Importance

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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. Because the timer does not start timing until after the last film has been introduced into the processor, no film can remain in the processor when the processor is returned to its stand-by mode. When the timer times out, the electronic circuitry automatically returns the apparatus to the 'stand-by' mode.

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First Claim