Patent ID: 6526883
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: B41F

Abstract:
An ink transfer arrangement for transferring differently colored inks to a work surface of a movable component in a printing press, comprising:a) an ink fountain pan mounted on the press, including at least one partition for dividing the fountain pan into a plurality of compartments each containing a differently colored ink; b) a rotatable fountain roller mounted on the press for rotation about a fountain axis, the fountain roller having a plurality of cylindrical fountain roller portions corresponding in number to the plurality of compartments, each fountain roller portion having at least a portion of its outer circumferential surface in inking communication with the differently colored ink in a respective compartment, two of the fountain roller portions being spaced apart along the fountain axis by a spacing in which said at least one partition is received; c) mean for rotating the fountain roller to distribute the differently colored inks in adjacent relation axially separated by said spacing circumferentially along the outer circumferential surfaces of the respective fountain roller portions during rotation of the fountain roller; d) a rotatable transfer roller mounted on the press for movement between a pick-up position in which the transfer roller is in inking engagement with, and rotated about a transfer axis by, the fountain roller to transfer the differently colored inks at said spacing along an outer circumferential surface of the transfer roller during rotation thereof, and an inking position in which the transfer roller laden with the differently colored inks is in inking engagement with the work surface to apply the differently colored inks thereto during movement of the component; and e) means for moving the transfer roller between the pick-up and inking positions, and for pressing the transfer roller against the work surface with a pressure sufficient to cause the differently colored inks to flow in opposite directions along the transfer axis towards each other to apply the differently colored inks to the work surface at a distance smaller than said spacing.