Patent GB-230947-A (GB)
Title: Inking apparatus for a printing press
IPC: B41F31/30
Filed: 1924-01-07
Abstract: 230,947. Agricola, H. A., and Lane, J. E. Jan. 7, 1924. Inking-apparatus.-An inking-apparatus, especially applicable for multicolour printing in platen or flat-bed machines, comprises a series of ink-applying and transfer rollers mounted in pivoted plates movable so as to move the roller which coacts with the ductor roller out of contact with the ductor roller, while the ink-applying rollers are moved into contact with the forme and vice versa. The ink-applying rollers are preferably mounted in reciprocating carriages, and are arranged to act in conjunction with distributing plates in which are arranged geared members similar to geared teeth which assist in distributing the ink. The distributing-plates are arranged in two pairs of divided plates which can be connected together in various ways so as to permit of different arrangements of multi-colour inking. As applied to a multi-colour platen press in which are arranged four formes 1 - - 4, Fig. 2, two abreast, adapted to be inked in different colours, each forme is inked by rollers 40, 40, 41, Fig. 5, mounted in a carriage P, Fig. 1, which is reciprocated over guides on the sides of the bed A of the platen by adjustable lever mechanism actuated by rockers C pivoted to the oscillating bed A. The rollers 40, 41 form part of a transfer systems 40 - - 43 for feeding ink from duct or rollers 54 to the formes, the transfer rollers being mounted in frames 35 which have a limited movement about shafts 25, 26 mounted detachably in plates 27, 28 pivoted to the carriage P near the ends of slots 24 which guide the motions of the shaft 25, 26. The frames 35 are oscillated about their pivots 25, 26 by rollers on the shafts 40 engaging fixed cams 67, 68, Fig. 2, on the sides of the bed A, the cams being so arranged that one set of rollers 40, 41 is moved out of engagement with the forme or pair of formes with which they co-operate as the other set of rollers 40, 41 is moved into contact with the other formes. While the rollers 40, 41 are out of contact with the formes, the corresponding roller 43 normally contacts with a ductor roller 54, which, however, can be tripped out of action and left out of action as long as no further supply of ink to the rollers is necessary. Each roller 54 is mounted in a frame 50, Fig. 18, pivoted to a shaft 25 or 26, the rollers 54 and the rollers 43, 42, 41, 40 being driven by independent gear trains from a common pinion 44 geared to a wheel meshing with a fixed rack 57 on the bed. The ducts of the rollers 54 are also mounted in the pivoted frames 50, Fig. 18, and the shafts of the rollers 54 are driven by unidirectional clutches, comprising a splined member with a cam face which is engaged by a spring-controlled pin 82 to de-clutch the drive when the frame 50 is given an anticlockwise turn by a cam 90 on the shaft of the roller 43. The trames 50 are thus moved to take the rollers 54 out of action, and they are held out of action by catches as 95 engaging the tops 22 of the carriage P until the catches are released by hand, or by means of latches 156, Fig. 18. The latches 156 can be set to operate simultaneously on the catches of the upper and lower sets of catches, which are provided with upwardly extending bent parts 152 - - 155 shaped so as to move the pivoted latch 156 as the carriage moves upwards, but to be released thereby as the carriage descends. The latches 156 can be moved out of action when no further ink is required on the rollers 40, 41. The frames 50 also carry inkfountains formed of walls 70, 71, Fig. 5, the inclined walls 70 having concave recesses above which the ductor blades 74 are arranged. These blades are controlled by cams 75 operable by fingers 76 to cause the blades to move nearer to or further from the duct rollers 54. In one form, two blades 74 of equal width may be used across each roller 54, and separate colours may be placed on each blade. By using different colours on each of the four blades, the formes 1, 2, 3, 4 may be inked in different colours. Various combinations of the inking may be adopted, thus formes 1, 2 may be inked in one colour and the formes 3, 4 in another, or the formes 1, 3 in one and the formes 2, 4 in another, or the formes 1, 3 may be in different colours and the formes 2, 4 in the same colour but different from the formes 1, 3. The rollers 40, 41 move over inkdistributing plates 110 - - 113, Fig. 11, which are recessed to receive meshing pinions 115, 116, the surfaces of which are flush with the plates. The plates 110 - - 113 can be arranged apart as shown, so that each system works with a different colour, or all the pinions 115, 116 may be meshed together, or the top four and bottom four may be separately geared, or the two pairs on either side may be geared together, the arrangement selected being in accordance with the desired arrangement of formes. Each pair of distributing pinions is intermittently rotated by ratchet wheels 125, Fig. 2, one arranged in connection with each pair of distributing plates. These ratchets are intermittently rotated by pawls 131 on arms 126 connected in pairs by links 130. The arms 131 are oscillated bv the rocker arms I, Fig. 1, which reciprocate the inking-carriage P, the arms I acting on pins 134 adjustably secured to an extension 127 on one of the arms 126.