US2550454A - Inking mechanism for rotary intaglio printing presses - Google Patents

Description

April 1951 c. s. CRAFTS ET AL 2,550,454

INKI'NG MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES Filed June 15, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 VIII/Ill}VIII//Ill/II/IIII/III/Il/IIIIII/l/IIIII/ Curtis 5. Ora! ta among QTWorthmgt-on wvow-w April 24, 1951 c. s. CRAFTS ET AL INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I Filed June 15, 1945 am w m a i 2. m m y Www April 24, 1951 c, 5, CRAFTS ET L 2,550,454

INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES Filed June 13, 1945 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Curtis 6. Cronhs .s'zmog wwflwmmgton c s CRAFTS ET AL 2,550,454

INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES 5 Sheets-Shed 5 NVEJNT'ORJS (Zuvtz's 6. Croats amnorg \M' Wovthzngt0n 7 M, W] g. cflTTOwyJ April 24, 1951 Filed June 13, 1945 Patented Apr. 24, 1951 INKING MECHANISM FOR ROTARY INTAGLIO PRINTING PRESSES Curtis S. Crafts, Oak Park, and Emory W. Worthington, Chicago, Ill., assignors to The Goss Printing Press Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application June 13, 1945, Serial No. 599,228

22 Claims. (Cl. 101157) The present invention pertains to inking mechanisms for rotary intaglio printing presses, and more particularly to improvements in on closed or semi-enclosed fountains for them.

High speed operation of intaglio presses, particularly with volatile fast drying inks, has posed difficult problems of fountain closure. One of the earlies patents in the field addressed to the problem was that of Adolph Weiss, Reissue No. 18,856, reissued June 6, 1933, and now expired. Subsequent patents in the field have, among other aspects of the problem, dealt with minimization of ink escape pasta reciprocating doctor which wipes excess ink from the design or printing cylinder of the press. Endwise reciprocation or vibration of the doctor is requisite to prevent streaking of the ink on the wiped cylinder, yet the presence of such a reciprocating element obviously increases the difiiculties of closure. A common expedient heretofore employed has been the use of a stationary seal blade located beneath, and pressing upward against, the reciprocating doctor blade.

Stationary seal blades of the general character noted introduce a difliculty of their own. By reason of the-pressure which they necessarily exert on the doctor blade, they tend to interfere with its proper operation. The seal blade pres sure is opposed, in direction, to the pressure of the doctor blade on the cylinder. Accordingly, distortion of the doctor blade with reference to the cylinder occurs upon lodgment of any foreign matter between seal and doctor blades.

One general aim of the present invention is to accomplish effectual closure about a reciprocating doctor without the use of any seal blade at all, thus obviating the difiiculties outlined above.

Moreover, it is an object to provide an arrangement of rugged and structurally simple construction which affords high integrity of sealing or closure and makes possible ready adjustment of blade position.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a rotary intaglio printing couple equipped With an inking mechanism embodying the present invention.

7 Fig; 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the line 22 in Fig. l.

3 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, with the impression cylinder and web removed to expose the underlying parts.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an end portion of the doctor and holder, its supporting bracket, and a coacting. seal. plate.

Fig. 6 is a view, similar to Fig. 1, of an installation incorporating a modified form of inking mechanism also embodying the present invention.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged, fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along the line 11 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 4 but of the corresponding structure in the modified mechanism of Fig. 6.

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the doctor and its supporting bracket.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, we have shown in the drawings and will herein'describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that we do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to the first illustrative embodiment of the invention (Fig. 1), the same has been shown as incorporated in an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing couple including a design or printing cylinder 1 0 and impression cylinder 5 I. Through the couple is threaded a web I2 which is tobe printed. The cylinders are journaled in the usual opposed. vertical side'frames it (see Fig. 3) of the press. A generally trough-shaped ink fountain, designated generally as [4, is located beneath and partially embraces or encloses the design cylinder 28. It is with the closure, or substantial closure, of the otherwise open top of such fountain, and particularly in a manner toaccommodate endwise reciprocation of the doctor blade I5 00- acting with the design cylinder, that the present invention is primarily concerned.

