Patent Publication Number: US-6668468-B2

Title: Drier for commercial printers

Description:
This is a continuation of application No. 09/940,920, filed Aug. 28, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,134 B1, patented Mar. 25, 2003. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This invention relates generally to driers of the type utilized in the commercial printing industry, and more particularly to an infrared drier for commercial printers which is characterized by a simplified design that is economical to manufacture and by an improved air receiving and discharging system. 
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In the commercial printing industry, driers are utilized immediately following the application of printing ink to a surface. The function of the drier is to apply infrared energy to the just-applied printing ink thereby evaporating the volatiles from the printing ink without adversely affecting either the remaining pigment component of the printing ink or the surface to which the printing ink has been applied. In this manner the drier functions to rapidly and efficiently prepare the printed material for further operations such as folding, cutting, stacking, etc. 
     Various drier designs have heretofore been utilized in the commercial printing industry. In general, prior art driers for commercial printers have been complicated in design and have therefore been relatively expensive to manufacture and use. For example, many prior art driers employ a cover as the main structural component upon which all other components are mounted. The cover-mounted approach is cumbersome and involves difficulty in the installation of wiring, etc. 
     The present invention comprises a drier for commercial printers which overcomes the foregoing and other problems which have long since characterized the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, an air receiving and directing member serves as the cover for the drier. A lamp support frame comprises the primary structural element of the drier and supports a plurality of infrared radiation generating lamps which function to direct infrared radiation directly onto an underlying surface having fresh printing ink received thereon. The lamp support frame has a reflector secured thereto which reflects radiation from the lamps onto the printing ink bearing surface. 
     A fan support plate is supported on the lamp support frame and is in a spaced apart relationship with respect to the top plate thereof. The fan support plate supports one or more fans and is provided with an air directing aperture aligned with each fan. The fans direct air through the apertures of the fan support plate and onto the upper surface of the top plate of the lamp supporting bracket. The air then flows around the ends of the lamp support frame and is directed onto the print bearing surface through apertures formed in the air receiving and directing member. Additional air is received through apertures formed in the sides of the air receiving and directing member. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the following Detailed Description when taken in connection with the accompanying Drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a drier for commercial printers comprising the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 1B is a continuation of FIG. 1A; 
     FIG. 2 is a bottom view illustrating the lamps and the lamp support frame of the drier of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line  3 — 3  in FIG. 2 in direction of the arrows; and 
     FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the drier of FIG. 1 further illustrating the construction and operation thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now to the Drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a drier for commercial printers  10  comprising the preferred embodiment of the invention. The drier  10  includes an air receiving and directing member  12  comprising a rectangular structure defined by end walls  13  and side walls  14 . A partial bottom wall  15  extends inwardly from the end walls- 13  and the side walls  14  to define a rectangular light directing aperture  16 . A plurality of tabs  17  extend angularly upwardly and inwardly from the bottom wall  15  relative to the aperture  16 . A plurality of partial top walls  18  extend inwardly from the end walls  13  and have fastener receiving holes formed therein. 
     The drier  10  further comprises a plurality of infrared radiation generating lamps  20 . The lamps  20  are of the type having electrical terminals at the opposite ends thereof. The opposite ends of each lamp are received in a receptacle  22  and in a spring loaded receptacle  23 , respectively. The receptacles  22  and  23  function as electrical connectors to the terminals of the lamps  20 . 
     Referring to FIG. 1B, receptacles  22  and  23  and therefore the lamps  20  are mounted on a lamp support frame  24  which comprises the primary structural component of the drier  10 . The lamp support frame  24  comprises an upper member  26  having a substantially imperforate top panel  28 , the only perforations in the top panel  28  being fastener receiving holes which are filled when assembly of the drier  10  is complete. 
     A pair of opposed side walls  30  extend downwardly from the panel  28 . The side walls  30  comprise a plurality of angularly extending lamp support brackets  32 . The brackets  32  are arranged in opposed pairs, each of the opposed pairs of brackets  32  receiving and supporting an opposed pair of receptacles  22  and  23  which receive and support a lamp  20  therebetween. 
     The lamp support frame  24  further includes a reflector plate  34  which is secured to the underside of the panel  28  of the frame  24 . The surface of the reflector plate  34  which faces the lamps  20  is mirrored. The reflector plate  34  therefore serves to reflect infrared radiation generated by the lamps  20  through the aperture  16  of the air receiving and directing member  12 . 
     The drier  10  further includes a fan support plate  38 . One or more fans  40  are supported on the fan support plate  38 . The fan support plate  38  has one or more large air directing apertures  42  formed therein. The apertures  42  are equal in number to and aligned with the fans  40 . 
     In the assembly of the drier  10 , the fans  40  are secured to the fan support plate  38  and to the lamp support frame  24  by fasteners extending through aligned fastener receiving apertures formed in the fan  40 , the fan support plate  38 , and the lamp support frame  24 . The fan support plate  38  is positioned in a spaced apart relationship relative to the top panel  28  of the upper member  26  of the lamp support frame  24  by spacers  44  positioned therebetween. As is best shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of individual electrical leads  46  extend to each of the receptacles  22  while a common electrical lead  48  extends to all of the receptacles  23 . 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a subassembly  50  comprising the lamps  20 , the receptacles  22  and  23 , the lamp support frame  24 , the fan support plate  38 , the fans  40 , the spacers  44  and the electrical leads  46  and  48 . An important feature of the present invention comprises the fact that the subassembly  50  can be completely assembled prior to the mounting of any of the components of the drier  10  within the air receiving and directing member  12 . In this manner the completion of the subassembly  50  proceeds rapidly and efficiently and is not encumbered by the necessity of working around the component parts of the air receiving and directing member  12  which serves as a housing for the drier  10 . 
     The operation of the drier  10  is illustrated in FIG. 4. A plurality of air discharging slots  52  are formed in the air receiving and directing member  12  at the intersections between the side walls  14  and the bottom wall  15 . A plurality of air receiving slots are formed at spaced apart locations in the side walls  14 . 
     Arrows  56  illustrate the flow of air through the fans  40 , across the top panel  28  of the upper member  26  of the lamp support frame  24 , around the ends of the lamp support frame  24 , and outwardly through air discharging slots  52  formed at the intersection between the side walls  14  and the bottom wall  15  of the air receiving and directing member  12 . As the air passes across the top panel  28 , it is substantially heated and therefore increases in velocity. As the air passes the inwardly disposed tabs defining the slots  52  formed in the side walls  14 , a venturi effect is achieved. As is indicated by the arrows  58 , this causes additional air to enter the air receiving and directing member  12  which is combined with the air flowing therethrough under the action of the fans  40 . The air discharged from the air discharging slots  52  is directed onto an underlying surface S having printing ink received thereon as indicated by the arrows  60 . The printing ink is rapidly dried under the action of the radiation from the lamps  20  and the heated air discharged from the air discharging slots  52  of the air receiving and directing member  12 . As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the arrows  56 ,  58 , and  60  are shown on one side only of FIG. 4 for clarity. 
     It will therefore be understood that the present invention comprises a drier for commercial printers which is composed of a relatively small number of easily manufactured parts. The operating components of the drier are readily and economically assembled to form a subassembly which is thereafter installed in the air receiving and directing member of the drier. The air receiving and directing member functions as an air knife which directs heated air flowing under the action of fans and additional air which is combined with the fan driven air by venturi action onto the printing ink on the underlying surface. 
     Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention.