US2064068A

US2064068A - Vacuum printing frame

Info

Publication number: US2064068A
Application number: US25041A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alexander T Koppe
Original assignee: GEN PRINTING INK CORP
Current assignee: GEN PRINTING INK CORP; GENERAL PRINTING INK Corp
Priority date: 1935-06-05
Filing date: 1935-06-05
Publication date: 1936-12-15
Anticipated expiration: 1953-12-15

Description

Dec. 15, 1936. A. T. KOPPE VACUUM PRINTING FRAME Filed June 5, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 E IN V ENTOR P (l/Zexander 1T Kappa QM, M 9 m ATTORN EYS Dec. 15, 1936. A.- T. KOPPE VACUUM PRINTING FRAME Filed June 5, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IVEN'IV'OII-Q alexalzdc'r Ilia e QM, M M

ATTORNEYS Dec. 15, 1936. A. T. KOPPE VACUUM PRINTING FRAME Filed June 5, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 mvENT alez'andw' 1T lioppe fi-M ATTORNEYS w. 15, 1 936. T KQPPE VACUUM PRINT ING FRAME Filed June 5, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 S R0 E 0 m m -H WHHw W 11;. xm a 0 Q w Z O o a Q o o O 0 @68 Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VACUUM PRINTING FRALIE Application June 5, 1935, Serial No. 25,041

11 Claims.

My invention relates to vacuum printing frames of the type utilizable for obtaining close contact between a sensitized surface and a suitable representation-bearing member so that an image of the representation may be photographically produced on said sensitized surface.

My invention has further reference to various improved features in vacuum printing frames of the type comprising a pair of sections, one of these sections being adapted to occupy a horizontal position and the other section being movable downwardly into engagement therewith, both sections, after they have been locked together, being pivotally movable into a vertical plane so that the aforesaid representation-bearing member may be illuminated by a light beam of high intensity.

Various other objects, advantages and characterlstics of my invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

My invention resides in the vacuum printing frame, features and details of construction of the character hereinafter described and claimed.

For an understanding of my invention and for L an illustration of one of the many forms thereof.

; partly in elevation, this view corresponding with Fig. 2 to some extent but showing the frame sections in diflerent positions;

Fig. 4 is a transversevertical sectional view, partly in elevation, this view corresponding with Figs. 2 and 3 to some extent but showing the frame sections in other positions;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, and is taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow;

and

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, and is taken substantially on the line 6-4 of Fig. 5 looking in the direction of the arrows.

In the form of my invention herein illustrated, a pair of spaced vertical standards I, la are provided, these standards being supported by any suitable arrangement such, for example, as is constituted by the

bases

2, 2a which are disposed beneath the respective standards I, la. Near their lower ends the standards above noted are connected together by a transverse member 3 and, immediately adjacent the upper end thereof, each standard carries a collar 4, these collars being connected together by a shaft 5 and a rod 6. With an arrangement of the character described, it will be understood that the standards I, la are securely braced so that they may be utilized as 'a support in the manner hereinafter described.

As clearly appears from a consideration of Fig. 1, the above noted standards, Lia carry the

respective collars

1, 1a which are disposed at the same horizontal level. As indicated in Fig. 5, each of these collars is provided with an inwardly facing semi-circular seat or depression lb, these seats being adapted to receive the respective trunnions or stub shafts-8. Each trunnion 8 projects laterally from and is carried by the vertical arm 9a of a bracket 9, Fig. 5. These brackets 9 are secured to a lower frame section F of square configuration as defined by the frame members I which are anchored together so as to form a rigid assembly. As is clearly indicated in Fig. 4, the frame section F is horizontally disposed and the brackets 9 are suitably secured midway between the ends of the respective frame members III which extend transversely with respect to the standards I, la.

Cooperative with the above noted frame section F is a second frame section Fl likewise of similar square configuration as defined by the frame members ll The frame section Fl carries a pair of brackets I! which are suitably secured midway between the ends of the respective frame members II in correspondence with the attachment of the brackets 9 to the respective frame members Ill. Extending laterally from each bracket I2 is a trunnion or stub shaft I3 disposed in alined passages formed in the respective collars l4 and I5, Fig. 5, each stub shaft l3 being freely rotatable in its associated collar i4 and having its associated collar I secured thereto for rotatable movement therewith. Each of the collars N comprises an upper angular arm lla to which certain operating chains are secured in the manner hereinafter described. Each collar l5 comprises an upwardly extending section l5a which is cut away as indicated at lib to define a vertically extending channel adapted to slidably engage a vertical track member i6 secured to the adjacent supporting standard.

