Abstract: A process for producing ester-substituted polyvinyl alcohol from a compound having a carboxyl group and polyvinyl alcohol, which comprises converting the compound having a carboxyl group to an active derivative thereof and reacting the active carboxylic acid derivative with polyvinyl alcohol in the presence of a base the conjugate acid of which has a pKa of 11 or more; and a thin film, provided on a transparent substrate, which comprises a film of the ester-substituted polyvinyl alcohol as a liquid crystal alignment layer and an optically anisotropic layer containing a discotic liquid crystal compound which has at least one substituent capable of forming a new bond intermolecularly or intramolecularly and which is capable of forming a discotic nematic phase.

Abstract: A replenisher supplying apparatus includes a plurality of cartridges, a plurality of stock tanks, a plurality of supply devices for supplying the component agents stored in the stock tanks to a processing tank, communication devices for supplying the component agents filled in the cartridges to the stock tanks, detection devices for detecting whether the quantity of each of the component agents stored in the stock tanks has decreased to be equal to or less than a predetermined level, and a control device for operating, at a time when it is judged by the detection devices that the quantity of a component agent stored in one of the stock tanks has decreased to be equal to or less than the predetermined level, and operating one of said supply devices so as to reduce the quantity of a component agent stored in another stock tank to a level equal to or less than the predetermined level, and operating said communication devices so as to supply the component agents to the stock tanks.

Abstract: A photosensitive material processing apparatus having a processing tank in which a processing solution for processing a photosensitive material is stored, and rollers or the like for conveying the photosensitive material along a predetermined path within the processing tank. By maintaining a humidity of upper portion spaces of the processing tank at greater than or equal to 80%RH, dirtying of machinery due to crystal deposition of processing chemicals and non-uniformity of the processing solution are prevented. In order to maintain the humidity of the upper portion spaces of the processing tank at greater than or equal to 80%RH, a cover having an opening ratio of less than or equal to 40% is disposed at an upper portion of the processing tank, and spaces enclosed by the cover are not ventilated by fans. Further, it is preferable that a ratio of a volume of the upper portion spaces of the processing tank enclosed by a cover to an area of an exposed surface of the solution within the processing tank is 0.5 cm.

Abstract: A replenisher supply apparatus for photosensitive material processor is provided, which includes a cartridge, a replenisher stock tank, a sensor for detecting a solution level of the replenisher in the replenisher stock tank, and a flow means for causing the replenisher to flow from the cartridge mounted on the mount portion to the replenisher stock tank when the sensor detects that the solution level is at a predetermined value or below. As a result, even if the replenisher in the replenisher stock tank runs short during the process, the process can be continued without immediate replacement of the cartridge.

Abstract: A photographic film transporting apparatus for transporting a photographic film from a developing apparatus to a printer includes: a transport passage device formed of an elongated flexible member and having a pair of mutually opposed grooves for guiding transversely opposite ends of the photographic film and extending in a longitudinal direction of the transport passage device; and two coupling portions for respectively coupling opposite ends of the transport passage device to the developing apparatus and the printer. The photographic film can be fed out by providing at least one driving device in the transport passage device. The photographic film transporting apparatus is further provided with a driving source for imparting a driving force to the driving device and a flexible transmitting device for transmitting the driving force of the driving source to the driving device.

Abstract: An automatic developing apparatus which can supply a photographic film without use of a leader. The automatic developing apparatus 100 has an automatic loader 31 in which a plurality of film containers 1 are held in a holder 32, a feed-out control mechanism 33 and a shutter mechanism 35 to individually and successively position the containers 11 in a film draw-out position, a film draw-out mechanism for withdrawing the film 1 in the condition that the curling of the film 1 is prevented, and a developing tank for developing the film. According to another embodiment of the invention, in the case where the container 1 is not used, after the cartridge 2 has been supplied into the film draw-out position, positioning of the cartridge 2 is performed by rotating the cartridge 2 so that the draw-out portion of the cartridge 2 is correctly oriented.

Abstract: A method for processing a silver halide photographic material is disclosed, comprising a support and a light-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer provided on the frontside of the support, said photographic material being arranged in a processing container containing a processing solution to form a gap or series of continuous gaps adjacent to the surface of the light-sensitive layer between the frontside of the photographic material and the backside of the same photographic material, or between the frontside of the photographic material and a second photographic material, or between the frontside of the photographic material and a light-insensitive member, said gap or continuous series of gaps having a substantially constant gap width, comprising the steps of introducing a processing solution stream into each gap and replacing the processing solution thus introduced in an amount at least equivalent to the capacity of the gaps.

Abstract: In a photographic film cassette, rotation of a spool in a direction of unwinding a photographic film causes a film leader to advance to an outside of a cassette shell. An exposed film is drawn out of the cassette shell after advancing the film leader for developing the exposed film in a state with a film trailer attached to the spool so as to keep the cassette shell reusable. The exposed film is wound up into the cassette shell after development. After development, the spool is rotated in the unwinding direction in a printer in order to advance the film leader outward such that the exposed film can then be drawn out of the cassette shell frame by frame for subjecting the developed film to printing in a state with the film trailer attached to the spool. Thereafter, the spool is rotated in a direction of winding up the developed film for containing the exposed film in the cassette shell.

Abstract: A photographic film cassette has a connecting sheet of which a trailing end is fixed on a spool, and a front end is drawn out from a cassette shell through a film passage mouth beforehand. A developed photographic film is connected to the front end of the connecting sheet drawn out of the cassette shell. The spool is rotated to wind up the developed film in the cassette shell with the connecting sheet. In a preferred embodiment, before developing the photographic film after exposure, the exposed film is drawn out of the cassette shell, and is cut on a film trailer. As a result, the exposed film is separated into a first portion and a second portion left on the spool with a front end of the second portion drawn out. The second portion is provided as the connecting sheet. Further, a hot-melt adhesive agent is applied to the photographic film in a position to be the front end of the second portion.

