Skip-scorer, skip-perforator apparatus for use with printing press systems

Attachments for use with existing cylinders or shafts in printing press equipment. The attachments are used to mount a scoring blade, a perforating blade or an anvil to the cylinder or shaft. The blade or the anvil is separably mounted to the attachment and to the cylinder for easy assembly and disassembly.

BACKGROUND 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates, generally, to the field of printing press 
systems and, more particularly, to improved paper perforating and scoring 
devices for use with continuous web printing presses. 
2. Prior Art 
Expensive, high speed printing presses are commonly used by commercial 
printing companies. Many such printing presses are fed from large rolls of 
paper, in a continuous strip known in the art as a "web". The presses are 
generally known in the industry as web presses and may cost millions of 
dollars each. 
Typically, a web press requires the use of an automated web cutting and 
folding machine to receive the printed web at high velocity. The cutting 
and folding machine automatically cuts the web into sheets and folds the 
sheets into "signatures". The signatures may be sold as produced or they 
may be delivered to other machines which bind the signatures into books, 
magazines, or the like. 
It can be appreciated that the presses and folding machines must be capable 
of operating for extended periods of time at very high speeds in order to 
be cost effective in the production of finished signatures. 
Many commonly used signature folders are constructed to perform two or more 
sequential paper folding operations. The first folding stage is typical 
inasmuch as the web is still intact and taut when the first fold is made. 
However, any subsequent fold (which can be repeated several times) is, 
generally, accomplished by a blade striking the severed sheet along a 
second fold line and pushing the new fold between a second (and 
subsequent) pair of rollers. 
To avoid the use of two separate signature folders, each of which is 
operated at half the press speed, press and folder manufacturers have 
attempted to reduce the second stage folding problems by scoring the web 
along the second fold line before the first fold is made. For such 
pre-fold scoring, the web passes through a web scoring apparatus in the 
signature folder upstream of the first folding stage. The scoring 
apparatus, typically, includes a circular scoring blade mounted on one 
side of the web and a resilient roller mounted on the other side of the 
web. As the web advances between the rotating scoring blade and roller, 
the blade presses a longitudinal indentation or groove into the web along 
the subsequent second fold line. 
The web is scored in alternating directions. Such a device is referred to 
as a "skip-scorer" and is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,962. 
The skip-scorer of the prior art includes first and second rollers each 
having separate scoring and resilient abutment portions to score the paper 
web in alternating directions. The scoring means are mounted in the path 
of paper travel so as to enable scoring of the paper before the paper 
enters the first folding stage. 
The known scoring means comprise first and second complementary-shaped 
scoring rollers, each of which has alternating peripheral scoring blades 
and resilient roller portions having arc lengths equal to the length of 
the fold. The first and second scoring rollers are, typically, rotatably 
mounted upstream of the first folding stage and in the path of paper web 
travel. The scoring rollers are mounted in mutual, peripheral rolling 
contact so that the respective scoring blade contacts the respective 
resilient roller portion (or anvil) of the other as the scoring rollers 
are rotated. Portions of the paper passing between the scoring rollers are 
thereby scored in one direction and other portions of the paper are scored 
in the opposite direction so that each layer of paper is scored in the 
correct folding direction. 
However, this operation tends to cause the resilient portion of the rollers 
to wear down. When the resilient portions wear down, the scoring does not 
occur accurately. Thus, it is necessary to replace the resilient portion 
of the roller. This replacement is time consuming and expensive in that 
the roller must be removed from the press and a new roller inserted. The 
technique is, generally, not satisfactory 
A more economical arrangement for scoring and/or perforating is described 
in U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,045 of H. Davenport et al. In this apparatus, the 
scorer and/or perforator includes a blade bolted to a semi-circular hub or 
support which is bolted to the roller. The anvil is a resilient, T-shaped 
strip which is embedded in a T-shaped slot in a semi-circular hub or 
support. The anvil support and the blade support are bolted to each other 
and clamped to the drive shaft. In this apparatus, replacement of a worn 
anvil strip is simplified. That is, the anvil support is removed from the 
shaft. The worn T-shaped resilient strip is removed and replaced by a new 
strip. The hub or support is then bolted into place. This entire process 
is quicker, easier and less expensive than that in the prior art. 
