Abstract:
A novel apparatus and method of a take-up shaft used in the cleaning of a cylinder of a printing press. The take-up shaft includes features that allow the securing of a cleaning fabric from a supply roll without the need to physically fix or mount the fabric to the supply roll with screws or other fasteners that could cause the fabric to tear.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation in part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/442,286 entitled Cylinder Cleaning Device filed in the name of Avi Ben-Porat et al. on Nov. 19, 1999, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a take-up shaft used for the cleaning of a cylinder of a printing press and more particularly, to a novel device and method of attaching a cleaning cloth to the take-up shaft for small printing presses.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    One of the more difficult and time consuming tasks in the operation to clean a cylinder used in a printing press is the need to periodically remove and replace the cleaning fabric used in clearing the cylinder.  
           [0004]    In a cylinder cleaner in which a supply of cleaning fabric is supplied to a cleaning fabric take-up roll, the cleaning fabric historically is drawn off a supply roll and secured to the take-up shaft by means of a plurality of nails or screws. The supply shaft containing the cleaning fabric is then installed onto two support members bolted to the main frame of the printing press.  
           [0005]    In order to install or remove the supply roll and take-up roll from the support members, an operator first inserts the supply roll onto the support members and then attaches the cleaning fabric to the take-up roll by physically hammering or screwing the cleaning fabric to the take-up roll. This is accomplished by drawing out some of the cleaning fabric from the supply roll, attaching the cleaning fabric to the take-up roll and then rolling up the excess cleaning fabric onto the take-up roll, and then connecting the take-up roll to the support members. Alternatively, the cleaning fabric is attached to the take-up shaft before the supply roll is attached to the support members.  
           [0006]    In order to remove the cleaning fabric from the take-up shaft, the cleaning fabric must be physically taken off the take-up shaft which can ruin the take-up shaft or rip the cleaning fabric. Since space is limited, especially in small printing presses, the ability to hammer or screw the cleaning fabric to the take-up shaft is problematic. Therefore, a need exists for a cleaning fabric take-up shaft that easily secures the cleaning fabric to the take-up shaft without the need to physically hammer or screw the fabric to the take-up shaft.  
           [0007]    Additionally, the used cleaning fabric is typically removed from the cleaning device by unwinding the used fabric from the take-up shaft, which is permanently secured to the support frame. Therefore, a need exists for an efficient system for securing the supply roll and take-up shaft onto the printing press frame.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The shaft solves these and other needs associated with a cleaning cylinder device. The shaft was developed to maximize production time by reducing press down time during which the operators of a printing press insert and remove cleaning fabric supply roll and used cleaning fabric of a cylinder cleaner.  
           [0009]    Features of the shaft for a cylinder cleaning device include a rigid one piece frame. Generally described, the rigid one piece frame supports a cleaning fabric supply roll, a cleaning fabric take-up shaft, and an inflatable bladder assembly. The shaft includes a rod that may be mounted or disposed by a locking connection and an axial groove for securing the cleaning fabric from the supply roll to the take-up roll. Both the supply roll and the take-up shaft are removably attached to the one piece frame.  
           [0010]    In addition, shaft includes a rod that may be mounted or disposed by a sliding connection, inserted into a cylindrical sockets for securing the cleaning fabric from the supply roll to the take-up roll.  
           [0011]    The take-up shaft further includes a first member and a second member. The first member has a planar section and a first end and a second end. The first end is larger than the second end. The second member has a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end is larger than the proximal end. In addition, the overall length of the second member is smaller than that of the first member. The second member is disposed over the first member in such a way that the proximal end of the second member is adjacent to the second end of the first member and the distal end of the second member is adjacent to the first end of the first member.  