The fountain .14 comprises, in this instance, a body casting extending between and fixed to the side frames l3 and including inner and outer shells I6, I l as Well as integral end walls [8. The interior is suitably webbed for reeniorcement. The inner shell it receives overflow ink as will hereinafter appear and is sloped downwardly to an outlet port l9 communicating through a passage 29 with a conduit 2| through which ink is returned to the intake 22 of a suitable circulating pump 23. Additional ink is also furnished to the intake 22 from a conduit 25 leading from a reserve reservoir (not shown) A chamber 25 is defined between the inner and outer shells l6, l1 and may receive a suitable cooling or heating medium to retain the ink at a desired operating temperature.

Rising from the fountain body casting are front and rear walls 25, 2?. The front wall 25 is pivoted at 23 in order that it may be swung outwardly in clearing the design cylinder lil during removal of the latter. The rear wall 2?, on the other hand, has an upper extension or section 23 hinged to it at 30 (Figs. 1 and 4) to swing inward toward the cylinder it for a purpose which will appear later. A slotted bracket 29' (Fig. 4 rigid with the wall section 25 is adjustably fixed to an adjacent one of the side frames by a screw it to hold the wall section in selected positions of inclination. The joint between the upper and lower sections of the rear wall is covered by a resilient sheet metal sealing strip. 3i fixed to the upper section.

Ink is supplied to the design cylinder Ill by way of a pan or trough 32 located immediately beneath it and in which is maintained a pool of ink (see Figs. '2 and 4) in which the cylinder revolves. Ink is supplied to the pan 32 from the circulating pump 23 by way of a conduit 33, thence through an entrance chamber 3% cored out of the fountain body casting, and thence through a pair of short lengths of conduit 35, swivel joints 36 and a channel-shaped entrance fitting Bl secured to the pan. Ink emerges from the interior of the latter fitting into the pan through ports 38 arranged at intervals along the length of the pan. Deflecting tongues or protrusions 3 9 are struck up from the bottom of the pan in order to deflect the entering ink to circulate into the pan in a direction counter to the direction of cylinder rotation. The resulting counterflow aids in agitating the pool of ink in the pan to insure complete filling of the cells on the cylinder periphery.

The swivel joints 36 heretofore noted permit the pan 32 to be swung downwardly away from the design cylinder it when the latter is to be removed. Braces 48 pivoted on the lower side of the pan have notched lower ends engageable with pins iii to hold the pan releasably in the operating position shown (Fig. 1).

' Labyrinth type sealing structures (see Figs. 2 and 3) are provided at opposite ends of the design cylinder Hi to prevent seepage of the ink along its shaft 42 into their bearing cartridges at 42' by means of which the shaft is supported in the side frames l3. For that purpose cupshaped housings 43 enclose the shaft at the inner faces of the side frames and are internally ribbed as indicated at 44, these housings having openings in their lower sides for drainage of any ink that may enter. Alternating with the housing ribs id are slinger ribs 46 on the shaft. Any ink tending to flow along the shaft in an outboard direction is thrown outward by the slinger ribs it and drains out of the housings 33 at 45 back into the lower portion of the fountain Hi. The housings 43 are split along their vertical center lines so that the front half may be removed in removing the design cylinder.

The doctor blade i5 is mounted quite independently of the fountain l4 and the latter can in fact be removed bodily without removing or dismantling the doctor. A holder comprising upper and lower clamp plates 4'5, 48 (Figs. 4 and 5) receives the doctor blade with the latter sandwiched between them, the inner side edge of the doctor protruding cantilever fashion a short distance into wiping contact with the cylinder it. The doctor blade itself is customarily made of high grade, thin, resilient steel, its function being to wipe excess ink from the design cylinder so that ink remains only in the cells or intagliations of the latter. Such being the case, the precision maintenance of a selected pressure of the doctor blade against the design cylinder throughout the length of the blade is a matter of critical importance.

