US2046189A - Lithographic offset press - Google Patents

Description

J. SCHULTZ LITHOGRAPH'IC OFFSET PRESS Jun@ 30, 1936.

Filed Ma'y 3l, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l June 30; ma

J. scHULfrz LITHOGRAPHIC OFFSET PRESS Filed May 5l, 19512l 5 Sheets-Shee'l'l 3 Wi/V700: JOSE/Off Schw rz e 3Q, i936. v 1 SCHUL-rz 2,046,189

LITHOGRAPHI C OFFSET PRES S Filed May s1, 1932 5 sheets-sheet 4 June 30, i936. J. SCHUL-rz 2,046,189

LITHOGRAPHIC OFFSET PRESS Filed' May 5l, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 @D @mma/1)" Patented AJune 3o, 1936 PATENT OFFICE LITHOGRAPHIC OFFSET PRESSl Joseph Schultz, Cleveland, Ohio Application May 31, 1932, Serial No. 614,408

1s claims. (ci. 10i-141) My invention-relates to a lithographie press,

and more particularly to presses of this class in which the design is 'engraved on a zinc plate mounted on a plate cylinder, and which design is inked and transferred to a rubber blanket which in turn offsets thevdeslgn upon paper, this press being known as a lithographie offset press. More specically. this invention relates to a particular arrangement of the various cylinders in the press with relation to each other, and to the location of a dampening device and ink rollers with relation to the plate cylinder, this arrangement of cylinders and location of rollers producing certain advantages which will be hereinafter pointed out. The subject matter of this invention is a iurther development oi inventions disclosed in my Patents numbered and entitled as follows: No.

1,812,720, entitled: Dampening device; No. i,-

9518593, entitled: Method of and apparatus for dampening in lithographie presses; No. 1,969,154, entitled: Dampening device for lithographie ohset presses and the like; No. 1,969,155, entitlede Dampcning mechanism for lithographie odset f in my Patent No. 1,976,582 entitled: Method of and mechanism for eeding sheets in lithographie presses.

As is well known to those skilled in the art oi offset lithography, it is frequently necessary for the operator to have access to the plate cylinder of a litliographicpress for the purpose of inspecting the plate, fonthe purpose of shifting the plate, for the purpose of cleaning or gumxning the plate, and for the purpose oi mounting the plate on the cylinder and removing it from the cylinder. llt is also frequently necessary that the plate be'conveniently accessible so as to enable the artist to make changes in the plate while it is on the press.

All .lithographie presses now generally used, and all presses disclosed in the patented art, so. far as I am aware, provide access yto the plate for the purposes pointed ont. The portion of the plate which is accessible, however, is a relatively small part ofthe whole plate, and is usually relatively inconvenient of access. Inasrnuch as the exposed periphery of the plate is usually relatively narrow in the direction of movement of the plate, it is necessary to move the plate several v smaller than the diameter or the plate cylinder.

' this second contact of the plate ink rollers with times ,in order that the entire plate may be inspected, cleaned or gummed.

It is also well known to those skilled in thi art that the blanket cylinder must be readily accessible for the purpose of mounting the blanket- 5 on the cylinder, for the purpose of washing the blanket, for the purpose of changing the packing underneath the blanket and for the purpose oi making any necessary repairs on the blanket.

As built at present, the blanket cylinder is nsl0 ually very inaccessible, because the plate cylinder is generally located vertically above the blanket cylinder. In addition other mechanism is located around the blanket cylinder making it exceedingly diflicult to have access to the blanket cylinder. 15

Present lithographie presses frequently produce gear marks on theprinted sheets due to the backlash or play between the teeth of the driving gears on the cylinders, and also produce defects caused by the shift of the blanket cylinder and the impression cylinder, or the blanket cylinder and the plate cylinder, during the printing.

n all lithographie presses known to me, the diameters of the plate ink rollers are considerably The result of this is that some portion ci' the periphery of each plate ink roller contacts the surface of the design on the plate two or more times. On heavily inked designs, as a result of the design, the printed area near the gripping edge of the-sheet is frequently darker than the printed area on the other edge of the printed sheet.

One of the objects or this invention therefore, is to produce an arrangement of cylinders in a lithographic press in which a maximum of the periphery of the plate cylinder is accessible for the purpose of'mountlng the lithographie plate on lthe plate cylinder and adjusting it with rela- 40 tion to the plate cylinder.

A further objectis to produce a press in which a maximum area of the lithographie plate mounted on the plate cylinder is readily accessible for the purpose of inspection, cleaning or gumming the plate and making changes or additions in the design on the plate.

A further object is to produce a lithographie odset press in which the plate may be accessible for the purposes set forth, when the plate is on 50 top of the plate cylinder.

A further object is to produce a novel arrange'- ment of cylinders in a. lithographie offset press in.

- which a maximum of the upper portionf the periphery of the blanket cylinder is accessible for the purpose of mounting and removing the blanket from the blanket cylinder, and for the purpose of washing the blanket, changing the packing underneath the blanket and making any n ecessary repairs on the blanket.

A further object is to produce ,an arrange-` ment of cylinders and mounting for a dampening device which permits the application of moisture to the lithographie plate, substantially on the top of the periphery of. the cylinder.

A further object of this invention is to produce a mounting for dampening mechanism which permits the shifting of the entire dampening mechanism frem co-operative engagement with the l5 plate to a position sufficiently remote from the plate to permit complete access of the operator to theplate, at the dampening position.

A further object of this invention is to produce a dampening apparatus for a lithographie press l which can be swung sideways to a position lateraily of the Vpress whereby the dampening apparatus is completely eliminated as an obstruction and .does not interfere' with the access of the operator to any portion of the top ofthe press.

.26 Anothenobject of this invention is to produce such an improved portable or shiftable type of dampening apparatus for. a lithoaphic press, in which moisture is transferred tothe plate by means of an absorbent sheet or apron gravitationally resting upon or Jghtly pressing against the face of a lithographie press and in which a controllable amount of moisture may be fed tov its operative position with relation tothe plate cylinder, and in which the actuation ceases when the dampening mechanism is shifted to an inoperative position.

A further object is to produce a litho-graphic press of the cylinder type in which the periphery of, the plate inking roller contacting the plate is substantially equal to the peripheral length of the design on the plate, so that no portion of the periphery of the plate inking roller or rollers will` contact the design on the plate more than once during any one impression.y

56 A further'object is to produce a novel arrangement Vof gearing. for drivingthe cylinders in a `lithographie press, which maintains a maximum oi' perfection of the registry between these cyl- 1 inders during the operation of the press, eliminating gear marks, or other defects on the printing,'resulting, from bacnlash or relative movement of any cylinder with relation to any other cylinder during the offsetting or printing process.