           [0012]    These, and other aspects of the shaft, are described in the following brief and detailed description of the drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    Further aspects of the instant invention will be more readily appreciated upon review of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments included below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a take-up shaft.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the assembled shaft of FIG. 1.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is another side perspective view, partly sectional, of the assembled shaft of FIGS. 1 and 2.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective of a portion of the shaft of FIGS.  1 - 3 .  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a take up shaft retaining mechanism.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 a  is a top view of a take-up shaft retaining mechanism.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 6 b  is a front view of a take-up shaft retaining mechanism.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 7 is a side view of a two pronged take-up shaft.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a take-up shaft, with a rod that may be mounted or disposed by locking with take-up shaft.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the assembled shaft of FIG. 8.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the tab and slot relationship between the rod and the take-up shaft.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the gear side assembly, or securing mechanism, of the take-up shaft.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the operator side assembly of the take-up shaft.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of an assembled take-up shaft in the housing.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a take-up shaft having a rod.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the take-up shaft of FIG. 13.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 16 is an exploded view of the gear side assembly shown in FIG. 14.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the take-up shaft and cloth take-up ring.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 18 is a side view of the rod shown in FIG. 14.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 19 is a front view of the cloth take-up ring shown in FIG. 14.  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 20 is a side view of the cloth take-up ring shown in FIG. 14.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 21 is an exploded view of a take-up shaft with a rod that is assembled onto the take-up shaft.  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 22 is a perspective of the take-up shaft with a fabric assembled between the rod and the take-up shaft. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0037]    In FIG. 1, a cylinder cleaning device  100  is shown. In general, the cleaning device  100  includes a frame  10  for holding a cleaning fabric take-up shaft  20 , a cleaning fabric supply shaft  30 , and an inflatable bladder assembly  40 , for pressing cleaning fabric against the cylinder to be cleaned. It is to be understood that any mechanism other than the inflatable bladder  40 , such as a blade, may be used to contact the cleaning fabric with the cylinder to be cleaned.  
         [0038]    More specifically, the frame  10  is removably attachable to a printing press frame (not shown). The frame  10  defines a rigid cartridge housing containing the cleaning fabric take-up shaft  20  and the cleaning fabric supply shaft  30 . The rigid cartridge housing includes two side members  16  and a brace member  18 . The side members  16  include a first pair of sockets  12  for receiving the take-up shaft  20  and a second pair of sockets  14  for receiving the supply shaft  30 . The brace member  18  connects the two side members  16 , enabling the cleaning fabric take-up shaft  20  and the cleaning fabric supply shaft  30  to be attached to the frame  10  prior to insertion into the printing press frame. The rigid cartridge housing also supports the inflatable bladder assembly  40 . Thus, the frame  10  supporting the cleaning fabric take-up shaft  20 , the cleaning fabric supply shaft  30  and the inflatable bladder assembly  40  is inserted and removed from the printing press frame as a complete unit. The frame  10  is constructed using one sheet of material, i.e. aluminum or steel, although in alternate embodiments, the frame  10  includes other metals, alloys or composites generally known in the art, molded plastic, or the like.  
         [0039]    The take-up shaft  20  is used for the winding of cleaning fabric after it has been used to clean the cylinder. The shaft  20  includes a hingeably mounted rod  22  and an axial groove  24 . As illustrated, the rod  22  aligns with the groove  24  so that the rod  22  may be inserted in the groove  24 . Preferably, a magnet is imbedded into the groove  24  to secure the rod  22  in place, although other securing means, such as a latch or adhesive, may be used. The take-up shaft  20  also includes a rectangular extension  26 , which preferably includes an extension of the groove  24 . The extension  26  is engageable with a cleaning cloth advancement mechanism  28 , which serves to rotate the take-up shaft  20 . In general, the cleaning fabric advancement mechanism  28  includes a one-way clutch and an advancement arm, which can be actuated by any number of means, such as a hydraulic piston or motor. The cleaning cloth advancement mechanism  28  may be any of the known advancement mechanisms, such as that described U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,080, herein incorporated by reference, or in U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,792, herein incorporated by reference.  
         [0040]    Depending on the implementation, a take-up shaft  90  is used for the winding of cleaning fabric after it has been used to clean the cylinder. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the shaft  90  includes a support member  92  and two pronged members  94 . The two pronged members  94  protrude from the support member  92  and extend parallel to each other. The take-up shaft  90  also includes a securing mechanism  80 . The securing mechanism  80  for the take-up shafts will be described in greater detail below.  
         [0041]    The supply shaft  30  includes one or more projections  32  extending from the circumference therefrom. The projections  32  are in the form of three wheels spaced along the axis of the supply shaft  30 . The circumference of each wheel  32  extends beyond that of the supply shaft  30 . Although the wheels  32  are in axial alignment, it is to be understood that each wheel  32  may be spaced at different points on the circumference of the supply shaft  30 . Additionally, fewer or more than three wheels  32  may be used. The projections may include one or more ridges extending part of or the entire length of the shaft  30 .  
         [0042]    Cooperating with the supply shaft  30  is a spring loaded securing mechanism  36 ,  38 . This mechanism will be described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 4. Also cooperating with the supply shaft  30  is a series of nylon-tipped screws  34 . When the supply shaft  30  is inserted into the opening  14  in the frame  10 , the nylon-tipped screws  34  are tightened around the shaft  30 , thereby supplying a braking force. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such a braking force prevents bunching of cleaning fabric.  