In the present instance, the lower clamping plate 38 of the doctor holder is of L-shaped cross-section (see Fig. 5), thus presenting a longitudinally extending shoulder against which the rear edges of the upper clamping plate and doctor blade are firmly abutted. The central portion of the front edge of this lower clamping plate 43 is notched for a distance only a little less than the length of the doctor blade, leaving two end finger portions it projecting forward beneath the ends of the blade 15. The forward edge of the lower clamping plate along the notch in it is tapered away from the blade as indicated at 50. Similarly, the forward edge of the overlying clamping blade ll is tapered away from the edge of the blade as indicated at St. Normally the blade is flexed upward by its pressure against the design cylinder. And even downward fiexure is prevented only at its end portions which are underlaid by the forwardly projecting fingers 49 of the lower clamping plate.

The doctor holder plates 41, 48 are carried on a pair of supporting arms 52, being secured to the latter in a manner which will appear below. These arms are pivoted at 53 on brackets 54 carried by a slide 55. This slide is reciprocable endwise along dovetail guides 55 fashioned on the top of a supporting beam 5'! extending between and carried by the side frames I3 at the rear side of the fountain. A suitable drive mechanism is employed for vibrating or reciprocating the slide 55 and doctor carried by it, including, for example, a connecting rod 53 (Fig. 3) pivoted at one end to the slide and operated by any suitable mechanism, such, for example, as that disclosed in C. S. Crafts Patent No. 2,178,069, issued October 31, 1939.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for rocking the doctor toward and from the cylinder [5 for varying the wiping pressure on the latter. By way of example, a pneumatic actuator Hill has been shown (Figs. 1 and 2) for that purpose. It is carried on a bracket llll fixed to the slide 55 to reciprocate with the latter. The piston rod I02 of the actuator is pivoted to a heavily webbed arm "13 projecting rearwardly from the supporting bracket, later described, for the doctor holder. By admitting air to, or exhausting it from, the actuator the doctor is rocked about pivots 53.

Precision adjustment of the doctor blade l5 with reference to the periphery of the design cylinder Ill is accomplished through mounting the brackets 54 in inclined guides 58 (Figs. 3 and 4) extending transversely on the slide 55. The angle of inclination of these guides parallels the angular position of the doctor blade suited for the mean value of cylinder diameter in the range of such diameters which the mechanism is the doctor blade may be moved bodily toward and from the design cylinder.

The parallelism between the plane of the blade and path of its adjustment toward and from the cylinder, noted above, is of special significance in accomplishing smooth wiping action by the blade. Blade wear or sharpening are likely to result in a blade edge out of true with its longitudinal axis. By'adjusting the screws 59 the blade shown can be shifted in its own plane edges of the front and rear fountain walls 26, 29

and the inner faces of the side frames l3. Substantial closure of such open top, except for an In contrast, if a blade with its edge out of area permitting protrusion of a small portion of the design cylinder to contact the web 12, is necessary for high speed operation. Not only does high rotational speed of the cylinder It throw ink that must be confined but, in addition,

quick drying inks, best suited for high speed work, are highly volatile. The latter factor makes desirable an even more complete closure than required to confine splashing andspraying of the ink.

To effect such closure of the top of the fountain, a multi-part or composite structure is used.

That type of construction is employed not only to aid in disassembly for clearing the design cylinder during removal of the latter but also to accommodate reciprocation of the doctor and its holder. In the illustrated arrangement, the composite closure structure includes a pair of splash guards 6E5 disposed at opposite ends of the design cylinder IQ. These splash guards are generally arcuate in shape, conforming closely to the curvature of the design cylinder periphery and having only a small clearance from it. They overlie the ends of the cylinder and extend out substantially flush with the inner faces of the adjacent side frames it (see Fig. 2). Each splash guard has an outer end wall and is pivoted at' 6| on a boss 62 (see Fig. 1) protruding from the adjacent housing 43 on the rear 'side of the cylinder axis. The splash guards 60 may thus be swung upwardly to clear the cylinder during removal of the latter. Finished surfaces on the splash guards rest on locating bosses 63 on the housings 43 so that the splash guards are accurately positioned for precise clearance of small dimension from the printing cylinder periphery.

