Abstract: An improved package for supply and take-up spools of dye ribbon for use with the cassette of a thermal printer in which the ribbon spools include a part, e.g. a flange, shaped for engagement with a correspondingly shaped socket in the carton holding the spools during transport etc. to thereby prevent relative rotation of the spools while within the carton.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for processing photographic material in which the material is passed through at least one processing vessel filled with processing liquid from a supply receptacle of processing liquid. Each vessel is filled by means of a liquid delivery pump which operates under the control of a liquid level sensing means sensing the level of processing liquid in the vessel and actuating the pump when the sensed level falls below a predetermined level. In order to regenerate the processing liquid in use over time, a predetermined quantity of processing liquid is removed periodically from at least one vessel via a discharge pump, preferably operating volumetrically, the quantity of liquid thus removed from the vessel being replaced with additional liquid from the supply receptacle to maintain the predetermined liquid level, Preferably, the supply receptacle is a flexible collapsible bag sealed to minimize deterioration of the processing liquid therein.

Abstract: A thermal image recording apparatus has a thermal print head removably supported on a supporting wall and held in place by a releasable latch arrangement which can take the form of at least one movable detent engageable with a rib provided for that purpose on the print head, e.g. on a cooling fin on the rear side of the print head. The detent can be a lever arm having at one end a hook for engaging the rib, the arm being pivotable to dis-engage the hook from the rib and release the print head for removal. The arm is preferably spring-biased to normally engage the rib and both rib and hook can have inclined surfaces allowing for snap-engagement thereof when the print head is mounted on the supporting wall. Preferably, a rib and associated detent is provided at opposite ends of the print head. Alternatively, the latch can be rotated in a plane parallel to the supporting wall to and from a latching position engaging the rib to release position disengaged therefrom.

Abstract: From about 25% to about 50% but not more than about 200 lbs of the Portland cement of a general purpose concrete mix which contains for each cubic yard of the concrete to be produced in generally homogeneous admixture about 400-750 lbs. portland cement, about 1600-2000 lbs. coarse aggregate of a size of at least about 3/8 inch, and sufficient fine aggregate of a size less than 3/8 inch and up to minor amounts of conventional additives to yield one cubic yard when the admixture is combined with water in an amount equal to about 40-70% by weight of said portland cement, is replaced with a) Class F fly ash having a calcium oxide content up to about 6% and b) cement kiln dust (CKD) in a weight ratio of fly ash to CKD of about 2:3-3:2. Preferably, 30% or more of the Portland cement is replaced.

Abstract: A cassette for a photo-stimulable luminescence (PSL) radiography which comprises a flat rigid base having one surface of which a layer of PSL material is adapted to be supported, a cover for the flat base constituted of a top wall coextensive in area with the one surface of the flat base and a flange extending around the periphery of the cover top wall and projecting at an angle to the cover top wall, the peripheral flange of the wall being disposed in close-fitting relation to side edges of the base when the base and cover are assembled, and cooperating releasable detent means on the peripheral flange of the cover and the side edges of the base for securing the cover and base together, the cover being separable from the base upon release of the detent means to permit the base for radiographic exposure of the PSL layer.

Abstract: Thermal image recording apparatus which can be set for recording on any of a plurality of different types of recording sheets, e.g. opaque or transparent, and wherein a sheet is fed by a suitable sheet feeder, preferably a rotatably drive sheet feeding rollers, from a supply a cassette or other supply source to a printing head for recording thereon, has a sensor for detecting the type of recording sheet used for the recording and for generating a control signal which is effective in the event a given sheet sensed by said sensor is of a type different from the type for which the apparatus is set, to disable the sheet feeding rollers from further feeding of the sheet to the printing head. Preferably, in the event of a mis-match between the type of sheet being fed and the machine setting, the direction of the sheet feeder is reversed and the mis-matched sheet is returned to its supply cassette.

