Importance

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Abstract

A photographic film cutter for cutting film segments from a web of photographic film includes a knife located along a web advancement path, a splice sensor located upstream from the knife, and a notch sensor located between the knife and the splice sensor. A stepper motor moves the web along the path in fixed length steps. A step counter counts the steps to determine the length that the web has advanced since the web was cut by the knife. When a splice is detected by the splice sensor, a maximum feed switch determines, based upon the count of the step counter, whether the distance from a leading cut edge to the splice sensor is greater than or equal to a predetermined maximum distance. If the length is less than the maximum, the web is advanced until a portion of the web adjacent the splice is positioned at the knife, and the web is cut. If the length from the cut edge to the splice is greater than the predetermined maximum length, an additional cut is made. A minimum feed switch determines if the distance from the leading cut edge to the knife is greater than a predetermined minimum. A notch distance verifier determines whether notches marking the film are normally spaced, and if so, the web is cut between frames. If a normal notch is not found, the web is advanced by an additional step count before cutting to assure that no frame is bisected by the knife.

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First Claim