On their rear sides the. splash guards 66 have tailpieces 6 (Figs. 2 and 4) projecting downwardly in axially spaced but overlapping relation with the respective ends of the design cylinder l0 and extending laterally from the side frames inward toward the adjacent ends of the design cylinder II). The spacing at S (Fig. 2) between these tailpieces and the ends of the design cylinder is sufficient to permit axial adjustment or side lay of the cylinder. These tailpieces are generally arcuate in shape, having a radius of curvature centered at the mean location of the axis for the doctor pivots 53. The forward nose or edge of the protruding end portions 49 of the lower doctor clamping plate 48 are rounded complementally to the shape of the opposed faces of the tailpieces so as to have but a small clearance from them. This clearance is great enough to accommodate the relatively small changes in doctor position incident to adjustment of pressure. Upon substitution of a design cylinder of different diameter, which occasions a substantial change in doctor position, splash guards of appropriately different dimension, both as to main body portion and tailpiece, are also substituted.

The front portion of the top of the fountain is closed by a closure strip 85 (Figs. 1 and 3) fixed tothe upper edge of the front fountain wall 25 and projecting inwardly toward the design cylinder iii. It is dimensioned to rest on the outer surfaces of the splash guards in direct sealing contact with them but has a small clearance from the design cylinder so that there is no actual contact with the latter. The strip 65 may be made of molded plastic and, like the splash guards, is replaceable for different cylinder diameters.

Turning now to the sealing arrangement at the opposite or rear side of the fountain, it will be perceived that a bracket 66 (see particularly Figs. 4 and 5) is rigid with the forward ends of the supporting arms 52 heretofore identified and extends longitudinally of the doctor, protruding beyond the latters ends. It is against the upper face of this bracket that the doctor holder assembly ll, 38 is pressed by clamping shoes 61 fixed in position by screws 88.

The bracket 66 has a top wall 69 generally rectangular in outline, its front edge being notched or relieved to embrace the design cylinder with sufficient clearance from the ends of the latter to permit bodily reciprocation of the bracket without interference with the cylinder. Since the bracket is supported from the slide 55 as a support for the doctor, the bracket must of course reciprocate with the doctor. Depending :1 from the top wall portion 69 of the bracket 56 is an integral rear wall iii, terminating at its opposite ends in forwardly projecting end walls '51 which are also integral with the top wall portion 69. The end wall portions ll extend forwardly along the ends of the notch in the front edge of the top wall portion 69 and are thus disposed at opposite ends of the cylinder Hi. As best shown in Fig. 4, the noses or front edges of the end wall portions ll are shaped to form continuations of the forwardly projecting fingers G8 on the ends of the lower blade clamping plate id. The top wall portion 69 extends outwardly beyond the end .wall portion ll for a purpose which will appear later.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the bracket '55 is shaped to more or less box-in the space beneath the doctor blade i 5. Consequently ink wiped from the cylinder surface by the doctor blade is confined by the underlying bracket and deflected downward by the wall portions 10 and ii of the latter toward the bottom of the fountain.

Whether the ink so deflected flows back into the pan 32 or down into the shell or sump i5 is of little or no'moment since it is in any event returned eventually for re-application to the cylinder.

The bracket (56 reciprocates bodily since it is borne by the arms 52 on the slide 55 and, in fact, supports the doctor blade itself. For that reason the clearancejbetween theends of the cylinder 7 Hi and the bracket end wall portion H must be sufiicient to allow such reciprocation. Moreover, the ends of the bracket must be spaced suficiently from the opposed inner faces of the side frames l-3to allow reciprocation of the bracket without interference from the frames.