Abstract: A device for distributing finished photographic paper of the type in which finished photographic paper sheets discharged from a photographic-paper processing apparatus are transferred to a conveying belt by means of flappers, and are distributed and arranged on the conveying belt. The flappers are controlled in such a manner that they operate to transfer the finished photographic paper sheets selectively in conformance with the size of said photographic paper which are transferred to the conveying belt when a predetermined number of them have been accumulated on the flappers. And the distance of moving of the conveying belt is controlled when transferred to the conveying belt are arranged selectively in two modes, in one of which the piles of accumulated finished photographic paper sheets on the conveying belt is allowed to have an appropriate space between them, and in the other of which the piles partly overlap each other.

Abstract: A method of disposing of the leading end of a roll of photosensitive medium in which a leading end portion of the photosensitive medium that gets fogged due to exposure to light is cut and discharged from the processing route of the photosensitive medium before the development process; a first sheet of the photosensitive medium is cut in a predetermined size, including a leading end portion that gets fogged due to exposure to light, the part of this sheet which has not become fogged being exposed to a test pattern; or a first sheet of the photosensitive medium is cut in a size determined by summing the size of a leading end portion that gets fogged due to exposure to light and the size of a predetermined area of exposure.

Abstract: A pressure image forming apparatus in which a sheet S of photo-sensitive and pressure-sensitive material is exposed to an original image, a sheet C of image fixing material is overlaid on the sheet S, and the image on the sheet S is transferred by a pair of pressure rolls 304, 312. One of the rolls is a hard roll having a multiplicity of small projections on its surface which rupture microcapsules on the sheet S to effect the image transfer to sheet C.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus in which an image is initially recorded on a flexible photosensitive material and is then pressure transferred to an image-receiving material. The drives for the image recording and the pressure transferring are separated so as to reduce the mechanical effect on the imaging either by putting the imaging in a separate unit or by providing separate drives. The supply of photosensitive material from a roll is deflected to a discard bin when the cut length is less than a recording minimum but all action is stopped if the cut length is less than a conveyable minimum. The photosensitive material and the image-receiving material are separated by a pawl controllably swinging into the path of the two material after the pressure transferring operation.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus employs a photo- and pressure-sensitive heat-developable material having a substrate and a layer formed on the substrate from a material which is photosensitive and heat-developable and which enables the developed image to be fixed by a pressure. The apparatus is constituted by an exposure device 8, 10 for exposing the photosensitive materials to an original image so as to form a latent image on the photosensitive material; a heat-developing device 40 for heating the photosensitive material so as to thermally set the portion of the photosensitive material carrying the latent image thus developing and immobilizing the image; a transfer device 70, 88 for superposing the photosensitive material after the development and an image receiving material C and pressing them to each other; and a heating device disposed upstream of the transfer device and adapted to heat at least one of the photosensitive material and the image receiving material.

Abstract: The present invention provides a heat-developable photographic light-sensitive material comprising, on a support, at least containing a light-sensitive silver halide, a binder, a reducing agent, and an organic silver salt, wherein said organic silver salt is a silver salt of a pyrazolazole-type compound represented by formula (I) ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each represents a hydrogen atom or a substituent; Za, Zb, and Zc each represents a methine group, a substituted methine group, .dbd.N-- or --NH--; and one of the Za-Zb bond and Zb-Zc bond is a double bond and the other is a single bond.The present heat-developable photographic light-sensitive materials are capable of forming images of high density, with low fog, in a short period of time.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus employs a photo- and pressure-sensitive heat-developable material having a substrate and a layer formed on the substrate from a material which is photo-sensitive and heat-developable and which enables the developed image to be fixed by a pressure, and an image receiving material. The photosensitive material and the image receiving material being adapted to be superposed one on the other and pressed to each other so as to transfer the image from the photosensitive material to the image receiving material. The pressing of these two materials is conducted by a means which includes a pair of pressing rolls for nipping the photosensitive material and the image receiving material therebetween; back-up rolls means having an axial length smaller than that of the pressing rolls and adapted for acting on at least one of the pressing rolls; and back-up roll pressing means capable of independently adjusting the pressure exerted by the back-up roll means on the pressing rolls.

Abstract: A web winding device of simple construction in which webs are successively attached to and wound on cores and in which the web winding width can be easily changed. A first web winding and product discharging station, a core supplying and web attaching station, and a second web winding and product discharging station are arranged in the stated order in a stationary frame. A winding unit having two web winding mechanisms coupled as a single unit extending in a longitudinal direction of the web is mounted on rails atop the stationary frame and is reciprocal therealong over the three stations. Each web winding device holds cores for the various web segments to be wound and motors for turning the cores and for adjusting the winding width.

Abstract: A preassembled film cartridge is magnetically gripped by an arm and pivotally delivered between chucks which are moved towards each other to grip the ends of the cartridge spool. A stand mounting chucks is then moved under the cartridge, and the chucks pinch the slotted shell thereof to release the end cap, whereafter the stand is withdrawn to expose the gripped spool. The end of a precut film strip is then inserted in the aligned spool slot, and the spool is rotated to wind the film thereon. The stand is then moved back under the spool, carrying with it the shell and end cap, whereafter a capper engages the end cap and completes the cartridge reassembly. The chucks release the shell, the stand is again withdrawn, an arm magnetically engages the loaded cartridge, and the chucks release the spool, whereafter the cartridge is pivotally removed from the apparatus by the arm.