Patent Publication Number: US-2011072951-A1

Title: Scoring Apparatus for Card and Cover Feeders

Description:
This claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/277,516 filed Sep. 25, 2009, and hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     The present invention relates generally to post-press equipment in the graphics industry and more specifically to a scoring apparatus and method for card and cover feeders. 
     BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     Goss International Americas, Inc., the assignee of the present invention, produces FF105 and FF155 Cover and Card Feeders that include a sharp steel scoring wheel on a drum riding against the back of an endless urethane v-belt wrapped around an aluminum drum. The adjacent drums grip a cover or card and pull the cover or card between the scoring wheel and the v-belt. The scoring wheel cuts into the cover or card, creating a score. 
     Mueller Martini, a company having a principal place of business in Hergiswil, Switzerland, uses a sharp steel scoring wheel that rides in a receiving groove on a steel drum. 
     Tech-ni-Fold Ltd., a company having a principal place of business in Leicestershire, England, sells a spine creaser kit that fits on cover feeders. The kit includes rubber strips that wrap around the rotor drum of the feeder and two steel scoring wheels. The rubber strips have a rib on one side, which helps create the score, and a locating v-rib on the other side that ensures the proper location of the strip. The scoring wheels have grooves in them that the rib on the strips fit into. The strips are described in WO 2004/078469. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A scoring device for scoring a substrate is provided that includes a receiving drum including an outer surface and a receiving groove formed in the outer surface and a scoring drum that includes a scoring rib and a compressible contacting surface contacting the outer surface of the receiving drum. 
     A scoring device for scoring a substrate is also provided that includes a receiving drum including a receiving wheel having a circumferential groove formed therein and at least one strip-shaped insert in the circumferential groove, the at least one strip-shaped insert including a receiving groove formed therein; and a scoring drum including a scoring rib entering the receiving groove. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention is described below by reference to the following drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows schematically shows perspective view of a scoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  schematically shows a side view of a nip of the scoring device shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  shows a more detailed view of a receiving drum of the scoring device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  schematically shows perspective view of a scoring device  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Scoring device  10  includes a scoring drum  12  that works in combination with a receiving drum  14  to score a substrate, which for example may be a card or a cover. During operation, receiving drum  14  is rotated about an axis  15  by a motor and receiving drum  14  contacts scoring drum  12  at a nip  29  such that receiving drum  14  drives scoring drum  12  about an axis  13 . Scoring drum  12  includes a scoring wheel  32  that has a tapered rib  16  ( FIG. 2 ) projecting from an outer surface  17  and extending circumferentially about scoring drum  12 . In a preferred embodiment, scoring wheel  32  is made of steel. Tapered rib  16  has a smooth circular tip  18  for contacting the substrate. 
     A compressible contacting surface, which in a preferred embodiment is formed by o-rings  22  mounted on scoring wheel  32 , projects just past outer surface  17  and contacts rim portions  35  of receiving wheel  34  so that receiving drum  14  may drive scoring drum  12 . In a preferred embodiment, receiving wheel  34  is metal. 
     Receiving drum  14  includes a receiving material  36  between two rim portions  35  at an outer circumference of receiving drum. Receiving material  36  includes a receiving groove  28  ( FIG. 2 ) formed therein. During scoring, rib  16  enters receiving groove  28  ( FIG. 2 ) to score a substrate passing between drums  12 ,  14 . A scoring pressure of scoring device  10  may adjusted by slightly varying the distance between axes  13 ,  15 . Adjusting the scoring pressure may allow an operator to change the width and depth of the score. O-rings  22  are formed of a compressible material and allow the scoring pressure to be adjusted without risking the reliability of driving scoring drum  12  with receiving drum  14 . To achieve a narrow score, o-rings  22  and receiving drum  14  are forced together with only a light pressure so that rib  16  only slightly enters receiving groove  28  ( FIG. 2 ). To increase the scoring pressure, and achieve a wider score, the distance between axes  13 ,  15  may be decreased so that o-rings  22  are compressed by drum  14  and rib  16  enters deeper into receiving groove  28  ( FIG. 2 ). The compressibility of o-rings  22  may advantageously allow scoring device to produce different sized scores without varying the size of rib  16 . In a preferred embodiment, o-rings  22  are made of urethane. 
     In an alternative embodiment, receiving drum  14  may include a compressible contacting surface that contacts an incompressible or compressible portion of scoring drum  12 . 
       FIG. 2  schematically shows a side view of scoring drum  12  and receiving drum  14  at nip  29 . Tip  18  of tapered rib  16  extends into receiving groove  28  of receiving material  36  as o-rings  22  held in grooves in scoring wheel  32  are in contact with rim portions  35  of receiving wheel  34 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a more detailed view of receiving drum  14 . Receiving drum  14  includes a receiving wheel  34  that has a circumferential groove  24  formed therein. Receiving wheel  34  is contoured to receive an elastic receiving material  36 . In a preferred embodiment, receiving material  36  may advantageously be formed of a plurality of replaceable inserts  26  made of a compressible material, such as urethane. A cross-section of groove  24  may be dovetail shaped and inserts  26  may be tapered to securely snap into groove  26  between rim portions  35 . Because receiving material  36  is formed by inserts  26 , which are shaped as strips, and not an endless belt, maintaining and replacing receiving material  36  may be quicker and easier. In a preferred embodiment, receiving groove  28  is formed in each of inserts  26 . In an alternative embodiment, instead of using multiple inserts  26 , a single insert, in the form of one long strip of material, such as urethane, may be inserted into groove  24 . 
     In the preceding specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments and examples thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of invention as set forth in the claims that follow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative manner rather than a restrictive sense.