Abstract: An automatic terminal distributor for reading and memorizing product data in sales outlets in general, characterized by comprising: a container (2) provided internally with a plurality of compartments (8) for a corresponding plurality of terminals (38) for reading the bar code printed on product packages, the terminals being provided with units for memorizing the data; moving means (12) for the compartments (8) within the container (2); means (24) for identifying the users of the sales outlets; a control unit (20) which controls the compartment moving means (12) in such a manner as to cause a selected one of the compartments (8) to face at least one door (18) provided on the container, the control unit causing the door to open when the significant user data have been recognized.

Abstract: An apparatus for inserting film into a spool including: a magazine with a plurality of cells containing empty spools, an element rotating about a fixed shaft and supporting at its end at least one container arranged to receive by gravity a spool housed in a cell of the magazine, a unit for inserting a negative into the spool, the unit being located in a position different from a region in which the spool is inserted into the container, and a magazine into which spools carrying rewound file are inserted. The container is mounted rotatable relative to the rotary element, an apparatus being provided which for each rotation of the rotary element in one direction cause the container to undergo a similar rotation about its axis in an opposite direction.

Abstract: A sorting line for processing envelopes, particularly for photographic laboratories, including at least one endless conveyor, for a plurality of boxes, provided with a base which opens under a command correlated with the position of the boxes along their path and a plurality of compartments arranged on several levels in a position below the endless conveyor and provided with upperly open communication channels which emerge in positions corresponding with the different positions in which the base of the boxes opens.

Abstract: A sorting line for processing envelopes for photographic laboratories including a feeder unit of the processing envelopes to be sorted, a main leg for supporting and guiding a first endless conveyor for a plurality of boxes provided with a base which opens under a command correlated with a position of the boxes along their path, the boxes being individually fed by a feeder unit, at least one branch leg for supporting and guiding a second endless conveyor for a plurality of boxes substantially similar to the boxes of the main leg, the branch leg being located at a lower level than the main leg, the arrangement of each branch leg with respect to the main leg being such that there exists at least one position which a box of the first conveyor is exactly above a box of the second conveyor.

Abstract: A device for superposing pieces of strip material, particularly pieces of photographic film, characterized by comprising a pair of horizontal guides (9) comprising two parallel superposed flanges defining a channel for the passage of the pieces (29) of strip material, and further characterized in that said guides have their lower flange (10) outwardly displaceable to enable said pieces (29) to fall onto an underlying stacking magazine, and then returnable to its operating position to reconstitute the guide path for the next piece, and at the same time to upperly retain the forming stack of pieces in correspondence with its edges, with said guides (9) there being associated at least one vertically acting pusher (23) for retaining the forming stack of pieces (29) when the lower flange (10) of the guides (9) is in its displaced position, and a horizontally acting pusher (24) for transferring said stack of pieces (29) out of said stacking magazine.

Abstract: A device for stacking and compacting photographic prints, and inserting stacks of prints into envelopes, includes a selector for directing individual prints along separate paths, according to their characterisitcs, toward a multiple stacking chamber at the end of the print paths, where the prints are formed into separate stacks. A compactor for compacting then compresses the stacks against a portion of the stacking chamber, and a pusher ejects the packs from the compactor in a direction orthogonal to the direction in which they entered.

Abstract: A device for automatically inserting packs of photographic negatives and prints into respective pockets of a series of envelopes includes separate guides for supporting and guiding the negatives and prints toward the envelopes, which are supported by a conveyor having intermittent forward and retrograde movement. The device includes a pair of blades which engage the pockets when the envelopes are moved rearward, and then are raised to open the pocket, to permit the automatic insertion.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for identifying negatives in photographic laboratories, characterized in that in the finishing station (1), after a tab (5) has been applied to the continuous strip of negatives (7) but before inserting the tabbed strip cut into portions into its envelope, order identification data are printed on the tab in synchronism with the cutting operation.

Abstract: An apparatus for creating and checking correlation between negatives and prints in photographic laboratories comprising:means (3) for marking each film (5) with a number (4) written in machine-readable code,a reader (7) for said number (4) in the printing station (6),in the printing station (6), a printer (8) for reproducing said number (4) in the interspace (10) between two adjacent prints,in the finishing station (13), a reader (16) for the number (4) marked on each film (5)in the finishing station (13), a reader (17) for the corresponding number (12), anda circuit (18) which, during the cutting stage checks correspondence between the two numbers (4,12).

Abstract: A method for correlating negatives with processing envelopes in photographic laboratories, which comprises the steps of joining films together as they are extracted from their corresponding processing envelopes by a tape which has been progressively prenumbered in machine-readable code, reading the number printed on the tape portion used for each joint, and printing it in machine-readable code on the corresponding processing envelope.

Abstract: The apparatus for creating and checking correlation between negatives and prints in photographic laboratories comprises:means (3) for making each film (5,5',5") with a progressive number (4) written in machine-readable code,a reader (19) for said number (4) in the printing station,a processing circuit (8) for the read signal in order to provide a control key having a sequence related to said progressive numbering (4),a member (10) which forms the end-of-order marks (13) on the strip of prints (11),a member (9) which on the strip of prints (11) forms the cutting marks (12) and modifies those in positions corresponding with the end-of-order marks (13) in accordance with the sequence generated by said processing circuit (8),in the finishing station (1), a reader (19) for the number (4) which characterises each film (5,5',5"),in the finishing station (16), a reader (20) for the cutting marks (12) in positions corresponding with the end-of-order marks (13),a circuit (22,27) which during the cutting stage checks th

Abstract: An apparatus for correlating wallets with processing envelopes in photographic laboratories comprising:a dispenser (9) in which wallets (11) corresponding to the different customers are contained separately,means (5,7,8) for determining in accordance with the customer code read from the processing envelope (4), the extraction of a wallet (11) corresponding to that customer from the dispenser (9),means (13,14,15,16,17) for forming with the wallets (11) being extracted from said dispenser (9) a sequence corresponding to the sequence of processing envelopes (4) of that batch, andmeans for extracting one by one in the finishing station (21) the wallets (11) into which to insert the photographic material (28,29) corresponding to the processing envelopes (4) associated with said wallets (4).

Abstract: An apparatus for handling photographic disk films includes a light-proof casing having an entrance passageway for disk film cartridges and a remote light-proof disk film storage magazine. Also within the light-proof casing is a disk film cartridge transport unit to transfer disk film cartridges from the entrance passageway to the magazine. The transport unit includes a mechanism to prepare the disk film cartridges for opening by a blade in the light-proof casing during their movement and to orient the disk films for placement on a spit inside of the storage magazine.

Abstract: The process to establish and check the matching of negatives and processing envelopes in photographic laboratories foresees that in the initial phase the bar code printed on the cartridge is automatically read and machine-reproduced in a legible code on the envelope (1), and that at the end of the film handling, an automatic check is performed between the bar code (4) preprinted on the film and the code printed on the envelope and a visually displayed comparison is made on the screen between negatives and corresponding positives, as well as between envelope and film code numbers.