Abstract: The front-filling system consists of a pair of fill buckets located on the front of the processor housing. The fill buckets are connected to the internal solution tanks by fill tubes such that fluid in the fill buckets will be delivered to the solution tanks as solution is added during filling or replenishment. The fill buckets are provided with movable lids, to minimize evaporation and accumulation of debris, and the fill buckets are physically separated to prevent cross-contamination during the filling process. The fill buckets, or portions thereof, may be made of transparent material to aid in observing solution levels and solution condition. The fill buckets are positioned and sized to allow for easy filling and replenishment, and for easy observation of solution levels and solution condition without removal of top lids or top housings. The fill buckets each have front over-flow sluices, to eliminate any possibility of overflow within the interior solution tanks.

Abstract: A switching system consists of a pressure sensitive floor pad containing internal, sealed electrical contacts, and solid-state electronic timer and associated circuitry. The floor pad is positioned so that an operator must step on the pad in order to feed film into a film processor apparatus. When an operator steps on the pad, an electric circuit is completed, which causes the film processor apparatus to automatically switch from a "stand-by" mode to a "run" mode, without requiring an operator to remember to activate any switch and without any need for film-sensing devices. After the operator steps back off the floor pad (after having fed one or more films into the apparatus), the electronic timing circuit continues the operation of the processing cycle for a time period sufficient to insure that any film inserted is fully processed.