Abstract: A film processing system that removes film strips from their cartridges, splices the strips together for processing and printing, and then separates the strips for return and reattachment to the same cartridge from which they were removed. The empty cartridges are maintained during processing in a magazine in the same sequential order and corresponding batch as the spliced film strips, to facilitate matching of the film strips and cartridges at the end of the process. According to other features, the spliced roll of film strips is unwound and rewound after development, once for electronically scanning the film strips to capture electronic representations of the developed images, and again for optically printing the developed images onto photographic paper. The film strips include magnetically recorded information, representing conditions of camera exposure, that are captured during scanning before printing.

Abstract: A remote diagnostic and monitoring system and method for use with an operation system having a multi-tasking interface to a real time control system, the remote diagnostic and monitoring system and method comprising a remote diagnostic task operating in an interface computer operatively connected to the operation system, a communication link, and a remote service computer coupled to the interface computer via the communication link. The remote diagnostic task operating on the interface computer can initiate and monitor from a remote location any of the procedures and controls run on the interface computer for controlling and monitoring the operation system. The remote diagnostic task receives instructions from a person at the remote service computer through the communications link and injects these instructions into the operating software of the operation system in a manner such that the remote source, i.e. the remote service computer, is indistinguisable from a local source.