Nevertheless, improved desived are still desirable. 
PRIOR ART STATEMENT 
The most pertinent prior known to Applicant is listed herewith in numerical 
order with no significance intended to the ordering. 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,196,912; ADJUSTABLE CREASING OR SCORING MECHANISM; E. E. 
Weck. This patent is directed to a self-contained mechanism capable of 
scoring a paper along parallel lines spaced apart by any distance. 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,525,238; SLOTTING AND SCORING DEVICE; N. L. Hurd. This 
patent is directed to an apparatus for slotting and scoring box-board 
materials with a pair of slotting blades spaced apart by a prescribed 
distance. 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,839,491; SCORING MECHANISM FOR ENVELOPE MACHINES AND THE 
LIKE; A. Novick. This patent is directed to a mechanism for scoring 
envelope blanks preparatory to folding the blanks into a finished 
envelope. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,092; SCORE MOISTENING DEVICE; H. F. Koran. This patent 
is directed to an attachment for sheet folding systems which moistens the 
surface of one or more scoring rollers so that the sheets may be moistened 
in the areas of the scores thereby producing more effective and more 
accurate folding of the sheets. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,254; APATUS FOR FOLDING OF A WEB; H. N. Watrous. 
This patent is directed to an apparatus which includes a pair of 
cooperating rollers which roll along fold lines of web in order to loosen 
the bonds in the web transverse to the ultimate fold lines thereby 
facilitating folding. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,654; ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN A MACHINE FOR PROCESSING SHEET 
OR SIMILAR MATERIAL; H. Stehlin. This patent is directed to an assembly 
for processing of sheet material wherein a rotatable tool and an opposing 
part are positionally adjustable to various spacing therebetween and 
include toothed shafts which operate as feed rollers for feeding sheet 
material to the apparatus. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,535; CONTINUOUS SHEET COLLATING METHOD AND APATUS; 
R. E. Kleid et al. This patent is directed to a continuous sheet collating 
system. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,366; METHOD FOR PRODUCING BOOKS; W. B. McCain, et al. 
This patent is directed to a method for producing books by juxtaposing 
webs of printed material obtained from rolls which are cut, folded twice 
and delivered to a saddle conveyor for trimming. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,652; UNIT FOR SCORING WEBS OF PAPER IN THE LENGTHWAYS 
DIRECTION; R. Fischer, et al. This patent is directed to an apparatus 
which includes a folder blade for producing a lengthways fold relative in 
a web of paper. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,962; PRE-FOLD, WEB SCORING APATUS FOR SIGNATURE 
FOLDING MACHINE; H. D. Davenport et al. This patent is directed to a 
printing system which includes a scoring means for applying a pre-fold 
score in alternating directions along a longitudinal line in the paper to 
be scored. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,045; SKIP-SCORER, SKIP-PERFORATING FOR USE WITH 
PRINTING PRESS SYSTEMS; H. D. Davenport et al. This patent is directed to 
an improved skip-scorer, skip-perforator apparatus. 
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,235; SKIP-SCORER, SKIP-PERFORATING FOR USE WITH 
PRINTING PRESS SYSTEMS; A. J. DeVito. This patent is directed to an 
attachment which is mounted in an annular groove formed within an existing 
cylinder in printing press equipment. Arcuate roller attachments are 
mounted to an existing cylinder in a conventional web handling machine. 
The existing cylinder is modified by forming an axial groove in the 
periphery thereof for receiving transverse blade and/or anvil roller 
attachments. 
SUMMARY OF THE INSTANT INVENTION 
According to the present invention, an improved scoring and/or perforating 
apparatus is provided for a machine through which a web, e.g. paper, is 
fed. The scoring/perforating apparatus includes a first roller attachment 
having either a scoring blade or a perforating blade and a second roller 
attachment having a resilient abutment portion for engaging the 
peripherial edge of the blade. 
The two roller attachments are mounted on a drive shaft in mutual, 
peripheral rolling contact with another similar arrangement of roller 
attachments so that the scoring/perforating blade portion of one roller 
attachment contacts the resilient portion of the other roller attachment 
as the rollers are rotated. Depending upon the blade utilized, the paper 
passing between the roller attachments is thereby scored or perforated. 