As shown on the drawings, one end l'la of an operating chain I1 is suitably secured in adjustable manner to the end of each of the aforesaid angular arms Ila. As indicated in Fig. 6, each chain I1 extends downwardly, then partly around a pair of spaced sprocket wheels I I and I3, Fig. 6, then upwardly and over a sprocket wheel 20 secured to the aforesaid shaft I for rotatable -movement therewith, and then downwardly so that the other chain end I1!) is also connected to said angular arm Ila.

The sprocket wheels I3 above noted are mounted as idlers on posts transversely disposed in the respective collars I, la. The sprocket wheel ll of the collar I likewise is of the idler type. However, the sprocket wheel I! of the collar la is rotatable with a shaft 2I to which is fixed an operating hand wheel 22, Fig. 5.

Secured to the aforesaid angular arms Ila are the respective ends of chains 23, or equivalent, these chains extending upwardly between the shaft 5 and rod 6, over the respective rollers 24 carried for free rotatable movement, respectively, by collars 25 disposed at the top of the respective standards I, la. These standards are of tubular form and each of them freely receives a counterweight 28, these counterweights being connected, respectively, to the other ends of the chains 23, Fig. l.

Disposed interiorly of the frame members IIi of the frame section F is a slat structure 21 which is seated upon a plurality of coiled springs, not shown, the latter being disposed between said slat structure and a plurality of members, not shown, extending transversely of the slats and secured to the lower surface of the frame members l0. Suitably secured to the upper surface of said frame members II) is a rubber mat 28 having a rubber sealing strip 29 disposed around the border thereof. The slat structure 21 is biased toward and into engagement with the lower surface of the rubber mat 28 by the aforesaid coil springs. As is customary in the art, a sensitized surface and a representationbearing positive, negative, or equivalent, not shown, are adapted to be secured to the upper surface of the aforesaid rubber mat 28.

Any suitable arrangement may be employed to temporarily retain the frame section F in horizontal position and to swing said frame section in a clockwise direction, Figs. 2 and 4, so as to position the same in vertical position. As herein shown, although not necessarily, there is thus utilized a knuckle joint arrangement comprising the members 3II, 30a, which are pivotally secured to each other and are pivoted at their respective ends to the frame section F and the transverse member 3, a suitable handle 3|, Fig. 1, being provided to break the aforesaid joint and swing the frame section F to vertical position.

As is customary in the art, the frame section Fl supports a plane sheet 32 of transparent glass or equivalent, this glass sheet, in any suitable manner, being fixed to said frame section Fl so as to be in parallel relation with respect to the rubber mat 28 of the frame section F when both of said frame sections are positioned horizontally. As shown, a clamping arrangement 32a is utilized for retaining the plate 32 in position, this clamping arrangement being suitably secured to the frame section FI and comprising a felt sheet 32b or the like which directly engages said plate 32. v

The frame sections F and Fl are shown in Fig. 4 in their normal inoperative positions. That is, they are disposed horizontally with the frame section Fl in its uppermost position.

When thus arranged, the above noted sensitised surface and the representation-bearing member may be secured in superposed relation on the rubber mat 23. As soon as this has been done, the frame section PI is lowered from the position thereof as shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 2.

To this end, the hand wheel 22 is actuated to rotate the sprocket wheel I3 in a clockwise direction, Fig. 4, whereby the chain I'I coactable therewith is moved in such direction that the frame section Fl is lowered while maintained in a horizontal plane by the sections lib as hereinafter described. As will readily be understood, the chain H at the other side of the machine, i. e., the one adjacent the standard I partakes of movement similar to that of the above noted chain I1 and, accordingly, the two sides of the frame section FI remain at the same level during upward and downward movement thereof.

As the frame section Fl moves downwardly as described above,the channeled sections Ibb of the respective members I5 slide upon the respective track members IE to thereby prevent any tilting of said frame section Fl. However, as clearly appears from a consideration of Fig. 5, the length of the track members I6 is so chosen that the above noted sections I5b pass out of contact therewith when the frame section Fl reaches its lowermost position. Accordingly, when, in said last named position, the channeled sections Ilb are nolongereil'ective to preventtilting movement of the frame section Fl. As indicated in Fig. 6,

each bracket l2 of the frame section Fl carries 2. depending vertically disposed rod 33 which is vertically alined with a passage vertically formed in a member 34 secured to one side of the lower adjacent bracket 9 of the frame section F. These rods 33 enter their respective passages before the sections l5b separate from their respective tracks l6 and, therefore, the frame section Fl is connected to the frame section 1'' so as to partake of pivotal movement therewith in the manner hereinafter described.