         [0043]    The assembled device  100  is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As illustrated, a cleaning fabric supply roll  50  can be inserted on the supply shaft  30 . In general, the supply roll  50  comprises cleaning fabric  52  wound on a cardboard core  54 . The procedure for inserting the supply roll  50  on the supply shaft  30  will be described in greater detail below.  
         [0044]    The supply shaft  30  and the core of the supply roll  50  interlock in a key arrangement. For example, the shaft  30  includes a ridge, and the core include a mating groove.  
         [0045]    A close-up of a socket  14  will now be described in greater detail with reference to FIG. 4. As shown, the securing mechanisms  36 ,  38  are secured together with mechanism  38  extending through the socket  14 . Furthermore, the securing member  38  includes a cupped or hollow surface for receiving the end of the supply shaft  30 . Additionally, a U-shaped support  60  is secured to the interior surface of the frame  10  when the securing mechanism  36  is drawn away from the frame  10 , mechanism  38  is partially drawn out of the socket  14 . As discussed in greater detail below, when the mechanism  36  is released, a spring (not shown) draws the mechanism  38  back into the socket  14  and the mechanism  36  back towards the frame  10 .  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 5 illustrates a mechanism for securing the take up shaft in place. As shown, an extension, here formed as a wedge,  70  is rotatably secured to the end of the take up shaft  20  by means of a screw  72  or rivet. The securing mechanism also includes a rod  74  having a groove  76  cut therein. The rod  74  is secured to either the frame end or the press frame (not shown) in a position such that when the take up shaft  20  is inserted into the frame  10 , the wedge  70  may be rotated and engaged with the groove  76 . Engagement of the wedge  70  with the groove  76  prevents the shaft  20  from withdrawing axially through the frame  10 .  
         [0047]    Depending on the implementation, the mechanism for securing the take up shaft in place may be as shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B. The take up shaft securing mechanism  80  comprises a rotatable sleeve  82  attached to the end of the take up shaft  20 . As shown, the sleeve has a diameter greater than the socket  12 . Furthermore, the sleeve  82  includes a threaded portion on its interior surface which may engage external threads on the socket  12 . An extension of the take up shaft  20 , which is narrower than the shaft  20  itself, extends through a hole in the center of the sleeve  82 .  
         [0048]    The securing mechanism  80  further includes a knob  88  fixably secured to the extension of the take up shaft which passes through the sleeve  82 . As such, the knob  88  secures the sleeve  82  to the take up shaft  20  while allowing the sleeve  82  to rotate on the extension.  
         [0049]    In operation, a cleaning fabric supply roll  50  is inserted axially onto the supply shaft  30 . Such insertion is relatively easy, as the wheels  32  exert a relatively low friction force against the cardboard core  54  of the supply roll  50 . Additionally, it has been found that the wheels  32  deform the relatively soft cardboard core  54 .  
         [0050]    Once the cleaning cloth supply roll  50  is inserted on the supply shaft  30 , the supply shaft  30  is inserted into the frame  10 . This is performed by inserting one end into the socket  14  not having the securing mechanism  36 ,  38 . The other end of the supply shaft  30  is secured into place by first drawing the securing mechanism  36 ,  38  away from the supply shaft  30  and frame  10 . The supply shaft  30  is then rested on the U-shaped support  60 . With the supply shaft  30  in position, the securing mechanism  36 ,  38  is then released and drawn back towards the supply shaft  30  by the spring. The hollow, cupped end of the mechanism  38  thus engages the end of the supply shaft  30 , thereby securing it in place. It should be noted that the U-shaped support  60  provides the added benefit of limiting axial movement of the supply roll  50  by abutting the cardboard core  54 .  
         [0051]    The take up shaft  20  must also be secured to the frame  10 . To secure the shaft  20  to the frame  10 , the take up shaft  20  is inserted through the sockets  12  until the sleeve  82  abuts the socket  12 . By rotating the sleeve  82 , the threaded section  84  of the sleeve engages the threaded section of the socket  86 , thereby drawing the take up shaft further through the sockets  12  and into an operational position. It should be noted that engagement of the sleeve  82  with the socket  12  secures the take up shaft  20  in place, while allowing rotation of the shaft  20  through either actuation of the advancement mechanism  28  or manual rotation of the knob  88 . With the take up shaft secured in place, the cleaning fabric  52  can be wound through the device  100  and secured to the take up shaft  20 .  
         [0052]    To wind the cleaning fabric  52  through the device  100 , it is drawn off of the supply roll  50 , threaded around the pad  40 , and secured to the take up shaft  20 . It should be noted that when drawing the cleaning fabric  52  from the roll  50 , the roll  50  and supply shaft  30  rotate together. This occurs because the wheels  32 , although having little frictional force axially, have edges that engage the cardboard core  54  and provide a relatively greater radial or angular frictional force. Thus, the cardboard core  54  cannot rotate without also rotating the supply shaft  30 .  