The blade is a rigid, relatively narrow device with an outer, peripheral 
edge designed to score or perforate the paper in the apparatus. The anvil 
is a generally T-shaped strip or pad of resilient material, such as 
urethane. The blade is bolted to the blade holder. The anvil is inserted 
into and interlockingly engaged in the anvil holder which includes a 
plurality of removable clamps which are bolted together to form the 
holder. The pad and the blade are easily mounted or removed from the 
respective holder for simple replacement.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
While a printing press is not a part of this invention, per se, and is not 
described herewith, some background discussion is deemed appropriate. 
Pertinent to the instant invention, a pair of attachments are mounted to 
rollers or cylinders of a printing press to operate on the web (typically, 
a paper sheet) which passes between the attachments. In the prior art, one 
attachment includes a perforator blade or a scorer blade which is bolted 
to a blade holder. The blade holder is mounted on a roller shaft or in a 
suitable slot or groove which is formed radially in the outer surface of 
the typical printing press cylinder. 
A companion attachment includes a T-shaped anvil which is placed in a 
T-shaped slot in an anvil holder. Typically, the anvil is fabricated of a 
relatively rigid but resilient material such as hard rubber or the like. 
The anvil holder is also mounted on the roller shaft or in the slot or 
groove in the outer surface of the printing press cylinder. 
The anvil mounted in one cylinder (or on one roller shaft) is arranged to 
cooperate with the blade mounted in a companion cylinder (or roller shaft) 
as the cylinders (or shafts) rotate. That is, the companion cylinders or 
shafts are journaled at an appropriate spacing in the press so as to 
permit the web to pass therebetween while permitting the blade to engage 
and score or perforate the web in conjunction with the anvil. This 
apparatus is conventional in the printing press art and is used in several 
types of equipment. However, the instant invention is directed to 
improvements to the attachments referred to above. 
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a partially broken away elevation 
view of one embodiment of a scorer blade attachment 100 for use with a 
printing press apparatus as described supra. 
The scorer blade attachment 100 includes a scorer blade 101 which is bolted 
to a blade holder 102. Typically, the blade holder 102 is mounted in a 
groove formed in the outer surface of a press cylinder or on a press 
shaft. Consequently, the blade 101 and blade holder 102 are shown in 
semi-circular form which is the typical configuration. The scorer blade 
101 has a smooth, slightly rounded outer edge 171 which extends outwardly 
from the outer circumference of the blade holder 102. 
A plurality of mounting holes 103 pass through the body of blade 101. A 
similar plurality of apertures 104 extend into blade holder 102. A 
suitable bolt 150 passes through the aperture 103 in blade 101 and is 
threadedly engaged in aperture 104 in blade holder 102 in order to 
securely mount the blade 101 to the holder 102. 
A plurality of elongated holes 110 (shown in dashed outline) are drilled 
axially through the blade holder 102. The apertures 10 are countersunk or 
counterbored to form a recess or cavity 111 at the outer end thereof. 
Appropriate bolts 120 are inserted into and passed through the apertures 
110 into threaded apertures in the surface of the underlying support 
cylinder (not shown). Thus, the blade 101 is mounted to the blade holder 
102 which is mounted to the cylinder by means of the bolts 120. 
Referring now to FIG. 2 there is shown a cross-sectional view of the 
attachment 100 of the instant invention including blade holder 102 and 
blade 101. As shown in FIG. 2, the blade 101, which is typically formed of 
hardened steel, is attached to blade holder 102 by bolt 150 which passes 
through blade 101 and threadedly engages blade holder 102. Typically, bolt 
150 is a shoulder bolt to provide satifactory mounting capability. In 
addition, a high collar washer 181 is included in order to position the 
bolt 150 relative to the blade attachment 100 and vice versa. The blade 
101 is arranged to project slightly beyond the surface of blade holder 
102. Thus, the blade edge 171 can interact with the web which passes 
thereby. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the aperture 110 passes axially through blade holder 
102. The aperture 110 is shown countersunk to receive an Allen bolt 120 or 
the like. The bolt 120 then engages the underlying cylinder or a companion 
blade holder when mounted on a press shaft. 
