Abstract: A thermal printing system includes a heating element with an insulation under-layer of optimal thickness. A method for determining the optimal thickness of such insulation under-layer using equations for the transient temperature distribution at the dye donor/image receiver interface is described. These equations account for the printing system parameters which have the most significant impact on the image formation process.

Abstract: A low volume photographic material processing apparatus that utilizes a narrow horizontal processing channel. The channel is formed by a repeating combination of squeegee pinch rollers and impingement slot nozzles. Photographic processing solution is introduced into opposite ends of alternating impingement slot nozzles, having delivery channels and the squeegee pinch rollers are used to remove the processing solution from the photosensitive material and provide transport of the photosensitive material. Solution level control is achieved by drains positioned below the tops of the upturned sections. The slot nozzles and the pinch rollers work interactively to break down the chemical barrier layer.

Abstract: A detection system for detecting and/or verifying the magnetic properties of the magnetic ink layer on common printed or copied documents includes, in order of interaction with the magnetic ink of a Document, a saturation record head, a saturation read head, a non-saturation record head, and a non-saturation read head. The disclosed method of operation is equivalent to the normal testing of the magnetic layer of a Document, but eliminates the need for an erase magnet.

Abstract: A silver halide photographic element comprising a silver halide emulsion which is greater than 50 mole % silver chloride, said emulsion being in reactive association with a sulfur donating compound and a phosphine compound represented by Formulae I and II, and polymers having a repeating unit derived from the compounds of Formula I,Formula (I) R.sup.18 R.sup.19 R.sup.20 PFormula (II) R.sup.21 R.sup.22 P--A--PR.sup.23 R.sup.24wherein R.sup.18, R.sup.19, R.sup.20, R.sup.21, R.sup.22, R.sup.23, and R.sup.24 are independently alkyl, or aryl groups, or R.sup.18, R.sup.19, R.sup.20, R.sup.21, R.sup.22, R.sup.23, and R.sup.24 may combine to form a 5 or 6-membered ring , and wherein A is a divalent carbon linking group, and a method of making the silver chloride emulsion.

Abstract: A method of forming a photographic colour image which comprises imagewise exposing a photographic silver halide colour material and processing it with an alkaline developer solution in the presence of a sulphonhydrazide developer and a heteroarylacetonitrile colour coupler thus forming a dye image by reaction of oxidised colour developing agent and the colour coupler. A colour photographic material is also provided having at least two colour-forming units sensitive to different regions of the spectrum, each having a silver halide emulsion layer, characterised in that the material contains in or adjacent said layer, a ballasted photographic colour coupler and a ballasted sulphonhydrazide colour developing agent incorporated therein in droplets of a high boiling solvent and in which the colour coupler is a heteroarylacetonitrile.

Abstract: A camera is provided that is capable of exposing films of various speeds comprising a flash unit capable of alternatively assuming a direct flash mode and an indirect flash mode and a film speed detector to determine if the speed of film in the camera is above or below a predetermined speed. According to the invention, a control apparatus connected to the film speed detector and the flash unit prevents the flash unit from assuming one of the flash modes if the film in the camera is below the predetermined speed, but allows the flash unit to assume the other flash mode if the film is below the predetermined speed.

Abstract: It is known to use infra-red densitometry to measure the variations in the optical density of photographic material. In photographic processing apparatus, it is important that the photographic material is transferred from one part of the apparatus to another at precisely the correct time to prevent damage to the material. Described herein is a method and apparatus for controlling the transfer or switching of photographic material from one processing tank to another of photographic processing apparatus during processing of the material. A threshold detector (30) is used to produce an output signal (40) indicative of a change in infra-red density of the photographic material. The output signal (40) is then used to control the transfer or switching of the material from one processing tank to another.

Abstract: A film spool comprising a hub that has a central cavity beginning with an end opening at one end of the hub, and a split spline forming a pair of spline pieces fixed inside the central cavity, is characterized in that one of the spline pieces extends closer to the end opening than the other.

Abstract: A lens shutter camera includes a movable picture taking lens that can be moved along an optical axis and positioned at a focus setting such that a camera subject is in focus, an adjustable shutter aperture mechanism that controls the amount of ambient light passing through the picture taking lens for producing an exposure, and a drive source that moves the picture taking lens to position the lens at the focus setting; wherein movement of the picture taking lens toward the focus setting position simultaneously adjusts the shutter aperture mechanism to an exposure setting that permits a predetermined amount of ambient light necessary for proper exposure to pass through the lens.

Abstract: A system that determines whether a multi-processor operation is possible without data set expansion by comparing the size of the data sets and the position of elements of the data sets, the sampling frequency of the data sets and the amount of overlap of the data sets among the processors. If all of the conditions are not met the operation cannot proceed. If the last condition only is not met, the size of the overlap necessary to allow the operation to proceed can be determined. If sufficient memory space for the expansion of the subsets by exchanging the needed elements is available, the operation can proceed after the communication of the data sets among the processors in accordance with the required expansion.