         [0053]    Securing the cleaning fabric  52  to the take up shaft  20  involves first lifting the rod  22  from the groove  24 . The cleaning fabric  52  is then inserted underneath the rod  22 , between the rod  22  and take up shaft  20 . The rod  22  is then reinserted into the groove  24 , thereby securing the cleaning fabric  52  between the rod  22  and take up shaft  20 . The magnet helps retain the rod  22  in the groove. Next, the cleaning cloth  52  is prevented from being drawn out of the groove  24  by rotating the take up shaft  20  approximately one revolution. Such revolution may be performed manually by either grasping the take up shaft  20  or rotating the knob  88 .  
         [0054]    When the supply roll  50  is expended and the used cleaning fabric  52  is completely wound on the take up shaft  20 , the present invention allows easy removable of the used cloth  52 . First, the take up shaft  20  is unsecured from the device. This is done by either rotating the wedge  70 , shown in FIG. 5, out of engagement with the rod  74 , or unscrewing the sleeve  82 , shown in FIG. 6 a , from the threaded socket  12 . Second, the take up shaft  20  is simply drawn out of the socket  12  a few inches. By drawing the take up shaft  20  out of the frame  10 , the used fabric  52  is automatically forced off of the take-up shaft  20  by the force exerted on the fabric  52  by the frame  10  and/or socket  12 . With the take-up shaft  20  drawn out of the frame  10  a few inches, the used fabric  52  is freed from the end of the take-up shaft  20  opposite the securing mechanism. Third, the press operator simply pulls the expended cloth  52  off the take-up shaft  20  in an axial direction. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that such removal of the used cleaning fabric  52  represents an improvement over the prior art because no time is taken for the unwinding of the used cleaning fabric.  
         [0055]    The cleaning fabric of the take-up shaft  90 , drawn off the supply roll  30 , is inserted between the two pronged members  94  protruding from the support member  92  of the take-up shaft  90 . The two pronged members  94  retain the cleaning fabric by mechanically locking or pinching the cleaning fabric between the members  94 . The take-up shaft is then rotated approximately one revolution to prevent the cleaning cloth from being pulled out of the space between the pronged members  94 . Such revolution may be performed manually by either grasping the take-up roll  90  or rotating the knob  88 . The take up shaft  90  is secured to the frame in the same manner as described above for the take-up shaft  20 .  
         [0056]    [0056]FIG. 8 shows the components of a fully assembled take-up shaft  800 , having a first member  820  and a second member  822 , wherein the second member may be, but is not necessarily a rod, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As opposed to the rod  22 , mounted or disposed by hinging, of the take-up shaft  20 , the second member  822 , is mounted or disposed to the take-up shaft  820 , by locking to the first member  820 . An exploded view of a gear side assembly  827 , or securing mechanism, is shown, wherein the second member  822  is attached. Also, an exploded view of an operator side assembly  828  is shown, wherein the first member  820  is attached. Additionally, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the first member  820  is attached to the gear side assembly  827  by connecting with the second member  822 .  
         [0057]    [0057]FIG. 9 shows the components of a fully assembled take up shaft  800 , wherein the second member  822  is placed into an axial groove  824  of the first member  820 . A tab  821  is located on the end of the first member  820  that is to be placed into a slot  823  of the second member  822 , and thereby attached to the gear side assembly  827 , or securing mechanism. The other end of the first member  820  attaches to the operator side assembly  828 . The tab and slot connection may contain fewer components, thereby reducing cost of production and improving reliability of repair. FIG. 10 shows a close up view of the tab and slot connection, as described in FIG. 9.  
         [0058]    [0058]FIG. 11 shows the components of the gear side assembly  827 , or securing mechanism, for the take-up shaft  820  of the present invention. The cylindrical end of the second member  822  slides into the cylindrical opening of a wedge  870 . A plate  873  is attached to the cylindrical end of the second member  822  by a screw  872 , thereby immobilizing the gear side assembly  827 , or securing mechanism.  
         [0059]    [0059]FIG. 12 shows the components of the operator side assembly  828  for the take-up shaft  800  of the present invention. The first member has a cylindrical extension  826  that slides into the cylindrical opening of an axial rod  830 , having an axial rod cylindrical extension  831 . The axial rod cylindrical extension  831  passes through a circular opening of a handle  832  and is fastened to the handle  832  with a fastener  833 . A brace  829  slides over the axial rod  830 , and the handle  832  slides over the brace  829 , therefore rendering the operator side assembly  828  immobile.  
