Abstract:
An apparatus is provided which combines an interchangeable ink cassette assembly and a printing press drawer. The ink cassette which includes an ink pan, an anilox roll, and a meter roll may be removably attached to a printing press drawer such that the ink pan and the rolls can be removed as an integral unit from the printing press. Removal of the ink pan and rolls facilitates cleaning of the rolls and the pan. Further, a second assembly may quickly replace the removed assembly to reduce significantly the downtime of the press.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of printing presses. More particularly, the invention relates to changing the ink used in printing presses and cleaning the components which come into contact with the ink before the ink can dry on those components.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    In a conventional printing press, anilox rolls, meter rolls, and ink pans all contact ink during normal press operation. However, because ink dries quickly, these components must be promptly cleaned after the press is stopped to prevent the ink from drying thereon. If the ink dries on the components, considerable effort and costly solvents are required to restore the components to their operational condition.  
           [0005]    To facilitate the cleaning process, many presses are designed to have pull-out drawers which provide access to the ink pan and the rolls which contact the ink. Additionally, the components which contact the ink during press operation may be continuously wetted with ink to prevent the ink thereon from drying. The wetting of the components may be made possible, for example, by a constantly turning motor (“CT motor”) mounted on the drawer which continuously turns the rolls in the ink pan to ensure that the ink on the rolls does not dry.  
           [0006]    The possibility of the ink drying on the components is not the only drawback inherent in this conventional apparatus and method of cleaning it. In addition, if a user desires to replace the color or type of ink being used by a press, the press must be stopped and the components cleaned before the new color can be used therein. Accordingly, while the components are being cleaned the press remains idle. This downtime results in lost profits due to inefficient equipment utilization.  
           [0007]    Another drawback is that although each of the components in the traditional press drawer may be individually removed from the press (to facilitate cleaning of each component parts), when a component is replaced, its position in the drawer must be properly aligned and adjusted with respect to the other components therein. This adjustment process takes additional time during which the press remains idle thereby exacerbating the downtime of the press and further reducing the press&#39; productivity.  
           [0008]    Thus, although a protocol exists for cleaning press components, the protocol suffers from various drawbacks. For these and other reasons, a new apparatus is needed which is easy to clean and which greatly reduces press downtime.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0009]    A first embodiment of the invention comprises an ink cassette assembly and a second embodiment of the invention comprises a printing press using an ink cassette assembly. The ink cassette assembly embodiment includes a frame, an ink pan which is positioned in a lower portion of said frame and which is adapted to hold ink, a meter roll, and an anilox roll. In this embodiment, the meter roll is rotatably connected to the frame, is positioned such that a portion of the meter roll sits within the pan, and is adapted to contact ink in the pan. The anilox roll, which is rotatably connected to the frame, has an outer surface which is in contact with an outer surface of the meter roll. The assembly is adapted to be removably connected to a drawer of a printing press such that the pan, the anilox roll, and the meter roll are removable from the printing press as an integral unit.  
           [0010]    In a further embodiment, the assembly may be adapted to engage a CT motor for continuously rotating the anilox roll and/or the meter roll. In another embodiment, the assembly may include a mobile cart supporting the frame. In yet another embodiment, the assembly may include a doctor blade adapted to control an amount of ink on the outer surface of the anilox roll.  
           [0011]    The printing press embodiment of the current invention includes a press body having a drawer therein, an ink cassette assembly, and a motor. The ink cassette assembly of the printing press includes a frame, an ink pan which is positioned in a lower portion of said frame and which is adapted to hold ink, a meter roll, and an anilox roll. The meter roll is rotatably connected to the frame and is positioned such that a portion of the meter rolls sits within the pan. The anilox roll is rotatably connected to the frame such that an outer surface of the anilox is in contact with an outer surface of the meter roll. The ink cassette assembly is adapted to be removably connected to the drawer of a printing press such that the pan, the anilox roll, and the meter roll are removable from the press body as an integral unit. The motor is adapted to turn the anilox roll such that the rotation of the anilox roll is adapted to cause a rotation of the meter roll. The rotation of the meter roll enables an outer surface thereof to rotate in the ink pan so that the outer surface of the meter roll is adapted to pick-up ink in the pan; the outer surface of the meter roll is adapted to transfer the ink thereon to the outer surface of the anilox roll.  
           [0012]    A further embodiment of the printing press may include a transfer roll which is in contact with the anilox roll. In addition, another embodiment of the press may include a CT motor for continuously rotating the anilox roll and/or the meter roll. Further, yet another embodiment of the press may include a doctor blade which is adapted to control an amount of ink on the outer surface of the anilox roll.  