During downward movement of the frame section Fl as described above, the arrangement comprising the chains 23 and weights 2 eifectively act in a counterbalancing manner to lessen the manual effort required to shift said frame section FI.

When the frame section Fl reaches its lowermost position, the glass plate 32 thereof comes to rest upon the sealing strip 29 which, as stated above, is disposed on the upper surface of the rubber mat 28. At this time, the two frame sections should be clamped together so as to be movable together as a unit and to form an airtight chamber within the space encompassed by the sealing strip 29 between the rubber mat 23 and the glass plate 32. To this end, a clamping arrangement of any suitable character may be utilized.

Thus, as shown on the drawings, the upper surface of the members II forming the frame section Fl carry a plurality of spaced members 35, each of which terminates in a notched end projecting beyond the border of said frame section Fl. Pivoted to the lower surface of the members Ill forming the frame section F are a plurality of members 36 which are vertically alined with the respective members 35. Adjustably connected to each member 38 is a screwthreaded member 31 having a cam lever 33 pivoted to the free end thereof.

been moved to its lowermost position so that the glass plate 32 thereof rests upon the sealing strip 29, the members3l are swung upwardly to thereby cause the upper ends thereof to enter the respective notches of the members 35. As soon as this has been done, the cam levers 38 are actuated to thereby clamp the frame sections F and Fl tightly together and seal the space encompassed by the sealing strip 29. At this time, by the utilization of any suitable vacuum-producing arrangement, the air is exhausted from said space whereby, under the influence of atmospheric pressure, the members between the glass plate 32 and rubber mat 28 are forced into intimate contact with each other. This arrangement is herein diagrammatically shown as comprising a hose 39 leading to any suitable air pump, not shown, the open end of the hose extending through the rubber mat 28 and being held in position by a clamping washer 40, Fig. 4.

Upon completion of the foregoing, the operator grasps the handle 3i and moves the same toward the standard la to thereby cause the

members

30, 30a to collapse whereby the frame sections F, Fl are swung in a clockwise direction from thep'osition shown in Fig. 2 so as to bring them to the vertical position shown in Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 1, a member upstanding from the transverse member 3 is positioned in the path of the frame section F so as to prevent passage of the frame sections beyond a true vertical position. i

As soon as the frame sections have been positioned in the manner described above, a suitable source of light, not shown, is disposed adjacent thereto so as to project a-light beam in a direction from right to left, Fig. 3, this light beam passing through the glass plate 32 so as to produce a latent image on the sensitized surface of the representation on the adjacent representation-bearing member.

After the termination of a suitable exposureinterval, the passage of the light beam along the path above noted is discontinued whereupon-the frame sections F and Fl are returned to horizontal position. The cam levers 38 of the various clamping arrangements are now released and the frame section Fl is moved to its upper position as shown in Fig. 4 so as to permit removal of the representation-bearing member and the sensitized surface. In their separated horizontal positions, the frame sections F and Fl are in condition to be operated subsequently in the same manner as hereinbefore described.

The frame section F remains in its horizontal position under the control of the members 30 and 30a. which, when in straight-line relation as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, resist movement of the frame section F toward its vertical position.

When the frame section Fl is in its horizontal position, a pair of pins 4|, a carried by and projecting laterally from the respective brackets l2 are in engagement with the respective collar arms Ila. By virtue of this arrangement, there is no jolt or jar when the channeled sections or jaws l5a engage the respective track members or guides it upon movement of said frame section Fl upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 1.- As will readily be understood, these pins 4| and lla move with the brackets l2 and hence recede from the collar arms I la when the frame section Fl is moved toward and then into its vertical position.

It will be understood that the arrangement should be such that the frame section Fl automatically remains in the horizontal position shown in Fig. 4 and, further, the arrangement should be such that the two frame sections F and Fl automatically remain in the vertical position shown in Fig. '3. To this end, it is desirable that the material forming said frame sections be so distributed that, under the influence of gravity, the frame section Fl, when .unrestrained, swings to the position shown in Fig. 4 while, similarly, the frame sections F and Fl swing to the vertical position shown in Fig. 3 when freed from restraint. Obviously, any suitable-arrangement other than that briefly described may be utilized for biasing the frame section to the respective positions noted above.

