US3370533A - Proof press with short sheet gripper release - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 27, 1968 D. P. WESTRA ETAL 3,370,533

PROOF PRESS WITH SHORT SHEET GRIPPER RELEASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1965 r g l ATTORNEYS Feb. 27, 1968 3,370,533

PROOF PRESS WITH SHORT SHEET GRIPPER RELEASE D. P. WESTRA ETAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1965 ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,37%,533 PRC-0F PRESS WITH SHGRT SHEET GREPPER RELEASE Dan P. Westra, Grand Haven, and Ned H. Arganbrign Grand Rapids, Mich, assignors to The Challenge Machinery Company, Grand Haven, Mich, a corporation of lwiehigan Filed Sept. 13, 1955, Ser. No. 486,868 2 Claims. (Cl. 161-269) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLDSURE In a printing press, radially shiftable sheet gripping elements in the impression cylinder, shiftable by an axially shiftable cam shaft having a normally operable pull handle actuator on one end and automatically operable actuator means on the other end using a lever pivotally mount ed intermediate its ends to the press carriage, engaging the cam shaft on one end, and engageable with cams on the press bed on the other end.

This invention relates to printing press equipment, and

more particularly to printing presses of the proof press type enabling practical printing of short sheets by having the facility to enable selected release of short sheets from the impression cylinder grippers as well as automatic release of regular size sheets.

7 The type of printing presses known as proof presses conventionally employ a manually advanced carriage which travels along a form supporting bed. The carriage includes form rolls, a distributor roll, and a sheet gripping impression cylinder. The sheet is gripped on one of its edges along the axial length of the cylinder periphery so that, as the cylinder is rotated along the bed with advancement of the carriage, the sheet is pulled around the cylinder and impressed against the type form on the bed. As the cylinder reaches the far end of the bed, camming means automatically releases the sheet from the grippers so that its protruding edge opposite the gripped edge may be grasped by the operator or automatically dropped to advance the printed sheet from the mechanism. Automatic sheet release enables rapid efiicient operation of the press. It therefore is advantageous and desirable.

Frequently however, it becomes desirable to print small cards or other short sheets on such a proof press. This creates very real practical problems on conventional automatic release units however, because, as the carriage reaches the far end where the sheet is released, the unclamped edge of the short sheet, instead of protruding and being free for removal as the normal sheet is, actually is buried down beneath the impression cylinder and the ink covered form rolls and distributor roll. It is therefore out of reach of the operator who then has ditficulty getting hold of the short sheet and removing it without smearing the ink, off-setting the print or otherwise ruining the printed short sheet. This drawback frequently prevents convenient, practical, short sheet printing on available proof presses having automatic sheet release features.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a printing press of the proof press type having the facility to allow rapid, efiicient printing of normal size sheets with automatic sheet release, and also to enable effective convenient printing of short sheets with selective release at a desired location of the carriage where the printed short sheet is exposed for convenient removal by the operator.

Another object of this invention is to provide the printing apparatus noted above, wherein the selected release ice means for short sheets is extremely inexpensive and simple, yet completely effective. It does not hinder or detract in any way from the automatic release feature of normal size sheets, and causes no interference with the general efiiciency and effectiveness of the press.

Another object of this invention is to provide a proof press having unique galley hanging means at the tail end of the press.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent upon studying the following specification in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the novel press;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, enlarged, perspective view of a portion of the apparatus in FIG. 1, taken from the opposite side, and when the carriage is at the far end of the bed opposite to that end where it is illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the impression cylinder of the apparatus, shown partly cut away;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the impression cylinder in FIG. 3, taken on plane IVIV;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, perspective, enlarged view of the tail end of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, perspective, enlarged view of the apparatus in FIG. 5, shown supporting a galley; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, enlarged, sectional view of the apparatus in FIG. 6, taken on plane Vll-Vll.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the complete apparatus 10 includes a support and storage framework 12 supporting the bed subassembly 14 and the carriage subassembly 16.