Further objects and advantages of this invention, will appear from the following description and from reference to the accompanying drawese annexed drawings and description set forth in' detail certain means embodying this inz vention. such vdisclosed means constituting however, but two forms in which the principle of this invention may be applied.

In said annexed drawings:

me" "Tigure--Liaaplan view of a lithographie offset 'i5 press my invention, certain parte 0f by line I2, I2 in Figures 4, 5, and '8.

the press which are not a part .of this invention being omitted.

Figure 2 is a iongitudinalsection through the press shown in Figure 1, this section being taken on theplane indicated by line 2, 2"in Figure 1, 5 and showing the arrangement of driving Sears for certain inking rollers and dampening mechanism. l

Figure 3 is a view of a fragmentary 'portion of the operators side of the press showing means 10 for locking a certain shiftable dampening device in operative relation with the plate cylinder, this view being taken from the plane indicated by linev 3, 3 in Figures 1 and 1Q.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the 15 press shown in Figure 1, this section being taken on the plane indicated by line 4, 4 in Figure 1.

Figure 4a is a small scale diagrammatic view .0f a modification of this invention similar to Figure e but showing certain parts tilted to as- 20 sume a different angular position. Figure 5 is a side elevation of the press shown in Figure 1, this view showing theoperators side of the press. 'f

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view of a portion of 25 Figure 4, showing certain parts in any alternative position.

Figure '7 is a plan view of this improved press, similar to Figure l, but showing the dampeningdevice, constituting an important element of this 30 invention, swung away from the plate cylinder with which it normally co-operates.

Figure 8 is a longitudinal section taken on the plane indicated by line 8, 8, in Figure 1. Figure 9' is a section through the dampening 3v device taken on the plane indicated by line 9, E, in 'Figure 7. f

Figure 10 is a fragmentary elevational view of the' upper portion of the press, this view being taken from the plane indicated by line III, I0 in 40 Figures 4, 5, and 8, and being broken away to disclose certain eiements normally concealed.

Figure 11 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the improved mechanisms of this invention, this view being taken' from the plane indicated 45 by line II, II 'in Figures 4 and 5, certain liquid supplying elements being omitted.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary seetion of the upper portion of the press taken on the plane indicated 50 Figure 13 is a sectional view teken on the plane indicated by line- I3, I3 in Figure 11, this view showing certain mechanism for actuating a portion of the dampening device.

Figure 1,4 is a fragmentary enlarged view of 55 one of the brackets shown in Figure 13.

Figure 15 is an enlarged fragmentary detached view of one detail'feature of this invention, this upper portion of the impression cylinder and the 65 adjacent portion of the blanket cylinder, tegether with grippers and stops mounted upon and/or co-operating with this portion of the inipression cylinder.

Figure 18 is another view similar to -Figure 1'1, 70`

but showing the moving parts in a more advanced position. A

Figure 19 is still another view, similar to Figure 17, but showing the parts. in a stiil= further advanced position. 75

Y pulley il.

- this pressirom a stock pile lll upon a tape con- 2,046,189 Figure is a side elevation of a fragmentary portion of a lithographie press equipped with a modied form of this invention.

Figure 21 is a fragmentary plan view lshowing one end of the modication shown in Figure 20, this view being taken from the plane indicated by lines 2i, '2l in Figures 20 and 22, the liquid reservoir being removed in this view.

Figure 22 is a fragmentary, vertical, longitudinal section through the mechanism shown in Figures 20 and 2 1, this view being taken on the 'plane indicated by line 22, 22 of Figure 21.

Figure 23 is a view similar to Figure 22 showing another modification of one detailV of this invention.

In the drawings, only so much of a lithographie offset press is illustrated as bears direct relation to this invention.

' The drawings illustrate one form of this inven tion 'in general and detail views, and the drawings further'illustrate a modified form of this invention. This i-nvention is shown, in the pre-` ierred form, embodied in a relatively small lithographic press which is especially designed for high speed production of first quality work, but it will be understood that this invention can equally well be applied to lithographic presses of larger sizes with proportionately greaterv advantages resulting from its use with such larger presses.

General description shall first describe the several principal iea` tures of this improved press in general terms, and shall later describe the novel features more specifically.

Referring particularly to Figures l, 2, d, 5, '7, and 12, l indicates the frame of the press comprising side frame la at the operators side, and side frame lb at the drive side of the press. 'Upon these frames are mounted in suitableadjustablc bearings, an impression cylinder 2, a blanket cylinder d and a plate cylinder fl. The plate cylinder is engaged by a plurality of plate inking or 'form rollers t'wo being shown in the drawings. These plate inking rollers receive the uniformly distributed inl-r. from a series of inlf.; rollers l5 which are, in turn, supplied with lnk from an inl; fountain l, in a well known manner.

The shait 53 is the main drive shaftoior this press and is driven by a belt mounted on the Sheets S to be printedare fed into veyor il which carries them against suitable disappearing stop ilngers l2 where the sheet is positioned for proper registry with the design on the plate'. Aitor thesheet S is properly registered,

it is ted to the impression cylinder by. a suction head le actuated by cam mechanism indicated generally at le. For seizing the sheet, the rotating impression cylinder is provided with suitable grippers mechanism indicated at l5 actuated by timed mechanism to be hereinafter described. The gripper mechanism I5 is adapted to seize the Vsheet and cause it to travel between the peripheries oi the blanket cylinderl 3 and impression cylinder 2, where the sheet secures its impression. After the sheet has thus been printed, the gripper mers feed the sheetf to a delivery mechanism 'indicated in its entirety at I5. The dampening device, indicated in its entirety at Il, is provided for the purpose of moistening the surface of the plate, this dampening device being shiftably mountedso that it may be shifted to a. position remote from the plate cylinder, as will be hereinafter described.

An ink roller cleansing device for removing the ink from the ink rollers, when it is desired to change from one color to another, is shown at I8. This device consists of a rubber wiper mounted in a frame which is adapted to be moved toward and from one of the metallic ink rollers, 6a, by

means of a handle I9 mounted on the operators side of the press. During the removal of the ink from the rollers, a suitable solvent is applied to -the ink rollers and the thinned ink is easily removed by the wiper and deposited in the pan 20 shown in broken lines in Figure 4.

Description of cylinders and their arrangement The details of the plate cylinder, blanket cylinder and impression cylinder, necessary to the understanding of this invention, and the arrangement of the cylinders which is considered one of r adapted to firmly hold the plate 23 in position o upon the cylinder. Theplate holding devices may be of any desired ccnstmction, and-include adjusting means adapted to position the plate properly on the cylinder. This plate cylinder is ilxedly mounted on a shaft 2B, which, in turn, is

mounted in suitable bearings in the side frames i a and lb;

The blanket cylinder 3 is likewise formed with a gap 25 in which is mounted mechanism 26, l which may be oi anydeslred construction, adapted to hold the blanket 2li securely on the blanket cylinder 3. The blanketY cylinder is iixedly mounted on a shaft 28 which is mounted in suitable bearings in the side frames la and lb.

