Importance

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Abstract

A device for unloading exposed film from a cassette, discarding a backing strip which is wound with the film, discharging the cassette body and conveying the film to a light-free storage box. The cassette is initially loaded into the device through a shutter-closable aperture and received by a downwardly inclined cradle. Upon initiation of the loading cycle, the loading aperture shutter closes and a pneumatic ram lifts the cradle to place the cassette against the inlet of a film guide. A motor raises a violator probe after the cassette is in place to guide the backing paper between a pair of powered rollers which draw the backing strip from the cartridge thereby carrying the film into the film guide. The backing strip is discharged through a series of ducts to be discharged outside the machine. Film entering the guide is directed past the storage box by a pair of pivotally mounted guide doors which open when the leading edge of the film reaches a downstream optical sensor to allow film to enter the storage box. After all of the film has been removed from the cassette and processed by downstream splicer mechanisms, the cassette cradle is lowered and the cassette is discharged through a series of ducts outside the machine. The loading aperture shutter then opens to receive a new cassette. If the backing strip fails to draw the film from the cassette, the film is automatically rewound into the cassette, the cradle is lowered and the cartridge is routed into a light-free bag instead of the discharge receptacle.

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First Claim