The bed subassembly basically includes a fiat bed 18 extending from the head 13 of the press to the tail 15. It supports type forms in conventional fashion. The bed is straddled by a pair of parallel gear racks 20 and 20' for movement of the carriage 16 therealong.

The carriage includes a pair of spaced vertical side panels 22 and 22. between which are mounted a pair of form rollers 26 and 28, and a cooperative ink distributor roll 3%; in conventional fashion, all covered by a plastic dust guard 31. Also mounted between these vertical panels is the impression cylinder subassembly 40 (FIG. 3).

Impression cylinder subassembly 41} includes a cylindrical drum-type body 42 having end closure elements 44 and 46. Extending through the center of this cylinder, on its cylindrical axis, is a gripper operator shaft 50' forming part of a gripper subassembly. This shaft extends out both ends of the impression cylinder. t has a bearing 54 on one extended end 5th through which the shaft extends. It has a second bearing 56 on the opposite end 5%" through which the shaft extends. A special pulling grip handle 58 is mounted on this second extended end St?" for purposes to be described hereinafter.

Secured to the shaft, inside the drum, at spaced intervals, is a plurality of gripper release cam members 66a, 6%, etc. retained in position by suitable set screws. These cooperate with a plurality of radially oriented gripper pins 62a, 62b, etc. which extend out through the drum and have a plurality of enlarged gripper heads 64a, 64b, etc. at the outer ends. These gripper heads are normally biased toward the drum periphery by a plurality of compression springs 66a and 6612, etc. surrounding the lower portion of pins 62a, 6211, etc. The springs abut a portion of the drum on their outer ends and are retained by rings 68a, 6812, etc. on the inner ends.

On the ends of the drum is a pair of ring gears 7 0 and 76 which cooperatively engage gear racks 2t) and 20, respectively. The drum can be rotated to drive it along the bed, by use of a radially extending crank 74 and its handle 76. The crank is mounted to a collar 78, which is secured to collar '78 afiixed to ring gear 7t}.

'4), including a reel bar 43 and ratchet 45.

In operation, after a print form (not shown) is clamped into position on bed 13, a sheet to be printed is slid 01f platform 80 and beneath the elevated heads of grippers 64a, 64b, etc. then positioned at the upper edge of the impression cylinder. With radial lowering of the grippers, they clamp one edge of the sheet to the cylinder. Then, by rotation of crank 74, the carriage traverses the press bed, causing the sheet to be advanced around the impression cylinder and pressed against the inked type form.

As the carriage reaches the lower end of the bed, the sheet is automatically released utilizing the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. More specifically, a cam follower roller 90 then engages the tapered edge of a cam element 92 mounted to the frame of the press. Since cam follower 90 is mounted on the lower end of a vertical lever 94, pivoted in its center to a post S 6 secured to plate 22, the lower end of this lever is pivoted outwardly while the upper end is pivoted inwardly toward the impression cylinder. This movement, guided by elements 98, causes the upper end of the lever to shift extended end 50' of shaft 50 inwardly of the cylinder. This causesthe gripper release cams 60a, 601), etc. to radially shift the gripper post 62a, 62b, etc. against the bias of return springs 66a, 66b, etc., thereby elevating grippers 64a, 6412, etc. above the cylinder (as illustrated by the phantom line position of gripper 64c in FIG. 3). Thereby the printed paper sheet can be removed from the impression cylinder.

The position of cam 92 is specifically located so that a conventional size sheet is released in optimum release and discharge position at the tail end of the press, difliculty arises when short sheets like that illustrated at S in FIG. 4 are to be printed on this equipment. These short sheets can initially be gripped under the edge of the gripper elements, e.g. 64d (FIG. 4), so that the impression cylinder subassembly 40 is advanced in the normal way. However, the cylinder rolls the short sheet past the print form, if the short sheet is retained until the carriage reaches the usual release position, it is down under the rolls and not readily accessible. With the novel apparatus, however, instead of allowing the sheet to -be retained on the impression cylinder until the carriage reaches the automatic release position, special manual release handle 58 on extended shaft end 50" enables selective manual release of the short sheet at the optimum desired position. This release occurs merely with gripping and pulling of handle 58, thereby shifting the release shaft in the same direction that it is shifted from the other end with automatic release of the grippers. Return springs 66a, 66b, etc. then return the grippers to the usual position.