           [0013]    The invention also provides a method of exchanging an ink pan, meter roll, and an anilox roll in a printing press. The method includes: (a) providing an assembly comprising: (i) a frame; (ii) an ink pan positioned in a lower portion of said frame, the ink pan adapted to hold ink; (iii) a meter roll rotatably connected to the frame, wherein the meter roll is positioned such that a portion of the meter roll sits within the pan, and wherein the meter roll is adapted to contact ink in the pan; and (iv) an anilox roll being rotatably connected to the frame, wherein an outer surface of the anilox roll is in contact with an outer surface of the meter roll; (b) withdrawing an insertion apparatus from an interior of printing press; (c) connecting the assembly to the insertion apparatus; and (d) returning the insertion apparatus with the assembly attached thereto to the interior of the printing press.  
           [0014]    In the aforementioned method, the insertion apparatus may be a drawer. In addition, the method may also included: (e) adjusting the anilox roll with respect to a transfer roll in the printing press after the insertion is inserted into the interior of the printing apparatus. Additionally, or alternatively, the method may also include: (e) (of (f)) controlling an amount of ink on the outer surface of the anilox roll by means of a doctor blade. Further, the step of controlling an amount of ink on the outer surface of the meter roll may occur while the insertion is withdrawn from the interior of the printing apparatus. In addition, the step of controlling an amount of ink on the outer surface of the anilox roll may comprise adjusting the doctor blade.  
           [0015]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description, appended claims, and accompanying exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a frontal perspective view of a self-contained ink cassette assembly;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the self-contained ink cassette assembly of FIG. 1 installed on a printing press drawer having an anilox roll and the meter roll removed;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the self-contained ink cassette assembly and printing press drawer combination of FIG. 2 connected to a printing press;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the self-contained ink cassette assembly of FIG. 1, the assembly being supported by a cart; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view of the assembly of FIG. 1 having the anilox and meter rolls positioned therein. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0022]    Reference will now be made in detail to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in the drawings. An effort has been made to use the same reference numbers throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIGS. 1 and 5 show perspective frontal and rear views of one embodiment of a self-contained ink cassette assembly  8  consistent with the present invention. The assembly includes a frame  10 , an anilox roll  12 , a meter roll  16 , and an ink pan  18  which is adapted to hold fluid printing ink therein. Due to the weight of the anilox roll  12 , the meter roll  16 , and the ink pan  18 , all of which are positioned in or connected to the frame  10 , the frame  10  is preferably manufactured out of a high strength material such as steel so that the integrity of the frame  10  will remain intact when the assembly  8  is moved.  
         [0024]    The meter roll  16  is positioned substantially parallel to the bottom of the ink pan  18  and sits such that at least a portion of it is disposed in the ink pan  18 . If the ink pan  18  contains ink, the ink will be in contact with a cylindrical rolling surface  20  of the meter roll  16 . Ends  22 ,  24  of the meter roll  16  are rotatably mounted to wall portions  26 ,  28 , respectively, on opposite ends of the frame  10 . Accordingly, when the meter roll  16  rotates, the cylindrical rolling surface  20  thereof is turned through the ink pan  18 .  
         [0025]    Ends  30 ,  32  of the anilox roll  12  are rotatably mounted to the walls  26 ,  28 , respectively, of the frame  10  by turning knobs  35  which lock the anilox roll bearings into the frame  10 . An outer cylindrical surface  34  of the anilox roll  12  is in contact with the outer cylindrical surface  20  of the meter roll  16  along a contact line  42 . Accordingly, when the meter roll  16  turns in the ink pan  18  and picks-up ink therein, the ink is transferred to the outer cylindrical surface  34  of the anilox roll  12 . The wall portion  26 ,  28  preferably have handle portions  27 ,  29  which facilitate lifting of the assembly  8 .  
         [0026]    After the anilox roll  12  and the meter roll  16  are mounted to the walls  26 ,  28 , the pressure between the rolls can be adjusted using knobs  90  located on a back side of the assembly  8  (as shown in FIG. 5). When the anilox roll  12  and the meter roll are properly adjusted and the pressure therebetween is set at a desired level, the assembly  8  may be engaged with a CT motor (to drive the anilox roll  12 ) which is not part of a printing press.  
         [0027]    The CT motor may be used in conjunction with a doctor blade  14  to scrape excess ink off of the outer surface  20  of the anilox roll  12 , i.e., the doctor blade controls the amount of ink on the anilox roll  12 . Further, the doctor blade  14  is adjustable via turning screws  17  on either end thereof. In addition, it should be noted that, controlling of the amount of ink by the doctor blade may occur while the assembly  8  is not connected to a printing press  50 .  
         [0028]    As the pressure between the anilox and meter rolls  12 ,  16  can be adjusted external of the press  50 , additional assemblies  8  can be prepared which are immediately ready to use when another assembly is removed from a press  50 . In other words, a previously prepared assembly having properly adjusted anilox and meter rolls can be used immediately after being positioned on the press drawer  52  and inserted into the press  50  thereby further reducing the downtime of the press  50 .  