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a partially broken away, elevation 
view of one embodiment of a perforator blade attachment 400 which includes 
a perforator blade 401 mounted to blade holder 402. The blade 401 and 
holder 402 are shown in semicircular form which is the typical 
configuration. A plurality of perforator teeth 490 extend outwardly from 
the outer circumference of the blade 401. 
A plurality of mounting holes 403 pass through the body of blade 401. A 
similar plurality of apertures 404 extend through blade holder 402. A 
suitable bolt 450 (similar to bolt 150) passes through the aperture 403 in 
blade 401 and threadedly engages aperture 402 in holder 402 in order to 
securely mount the blade 401 to the holder 402. The bolt 450 also passes 
through a high collar washer 481 which assists in securing the blade 401 
to the holder 402. 
Referring now to FIG. 4 there is shown a cross-sectional view of attachment 
400 including the blade holder 402 and blade 401 of the instant invention. 
As shown in FIG. 4, the holder assembly 400 includes a support structure 
i.e. blade holder 402 which (like blade holder 102) has a generally 
rectilinear cross-sectional configuration. The blade holder 402 (as well 
as blade 401) are generally semi-circular in configuration (see FIG. 5) 
and are arranged to closely conform to the outer surface of the support 
cylinder in the existing printing press. The blade 401, formed of hardened 
steel, for example, is arranged to have the teeth 490 project slightly 
beyond the surface of blade holder 402. Thus, the teeth 490 of blade 401 
can interact with the web which passes thereby. 
Typically, perforator blade 401 has a total thickness equal to the 
thickness of scorer blade 101. However, the outer rim of blade 401 is 
reduced in thickness, for example, by about one-half. For example, a 
scorer blade can be machined to include a thinner outer edge into which 
teeth 490 are cut. As a consequence, the teeth 490 are slightly off-center 
relative to the plane of blade 401. More particularly, the inner edge of 
the teeth 490 is at or near the center line of blade 401; however, the 
entire body of each of the teeth is offset relative to the body of the 
blade 401. (Of course, the blade 401 can be manufactured to provide 
"centered" teeth, if so desired.) 
In this embodiment, blade 401 is attached to blade holder 402 by the bolts 
450 which threadedly engage the blade holder. (This portion of the 
perforator blade attachment 400 is substantially similar to the scorer 
blade attachment 100 described supra.) This arrangement permits easy 
replacement or adjustment of the blade 401. Of course, by tightening bolt 
450, the blade 401 is secured to the blade holder 402. 
A plurality of elongated holes 410 are drilled axially through the blade 
holder 402. The apertures 410 are countersunk or counterbored to form a 
recess or cavity 411 at the outer end thereof. Appropriate bolts 420 are 
inserted into and passed through the apertures 410 into threaded apertures 
in the surface of the underlying support cylinder (not shown). Thus, the 
blade holder 402 is mounted to the cylinder (or a companion blade holder) 
by means of the bolts 420. 
By making the holes 410 somewhat elongated in shape, an appropriate 
adjustment of the blade holder 402 as well as the blade 401 can be 
effected. That is, the blade holder 402 can be adjusted axially along the 
support cylinder by sliding the elongated apertures 410 relative to the 
associated bolts 420. 
Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a partially exploded perspective 
view of one embodiment of an anvil attachment 500 of the instant 
invention. As described supra, the anvil attachment 500 includes the anvil 
501 and the anvil holder 502. 
In this embodiment, the anvil 501 is an inverted T-shaped strip of sturdy, 
resilient material such as polyurethane or the like. The upper surface 510 
of anvil 501 is, typically, adapted to engage the edge of the scorer blade 
101, for example. 
The anvil holder 502 includes the holder base 550 and the holder straps 521 
and 522. The components of anvil holder 502 are formed of hardened steel 
or the like and are formed in a semi-circular configuration similar to the 
blade holders described supra. 
The holder straps include a plurality of axial holes 530 therethrough. The 
holes 530 are countersunk in order to receive the end of bolts 540 which 
are similar to bolts 120 and/or 420 described supra. 