The impression cylinder 2, is likewise formed with a gap 2i) in which is mounted the gripping mechanism l which can best be understood by reference to Figures d, 17, 18, and 19. This mechanism consists of a plurality of gripper jaws 3G xedly mounted on a gripper -shaft 3l. Likewise i'lxed on the shaft 3l exteriorly of one of the end walls of the cylinder is a lever 32 upon which a roller 33 is rotatably supported. This roller is held aga-inst the surface of a stationary cam -Bfl by means of a spring anchored on the cylinder r end wall. The impression cylinder 2 is also provided w'ith stops 35 against which the leading or gripper edge of the paper strikes as the paper is fed to the rotating impression cylinder. VThe contour'of the surface of the cam will cause the gripping point of the gripper jaws 39 to rise or fall upon the periphery of the impression cylinder, adjacent to the stops 35, as the impression cylinder rotates. The impression cylinder is xedly mounted on the shaft 36, which, in turn, is rotatably mounted'in the frame members la and lb.

As will be seen from Figure 4, the blanket cylinder 3 is located substantially vertically above the impression cylinder 2, and the plate cylinder is located above but laterally of the blanket cyl inder, preferably toward the delivery or rear end of the press. The plate lnking or form rollers 5 engage the plate cylinder at the rear Vor delivery side of the plate cylinder and all additional inking rollers 6 and ink fountain 'i are located to the rear of the plate inklng rollers. The advantage resulting from the arrangement of cylinders will be pointed out hereinafter.

.Sfh'eet feeding apparatus While the sheet feeding apparatus is not specifically claimed in this application, a brief description of the feeding apparatus will be neces- 'sary to a full understanding of this invention.

The sheets S to be printed are placed on the stock pile I which is provided with suitable automatic elevating mechanism to maintain the top sheet of the stock pile in the desired position.

Suitable ysucker tips such as shown, for instance, at 31, and operated by means of mechanism (not shown) actuated by a cam shaft 39, lift-the sheets one by one, and ldeposit them on the tape conveyor II. Prior to the depositing of the. sheet on the tape conveyor, the rollercage 38 is lifted by means of the cam 40 on the cam shaft 39, this cage being again lowered after the sheet is placed below the roller cage. The tape conveyor Ill feeds the sheet under stationary guide bars 4I against fingers I2, the sheet -is laterally positioned by means of side guide fingers shown at 43, so as to properly register the sheet with the design mounted on the plate cylinder. Just prior to the completion of the lateral positioning ofthe sheet, a light suction is applied to the suction head I3 by the conduit 44, which is connected to any convenient source ofsuetion and suction control not shown. This suction is applied to the sheet for the purpose of preventing the lateral overtravelling of the sheet due to the quick engagement of After the sheetk has been thus positioned, suiil' cient suction is applied to the sheet S to :rmly hold the sheet in engagement With the head I3 and the disappearing stop fingers I2 are-lifted to clear the paper, by suitably timed mechanism, 42a Figures 1 and 5, actuated by the cam shaft The suction head 113 mounted in suitable slideways 45 in the frame of the press, is then caused te move toward the impression cylinder by means of the mechanism I4 which comprises a lever 46 formed with a slot to receive a pin mounted on the suction head, and provided with a roller 41 engaged by a cam 48 which is xedly mounted on the cam shaft 39.

The suction head feeds the sheet toward the impression cylinder until the leading edge of the sheet contacts the stops 35 on the impression cylinder, whereupon the points of the gripper jaws- 30 move downwardly under the control of the .gripper actuating mechanism previously described, and seize the sheet between the points of the gripper jaws and the adjacent periphery ofthe impression cylinder 2. As soon as the gripper jaws engage the gripper edge of the sheet, the suction on the suction head I3 is reduced somewhat in order that the gripper jaws may draw the sheet from the surface of the suction head I 3, but the amount of vthis suction is'not reduced suiciently to permit any dancing, vibration or shifting of the sheet while it is in position on the suction head. After the sheet has been transferred to the grippers on the impression cylinder, the suction is completely released from the suction head and the sheet is carriedxin engagement with the periphery of kthe impression cylinder and receives the oEset design vfrom the blanket cylinder. After the transfer of the sheet to the gripper mechanism-the suction head is again moved to the sheet receiving position by means of the spring 49, this return being controlled by the contour of the rotating cam 4I as 5 will be understood.

Sheet-delivery mechanism The delivery mechanism, indicated in its entirety at I6 consists of a pair of arms 50 fixed 10 on a shaft I pivotally mounted in the press frame i, and supportingthe gripping portion of the delivery mechanism. This shaft is oscillated in timed relation by means of any desired rocking mechanism', not shown, but preferably actuated by a cam shaft 39. Rotatably supported in the lower ends of the arms 50 is a gripper shaft 52 upon which are fixed a plurality of gripper fingers 53. These fingers are adaptedto engage a gripper bar 54 secured to the arms 50. A sprin'g 55 is provided which tends to rotate the gripper shaft 52 and the fingers 53 mounted thereon in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 4. The gripper fingers 53 are moved to the open position however, when the lever 56, fixed on the shaft 52, strikesl against the pin 51 adjustably mounted in the frame I of the press asshown in Figure 4. Under the control of a catch, not shown, these gripper fingers remain in the open position as shown in Figure 4, and also in v0 Figure 19, until the gripping face of the finger' .'53 and the opposed gripping face of the bar 54 straddle the leading edge of the sheet on the rotating impression cylinder. At this instant, the catch is released by suitable mechanism, and the fingers 53 quickly move toward the bar 54 under the inuence of -the spring 55 thereby firmly gripping the leading edge ofthe sheet. These fingers maintain this grip upon the sheet until the lever 56 again strikes the adjustable pin 51, at which time the gripping ngers will be moved from the gripping bar and the printed "sheet will be deposited upon the delivery pile indicated at 58.

Dampening'devce Certain features of the dampening device I1 have been shown and described in complete detail, and claimed in my Patent No. 1,958,593 en-A titled: Methods of and apparatus for dampening in lithographie presses.

'Ihe particularly novel features which form that part of this invention claimed in this appli-- cation'relate to the mounting of this dampening device on the press frame and to the relation ofthe dampening device to theplate cylinder and other cylinders on the press. Only so much of this dampening device will be described as will be necessary to a full understanding of.these features.