         [0029]    The assembly  8  is adapted to be removably connected to an insertion apparatus, such as a drawer  52 , of the printing press  50  (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) which provides easy access to the assembly  8 . The drawer  52  slides out of the press along side rails  60 . Further, the sliding of the rails  60  is facilitated by wheels  62  which are adapted to turn in channels  64  formed in the rails  60 . Of course, alternative methods providing easy access to the assembly  8  could also be employed. For example, the assembly could be connected to a hinged door which swings into and out of a press.  
         [0030]    Regardless of the method used to access the assembly  8 , the ink pan  18 , the anilox roll  12 , and the meter roll  16  can be removed from the printing press  50  as an integral unit (as shown in FIG. 1). When the assembly  8  is positioned on the drawer  52 , a gear  74  on a CT motor  70  positioned on the drawer  52  is adapted to engage a gear  72  on the frame  10 . The motor  70  is adapted to rotate the anilox roll  12  which, in turn, rotates the meter roll  16  due to a geared engagement between the meter roll  16  and the anilox roll  12 . Of course, when the meter roll  16  rotates, it will pick-up ink in the ink pan  18  and transfer it to the anilox roll  12 .  
         [0031]    It should be noted that when the assembly  8  is positioned on the drawer  52 , the CT motor  70  is adapted to rotate the anilox roll irrespective of whether the drawer  52  is pushed into the press  50 . This feature allows the operator to setup the ink cassette components even though the assembly is not pushed into the press, thereby permitting the current job to run while the subsequent job is being set-up.  
         [0032]    When the assembly  8  is positioned in a printing press  50 , the anilox roll  12  is adapted to be positioned such that its outer cylindrical surface  34  (which is in contact with the outer cylindrical surface  20  of the meter roll  16 ) is also in contact with an outer cylindrical surface of a conventional press transfer roll (not shown). Accordingly, when the anilox roll  12  is driven by the press motor  70  (such that the meter roll is correspondingly driven to pick-up ink in the ink pan  18 ), the ink transferred to the anilox roll is subsequently transferred to the transfer roll. Thereafter, the transfer roll transfers the ink to a piece of paper passing through the press  50  (as delivered by an impression roll) in the form of an image.  
         [0033]    Unlike the ink pan  18 , meter roll  16 , and the anilox roll  12 , the transfer roll of the printing press  50  does not need to have ink cleaned therefrom. Rather, the ink transferred to the transfer roll from the anilox  12  is removed by the paper in contact therewith. Accordingly, to remove the ink on the transfer roll, the transfer roll is disengaged from the anilox roll  12  by removing the ink cassette assembly  8  from the press drawer  52 . Subsequently, the transfer roll is continuously rotated against paper being passed through the press  50 , until the ink is fully transferred to the paper.  
         [0034]    As a result of the invention previously described, the downtime of the press  50  is substantially reduced over the prior art. Specifically, the assembly  8  (hereinafter the “first assembly  8 ”) can be removed from the drawer  52 , the transfer roll quickly cleaned by transferring the remaining ink thereon onto paper passing through the press, and a second assembly  8 , which may have a different color ink (in the ink pan  18 ) than the first assembly  8 , can be inserted into the press  50 . Accordingly, the press  50  may be operated with the second assembly  8  while the ink pan  18 , anilox roll  12 , and meter roll  16  of the first assembly  8  are being cleaned. Accordingly, the productivity of the press  50  is improved by the separable ink cassette assembly  8  of the present invention.  
         [0035]    In addition, further improvements to the press productivity are also made possible by the present invention. Specifically, unlike conventional presses in which the anilox and meter rolls have to be properly adjusted upon being replaced in the press, the adjustment of the anilox and meter rolls  12 ,  16  of the present invention can occur external to the press  50  because the adjustment occurs relative to the frame  10  of the assembly  8 .  
         [0036]    Improvement to the press productivity are not the only benefits of the present invention. In addition, the ink pan  18 , anilox roll  12 , and meter roll  16  of each assembly unit  8  of the present invention are easier to clean than their conventional counterparts. Specifically, as the assembly units  8  are easily removable from the press  50 , the accessibility of each of the ink pan  18 , anilox roll  12 , and meter roll  16  is greatly increased.  
         [0037]    Although the aforementioned describes preferred embodiments of the invention, the invention is not so restricted. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed preferred embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For example, the CT motor  70  positioned on the drawer could be incorporated into the assembly  8 . Moreover, the assembly  8  or the drawer  52  could additionally include a CT motor for the meter roll  16 . By way of another example, due to the weight of the assembly  8 , a cart  56  (as shown in FIG. 4) could be provided to support an assembly so that it could be wheeled to a press drawer  52  and automatically engaged therewith.  
         [0038]    Accordingly, it should be understood that the embodiments described herein are illustrative only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention, which is indicated by the following claims. Accordingly, alternatives which would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the teachings herein disclosed, are hereby within the scope of this invention.