Patent GB-568346-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to inking method and apparatus for printing presses
IPC: B41F31/30
Filed: 1941-08-01
Abstract: 568,346. Printing-machines. MILLER PRINTING MACHINERY CO. Aug. 1, 1941, No. 9855. Convention date, Aug. 3, 1940. [Class 100 (ii)] Inking-apparatus.-In an inking apparatus for a reciprocating bed machine, fresh ink from the ink fountain is applied to the forme during each stroke thereof. The forme is inked during each stroke of the bed by three rollers 4, 5, 6, Fig. 1, to which fresh ink is supplied at each stroke from a train of rollers consisting of two vibrator steel rollers 28, 29 and alternate composition and steel rollers 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, the last contacting a steel distributing drum 17 receiving a supply of ink at each stroke .of the bed by one of a pair of composition messenger rollers 20, 21 which alternately swing into contact with a duct roller 18. The roller 18 is rotated intermittently in an anti-clockwise direction by a ratchet wheel 90, Fig. 7, engaged by a pair of pawls 89 carried by arms 86, 87 pivoted about the shaft 85 of the roller and formed with gear segments 88 opposite to the pawls and engaging racks 83, 84 on the upper end of a rod 70, Figs. 1 and 7, which is reciprocated vertically by means of a bell-crank lever 75, rod 77 and crank-pin 78 on a cam disc 79 fixed to a shaft 80 driven by the press. Each step of the movement of the roller 18 turns it about half the distance between the lines of contact of the messenger rollers with the roller 18 so that the roller 20 always contacts a part of the surface of the roller 18 untouched by the previous contact of the roller 21. A handle 91 loose on the shaft 85 has a cam face providing a shoulder which may be engaged with a pin projecting from the shaft to turn the shaft manually in the anti-clockwise direction only. The messenger rollers 20, 21 are carried by arms 97 fixed to shafts 94, 95 and are constantly urged towards the roller 18 by springs on the shafts, but the period of actual contact with the roller 18 is determined by a disc 108 having cam projections 114, 115 co-operating respectively with rollers 105, 107 on arms 104, 106 fixed to the shafts 94, 95. The disc 108 is angularly adjustable on and secured to the pawl-carrying member 87 so as to oscillate therewith. When the cam projection 115 and the low part of the disc 108 move opposite to the rollers 105, 107 respectively, the corresponding rollers 20, 21 contact with the roller 18. The rollers 20, 21 are positionally moved into contact with the drum 17 by means of rods 123, 128 passing freely through arms 125, 130 fixed to the shafts 94, 95 and provided with abutment nuts 126, 131. The rods 123, 128 are connected to a bell-crank lever 119 urged in a clockwise direction by a spring 132 on the rod 128, which spring is stronger than the spring on the shaft 95, so that the nut 128 and arm 130, when the spring 132 is free to act, turn the shaft 95 to bring the roller 21 into contact with the drum 17. At the same time the rod 123 and nut 126 are raised to free the arm 125 to allow the spring on the shaft 94 to turn the roller 20 toward the duct roller 18. The rod 128 is moved to the right to allow the roller 21 to move toward. the roller 18 and to turn the roller 20 into contact with the drum 17, by contact with an abutment 136 on the rod, of an arm 135 on a shaft 134 carrying an arm 137 engaging the end of an axially movable rod 138. The rod 138 is connected to one arm 141 of a bell-crank lever X pivoted at 146, the other arm 142 having pivoted thereto a bellcrank lever Y, forming a latch which normally engages a, lever 147 which is loose on the shaft 146 and carries a roller 149 engaging a cam 150 on the shaft 80. The parts X, Y, 147 thus normally are oscillated as a unit about the shaft 146 causing, with the action of a returning spring 152 on the rod 138, axial reciprocation of this rod and actuation of the rollers 20, 21. The impression roller 3 is mounted in eccentric bearings 158 actuated by an eccentric 161 on a rock-shaft 162 so that the impression roller is tripped during the non-printing stroke of the bed. A pin 163 on the end of the shaft 162 rocks a bell-crank 167 so that a shoulder 168 on the arm 166 of the bell-crank is normally raised clear of the arm 145 of the bell-crank Y while this arm is moving to the left by the action of the cam 150 on the arm 147. The shaft 162 is adapted to be arrested with the pin 163 in the full-line position shown, by suitable means operating upon failure of the sheet feed. The arm 166 is consequently not raised and on the next movement of the arm 145 to the left, it is arrested by the shoulder 166, causing disconnection of the bell-crank Y from the arm 147 which thereafter oscillates idly. The spring 152 thereupon moves the rod 138 to the right until it is arrested by the engagement of a pin 169 on the arm 142 with the lower arm 144 of the bell-crank Y. In this position, the messenger rollers are held inoperative in a midposition out of contact with both the drum 17 and the duct roller 18. The ink duct and rollers 18, 20, 21, 17, 23 and 24 are mounted in a frame 30 provided with wheels 31 running on tracks on the fixed frame of the machine. One of the shafts 42 carrying the wheels 31 also carries pinions engaging racks 45 on the frame and a worm-wheel engaged by a worm 40 operable by a handle 38 through bevel gearing to slide the frame 30 bodily into and out of operative position. The rollers 25-29 are mounted in a second frame 46 disconnectably pivoted to the frame 30 by means of a shaft 50 carried by the frame 30 and having flattened sides which, in one angular position of the shaft, may pass through slots 48 in the frame 46 into enlarged openings 49. The shaft may then be turned by a handle 51 so that its larger diameter is across the slots 48. The frame 46 has at each side a projecting portion 55 carrying a roller 56 which, when the frame is in the operative position shown, lies in a recess in the machine frame. When the frames 30, 46 are connected together and the frame 30 is moved to the inoperative position, the frame 46 turns at first around the axis of rollers 56, raising the rollers 28, 29 clear of the forme-inking rollers 4, 5, 6 after which the rollers 56 leave the recesses and travel along tracks on the machine frame. By disconnecting the frame 30 from the frame 46, the former frame can be moved into the inoperative position while the latter frame remains in the operative position in which it is normally secured to a bracket 62 on the main frame of the machine by a disconnectable connection similar to the parts 48-51. Speoifications 568,356, 568,358, [Group XXIV], 568,359, 568,360, 568,361 and 568,362 are referred to. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 describes also (1) means for raising and adjusting the forme-inking rollers which forms the subject-matter of Specification 568,349 ; (2) means for raising and lowering and adjusting the fountain blade which forms the subjectmatter of Specification 573,402 and 573,425 ; (3) means for axially reciprocating certain of the distributing rollers, which forms the subjectmatter of Specifications 568,350, [Group XXIV], 568,357, 568,376 and 568,377 ; and (4) means for separating the composition from the steel distributing rollers when the parts of the inking apparatus are moved to the inoperative position, which forms the subject-matter of Specification 568,363. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.