Abstract: A thermal image recording apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium has a housing and mounted within the housing a subhousing containing a thermal print head formed of a thermal printing circuit, including an array of individual activatable heating elements, and a heat sink in conductive contact with such elements for cooling the same, a blower for creating a stream of cooling air and air guides for guiding the air stream into contact with the heat sink and thence to the outside of the housing. A platen roller is in the housing for supporting the recording medium in a recording position and the subhousing is pivotally mounted in the housing to bring the print heat into and out of an operative position with the heating elements proximate to the recording medium. The subhousing has an opening in its bottom wall through which the heating elements project in exposed relation to the recording medium while the heat sink extends into the subhousing interior.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing photographic sheet material including at least two rollers which are rotatively supported on corresponding shafts and biased together by springs acting on one of the shafts is provided with a mechanism operable to separate the rollers. The mechanism consists of a cam carried in normally free-wheeling relation on at least one end of one of the shafts, a cooperating cam follower carried on at least one end of the other shaft and a clutch that can be actuated to engage each such cam on its shaft for temporary rotation therewith to thereby displace the cam into contact with a cam follower and bring about separation of the roller shafts and the rollers supported thereon. The ends of the shaft acted on by the springs is preferably journaled in bearing blocks arranged in a frame for sliding movement towards and away from the other shaft and biased by the springs toward the other shaft.

Abstract: A vacuum table (10) for holding a document in position e.g. during scanning comprises a supporting surface (11) and a vacuum distribution line (13) which, in the absence of such a document, is in gas flow communication with the ambient atmosphere over a vacuum zone (A, B, C, D) on the table surface (11) via an array of openings (12) distributed over that surface. The table (10) further comprises means (20) such as a flexible curtain for obstructing such gas flow communication over a selected length of such array of openings (12) whereby the length (A, B) of the vacuum zone (A, B, C, D) may be matched to the length of a said document, and means (32) for selectively obstructing such gas flow communication over the width of the array whereby the width (B, C) of the vacuum zone may be matched to the width of such document.

Abstract: An image scanning apparatus has an apparatus sub-frame and a separate sub-frame which are adapted to rest upon a floor or like supporting surface independently of one another. The separate sub-frame includes a scanning station having means for scanning the thus-transported recording medium with a beam of radiation and the apparatus sub-frame has a conveyor for transporting an image recording medium towards and away from the scanning station. The apparatus sub-frame carries wheels which are adapted to be lowered into contact with the supporting surface in order to elevate the apparatus sub-frame above such surface. The apparatus and separate sub-frames have cooperating shoulders which are brought into abutment when the apparatus sub-frame is elevated and upon continued elevation of the apparatus sub-frame result in simultaneous elevation of the scanning station sub-frame above the supporting surface.

Abstract: A photographic print material suited for the production of a multicolor filter array element for use in a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal layer wherein the print material comprises a glass plate supporting on one side thereof (i) a silver halide emulsion layer sensitive to blue light and containing a yellow dye forming color coupler, (ii) a silver halide emulsion layer sensitive to green light and containing a magenta dye forming color coupler, and (iii) a sliver halide emulsion layer sensitive to red light and containing a cyan dye forming color coupler. The red light sensitive emulsion layer is disposed on the side of the array remote from the glass supporting plate and in each of the silver halide emulsion layers the equivalent ratio of silver halide to color coupler is at least 1 and preferably 1.2. A water-impermeable organic resin covering layer is applied over the red light sensitive emulsion layer and a transparent electrode layer is vacuum deposited over the covering layer.

Abstract: A lighttight package for rolled light-sensitive material includes a core, light-impervious flanges at opposite ends of the core, a roll of the light-sensitive material wound on the core between the flanges, and a light-shielding circumferential wrapper enclosing the roll. The flanges each have a circumferential groove extending radially inwardly from the periphery thereof into which the axial margins of the wrapper are folded radially inwardly and inserted and retained, preferably by a clamping action. The groove is defined between opposed wall sections of the flange and at least one of the wall section can be relatively flexible to facilitate insertion of the wrapper margin therein. The inner termination of the wrapper margin within the groove can be re-entrantly bent and a cord or string can be laid within the re-entrant bend to provide greater security against premature withdrawal of the wrapper margins from the groove.