To close the clearance gaps between the op posed inner faces of the side frames l3 and ends of the reciprocating bracket a pair of sealing plates F2 are utilized (see particularly Figs. 3 and 5). Such sealing plates are generally rectangular in outline and have fiat finished top surfaces adapted to underlie a complemental flat finish on the undersides of the projecting ends of the bracket top wall portion 69. The seal plates 12. do not reciprocate and consequently the ends of the bracket slide back and forth over them as the bracket reciprocates. The seal plates 12 are dimensioned to extend from the inner faces of the side frames 13 to. a point sufiiciently far beneath the ends of the bracket top wall portion 69 such that there is some overlap of the latter with reference to the seal plates throughout the full stroke of reciprocation for the bracket.

In order to maintain contact between the seal plates 72 and the overlying ends of the bracket 66 during pivotal adjustment of such bracket, provision is made for pivotally mounting the seal plates. For such purpose the seal plates 72 are made; rigid with the ends of supporting arms i3 (Figs. 1, 3 and 5) which extend up and over the rear fountain. wall. Such arms l3 are carried on pivot pins it fixed in brackets 15 adjustably bolted to inclined pads l5 fixed on the beam 51 at points beyond the ends of the guide By slidably adjusting the brackets 75 along the pads "35 the pivots it can be retained in. alignment with the doctor bracket pivots 53, the angle of inclination for the pads 75 being the same as for the guides 53. The contacting bracket 65* and seal plates T2 are thus rocked or pivoted about aligned centers and hence remain in arcuate face-to-face contact. The arms l3 are urged by compression springs i6 abutting against lugs 1? on the arms to swing upward in a direction to retain the seal plates '52 against the bottom faces of the bracket end portions. Swinging motion of the arm 73 in such direction is limited by adjustable stop pins 18' threaded in lugs E9 on the arms.

It is to be observed that although the springs 16 cause the seal plates 12 to exert an upward pressure on the bracket 66, and hence tend to lift the doctor blade E5, the pressure is applied in such a way that no distortion of the doctor blade itself results. applied between members 72 and 69, both of which are of more or less massive, rigid form as compared to a thin flexible sheet metal blade. Consequently there is no possibility of distorting the members 72 and 69 as contrasted with the distortion of the doctor blade which results in In other words, the pressure is the event that pressure is applied directly to the a doctor blade itself. The space between the ends of the doctor and adjacent inner faces of the side frames is thus effectually sealed without in any way impairing the operation of the doctor blade itself.

Provision is also made for preventing the escape of ink in an upward directionbehind the doctor supporting bracket 66. For that purpose the upper section 29 of the fountain wall is carried upward behind the depending rear wall portion 10 of the bracket 66. These two overlying walls 29 and 10 thus coact to bafile the escape. of ink over the rear fountain wallin all 2 positions of pivotal adjustment of the bracket about the pivots 53.

If desired, even more complete closure may be elfected by a resilient rubber sealing strip (Fig. 4) on the upper edge of the rear fountain wall. As indicated, this strip may, for example, be fashioned as a longitudinally slit tube snapped over the inturned lip or edge of the wall and disposed to bear against the rear and bottom faces of the bracket is and the rear faces of the seal plates 12. Since the fountain wall extends from side frame to side frame, closure is complete between these frames.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there is substantially a total enclosure of the fountain l4 and design cylinder H3, except for the top portion of the latter, between the doctor blade I5 and offside seal strip fid. With such a complete" enclosure, only a negligible amount of volatilized constituents of the much less any droplets of the ink itself, can escape even when the cylin' der is run at extremely high speeds. The p'osi-" tion of the doctor blade it and its pressure may be' adjusted at will without affecting the integrity of the seal. Moreover, the sealing is maintained despite the normal reciprocation of the doctor incident to operation of the press.

