US1158269A

US1158269A - Device for clamping printing-plates to the cylinders of printing-presses.

Info

Publication number: US1158269A
Application number: US4621215A
Authority: US
Inventors: Thomas Robert Gillett Parker; Walter Lee
Original assignee: Linotype and Machinery Ltd
Current assignee: Linotype and Machinery Ltd
Priority date: 1915-08-18
Filing date: 1915-08-18
Publication date: 1915-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 1932-10-26

Description

T. R. G. PARKER & W. LEE. DEVICE FOR CLAMPING PRINTING PLATES TO THE CYLINDERS 0F PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-I8. I915- Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

IIIIIII I III I vOLUMBlA PLANOGRAPH co..wAsmNaTo u. c.

" TTE @TATFd PATENT FFTT].

THOMAS ROBERT GILLETT PARKER- AND WALTER LEE, 0F BROADHEATI-I, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO LINOTYPE AND MACHINERY LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

DEVICE FOR CLAMPING PRINTING-PLATES TG THE OYLTNDERS OF PRINTING -PRESSES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Oct. 26, 1915.

Application filed August 18, 1915. Serial No. 48,212.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS Bonner GILLETT PARKER and WVALTER LEE, subjects of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Linotype and Machinery orks, Broadheath, in the county of Chester, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Devices for Clamping Printing-Plates to the Cylinders of Printing-Presses, of which the following is a specification. V

This invention relates to devices for clamping printing or stereotype plates to the plate cylinders of printing presses, and it has for its object to provide a new or improved mechanism whereby a plurality of plate-clamping dogs can be simultaneously engaged with, or released from, the printing plates on the said cylinders.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accom van in drawin s in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of one half of a plate cylinder with the improved devices applied thereto, Fig.2 .is a longitudinal vertical section taken substantially on the line 22 of F 1, as viewed from the right-hand. side of that figure, and show-- ing a part of one of the side frames of the press; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the inner end of one of the dogs, and Fig. 4: is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 of one of the rods.

The clamping dogs 1, 2, 3, which, in the example illustrated, are three in number for each plate 1, are movable each along a groove 5, extending longitudinally of the plate cylinder 6, in the ordinary well-known manner. Each of the dogs 1, 2, 3, as shown best in Fig. 3, is formed with a hole 7 ea tending therethrough in a direction parallel with the axis of the plate cylinder 6, and through this hole passes a

rod

8, 9 or 10 respectively, provided with a series of projections or abutments, 11, 12, corresponding in number to the numbero f difierent columnar widths of plates 1, which the device is designed to deal with. Each of the justnamed ahutments is capable of engaging wi h the outer side of the respective dogl,

open bearings 13 formed in the periphery of a segmental plate 14 which is capable of being moved nearer to or farther from the ad acent end of the cylinder 6. The means illustrated in the accompanying drawings for effecting the just-mentioned movement of the plate 14, are already known and comprlse a screw 15 rigid in the end of the cy linder 6, and having threaded on it a nut 16. This nut is formed with a flange 17 having a curved, or partly spherical inner surface seated in a recess in the plate 14: to which latter the nut is permanently retained in swiveled connection by a keeper plate 18 engaging with the outer surface of the flange, and rigidly attached to the plate 14-. The inner end of the nut 16 is free to turn within a hole in the plate 14, this hole being sufhciently large to admit of the plate rocking or canting on the nut to any such extent as may be rendered necessary by unevenness or inequalities in the ends of the printing plates 4: clamped by the dogs. By rotating the nut 16 on the screw 15 the plate 14 together with the

rods

8, 9, 10, is moved outward or inward according to the direction such rotation, and through this operation the dogs are all caused simultaneously to release or engage the printing plate. The before-mentioned abutments ll'are each constituted by the inner end of a collar or enlarged cylindrical part of the

respective rod

8, 9 or 10, and they are capable of engaging with the dogs 1, 2, 3, irrespective of angular adjustment of the said rods.