Abstract: A method for producing a reproduction in reduced or enlarged size of a halftone original with improved tone rendition by the use of a continuous tone correction mask in conjunction with the halftone original applied in projection exposure.It is a particular characteristic of the present invention that said improved tone rendition is obtained by using in said projection exposure a mask image, the maximum density (i.e. density at 3% dot value areas of the halftone original used in the projection exposure) is linearly directly proportional to the screen ruling of the halftone original used in the projection exposure (see FIG. 2 and 3).

Abstract: Method and apparatus for DTR development of a lithographic printing plate of the type having a support possessing a natural deflection curvature under its ow weight and carrying an exposed silver halide emulsion layer in sandwiched relation an image receiving layer, wherein the plate is introduced into one end and removed from an opposite end of a DTR photographic developing bath for the emulsion layer. For such introduction, the plate is advanced through the nip of at least one pair of ingress feed rollers disposed one above the other above the bath surface along an ingress path that extends tangential to the nip at an angle of at least 5.degree. but less than 25.degree. to the horizontal and is unconstrained prior to its intersection with the bath surface. For its removal, the plate passes through a pair of egress feed rollers located above the bath surface along an egress path tangential to the egress roller nip at an angle of at least 5.degree. but not more than 25>to the horizontal.

Abstract: The area of moving rectangular sheet material, such as exposed photographic material needing photographic development, is calculated by advancing the sheet material at a known speed along a straight path with one axis, e.g. the length, of the material aligned with the path pass dual sensors. The first sensor determines the length of the sheet material, e.g. by measuring the time interval for the leading and trailing edges of the material to pass the sensor, from which in conjunction with the known speed of advance, the length can be calculated. The second sensor is elongated and extends angularly across the path of advance at a fixed bias angle .alpha. and measures the time interval for the leading and trailing corners (relative to the angular orientation of the second sensor) to pass the second sensor, from which the distance separating such corners along the path can be calculated.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing rectangular sheets of photographic material in varying format sizes is equipped to calculate at least approximately the surface area of the sheets fed therethrough. For this purpose, the apparatus includes a sensor for determining a dimension, e.g. the length, of each sheet, a memory for storing the length and width dimensions of a plurality of sheet format sizes, and a control unit which compares the determined dimension of a sheet with the dimensions stored in the memory and upon finding a match therebetween gives an output signal indication of the surface area of the sheet. If more than one match is found, the unit gives an output signal corresponding to the largest format size having a dimension equal to the determined dimension.

Abstract: A carriage, preferably carrying a knife for cutting a moving web for attachment of the cut web end to a web winding roll, is driven on a supporting rail along a linear path by means of a driving motor operating a toothed driving belt. The belt is detachably clamped to the carriage by a clamp fixed on the carriage and formed by a support plate having a belt supporting surface thereon and a pressure plate provided with teeth for mating engagement with the belt teeth mounted on the support plate in opposed relation to the support plate surface to define with the surface a slot for reception of the belt. The pressure plate is slidably supported for movement toward and away from the surface and is spring-biased to normally clamp the belt therebetween.

Abstract: A unitary injection-molded plastic holder frame for displaying an advertising placard or the like has four frame sides connected at their ends into a rectangle, a contiguous trio of the sides having generally coplanar mutually directed shallow channels therein for receiving the side margins along three sides of the placard with the remaining frame side being slotted along its length to separate that side into two parallel frame strip. The slot is in coplanar relation to said shallow channels and communicates at its ends with the corresponding ends of the channels in two opposite frame sides whereby the placard can be inserted via the slot into the frame with the margins of its three sides protruding into said channels.