Patent ID: 6896648

Claim:
In a folding mechanism to be applied to a rotary printing press for folding printed sheets, among other applications, an adjustable-timing jaw cylinder apparatus comprising: (a) frame means; (b) a jaw cylinder mounted to the frame means for rotation with its own axis; (c) a plurality of fixed jaws mounted to the jaw cylinder at circumferential spacings; (d) a plurality of jaw carrier shafts mounted to the jaw cylinder at circumferential spacings for bidirectional rotation about their own axes relative to the jaw cylinder, the axes of the jaw carrier shafts being parallel to the axis of the jaw cylinder; (e) a plurality of movable jaws fixedly mounted to the jaw carrier shafts for pivotal motion into and out of engagement with the respective fixed jaws with the bidirectional rotation of the jaw carrier shafts relative to the jaw cylinder; (f) a jaw drive cam of annular shape adjustably mounted to the frame means so as to be capable of angular displacement relative to the same about the axis of the jaw cylinder and of being retained in fixed relationship to the frame means in a desired angular position relative to the jaw cylinder; (g) jaw drive cam follower means coupled to the jaw carrier shafts and operatively engaged with the jaw drive cam for causing the movable jaws to pivot successively into and out of engagement with the respective fixed jaws upon rotation of the jaw cylinder; and (h) timing means acting between and connected to the frame means and the jaw drive cam and including a lead screw operatively mounted to the frame means to advance or retract in a rectilinear manner thereby adjustably varying the angular position of the jaw drive cam relative to the frame means about the axis of the jaw cylinder, a first connecting member coupled to the jaw drive cam, a second connecting member coupled to the frame means and having a tapped hole and the lead screw extending through the tapped hole in threaded engagement therewith and connected with the first connecting member; (i) whereby the pivotal motion of all the movable jaws into and out of engagement with the fixed jaws can be timed to the operation of a folding cylinder which is included in the folding mechanism, by varying the angular position of the jaw drive cam relative to the frame means about the axis of the jaw cylinder by the timing means.