaining the link 1n position to hold the belt in contact'with the driving roller. f

10. An apparatus for builing film strips comprising a pair of rollers, a belt passing over' the roller, a support, one roller beingl carried upon a shaft ailixed to the support, a' link adapted to swing into two positlons, the other roller being carried by the swinging link, a latch for holding the link in one position vin which the belt is under tension and positioned for use, the link when released irom said latch being'A adapted to swing into the other position in which the tension on the belt is released so that the belt 'can be removed.

Signed at Fort Lee, New Jersey, this 27th day of February 1923. p

CHARLES DE MOUS.

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