Referring particularly to Figures 1, 4, 7, 10 and 11, a boss 50 is provided on the frame member I.bat its upper portion, and mounted in this boss is a hinge Vpin 8l. Pivotally mounted upon this hinge pin is a hinge bracket 52, the hinge bracket l preferably resting on the upper face of the boss 60. 'I'he hingeebracket, in turn, is formed with a socket in which a support bar Il is mounted, this support bar projecting laterally from the hinge bracket 62, and in its normal operative 79 81 in a' liquid tight manner.

ervoir 85. This reservoir comprises an end frame 86 adjacent the hinge bracket 62 and a second end frame 61 upon the operators side of the press. These end frames are connected by a troughlike member B8 which is secured to the frames 88 and Each of the end frames is formed 'with a socket or recess 88, fitting over the support bar G3, these sockets being provided with a set screw for the purpose of securing the reservoir in iixed relation to the support 63, and hence in a fixed relation tothe cylinders on the press. The end frame 86 is formed with a rearwardly extending ear 18 which is pro- 1 vided with a hole at its rear end adapted for a sliding t on the'pin 641 In this manner the liquid reservoir 65 is rigidly supported on the bar Q8 and is additionally supported against rotation about the bar 88 by means of the engagement of the pin 64 in the ear 10.

The reservoir 65 extends across the press for` substantially the full width of the plate cylinder 4 and plate 23. Each of the frames 66 and 61 are formed with an upwardly and forwardly projecting ear each formed with an opening to rotatably support a preferably tubular shaft 1I which extends between the end frames 66 and 61, and

-which is parallel to and located in front of the trough member 68.

Mounted on the shaft 1I is a series of Siphon capillary wick elements each indicated in its entirety at 12. Each of these wick elements comprises a bracket 13 and capillary liquid absorbing wick elements 16.

The bracket 13 is preferably made of metal which will not affect and which will not be affected by the liquid used for dampening. Each of these brackets is formed with a main body portion 11 partly curved concavely downward as shown in Figures 4, 6, and 9, and narrowed or tapered toward its free end terminating at a -point 1l. Each bracket is likewise formed with bracket.

The capillaryliquid absorbing wick 18, associated with each bracket, is removably attached to the tapered body portion 11, and is similarly tapered. Another portion of the wick element 18 isl freely suspended from the bracket 18 vand depends downwardly exteriorly of the trough 88 asis clearly seen 'in Figures 4, 6, andv 12. 'I'hese depending portions of the wick element 18 are relatively narrow, and are located side by side extending transversely of the press for a distance substantially equal to the width ofthe plate 28.

In order to maintain the liquid in the reservoir at a substantially uniform level a liquid 'supply chamber 18 is supported on suitable vextensions in the end frames 86 and 81. 'I'his liquid supply chamber is formed with a discharge spout I 18 extending downwardly to the point at which it is desired to maintain the liquid level. Liquid will ow from this spout until the top of the liquid in the reservoir reaches the outlet opening of the discharge spout 18, when no further liquid will now from the spout. until the liquid level 83, Figures 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 14. `'I'hislod 10 extends across the press for a distance substantially greater than the outside to outside distance of the bearings in the brackets 88. 'I'his rod has mounted upon it a pair of forwardly projecting arms 8| spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the plate 23 and upon the forward ends of which are mounted a pair of adjustable blocks 85. 'I'hese blocks invturn, support a rod 86 which runs across the press and is spaced from and parallel to the rod s3. supported on the rod 20 83 vand detachably anchored thereto is a distributing member or apron 81 formed of molleton or other relatively soft and exible liquid absorbent material, which gravitationally rests on the rotating plate 23 mounted on the plate cylinder 4. 'Ihis apron 81 is formed of a continuous member extending transversely of the press for a distanceV somewhat greater than the width of the design on the plate 23. Secured to the apron 81 at that edge adjacent the rod 86 is a suspending web of relatively thin and exible material, this web being suspended from and detachably connected to the rod 86. It will be apparent that the apron 81 gravitationally rides on top of the periphery of the plate cylinder and contacts the cylinder with a pressure that is relatively very light.

The rod 83 is formed-at a point intermediate its ends with a downward projection 88, Figures 1l and 13. This projection engages a. slot in a lever '88, this lever being pivotally mounted as shown at 80, upon an extension which is integrally formed with or attached tothe hinge bracket 82. The lever 88 is provided with a roller 8| mounted at a point intermediate the ends of the lever. I'his roller is resiliently held in engage- Ament with a face cam 82 by means of a spring 88 as clearly shown in Figure 11. The face cam 8l is rotated by means of a pinion 84 secured to the face of the cam and meshing with a gear 88 ro- Y tatably mounted on the plate cylindershaft 24 between the plate cylinder 4 and the frame lb.

As will be evident; the rotation of the face cam 82 will cause the lever 88 to oscillate about its pivot 88 causing the slot at the free end of the lever to move transversely of the press. The engagement of the downward projection 88 of the 'rod 88 with the slot in the end of the lever 88 will cause the rod 88, arms 84 and rod 88 to move transversely of the press in unison with the lever, this movement will cause the apron 81, mounted on these parts, to reciprocate sidewise across the face of the plate as the plate moves about the axis of the plate cylinder.

As previouslyexplained, the shaft or tube 1I upon which the siphon .capillary wick elements 12 are mounted, is rotatably mounted in the end frames 88 and 81 of the reservoir 85. A handle 88 is mounted upon one end of the shaft 1 I, Figures 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 16. This handle is pro' vided with a hub 81 which is formed at its under 70 side with a pair of recesses 88 and 88 adapted to engage a pin |88 mounted in the bracket 81.

. A coil compression spring Ill, Figure 10, is interposed between the bracket 88 and a shoulder formed on the shaft 1| as shown in Figure 10, 7

to resiliently force the shaft 1| to the right and cause the recess 98 or 99 to seat upon the pin |00.Y

In order that the weight of the support bar 63 and the weights of the superimposed appa- 5 ratus may not be entirely supported on the hinge bracket 62, and in order to preperly align the bar 63 and the superimposed dampenin-g apparatus in substantially parallel relation with the plate cylinder, the bar E3 is formed with an extension 63a which is mounted in a' seat formed in the frame la, as shown at |02 Figure 3. In order to maintain the bar 63 in position on the seat I 02 I form this support with a shoulder |03 at the one end, and I provide a latch or hook member |04 which eitends downwardly past the other face of the banV extension 63a. thus preventing .unintentional lateral movement of the bar during the operation of the press andinsuring the maintenance ofi the proper alignment Yof the` vdampening device With'the plate cylinder. 4

It wilt now be Sevident that the-entire dampening device including the supply chamber 18, reservoir 65, siphon'capillary wick elements 12. aprox? 81, lever 89, cam 92, pinion 94, and all parts supporting these elements are mounted on the hinge"- bracket S2'and that this bracket `is in tiirn supported on the boss 60 and pivotally mounted onV the vertical hinge pin 6|. When the hoek |04 is YYlifted from the position in which it is shown in full lines in Figures 1 and 3, the extension 63a of the support bar 63 is re1eased,jand it is possible to move the entire dampening device horizontal- Vly about the vertical hinge plnjBI, 180 degrees or more from the operating position of the dampening deyice above the plate cylinder, as is clearly shown in Figure 7 of the drawings.