Each of the abutments 12 is constituted by the inner ends of a series of wings or ribs 19 extending longitudinally of, and distributed around, the

respective rod

8, 9 or 10, and these wings, by angular motion of the rods, are capable of being brought into and out of alinement with grooves 20 in the dogs 1, 2, 3. When the wings 19 are alined'with the grooves 20, the dogs 1, 2, 3, can be slid along the rods over the said wings, from the inner to the outer side of the latter, and vice versa, and when, after such movement operation, to turn the

rods

8, 9, 10, so as to bring their respective wings 19 all simultaneously into or out of alinement with their respective grooves 20, each of the two rods 8 and 10, has fast on its outer end a crank or lever arm 21, and the rod 9 has fast on its outer end a double crank or two-armed lever 22. All of the

parts

21, 22, are preferably situated between the segmental plate der 6, and they are provided with crank pins 23, which engage with the forked or slotted ends of two levers 2 1, 25. The lever 25 is capable of turning freely upon a pivot 26 fast to the segmental plate 14:, and the lever 24: is fast to the inner end of a short shaft 27 which extends to the-outside of that plate, and has there secured upon it, a hand lever 28 by which it can be rocked to an extent sufficient for moving the wings 19 into and out of the aforesaid alinement. The two terminal positions of the hand lever 28 are determined by two stops 29 fast in the segmental plate 14,, and the hand lever can be locked in either of such terminal positions by a bolt 30 screwing into the seg mental plate and penetrating either of two holes 31 in the hand lever, according to ,Whether thewings 19 are to be locked out of alinement with the grooves 20 as when the dogs 1, 2, 3, are engaged by the abutment 12, or in alinement with those grooves.

To prevent the dogs 1, 2, 3, from being detached from the

rods

8, 9, 10, nuts 32 are threaded and fixed on the inner ends of those rods.

The example illustrated in the accompanying drawings is one which provides for the clamping of two different size printing plates varying to the extent of the width of one column, the dog shown in Fig. 2 being represented as engaging the printing plate havlng the greater number of columns, and

, the dotted line 38 in that figure representing what would be the edge to be engaged by that dog, of a printing plate having the lesser number of columns were such plate substituted for the one represented The distance between the abutments 11, 12, measured in a direction parallel to the axis of the plate cylinder 6, corresponds or substantially corresponds with the width of a column on the rinting plate 4t, and in arrangements adapted to clamp printing plates varying to the extent of two or more columns, (as distinguished from the one column in the example illustrated), each of the

rods

8, 9, 10, would be nrovided with two ormore sets of the wings or ribs 19, the

r columns.

operative or abutting surfaces of which would be situated in vertical planes at distances apart corresponding or substantially 7 corresponding with the widths of the said From the foregoing description, it is clear 14 and the adjacent end of the plate cylin-v that when a printing plate 4 of the maximum width is clamped to the cylinder 6 (that is to say the maximum dimension in the direction of the axis about which its curve is generated) the dogs 1, 2, 3, are engaged by the abutments 11, the wings 19 at that time, being locked out of alinement with the grooves 20 by the bolt 30, all as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

hen it is required to clamp a printing plate of one or more columns less width on the cylinder 6, the bolt 30 is unscrewed and withdrawn from the hand lever 28 and the latter is turned leftward to aline the wings 19 with the grooves 20, this movement of the lever 28 being terminated by the respective stop 29 at the instant at which the said alinement is attained. The dogs 1, 2, 3, are then slid along the rods just beyond the particular abutments 12 appropriate to the width of plate to be clamped, and after that the hand lever 28 is turned rightward to move the wings 19 out of alinement with the grooves 20, and (by the bolt 30) locked in the position thus arrived at. The printing plate can then be clamped by the three dogs 1, 2, 3, simultaneously, by turning the nut 16 in the desired direction.

It is to be understood that the before-dcscribed arrangement of cooperating cranks and levers is given merely as a convenient example, and that other means may equally well be employed for uniformly turning the

rods

8, 9, 10, for instance, each of these rods may have secured thereon a sprocket wheel gearing with a common longitudinally movable endless chain which can be locked in its respective terminal positions by any suitable device.

If desired instead of the bolt 30 being separable from the hand lever 28 as before described, it can be permanently attached to that lever with a capacity for turning and moving axially therein, and be capable of engaging with one or other of two tapped holes in the segmental plate 14.

Having described our invention, we declare that what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a rod movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a dog adapted to be moved by that movement of the-rod into and out of engagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rod into and out of engagement with abutments on the rod, of grooves in the dog, an abutment on the rod adapted to operate the dog for clamping plates of one columnar width, ribs on the rod constituting an abutment adapted to operate the dog for clamping plates of another columnar width, and means adapted to bring the grooves and ribs into and out of messes:

alinement to permit or prevent the independent movement of the dog.

2. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a rod movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a dog adapted to be moved by that movement of the rod into and out of en gagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rod into and out of engagement with abutments on the rod, of grooves in the dog, an abutment on the rod adapted to operate the dog for clamping plates of one columnar width, ribs on the rod constituting an abutment adapted to operate the dog for clamping plates of another columnar width, and means adapted to move the rod angularly about its axis to bring the ribs into and out of alinement with the grooves.

3. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a rod movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a dog adapted to be moved by that movement of the rod into and outof engagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rod into and out of engagement with abutments on the rod, of grooves in the dog, a plurality of. sets of ribs on the rod constituting abutments adapted to operate the dog for clamping plates of respectively different columnar widths, and means adapted to move the rod angularly about its axis to bring the ribs into and out of alinement with the grooves.

4C. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a plurality of rods movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a corresponding plurality of dogs adapted to be moved by such movement of the rods into and out of engagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rods into and out of engagementwith abutments on the rods, of grooves in each dog, an abutment on each rod adapted to operate the respective dog for clamping plates of one columnar width, ribs on each rod constituting an abutment adapted to operate the respective dog for clamping plates of another columnar width, and means adapted to simultaneously move all the rods angularly about their respective axes to bring the ribs into and out of alinement with the grooves.

5. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a plurality of rods movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a corresponding plurality of dogs adapted to be moved by such movement of the rods into and out of engagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rods into and out of engagement with abutments on the rods, of grooves in each dog, a plurality of sets of ribs on each rod constituting abutplates to a cylinder of a printing press, the

combination with a plurality of rods movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a corresponding plurality of dogs adapted to be moved by such movement of the rods into and out of engagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rods into and out of engagement with abutments on the rods, of grooves in each dog, an abutment on each rod adapted to operate the respective dog for clamping plates of one columnar width, ribs on each rod constituting an abutment adapted to operate the respective dog for clamping plates of another columnar width, means adapted to simultaneously move all the rods angularly about their re spective axes to bring the ribs into and out of alinement with the grooves, and means adapted to simultaneously move all the rods in a direction parallel with the axis of the cylinder.

7. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a plurality of rods movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a corresponding plurality of dogs adapted to be moved by such movement of the rods into and out of engagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rods into and out of engagement with abutments on the rods, of grooves in each dog, a plurality of sets of ribs on each rod constituting abutments adapted to operate therespective dog for clamping plates of respectively different columnar widths, means adapted to simultaneously move all the rods angularly about their respective axes to bring the ribs into and out of alinement with the grooves, and means adapted to simultaneously move all the rods in a direction parallel with the axis of the cylinder.

8. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a rod movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a dog adapted to be moved by that movement of the rod into and out of en- 1 gagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rod into and out of engagement with abutments on the rod, of grooves in the dog, an abutment on the rod adapted to operate the dog for clamping plates of one columnar width, a plurality of sets of ribs on the rod constituting abutments adapted to operate the dog for clamping plates of respectively different columnar widths, and means adapted to move the rod angularly about its axis to bring the ribs into and out of alinement with-the grooves.

9. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a plurality of rods movable relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a corresponding plurality of dogs adapted to be moved by such movement of the rods into and out of engagement With the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rods into and out of engagement with abutments on the rods, of grooves in each dog, an abutment on each rod adapted to operate the respective dog for clamping plates of one columnar width, a plurality of sets of ribs on each rod constituting abutments adapted to operate the respective dog for clamping plates of respectively different columnar Widths, and

' means adapted to simultaneously move all the rods angularly about their respective axes to bring the ribs into and out of alinement with the grooves.

10. In a device for clamping printing plates to a cylinder of a printing press, the combination with a plurality of rods movable, relatively to the cylinder parallel with the axis thereof, and a corresponding plurality of dogs adapted to be moved by such movement of the rods into and out of engagement with the printing plates and to be moved independently of the rods into and out of engagement with abutments on the rods, of grooves in each dog, an abutment on each rod adapted to operate the respective dog for clamping plates of one columnar width, a pluralityv of sets of ribs on each rod constituting abutments adapted to operate the respective dog for clamping plates of respectively different columnar widths, means adapted to simultaneously move all the rods angularly about their respective axes to bring the ribs into and out of alinement with the grooves, and means adapted to simultaneously move all the rods in a direction parallel with the axis of thecylinder.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS ROBERT GILLETT PARKER. WALTER LEE.

\Vitnesses:

HAROLD Sonrnwonrrr, JAMES WALKER.

7 Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.