By way of recapitulation it will be observed upon reference to Fig. 3, for example, that there" a closure structure forthe top" of the fountain I d which has a rectangular opening in it through which the top of the cylinder It is exposed; The front and end portions of this cover'st'ruc' tureare constituted by the front seal plate 65' and end splash guards 6-0 which remain stationary during operation. The rear portion of the cover structure, constituted by the bracket 66, doctor blade itself, and seal plates T2, rises and falls, however, course of rocking the bracket about pivots 53 in adjusting the doctor blade pressure. Whatever the rise and fall of the movable cover portion 66*, i5, T2 may be; however, integrity of sealing is maintained. Thus the tailpieces M on the guards 60 retain closed what would otherwise be gaps there upon lowering of thebracketand seal plates below the ends of the uards. {-Xnd similarly, the rear wall T0 on the bracket 66 remains overlapped with the rear fountain wall 29 throughout riseand fall adjustment of the'bracket.

To remove the design cylinder 1'9 the fountain can be opened by swinging the front wall 26 downwardly and outward about its pivot 28. The splash guards 69 and ink pan 32 are swung away from each other more or less in the manner of the opening of a pair of jaws, so that the fountain is freed from the cylinder for" the latters removal. Wedge blocks (not shown) in the side frame to which the front halves of the housings it are secured, are also removed infreeing the cylinder for removal. Since the fountain M is structurally independent of the supporting arrangement for the doctor blade l5, the fountain can be bodily removed from between thepress frames without dismantling or disturbingthe doctor.

A modified forrh of inking mechanism for a rotogravure printing press embodying the present invention is shown in Figs. 6 to 9. The general layout issimilar to that employed in Figs. 1 to-5'; The arrangement is; however, somewhat simplified.- although as a consequence of this structuralsimplification the closure-of the fountain'is-not as complete in all respects as in Figs. 1 to 5: (Consequently, the arrangement shown in Figs. 6 to 9 should more properly be termed a semi-enclosed fountain as distinguished from the enclosed type of Figs. 1 to 5.

Generally stated, the arrangement of Figs. 6 to 9 differs from that of Figs. 1 to 5 primarily in that the seal plates '12 are omitted and the space left open between the ends of the doctor supporting bracket and the opposed inner faces of the side frames. Moreover, the doctor supporting bracket is, in effect, made in two parts rather than one in that the depending rear and end walls are constituted by a separate piece rather than being integral with the body of the bracket as in Figs. 1 to 5.

In view of the close similarity of the structures noted, the same reference numerals have been applied to identical parts in the installation of Figs. 6 to 9 as in that of Figs. 1 to 5 and repetition of description for them is unnecessary. Those parts which have been modified in form are indicated by the same reference numeral plus the letter a.

Upon reference to Figs. 6 to 9, it will be seen that the doctor supporting bracket tea is generally L-shaped in cross section and in this instance has a straight front edge rather than being notched as in the case of the previously described bracket 66. Rigid with the bracket 66a is a guard 55b which, although formed as a structurally separate piece, constitutes a part of the bracket.

The guard 661) has a top wall 69a, a rear wall Illa, and end walls Ila, corresponding, respec tively, to the top, rear and end wall portions 69,

ill and H of the bracket 66 heretofore described.

The rear wall Ella is, in the present instance, curved with the axis through the pivots 53 as substantially the center of the radius of curvature.

The end walls Ha of the guard 6% rise alongside the end of the lower clamping plate 48a for the doctor blade [5 (see Fig. 9). The projecting finger portions 49 of the corresponding clamping plate 58 in Figs. 1 to 5 are accordingly omitted. The ends of the doctor blade itself project out beyond the plates 41, 48a in position to be gripped conveniently in stretching the blade fiat upon its insertion in the clamp plates. The front edges of the guard end walls Ha are curved in conformity with the curvature of the tailpieces 54 on the splash guards Ma (Fig. 8) so as to remain closely adjacent the latter during tilting adjustment of the doctor bracket about the pivots 53. The splash guards 69a are substantially identical with the previously described guards at except that their outer ends are spaced a small distance from the inner faces of the side frames (Fig. 7) rather than being flush.