. operation of thedampening device Y 'I'he operation of thedampening apparatus is 40 as follows: In the operating position, each wickl 16, which has its liquidabsorbing end immersed in the liquid in the reservoir 65, will absorb liquid and will draw liquid upwardly by capillary attraction to the highest point of the wick. The liquid 4.5 will thence be drawn downwardly by a combination of capillar and siphon action throughthe suspended porti-n of the molleton wick element 16 untill the water reaches the apron 81 towhich the water will be transferred by contact and bye V capillarty. This liquid,delivered by each of the individual wick elements 16 after it reaches the apron 51, is drawn downwardly through `the apron that area of the apron which is in line with the wick and in contact with the plate 23 at which point the liquid is transferred to the moving plate. rI'he conduction of the water thru `the apron,` from the bottom of the wick 16 to v the plate 23 is quite direct and occurs without any appreciable diffusion or lateral spreading.

' 'I'his transfer of water from the molleton wick element to the, apron, and in turn to the plate, serves to keep that area or zene in the plate which movesbelow the bottom-end of the wick element 16, moist, inaccordancegwith the amount of liquid fed by the wie-.k element. .Ii' a greater amount of moistening is required by that area or Y zone oi the plate belowmny wick element 16,v theY Ybracket 1 3 can be rotated in adirection to immerse the absorbing enel of the-wick more deep-- ly into-theliquid. Such. an increase inthe depth Aof immersion will produce a. greater water transferring capacity of this wick element for the reason that a larger portion of the wick is immersed in the-liquid anda greateri cross sectional area of the' molleton le available on the surface of the liquid for conducting the liquid upwardly from the surface by capillarity, thus increasing the Water conducting function of the wick element. This increased waterfis, in turn, transferred to the apron and thence'to the surface of the mov- 5 ing plate as described above. If, on the other hand, a lesser amount of moistening is required by that area or zoneof the plate below ax particular wick EVelement, the bracket 13 of that particular wick element may be rotated to raise 10 the' immersed portion of the wick element 16 `upwardly so that only a small portion of the wick is immersed in the liquid, and when the cross sectional areaof the molleton on the surface of the liquid is smaller it will reduce the flow fof l5 liquidV in the wick and consequently the amount of liquid delivered to that area of the plate below the discharge end of the raised wick.

It evil] be understood that all wick elements are usually not immersed to the same extent, as 20 various differences in the moisture requirements of the plate will make it necessary to immerse .each-wick element to a diiferent extent, as is shown, for instance, in Figure 10. After the desired Yadustment of these wick elements has 25 been Ymade to suit the requirements of the plate, no further adjustments or attention of the operator to the dampening of the plate are usuallyI required for any particular piste. l As Yis well known, it frequently happens that a 30 lithographie press must be stopped for a short period of time eithejs due tc a jam caused by the missing of a she-Tet, or for the purpose of checking of register, "inspecting the work, making various adjustments on the press or for 35 other reasons. When the press is stopped, or even when the press is running and yno. sheets are being fed thlough the press, it is, of course, desirable to interrupt the feeding-of the `liquid to the plate ingorder to avoidfthe overcharge of 40 the plate with liquidL-as willrbe understood.

This inter-.iption of the feeding of the liquid is particularly desirable when the dampenipg device is swung from the operative positien,

shown in Figure 1, to the inoperative position, 45

shown in Figure'?, at which time the-absorbingV end fof the wicks should lbe removed from the liquid as is clearly shown in Figure 9.

Inlorder to interrupt the flow of liquid in all of the wicks simultaneously the 'nandle -96 50 mounted on the tube 1| is manually turned from vthe full line position to the broken line position 'shown in'Figure 3.

This turning og the shaft 1| causes all of the bracketsgg of the wick elements 12 to raise the immersed portions of the 55 wicks 1Bto a'point above theliquid as shown in Figures 6 and 9. This lifting of the wick elements above the water does not change the position of any of the wick elements on the tube 1| 'as these wick elements are frictionally held in 60 position on this tube, as previously explained. When the press isagain ready for printing, a simple downward movement of the handle 96 causes the tube'1l to rotate sulciently to reimmerse thewicks in exactly the same position 65 relative to the surface of the liquid as that which they ocupieri prior to the interruption of the flow. 'I'he engagement of the recess 96 and 99 in the hub 9i of the Yhandle96 with the pin |00 serves to insure the return of the wick elements 70 to identically the'same position each time that the Yhandle is turned downwardly or upwardly.

again initiate this ow without being compelled to individually readjust any of the wick elements.

It will be evident from the construction described, that the area of the apron 81 in contact with the plate I3 may be varied by moving the rods 83 and 86 closer together" or farther apart. It will also be apparent that this construction permits the rapid removal of the apron 81, and the substitution of a new or cleaned apron with a minimum of 4expense or delay. It will also be Aunderstood that the apron 81 will immediately be ready for operation upon installation, after it has been moistened by the dampened ends of the wicks 16, without the necessity of making any delicate adjustments.

l It will be evident that minor imperfections in the contact of the apron on the plate, or small variations in the liquid conducting capacity of the apron would cause streaks or stripes or variations of moisture coating on the plate. In order to eliminate the possibility of such defects and in order to effect as uniform a distribution' of moisture in each zone as possible, I provide automatic mechanism for slightly reciprocating the apron crosswise of the direction of movement of the plate. This mechanism consists, as previously described, of a slidable mounting for the apron supporting rods 83 and 88 and means for reciprocating these rods. The apron will, accordingly, move crosswise of the movement of the plate while maintaining continuous contact with the plate. I prefer to reciprocate the apron relatively slowlyand in a manner simulating the speed which might be used by an operator in dampening or cleaning his plate, but with a much shorter sidewise movement so as to, prevent the moisture condition of one zone from sub-4 stantially affecting the moisture condition of the next adjacent zones.

' one or two complete reciprocations during each revolution of the plate cylinder.

In order to prevent any peint on the apron from repeatedly travelling over the same point on the plate, I so select the size of the pinion' 9| with relation to the size of the gear 95, that the pinion M will not make an even number of revolutions for each revolution of the plate.

