Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~;~O~L03
The present invention relates to a container
adapted to be used in association with a treating
apparatus for, for example, treating a photosensitive
material, in order to recover used treating Iiquid.
A container suitable for holding such a treating
liquid is the so~called bag~in-box type, which has
"pore-in" and "pore~out" (access) ports and is the
form of an inner bag which is held within an outer box
made of corrugated cardboard.
This type of container is set in the treating
apparatus and holds a treating liquid to be used in
the treating apparatus. The container is used as a
cassette type and, when one treating liquid is to be
replaced by another treating liquid, ano-ther container
is required to recover used liquid. This requires an
extra space for replacement and, moreover, a cumbersome
operatl~on for replacement.
With a view to eliminating such a cumbersome opera~
:
tion, a type of container has been proposed in Japanese
Patent Disclosure (KOKAI) NO. 58-52065, which comprises
a fi~rst flexible container unit for holdlng a treating
l;iquid, and a second flexible container unit, which is
located outside of the first ~lexible container unit,
for recovering spent liquid, the each container unit
2S being provlded with access~ports for connection to an
associated apparatus.
~owever, since the aforementioned container is made
~3~S~3
up of two container uni-ts equipped with access ports, it
is difficul-t to correctly connect charging and
clischarc3incl tubes relative each other with the container
set in the -treating apparatus. Therefore, there is a
risk that a connection error will occur be-tween the
charging and discharging tubes. Fur-thermore, it is not
easy to assemhle the first and second flexible con-tainer
units within an outer box because one of the container
units is providecl separate from -the other container uni.t.
A type of container can be formed which comprises an
outer box and inner container units :i.nteg.rally held
within the outer box, each inner container unit being
divided by a partition wall in-to two chambers. Due to
: 15 two access ports provided on each container unit, the
pliability of the container un1t lg lost, par-ticularly at
: those flange areas of the access ports where a fusion
bond is effec-ted. ~hen the inner container units~are
held within the outer box, bend6 and creases are more
likely to be formed on the inner container units, so that
~when they are subjected to vibrations during the
transportation thereof pinholea are likely to be formed
at these bend and creased portlons.
The presen-t invention provides a treatiny-liquid
container which can recover a treating liquicl which has
become a spent liquid, which is properly set within an
assoaiated treatiny apparatus, has access ports which can
be readily and positively connected to and di~connected
, - ~,, j ~,.
~ .~.i. ~l,,
~5~03
-- 3
from the container, and is less liable to procluce
pinholes on the inne.r bag during transportation which
would other-~ise occur.
Accordingly, the present inven-tion provides a
container for storin~ a treating liqui(l and for
recovering a usecl treating liquid, which compri~e~:
an outer box made of a ~ubstantially rigid
mater.ial having a top wall yor-tion ancl a fixing section
0 at the top wall por-tion; and
a Elexible inner bag helcl within the outer box
hav:ing a pair o.E access ports detachably connected to the
fixing section of the outer box ancl a partition wall
dividing the interior of the inner bag into a lower
compartment defining a treating-liquid storage chamber
and an upper compar-tment defining a used-liquid storage
chamber, and a buffer film separately interposed between
said inner bag and said parti-tion wall for preventing
pinholes from occurring in said inner bag, said storage
chambers each having one of the pair of access por-ts for
providing communica-tion with an outer associated
appara-tus.
This in~ention can be more fully unclerstoocl from the
following detailed description when taken in conjunction
wi:th the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is an explanatory view showing a treating-
liquid container accorcling to one embodiment of the
present invention;
3~5~3
- 3a -
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an inner
bag of the container o Fiq. 1;
Fig. 3 is a view showing the outer appearance of a
form of the contairler of Fic,~. l;
E'ig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an inner
bag of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a view showing the ou-ter appearance of a
treating-liquid conta:iner according to another embocliment
of the present invention;
Fig. 6 is a view showincl-the outer appearance of an
inner bag of Fig. S;
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line
A-A, ~howing the container of Fig. 5; ancl
Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a variant
of the container of Fig. 5.
The embodiments of the presen-t invention will now be
explained below, with reference -to the accompanying
.' :
.
,,
i
.,. ~
. `
i
"` ::
, "
,.,: ~
,,
,",~
.','. .
:::
.',",
., .
.. . .
, ,.
1 :.:
~3~5~3
-- 4 --
drawings.
Embodiment l
Fig. 1 is a view showing the outer appearance of a
treatlng-liquid container according to one embodiment oE
the present invention. Outer rectangular box 1 is made
of a rigid material, such as a corrugated cardboard, and
has fixing section ~ about 45-inclined at one corner
side with a pair of access ports 2, 3 each closed by a
cover at fixing section ~ of box 1. Inner bag 7 is
disposed within outer box 1 and is made of a plastics
film section and a laminate section. As is shown in
Fig. 2, bag 7 is formed as a flexible bag with treating-
liquid storage chamber 9 and used-liquid storage chamber
10 defined therein by flexible partition wall 8. Access
ports are different in size in the same direction and of
such a type that tbey are eixed to the outer box.