An important feature of my invention centers around the pivotal arrangement for the upper frame section Fl. As clearly appears from a consideration of Fig. 5, this pivotal arrangement comprises the trunnions l3 and the respective supporting collars l4 therefor. The axes of the trunnions l3 remain constantly in horizontal alinement and, when said frame section Fl is in its lowermost position, this horizontal axis of the trunnions i3 is in horizontal alinement with the horizontal axis of the trunnions 8. It follows, therefore, when the parts are arranged as last described, that the two frame sections may readily be moved, with but slight manual effort, from horizontal to vertical position and vice versa. The arrangement for accomplishing this end is simple, efficient and durable. It is a feature of decided importance in the art to which this invention appertalns.

While the invention has been described with respect to a certain particular preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intended therefore in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vacuum printing frame, an upper frame section, means supporting said frame section for vertical movement, said means comprising trunnions projecting in opposite directions from opposite sides of said frame section, a support for each of said trunnions, and means confining said trunnions to movement in a single vertical plane.

2. In a vacuum printing frame, an upper frame section, means supporting said frame section for vertical movement, said means comprising trunnions projecting in opposite directions from opposite sides of said frame section, a support for each of said trunnions, and a guidingmember secured to each trunnion, each guiding member being adapted to slidably engage a track to thereby maintain said frame section in horizontal position.

3. In a vacuum printing frame, an upper frame section, means supporting said frame section for vertical and oscillatory movement, said means comprising trunnions projecting in opposite directions from opposite sides of said frame section, a support in which each trunnion is mounted for rotatable movement, and a guiding member secured to each trunnion for oscillatory movement therewith, each guiding member being adapted to slidably engage a track to thereby maintain said frame section in horizontal position, each guiding member being disengageable from said track to permit oscillatory movement of said frame section.

4. In a vacuum printing frame, upper and lower frame sections detachably secured together, and a pivotal supporting arrangement for each of said frame sections, both of said supporting arrangements being disposed in horizontal alinement while said frame sections are in horizontal position and while they are'being swung to vertical position.

5. In a vacuum printing frame, upper and lower frame sections detachably secured together, trunnions projecting in opposite directions from opposite sides of said lower frame section, and trunnions projecting in opposite directions from opposite sides of said upper frame section, said last named trunnions being disposed between said first named trunnions and all of said trunnions being disposed in horizontal aiinement.

6. In a vacuum printing frame, upper and lower frame sections detachably secured together, trunnions projecting in opposite directions from op posite sides of said lower frame section, trunnions projecting in opposite directions from opposite sides of said upper frame section, said last named trunnions being disposed between said first named trunnions and all of said trunnions being disposed in horizontal alinement, and a separate support for each trunnion.

7. In a vacuum printing frame, upper and lower frame sections detachably secured together, a pivotal supporting arrangement for each of said frame sections, both of said supporting arrangements being disposed in horizontal alinement while said frame sections are in horizontal position and while they are being swung to vertical position, and means for elevating the supporting arrangement for the upper frame section from such horizontal position whereby said upper me section is raised to a predetermined posi- 8. In a vacuum printing frame, upper and lower frame sections detachably secured together, a pivotal supporting arrangement for each of said frame sections, both of said supporting arrangements being disposed in horizontal alinement while said frame sections are in horizontal position and while they are being swung to vertical position, means for elevating the supporting arrangement for the upper frame section from such horizontal position whereby said upper frame section is raised to a predetermined position, and means for maintaining said upper frame section horizontally during elevation thereof.

9. In a vacuum printing frame, upper and lower frame sections detachably secured together, and a pivotal supporting arrangement for each of said frame sections, both of said supporting arrangements being disposed in horizontal alinement and one of said supporting arrangements being disposed between bearing parts of the other supporting arrangement.

10. In a vacuum printing frame, upper and lower frame sections detachably secured together, a pivotal supporting arrangement for said lower frame section, and a pivotal supporting arrangement for said upper frame section, said last named supporting arrangement being disposed between bearing parts of said first named sup-n porting arrangement.

11. In a vacuum printing frame, upper and lower frame sections detachably secured together, a pivotal supporting arrangement for said lower frame section, and a pivotal supporting arrangement for said upper frame section, said supporting arrangements comprising trunnions disposed in horizontal alinement when said frame sections are secured together, the trunnions for said upper frame section being disposed between the trunnions for said lower frame section.

ALEXANDER T. KOPPE.