The lateral reciprocation of the apron 81 does not affect the capacity of the wick' elements for transferring liquid to the apron as the lower ends of the wicks 16 shift laterally with the apron and remain in contact with the apron 81 due to the fricticnal engagement of the wicks with the apron.

This sidewise movement of the apronil 81 with relation to the direction of lmovement of the plate results in a much more effective moistening of the "plate than would result from a simple sliding contact.

Drive- The power means for driving this press may be of any desired type, but preferably consists of a belt actuated by a motor, and runningover the `pulley 8 mounted on the main drive shaft 8. The pulley is mounted on one end of thel drive .shaft and a hand wheel |05' is mounted on the other or operators side of this shaft. Intermediate the pulley and hand wheel and between I prefer to make at leastv design of the plate.

inders and other moving mechanism on this press.

VThe pinion |06 meshes with the gear 85 Figlnes 2 and 12. The gear 95, in turn, drives the pinion 94, which rotates the face cam 8| and causes the apron 81 of lthe dampening device to reciprocate. The gear also meshes with the intermediate pinion |08, which, in turn, drives the gear |09 mounted ori-the shaft |0, to which the ink roller 6a is also fixed. This gear |09 likewise drives a plurality of ink roller driving gears and idler pinions indicated at The pinion |01 on the main drive shaft 8, meshes with the gear ||2 Figures 8 and l2, which is adjustably fixedl to the plate cylinder 4 by means of cap screws passing through slots formed in the gear. This gear H2, in turn, drives the gear ||3 which is adjustably iixed to the blanket cylinder. The gear ||3, in turn, drives the gear H4 adjustably xed to the impression cylinder. Gear ||4 drives the gear H5 fixed upon and driving the cam shaft 39. This cam shaftY as previously pointed out, actuates the suctlonhead, feeder mechanism, tape conveyor and various other mechanisms on the press, not shown.

Summary and advantages The arrangement of cylinders above described, in which the blanket cylinder is substantially vertically above the impression cylinder and, in which the plate cylinder is located above and laterally of the blanket cylinder, together with the location of the plate inking rollers to the will be visible when the dampening device is removed to a position, such for instance, as is shown in Figure 7. It will also be evident that considerably more than one half of the plate will be visible to the operator,'and that likewise more than one half of the plate will be easily accessible for the purpose oi' cleaning or gumming the plate, and making changes or.additions in the It will also follow that for inspection or cleaning or gumming of the plate, two. half revolutions of the plate cylinder will be suilicient to make the entire plate accessible for these purposes, and it will not be necessary to start and stop the rotation of the plate cylinder, and hence the rotation of the press a large number of times in order that the entire plate might'be accessible. It will also be undery stood that the clamps and screws used for securing the plate on 'the cylinder are all accessible from one side of the cylinder, and no rota- `tion of the plate cylinder will be required to cylinder 'is accessible for the purpose of wash-- ing the blanket or changing the packing underneath the blanket or making repairs thereon. This proportionatelylarge area o! the periphery of the blanket cylinder is accessible even.

when the dampening device is in place, although the operator might iind it more convenient to swing the dampening device away from the plate cylinder while making any substantial changes in the mounting of the blanket on the cylinder. 75

It will also be -apparent thatV the dampening device can very quickly be moved from the operative to the inoperative position and vice versa, and that the flow of Water through vall of the vwicks may be simply interrupted Without affecting the relative water conducting capacities of the individual wicks; 'and it will further be evident that.the moisture is applied to the top ofl the plate cylinder which is the logical place to apply liquid.

It will further be apparent that the dampening `device may be moved without any substantially manual eort, and Athat stop and catch devices are provided for the purpose of properly aligning the dampening device with the plate cylinder, when the dampening device is moved to the operative position.

It'will be understood from the description that theV automatically reciprocating mechanism is provided for the-purpose of reciprocating the, lapron while it contacts the plate, and that this reciprocating'mechanism' is adapted to be automatically actuated when the deviceis inoperaof the plefte inkingrollers contacts the Vdesign on the plate more than once during any one impression.

It will further be evident that the gear drive for the cylinders is so arranged that the load on the gear teeth of the gears driving the cylinders will always be on the same side of the teeth. This is effected by driving one oi the end gears in the cylinder gear train andD causing -the gear at the other end of the cylinder gear train to drive the cam shaft which constitutes a rotational resistance which is transmitted through the train v tion of any gear marks due to chattering or backof gears on ,the cylinders and which is greater than any tendency of the cylinder gears to vibrate at a high rate of speed, as' a result of any unbalancedcondition in the cylinders. 'I'his arrangement of gearing thus eliminates the formalash of the gears. v

Modifications "I'he modification shown in Figure 4a discloses an arrangement oi' this inventionin which cer-v ya brief description. l Y

It will-beinoted that the essential difference tain parts are tilted to utilize the advantages oi gravitylto a greater extent than is possible with Y.the arrangement shownin Figure '4.- Figure 4a shows the parts ,diagrammatically only, as this vmodification does not contemplate any essential change in any of the details of the parts of Figurev 4. LCorresponding parts in these Figures 4 and 4a `being indicated by the same reference characters,

the structure of Figure 4a will be understood from between the arrangement of the parts in Figures @fand `4a. consists of tilting, in a counter clockwise direction, substantially the entire press with ,the exception of the dampening mechanism and' the ink fountainj; 'I'he sheet feeding mechanism Ais. inclined to arsubstantially greater degree in Figure 4a, in order to more readily feed sheets togthe printing couple, consisting of the impression cylinder 2 and the blanket cylinder 3. It will be' noted that the bite of the impression and blanket cylinder is substantially at right angles the printing of heavy cardboard sheets, tin plates to the direction of the sheet being fed to the printing couple, and that, in thisfmodication, the blanket cylinder is located above and to the left with relation to the impression cylinder, and

Iit will also be noted that the plate cylinder l is located substantially toward the rear or delivery side of the blanket cylinder; in other words, the

,plate cylinder is located above the plane oi' cylinders.

The dampening device IIis maintained in the horizontal position and applies liquid to the uplpermost point in the periphery oi' the blanket cylinder, as in the lform of this invention shown in Figure 4. The plate inking rollers 5 contact the periphery oi the plate cylinder at a point lower on the periphery of the plate ,cylinder than in Figure 4, in order that substantially one half of the periphery of the plate cylinder may be accessible for the purpose of inspection, cleaning, etc. The ink distributing rollers 6 andthe ink fountain 1 are slightly rearranged to suitably accommodate the shiftin the position oi the plate inking rollers 5. i 1 The operation of this modification is as i'olows: i

The sheets to be printed are lifted from the stock pile I0 by the sucker tip 31l and deposited upon the member II which carries them or permits'them tol slide downwardly and to the lett until the leading edg'e of-the sheet passes over the suction head I3 and engages the disappearing stops I2. In this position the sheet is properly positioned laterally of the press by means of the side guides 43. It should be interpolated that the member II lneed not necessarily be a moving conveyor, as rollers or othe equivalent means can be substituted for this conveyor in view of the steeper incline available.

`Ai'ter the sheet has been properly positioned to register with the design on the blanket, the disappearing stops I2 are removed and the suction head I3 is advanced by the mechanism I I, so as to properly feed the sheet to thegripping mechanism on the impression cylinder- 2 in ythe 4manner hereinbefore explained. The sheet isthen printed and fed by the gripping mechanism to the delivery mechanism I8 and deposited upon the delivery pile 58. t

'Ihis mechanism has certain advantages for.

and-other materials which are relatively iniiexible. The modification vof this invention illustrated in Figures 20 to 23 is applied to-a relatively larger'l plate cylinder than that illustrated in the previously described forms. The arrangement of cylindefrs and the construction of the liquid supplying device and the moisture lapplying apron and the means for actuatingthis apron are, substantialvly the same in this modified form as in the first described form of this invention. The novel 65 features of this modification relate to the additional liquid distributing ymember and its actul ation, together with the mounting oi' the damp'- ening device. As in the ilrst described form this dampening device is mounted so that it 'may bei-70 shiftedto a; position remote from; the piste cyan-, der for the purpose of providing access to the.

platecylinder at the dampeningV position, but the details of this mounting constitute a slightly 7'5 different embodiment of the principle of this feature of this invention.

This modied form will be briey described by reference, first, to Figures 20, 21, and 22. The lithographie plate I8 adapted to be coated with ink by the ink rollers ||9 is mounted on the plate cylinder indicated at |20. 'I'his plate cylinder is located above and rearwardly of the blanket cylinder |2| both cylinders being mounted in suitable bearings in the frame |22, com- .prising two side frames |220. and |221).

Pivoted at |23 and |24 are'links |25 and |26 respectively. The upper ends of these links pivotally support cross rods |21 and |28. 'Ihese cross rods supporttwo dampening frames I29a and |29b, one at each side of the press, located above frames |2211 and |22b respectively. These frames are held in spaced relation by the rods |21 and |28 and are located in lateral alignment with reference to the press frame |22 and plate cylinder |20 by the linl |25 and |26. An additional cross rod |30 extending between the frames and parallel to the cross rods |21 and |28, is supported in the dampening frames.

Mounted upon the cross rods |21 and |30 is a reservoir |3| which is generally similar to the reservoirs previously described. The ends of this reservoir are provided with ears |32, these ears being formed with slots adapted to seat upon the rods |21 and |36, and each ear being provided with a set screw for the purpose of xing the reservoir'with relation to said rods. The reservoir contains suitable liquid, and a liquid supply chamber |33 is mounted on the reservoir for the purpose of supplying liquid to the reservoir and maintaining the level of this liquid constant, as previously described.

Mounted upon the tube |34 are a plurality of Abrackets |35 each bracket being independently voir and transfer it to the apron |31 contacting the plate H8 and adapted to apply moisture to the plate. This apron is removably secured to the rods |38 and |39 which are reciprocably mounted in the frames |29a and |29b, for movement transversely or' the movement of the plate. The apron |31 is anchored to the rod |38 by means of pins or in any other desired manner, and is loosely supported on the rod |39 by means of a suspending web |31a. Tie clamps |40 made of upper and lower halves, are used to.clamp the two rods |38 and |39 together so that these rods will reciprocate in unison.

The rod |31 is formed with a pin I4I on its lower side. This pin is engaged by the slot of a -lever |42, the other end of the lever being provided with a roller, and the lever being pivoted intermediate its ends on a pivot |43 supported in the dampening frame I29a. The roller in the lever |42 engages a groove formed in a cam |44, this cam being secured to a gear |45 and both the cam and the gear being rotatably mounted in a hub |46 on the dampening frame |2917. The gear |45 meshes with a gear |41 which is mounted on the plate cylinder, or on the frame of the press.

The mechanism so far described, while differ- 'ing in details, is substantially similar in principle to the device previously described. In this modication, an additional distributing apron is shown at |48. This apron is supported on rods |49 and |50 which are reciprocably mounted in the framesl I29a ami I29b and are clamped together for operation in unison by means of clamps I5I.. The clamps |40` and |5| are provided with vertically projecting pins I52and |53 respectively. These pins are engaged by slotted ends of a lever |54 pivoted at |55 on the frame |291).

The operation of the elements for feeding the liquid from the reservoir to the apron and from the apron to the plate has already been described. The liquid applying apron |31-is reciprocated by means of the lever |42 actuatedv by the cam |44 which is, in turn, driven by the gear |45 on the press. This reciprocation or the apron will be parallel to the axis of the cylinder and therefore crosswise or transversely of the movement of the plate.

The reciprocation of the distributing apron is effected as follows: The pin |52 oscillates the lever |54 about its pivot |55 which, in turn, causes the rods |49 and |56 to reciprocate, thus reciprocating the apron |48 parallel to and crosswise of the movement of the plate. It will be noted that the direction of movement of the apron |48 is opposed to the direction of movement of the apron |31, and that the apron |48 contacts the plate at a pointI farther advanced with relation to the travel of the cylinder than the point of contact of the apron |31 with the plate. This distributing apron more smoothly equalizes the moisture previously delivered to the plate by the liquid applying apron, and also serves to absorb any excess moisture inadvertently applied to the plate or accidentally accumulated on the plate. .It will be understood that the liquid applying apron |31 applies the moisture to the plate subsequent to the printing of an impression upon the blanket and that the moisture is then smoothed by the apron |42, after which the plate is again inked preparatory for the making of the next impression.

When it is desired to have access to the plate HB at the dampening'position, for any of the reasons previously indicated, the dampening device, including the reservoir, liquid supply chamber, wicks liquid applying apron, liquid distributing apron, apron reciprocating mechanism and the supports for these elements are shifted from the full line position shown in Figure 20 to the dotted line position shown in the same figure,

This dampening device is held in the operative position adjacent to the plate, by means of a latch |51 mounted on. the frame and engaging a pin |58 on the link |25.

When the dampening device is removed to the inoperative position shown in broken lines in Figure 20, it may be moved against a stop |59 and a second latch element and pin may be provided for holding the dampening device in the inoperative position if desired.

The dampening device is moved manually and, in order to facilitate the shifting of this device, a spring counter balance is provided consisting of a spring |60 attachedvto an extension I25a of the link |25 and adjustably anchored to the frame at |62.

