Patent ID: 6848360

Claim:
A form dampening roller driving apparatus comprising: a plate cylinder; a form dampening roller having a shaft and being adapted to be in contact with said plate cylinder; a metering roller having a shaft and being adapted to be in contact with said form dampening roller; a water fountain roller having a shaft and being adapted to be in contact with said metering roller; an inking roller; a first motor for rotationally driving said plate cylinder; a vibrator roller having a shaft, being in contact with said inking roller and said form dampening roller, and being geared to said form dampening roller; a second motor provided independent of said first motor for rotationally driving said vibrator roller independently of said plate cylinder at a speed of rotation that is arbitrarily variable; a first rocking arm pivotally supported by said shaft of said water fountain roller; and a second rocking arm pivotally supported by said shaft of said vibrator roller, wherein said metering roller is rotatably supported by an end portion of said first rocking arm, said form dampening roller is rotatably supported by an end portion of said second rocking arm, said shaft of said metering roller and said shaft of said form dampening roller are linked so that said first rocking arm is capable of having a rocking motion, thereby bringing said form dampening roller into and out of contact with said plate cylinder, so that water supplied onto said plate cylinder is switched on and off, and contact pressure of said form dampening roller against said plate cylinder is adjusted.