This is a relatively simple addition to the conventional machine, but achieves a remarkably increased usefulness for the machine. The press can be employed for conventional sheets or variously sized short sheets or cards. This manual release does not interfere in any way with the effective printing operation, or with the automatic re-.

lease feature.

Another novel feature of this press is in the galley support structure shown in FIGS. 5-7. More specifically, the metal plate 100 at the end of the bed and normally used to slide the print form from a galley onto bed 18, is specially formed at its downwardly projecting end flange 100' by having two hook tabs 102 and 104 severed and bent upwardly to form galley support means. The tabs are inclined upwardly at a slight angle. Thus, when a galley 106 which has been emptied of its print form is stored conveniently by hooking its end flange 106' (FIG. 7)

4 over the tabs 102 and 104, it is retained in a handy position for reuse.

The simplicity of the improvement is one of the chief advantages, in view of the substantially increased useful potential of the apparatus. Various additional advantages to those specifically noted may occur to those in the art upon studying this disclosure. Also, it is conceivable that certain minor details of constriuction could be modified without departing from the concept presented. Therefore,

the invention is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims and the reasonably equivalent structures to those defined therein.

We claim:

1. In a printing press including a form-supporting bed, a carriage movable along said bed and having form rollers, a distributor roll, and an impression cylinder; said impression cylinder having sheet gripper means axially along a peripheral portion thereof; said gripper means be: ing radially shiftable with respect to said cylinder to release the edge of a sheet; axially shiftable camming means axially oriented in said cylinder, operably associated with said gripper means to radially shift said gripper means with axial shifting of said camming means; pivotal lever means on said carriage operably engageable with one end of said camming means to axially shift said camming means when pivoted; lever actuating means mounted at one end of said bed to pivot said lever means for: sheet releasing as said carriage reaches said bed end; and manual actuating handle means attached to the second end of said camming means, projecting from said carriage means, for manually axially shifting said camming means for releasing short sheets at selected locations of said carriage along said bed.

2. In a printing press including a form-supporting bed, a carriage movable along said bed and having form rollers, a distributor roll, and an impression cylinder; said impression cylinder having a plurality of radially oriented sheet grippers spaced axially along said cylinder and with sheet gripping portions adjacent the periphery of said cylinder; means biasing said grippers radially inwardly of said cylinder for sheet gripping; axial cam shaft means extending axially in said cylinder, having cam surface means operably engaging said grippers to shift them radially outwardly with axial movement of said cam shaft means for sheet releasing; said cam shaft means being axially shift-able; lever means having one end portion operably engaging one end of said cam shaft means, pivotally mounted in its central portion to said carriage, and having cam follower means on its other end; cam means mounted to said bed adjacent an end thereof and positioned to engage said cam follower means when said carriage reaches said bed end, to pivot said lever, axially push said cam shaft means and radially shift said grippers for sheet release; and manual handle pull means on the other end of said cam shaft means, extending from said cylinder, for manual axial pulling of said cam shaft means and grippers for selected alternate sheet release.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,567,360 12/1925 Dudley an. 101-269 1,664,700 4/1923 Nayer 101 409 1,843,254 2/1932 Vandercook et a1. 101-269 2,674,943 4/1954 Barney 101269 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,028,135 4/1958 Germany.

OTHER REFERENCES Publication No. 730, The Challenge Machinery 00., p. 6, 9-1959.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

H. P. EWELL, F. A. WINANS, Assistant Examiners.

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