         [0060]    [0060]FIG. 13 shows the fully assembled take-up shaft  800 , comprising the first member  820 , the gear side assembly  827 , or the securing mechanism, and the operator side assembly  828 , in the housing  810 . An operator of the fully assembled take-up shaft  800  would operate at the operator side assembly  828 , using the handle  832 . Fabric is secured between the second member  822  and the first member  820  as is described above.  
         [0061]    As shown in FIG. 14, a take-up shaft  1400  has a first member  1420  and a second member  1422 , wherein the second member may be, but is not necessarily a rod. The second member is mounted or disposed to the first member  1420  by a sliding attachment. Both ends of the first member  1420  have a rectangular extension  1421  for connecting purposes. One end of both the second member  1422  and the first member  1420  slide into a cloth take-up ring  1423 , wherein the second member  1422  is above the first member  1420  and both are held immobile within a cylindrical hole of the cloth take-up ring  1423 . The top of the first member  1420  is substantially flat, such that the second member  1422  rests on top of it. In other embodiments of the present invention, the first member  1420  may have an axial groove to secure the second member  1422 . The tab and slot connection shown requires no connecting pieces between the second member  1422  and the first member  1420 .  
         [0062]    [0062]FIG. 15 shows one end of the first member  1420  and the second member  1422  attached to a handle  1424 , for operator use. The other side of the first member  1420  and the second member  1422 , being the same side connected to the cloth take-up ring  1423 , are further attached to a gear assembly  1425 , or securing mechanism. Fabric is secured between the mounted second member  1422  and the first member  1420  as is described above.  
         [0063]    [0063]FIG. 16 shows an exploded view of the gear assembly  1425 , or securing mechanism that is attached to the first member  1420 . A support socket  1426  attaches at one end to a support pin  1428 , having a support pin cylindrical extension  1430 . The other end of the support socket  1426 , attaches to the cloth take-up ring  1423 , as shown in FIG. 14.  
         [0064]    [0064]FIG. 17 is a side perspective of the second member  1422  and the cloth take-up ring  1423 , without the first member  1420 . One end of the second member  1422  attaches to the cloth take-up ring  1423  at an axial groove  1429  (seen in FIG. 19) of the cloth take-up ring  1423 . FIG. 18 is a side view of the second member as shown in FIG. 14, without any attachment to either the first member  1420  or the cloth take-up ring  1423 . One end of the second member  1422 , being the end that is to be attached to the cloth take-up ring  1423  has a larger diameter than a second end of the second member  1422 . The second end of the second member  1422  has an extension  1431 . FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 are a side view and front view of the cloth take-up ring  1423  as shown in FIG. 14, without any attachment to either the second member  1422  or the first member  1420 . The cloth take-up ring  1423  has a first ring  1432 , having a first end and a second end, where the first end is substantially cylindrical and the second end is substantially conic, a second ring  1435 , being substantially cylindrical and having a smaller diameter than the first ring and an axial groove  1429  for attaching to the second member  1422 , where the axial groove  1435  extends through both the first ring  1432  and the second ring  1435 .  
         [0065]    [0065]FIG. 21 shows an exploded view of a take-up shaft  2100  having a first member  2120  and a second member  2122 , wherein the second member may be, but is not necessarily, a rod. The second member  2122  is wedged in an axial groove  2123  of the first member  2120 . The axial groove  2123  is of substantially equal length to that of the second member  2122 . The second member  2122  is fit into the axial groove  2123  of the first member, wherein a fabric  2130  is placed underneath the second member  2122 , as shown in FIG. 22. The weight of the second member  2122  maintains is large enough to maintain enable on a rotation of the second member  2122  about and axis of its length A, without substantial motion in a transverse direction B. No components or fasteners are necessary to attach the second member  2122  to the first member  2120 , or to have the fabric  2130  remain between the second member  2122  and the first member  2120 .  
         [0066]    It should be understood that the above description is only representative of illustrative examples of embodiments and implementations. For the reader&#39;s convenience, the above description has focused on a representative sample of all possible embodiments, a sample that teaches the principles of the present invention. Other embodiments may result from a different combination of portions of different embodiments. The description has not attempted to exhaustively enumerate all possible variations. The alternate embodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of the invention, and may result from a different combination of described portions, or that other undescribed alternate embodiments may be available for a portion, is not to be considered a disclaimer of those alternate embodiments. It will be appreciated that many of those undescribed embodiments are within the literal scope of the following claims, and others are equivalent.