It will be evident that the mounting described maintains the dampening device in a perfectly level position at all points during the shifting movement, and that the device will maintain its parallel relation with the plate cylinder during referred to above. This view shows a roller |63,

covered with molleton or other liquid absorbing material |64. This miler is formed with reduced but will not permit the roller to' drop- :into the gap of the plate cylinder. It will be understood that the liquid supplying apron, liquid feeding device and apron actuating mechanism in Figure v23, are identical with thek corresponding device shownrin Figures 20, 21, and I have found that this roller very efdciently smooths the moisture and absorbs any surplusfor undesired accumulation of moisture on the plate. It will be understood, insofar as theiampeningdevice is concerned, that the presentY invention relates to the method of mounting of the dampening device 4on the press andnot to the details of the dampening device, andi that accordingly, any type of roller or other dampeningmechanism, may be used with the herein described mounting without departingY from theA scope'of the appended claims. 4 i' Y Many othermodiications of this invention and its applicationjwill naturally occur to those skilled in this art, and the present disclosures should therefore be iconsidered as typical only, and I desireYV not to Ybe limited to the exact constru'fctlonsshown and described. What I claim as my invention is: Y

1. .a mechanism, including a reservoir of liquid, for dampening a plate on a lithographie press, said mechanism being disposed on a support pivotally mounted on the frame of the press, said pivotally mounted support permittingthe shifting of the dampening mechanism from cooperative engagement with the plate to a position spaced a Asubstantial distance from the'plate, and including means adapted to said reservoir level during said i 2. A plate dampening device for a lithographie press, pivotally supported on? the frame of the press, said pivoted dampeninglr device: including a reservoir of vliquid and means adapted to transfer liquid from 'said reservoir to'said plate, said transfer means including an element adapted to be reclprocatedglin combination with mech- Vhinged support being adapted to maintain moved from the plate.

anism adapted to actuate said reciprecable element. 'f

3. A device' for dampening the plate on a lithographic press, said device including a reservoir of liquid and mechanism for feeding liquid from the reservor to the-plate, and being mounted on a hinged lsupport on the frame oi the press andmovable vtoward and from thev plate, said 'the reservoir level during its movement. 4 jA dampening device for a lithographie press having a plate mounted on a plate cylinder, said dampening device being adapted to supply moisture to substantially the top o'f the periphery of the plate-and being pvotally supported for movement from its moisture supplying position adjacent the top of the plate to a position Vre- 5. A plate dampening mechanism ,for use in a lithographic press, said mechanism being adapted to be swung about a vertical axis toward and from said Aplate and being provided with means for holding said mechanisni in operative relation with said plate. 'Y i' 6. A mechanism for dampening the plate on a lithographie press, said mechanism being pivotedon a vertical on the frame of the press links on said frame, said links being l'adapted 75 and adapted to be movedfrom itsrdampenng position adjacent the'plate to a position remote front its dampening position whereby access is provided to the plate at the dampening position.

7. A device positioned on a lithogaphic press for dampening the plate, including suspended apron riding on the plate, said device being pivotally mounted on the frame of the press for movement toward and from the dampening position permitting access to theplate at the dampening position. l

8. A dampening device positioned tor dampen the plate on a lithographic press, said device including an anchored absorbent sheet, means for holding said sheet in dampening engagement with said plate, and" individually adjustable ele-4 ments supplying liquid to said sheet, means adapted to simultaneously interrupt the supplying of liquid by all of said elements without disturbing the relative adjustments of said elements, said device being pivotally mounted for movement toward andA from said plate.

92j? A dampening device for moistening the plate on a cylinder in a lithographie press, mounted on thef frame of the press and positioned adjacent thefcylinder and including a suspended absorbent sheet contacting said plate, a reservoir of liquid, and? individual elements adapted to transfer liquid fromY said reservoir to said.' sheet, said dampening device being so mounted on the frame that it is shiftable from its dampening position a sufficient distance to permit access to the periphery of the cylinder at the dampening position for the purposes set forth.

l0. A dampening device? for moisteningthe plate on a rotating cylinder on -a lithographie press, mounted adjacent the cylinder and including an absorbent element contacting the plate and adapted to be reciprocated substantially parallel to the axis ofathe cylinder, mechanism for reciprocating said element, and means for actuating said'imechanism, said dampening device being so mounted that it is shiftable toward and from the plate.

1l. A dampeningdevice for moistening the plate mounted on the frame of Ya. lithographie press, including an absorbent element contacting the plate and mechanism for reciprocating said element, and means mounted on the-frame actuating said mechanism, and a. movable support for said dampeningV device permitting the shifting of the dampening device toward and from the plate, said reciprocating mechanism being automatically disengaged from the actuating means when the f dampening device is shifted from the plate.

A dampening device for moistening theplate ina lithographie press including s. reciprocable 'liquid transferring device, a movaole frame for supporting saidvdevice in contact with the plate when the movable frame is in one position and for shifting the device to a position spaced from the plate when the movable frame; is in another position, means for supplying liquid'to the device,

and mechanism mounted on the movable frame for reciprocating the device, and means mounted on'the stationary frame adapted to actuate the mechanism when the liquid transferring device isjin contact withl the plate.

Y13. A dampening mechanism for moistening the plate on a rotating cylinder in a lithographie press, including a -reservoir of liquid located adjacent said plate and adapted to apply moisture to the periphery of? said plate. said dampening mechanism being supported 'on a plurality of to shift said dampening mechanism for a substantial distance from the position adjacent to the plate and to main the reservoir level and to maintain the axis of the dampening mechanism substantially parallel with the axis of the plate cylinder during said shifting, whereby the plate becomes accessible at the dampening position for the purposes set forth.

14. A dampening mechanism for moistening a rotating plate in a lithographie press, located adjacent said plate and adapted to apply moisture to the periphery of the plate when the mechanism is in its operative position, a shiftable mounting for said mechanism adapted to shift the mechanism from the operative to an inoperative position, resilient means tending to shift said mechanism into the `inoperative position and means for holding the mechanism in the operative position against the tendency of the resilient means.

15. A dampening mechanism, including a res ervoir of liquid, :for applying moisture to the periphery of the plate on a. rotating cylinder in a lithographie press, said dampening mechanism being disposed on a support pivoted on said trame.

lithographie press, said. mechanism including a reservoir of liquid and controllable means for transferring liquid by capillarity from said res- ,ervoir to said plate, said mechanism being disposed on a support pivotally mounted on the irame of said press, said support permitting the shifting of the dampening mechanism from a position adjacent said plate to a position spaced from and rearwardly above said plate, and being adapted to maintain the axis of the dampening mechanism `substantially parallel with the axis of the plate during said shifting, whereby the plate becomes accessible at the dampening position for the purposes set forth.

JosEPH sCHUnTz. 25

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