Abstract: An improved preparation of high chloride {100} tabular grain emulsions that relies on iodide ions to produce tabular grain growth is disclosed. By delaying iodide ion introduction until after the initiation of grain nucleation the proportion of total grain projected area accounted for by high chloride {100} tabular grains is increased. The projected areas of the {100} tabular grains can exceed 95 percent of total grain projected area.

Abstract: There is described a process and optimal conditions for depolymerizing polyester into its components and separating the components using apparatus comprising:a dissolver for receiving polyester,a reactor for depolymerizing polyester into components, anda rectifier for separating polyester components; the process comprising the steps of:a) adding polyester to the dissolver and combining it with melt from the reactor and liquid from the rectifier to reduce the chain length of the polyester,b) transferring reduced chain length polyester from the dissolver to the reactor,c) passing super-heated methanol through the reactor to depolymerize polyester into its constituent monomers;d) transferring depolymerization products from the reactor to the rectifier; ande) separating the depolymerization products in the rectifier into a vapor phase containing component monomers and a liquid phase containing higher molecular weight materials.

Abstract: An energy attenuating support plate (10) for protecting an object thereon, such as a roll (R) of photographic web, from damage due to shock during handling and transportation. The support plate (10) is engageably attached to either end of the core (C) of the roll (R) and provides a means of absorbing impact energy incurred by the support plate (10). The molded plastic plate (10) comprises first, second and third energy attenuation regions (24,30,40) that successively absorb as-received energy before such energy encounters the roll (R) supported thereon.

Abstract: Locations of respective image frames contained on an image recording, such as a continuous color photographic film strip scanned by digitizing opto-electronic scanner are identified by storing scanline data produced by the scanner in a digital database, and processing the stored scanline data to generate a predictor space which is used to identify locations of all the minimally valid frames. Thereafter, the well formed image frames are used to produce statistics which are used to detect the location of other frames.

Abstract: In an illumination system for a film telecine scanner of the type adapted to provide a line of illumination on the image frames of a film which is supported for rapid movement in a film gate of the scanner, an improved light control system for adjusting the amount of light that is delivered from a light source to an integrating cylinder to take into account fluctuations in intensity of the light source and desired intensity changes in the line of illumination upon a change of scene in the image frames of the film as the film is being scanned. The light control system includes aperture defining apparatus for selectively adjusting the amount of light entering said integrating cylinder in response to the commanded light intensity signal within the time span of scanning a single image frame of the film.

Abstract: A digital image processing system for displaying digitized images on a screen of a display unit includes a data base such as a compact disc on which the digitized images are stored, a plurality of image memories for holding the digitized images for display, and a display unit having a screen including a two-dimensional array of pixels. The screen is divided into sections by designating subsets of the screen pixels by row and column, and the images stored in the image memories are allocated to the sections of the screen by mapping image data pixels to the screen pixels. Under user control, different images may be displayed on different sections of the screen. The number of images, and the specific images from the data base, are user selectable and independently manipulable. To reduce a latency time for displaying images responsive to user commands, the images may be arranged in a sequence.

Abstract: A sheet material holder includes a vacuum platen defining a plurality of arrays of vacuum channels corresponding in number and size to a plurality of sheet material sizes on one surface thereof and including a corresponding plurality of distinct vacuum plenums communicating with the arrays of vacuum channels; a vacuum pump; a corresponding plurality of remotely actuatable valves connected between the vacuum plenums and the vacuum pump; a corresponding plurality of flow sensors for sensing the flow of air between the plenums and the vacuum pump; and logic and control means connected to the flow sensors and the valves for sensing air flow between a plenum and the vacuum pump and actuating the corresponding valve. Sheet size is automatically inferred by the pattern of valves that are actuated.

Abstract: The present invention relates to water soluble photographic sensitivity increasing alkynylamine compounds. It also relates to photographic elements containing such compounds.

Abstract: An elongated light source of the type employed in a document scanner for forming a line of uniform intensity, diffuse illumination at a document scanning plane. The light source has a longitudinally extending aperture for generating a line of light aligned with the light entrance end face of a generally planar, light conducting pipe. The light conducting pipe conducts light through its length and emits the light at a light exiting end face in proximity to a document scanning plane. The emitted light is spectrally filtered within the light pipe by the selected colored material thereof for absorbing unwanted wavelengths and/or by shaping the light pipe and/or by use of dichroic filter coatings for reflecting unwanted light wavelengths.

Abstract: A silver halide photographic element comprising a support having thereon at least one light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer and a transparent magnetic recording layer on the substrate, the transparent magnetic recording layer having barium ferrite platelet particles in a transparent binder, the barium ferrite platelet particles being aligned such that the easy axis of the particles is parallel to the substrate.