Patent ID: 7779758

Claim:
A system to remove most or substantially all of the residual ink from an ink chamber prior to post print washing, said ink chamber comprising an ink chamber profile provided with a space for ink, at least one inlet and at least one outlet, and with upper and lower doctor blade members detachably mounted on the ink chamber profile, said blades bounding an opening which, in operation, faces and engages with the outer circumference of an engraved cylinder and which, extends over the length of the ink chamber profile, the ink chamber profile being sealed at its extremities by flexible seals, said ink chamber profile, end seals, doctor blades and engraved cylinder demarcating an ink cavity, characterized in that there is further provided a shuttle member within the ink cavity, said shuttle member being movable substantially along the entire length of the ink chamber profile in order to aid purging of residual ink from said ink cavity, said shuttle member further being provided with associated drive means to induce movement within said ink cavity, wherein said shuttle member occupies substantially the entire cross sectional area of said ink cavity.