The holder base 550 includes a similar plurality of holes 510 therethrough. 
These holes match with the holes 530 so that the bolts 540 pass through 
the straps and the base and threadedly engage the underlying structure 
such as a shaft, a cylinder, or a companion blade holder. 
As is seen, the holder straps 521 and 522 are mounted on opposite sides of 
the anvil 501. When the straps are bolted to the cylinder (through the 
base 550), the anvil 501 is clamped securely to the anvil holder and, 
thus, to the underlying shaft or cylinder. 
The anvil attachment 500 has the advantages that replacement of the anvil 
501, per se, is easily accomplished (relative to the prior art). In 
addition, the anvil attachment 500 inhibits slippage of the anvil 501 
relative to the underlying cylinder or shaft. 
As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the holder base 550 includes grooves 
523 and 524 in the upper surface thereof. The grooves 523 and 524 are 
relatively shallow and are adapted to receive the bottom portion of the 
holder straps 521 and 522, respectively. The straps and grooves, 
preferrably, form a reasonably snug fit. 
The holder straps 521 and 522 also include the lips 525 and 526, 
respectively, which engage the horizontal cross-bar of the inverted 
T-shaped anvil 501. Clearly, the relative sizes, thicknesses and spacing 
of the anvil 501, the holder straps 521 and 522 and the lips 525 and 526 
are selected so that a suitable pressure is exerted by the holder straps 
on the anvil. 
Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a cross-sectional view of an anvil 
attachment 600 which is somewhat similar to the anvil attachment 500 shown 
in FIG. 5. The holder base 650 has a smooth bottom surface for mounting on 
the shaft, cylinder, or companion attachment apparatus. The top surface 
includes grooves 641 and 642 which are parallel to each other. A raised 
center portion 643 is formed between the grooves. The bottom surface of 
the anvil 601 rests on the top surface of the raised portion 643. 
The holder straps 621 and 622 are inverted L-shaped members formed of the 
same (or similar) material as the holder base 650. The ends of the 
vertical arms of the straps 621 and 622 rest in the grooves 641 and 642, 
respectively. The horizontal arms of the straps 621 and 622 overlie the 
shoulders of the inverted T-shaped anvil 601. The thickness of the 
shoulders of anvil 601 is slightly greater than the space between the 
inner surface of the horizontal arms of the straps and the upper surface 
of the center portion 643. Holes 630 are provided through the vertical 
arms of straps 621 and 622. Holes 640 are provided through holder base 
650. The holes 640 are located in grooves 641 and 642 and are aligned with 
holes 630. Thus, bolts 620 are passed through holes 630 and 640 and are 
threadedly engaged with the underlying cylinder or shaft (not shown). When 
the bolts 620 (for example, Allen-type bolts) are secured, the anvil 
attachment 600 is secured in place and the anvil 601 is securely clamped 
in the anvil attachment 600. 
The embodiment of anvil attachment 600 is similar to the anvil attachment 
500 shown in FIG. 5. However, slight variations in the sizes of the 
several components are suggested. These size adjustments or modifications 
are, primarily, design choice and fall within the purview of the invention 
described herein. 
In this arrangement, the bolts 620 are removed in order to remove the 
support structure 600, per se from the underlying support mechanism. This 
also permits straps 621 and 622 to be separated from the support base 650. 
When the straps are separated from the base, the anvil 601 is readily 
removed or inserted, as appropriate. Moreover, by tightening the bolts 
620, the straps 621 and 622 clamp the anvil 601 to the support base 620 
and prevent slippage thereof. Thus, easier maintenance procedures are 
permitted while enhanced operation of the system is established. 
As described supra, scorer blade 101 on one cylinder interacts with the 
counterpart anvil 601 on the adjacent cylinder to produce a scored line in 
the lengthwise direction of the web. By proper arrangement of the blades 
and anvils either a skip-scoring or a continuous scoring operation can be 
achieved. The anvil holder 600 is affixed to the conventional cylinder in 
any suitable fashion. 
Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a cross-sectional view of another 
embodiment of the anvil attachment in accordance with the instant 
invention. The anvil attachment 700 is similar to the anvil attachment 
shown in FIG. 6. The anvil attachment 700 shown in FIG. 7 includes a 
perforator anvil 701 with a groove 775 in the upper surface thereof. (Of 
course, in some applications, a perforator blade may merely engage and 
cooperate with a flat anvil such as the anvil 601 in some embodiments.) 
The anvil 701 is shown mounted on the holder base 720 which includes the 
apertures 730 therethrough. The support strips 721 and 722 are disposed 
above the base support 720. Appropriate bolts 720 are passed through the 
holes in both of the upper straps 721 and 722, as well as the anvil base 
support 720. The bolts 720 engage the threaded holes in the support 
section (not shown). In all other respects, the perforator anvil 
attachment 700 is, typically, similar to the anvil attachment 600. 
Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown a cross-sectional view of anvil 
attachment 800 which is another embodiment of an anvil attachment similar 
to the anvil attachment 500 shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the 
holder base 850 has a smooth bottom surface for mounting on the shaft or 
cylinder. The top surface is also relatively smooth but could include a 
central groove therein as suggested by dashed line 821. The bottom surface 
of the anvil 801 rests on the top surface of the holder base 850 (or in 
the groove 821). 
The holder straps 821 and 822 are inverted L-shaped members formed of the 
same material as the holder base 850. The ends of the vertical arms of the 
straps 821 and 822 rest on the surface of holder base 850. The horizontal 
arms of the straps 821 and 822 overlie the shoulders of the inverted 
T-shaped anvil 801. In this embodiment, the horizontal arms 821 and 822 
are, typically, somewhat thicker than the arms 621 and 622 of the 
embodiment shown in FIG. 6. The thickness of the shoulders of anvil 801 is 
slightly greater than the space between the inner surface of the 
horizontal arms of the straps and the upper surface of the holder base 
850. Holes 830 are provided through the vertical arms of straps 821 and 
822. Holes 840 are provided through holder base 850. The holes 840 are 
aligned with holes 830. Thus, bolts 820 are passed through holes 830 and 
840 and are threadedly engaged with the underlying cylinder or shaft (not 
shown). When the bolts 820 are secured, the anvil attachment 800 is 
secured in place and the anvil 801 is securely clamped thereto. 
When the straps are separated from the base, the anvil 801 is readily 
removed or inserted as appropriate. Moreover, by tightening the bolts 820, 
the straps 821 and 822 clamp the anvil 801 to the support base 850 and 
prevent slippage thereof as discussed supra. 
The embodiment of anvil attachment 800 is similar to the anvil attachment 
500 shown in FIG. 5. However, slight variations in the sizes and shapes of 
the several components are suggested. These size and shape modifications 
are, primarily, design choice and fall within the purview of the invention 
described herein. 
Referring now to FIG. 9, there is shown an alternative arrangement for 
mounting the anvil to the support. In this instance, the anvil 901 is in 
the shape of a trapezoid. Likewise, the support straps 921 and 922 are 
beveled on the opposing, inside surfaces thereof to produce a trapezoidal 
slot therebetween. The bolts 920 interact with the straps 921 and 922 as 
well as with the base support 950 as described supra. This arrangement 
permits easy removal and replacement of the anvil. Moreover, this 
arrangement may reduce wear on the shoulders of the anvil. 
Thus, there is shown and described an improved attachment mounting scorer 
blades, perforator blades and/or anvils for use with certain printing 
press devices. In this instance, the attachments are mounted to cylinders 
in the existing equipment. However, the attachments are modified to more 
easily receive blades and/or anvils therein. 
The particular configuration shown and described herein relates to a 
printing press accessory apparatus for enchancing scoring, perforating, 
skip scoring and/or skip perforating capabilities. While this description 
is directed to a particular embodiment, it is understood that those 
skilled in the art may conceive modifications and/or variations to the 
specific embodiments shown and described herein. Any such modifications or 
variations which fall within the purview of this description are intended 
to be included therein as well. It is understood that the description 
herein is intended to be illustrative only and is not intended to be 
limitative. Rather, the scope of the invention described herein is limited 
only by the claims appended hereto.