A pair of fixing sections 4, 4 may be formed,
unlike the single fixing section o Fig. l, on the
corner sides in a symmetrical ashion, that is, with
one o~ Eixing sections 4 and 4 located on one corner
side and the other on the opposed corner side of the
box. In this case, access ports 2 and 3 are opened not
in the same direction but in the opposed direction, as
is shown in Fig. 4.
If access ports 2 and 3 of different size are used
in combination with covers 5 and 6 of different color,
they can readily and positively be connected to
~3~ 3
-- 5 --
an associated treating apparatus. A choice of a dif-
erent color or size well serves the purpose if the
color or size is applied to one oE access ports or to
one oE covers 5 and 6. An inner sealing member may be
initlally employed ~Eor sealing to an open end of port 2
if port 2 is used as a "pour-out" one. If, in this
case, an assoclated connector is connected to port 2 at
the time oE use, it ls possible to prevent the user's
hands and garments Erom being fouled due to the deposl-
tion thereon of used liquid.
Embodiment 2
Fig. 5 is a view showing the outer appearance oE
a container according to another embodiment oE the pre-
sent invention. Like the first embodiment, outer rec-
tangular box 11 is made of a rigid material/ such as
corrugated cardboard and has fixing section 12 about
45-inclined at one corner side. Access ports 14 and 15
of inner bag 13 are fixed to fixing section 12. As is
shown in Figs. 6 and 7, inner bag 13 is made up oE two
main film sheets 16 and 17 and two buffer film sheets 18
and 19, which are made of, for example, polyethylene.
The main and buffer sheets are overlappingly sealed at
both ends. Access port 14 is provided at the main;and
buffer sheets in a manner to be fusion-bonded around the
port to these sheets. Port 15 is provided at buffer
films 18 in a manner to be fusion-bonded around the
port to the buffer film 18. Main film 16 provides
~3~ 3
-- 6
a partition wall whereby inner bag 13 is divided into
two chambers, one o-E which serves as treating-liquid
storage chamber 20 and the other as used-liquid storage
chamber 21. Buffer films 18 and 19 should preferably be
made of a material, such as polyethylene, whose pinholes
are restricted to 1 or less in number under a ~elbofrex
test (-10C, 1500 times). Since a "blocking" phenomenon
is liable to occur in those films having a low incidence
of pin holes, the film should therefore be embossed.
In the con-tainer of the present invention, a treat-
ing liquid is held within the treating-liquid storage
chamber at the time of use, with the used-liquid storage
chamber remaining unoccupied. Thus the treating liquid
is supported by such a double sheet film, and pinholes
which would otherwise occur can be prevented from occur-
ring at a bent portion (or portions) due to the buffer-
ing action of bufer films; 18 and 19 on main films 16
and 17, respectively.
In the case where the contents of the bag are a
barrier property, the inner bag may be formed with a
film oE barrier property added thereto. In this case,
~if the outermost films are formed as films 22 and 23 of
barrier property, access port 14 is fusion-bonded around
the port to film 22, main film 16 and buffer film 18,
and access port 15 is fusion-bonded around the port to
; film 22, as shown in Fig. 8, in which case a partition
wall is deEined by main film 16 and buffer film 1~.
~3~ 3
-- 7
Access port 15 is fusion~bonded around the port to
film 22, with a partition wall defined by main film 16.
Furthermore, films 22 and 23 may be formed as an inter-
mediate film unit or the innermost film unit in place
o using them as the outermost film unit. In this way,
various forms may be selected according to the present
invention.
In the container of the present invention, a
treating liquid is initially held within the treating-
liquid storage chamber, with the used-liquid storage
chamber flattened or unoccupied. When, in these cir-
cumstances, the treating liquid is poured out of the
treating-liquid storage chamber, that storage chamber
correspondingly becomes flattened and simultaneously, a
corresponding amount of used liquid enters the used-
liquid storage chamber. The inner bag can be of a
size that corresponds to the amount o treating liquid
originally occupying the treatlng-liquid storage cham-
ber. This allows the use of as compact a container as
possible.
Thus, a smaller liquid storage space can be used
for the treating liquid oE a treating apparatus. Since
the access ports are initially determined as "pour-in"
or "pour-out" ports, inadvertent connection of the
"pour-in" and pour-out ports can easily be prevented.
Moreover~ correct connectlon can be readily determined
by each port being a different size.
~3~ 03
-- 8 --
Since the port fixing section of the container is
about 45-inclined on one corner side, the "pour-out"
port can readily be connected to the associated appara-
tus.
Even if the inner bag becomes bent at places within
the container, as a result of the container being oscil-
lated during transportion, there is no risk of pinholes
occurring at these bent portions, since the inner bag is
protected and cushioned by the buEfer film.
Furthermore, since it holds only one inner bagl the
container o the present invention can be assembled more
readily than its conventional counterparts.