In the arrangement of Figs. 6 to 9 the guard 66!), being rigid with the doctor supporting bracket 65a, reciprocates bodily withit. The uard 66b boxes-in the space beneath the doctor blade, thereby effectively confining ink in such area against escape. The splash guards bile and offside sealing strip 55 close the ends and offside of the fountain as before. Consequently the top of the fountain is effectually closed except at the clearance space between ends of the guard iiiib and inner faces of the side frames 63. Such space is, however, in an area where there is a minimum tendency for ink to escape and consequently speeds of operation are possible which at least approach those of the totally enclosed arrangement of Figs. 1 to 5 even though not equalling them;

10 We claim as our invention: 1. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its front and rear walls rising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a supporting bracket for said doctor blade including a top wall underlying the doctor as well as a depending rear wall positioned to overlap in. closely spaced relation the upper portion of the adjacent rear wall of said fountain, both said top and rear bracket walls extending imperforately for substantially the full length of the doctor, and means supporting said bracket from a point exterior of the fountain for endwise bodily reciprocation. v

2. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its front and rear walls rising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a supporting bracket for said doctor blade including a top wall underlying the doctor as well as a depending rear wall positioned to overlap in closely spaced relation the upper portion of the adjacent rear wall of said fountain, both said top and rear bracket walls extending imperforately for substantially the full length of the doctor, a slide, means supporting said slide exteriorly of said fountain on the side of the latter adjacent said doctor for reciprocation of the slide in parallelism with the cylinder, and means including a supporting arm carried by said slide and overhanging the adjacent fountain wall for supporting said bracket for rocking motion toward and from the cylinder.

3. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its front and rear walls rising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a supporting bracket for said doctor adapted to box-in the space beneath the latter and including a top wall as well as depending rear and end walls, means for releasably fixing said doctor to said top wall, said depending rear wall being disposed in overlapping relation with the adjacent rear wall of the fountain, means supporting said bracket from a point exterior of the fountain for endwise bodily reciprocation, and said bracket end walls being spaced outwardly from the ends of said cylinder sufficiently to clear the latter during reciprocation of said bracket.

4. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its side walls rising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a slide supported for endwise reciprocation exteriorly of the rear fountain side wall and in parallelism with the cylinder axis, an arm pivoted on said slide to rock about a horizontal axis and disposed to project inward over said rear fountain wall, a supporting bracket for said doctor rigid with said arm and including a top wall inclined downward- 1y toward the cylinder and adapted for attachment of the doctor thereto, said bracket also including depending rear and end walls rigid with said top wall, said end walls projecting forwardly to partially overlap the ends of the cylinder and being offset endwise from the latter to afford clearance for reciprocation of said slide without interference with the cylinder, and said rear wall of said bracket being disposed in overlapping relation with the rear wall of the fountain for coaction therewith in bafiling the escape of ink over said fountain wall in all positions of pivotal adjustment of said bracket by movement of said pivoted arm.

5. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain adapted to be located beneath the cylinder with its side walls rising on either side of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a slide supported for endwise reciprocation exteriorly of the rear fountain side wall and in parallelism with the cylinder axis, an arm pivoted on said slide to rock about a horizontal. axis and disposed to project inward over said rear fountain wall, a supporting bracket for said doctor rigid with said arm and including a top wall inclined downwardly toward the cylinder and adapted for attachment of the doctor thereto, said bracket also including depending rear and end walls rigid with said top wall, said end walls projecting forwardly to partially overlap the ends of the cylinder and being offset endwise from the latter to afford clearance for reciprocation of said slide without interference with the cylinder, and said rear wall of said bracket being disposed in overlapping relation with the rear wall of the fountain for coaction therewith in baflling the escape of ink over said fountain wall in all positions of pivotal adjustment of said bracket by movement of said pivoted arm, said rear wall of said fountain having an upper section hinged to swing inwardly toward the cylinder and adjustable means for retaining said hinged wall section in close proximity with saidv rear wall of said bracket 6. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a fountain adapted tobe located beneath the cylinder and having a rear wall dimensioned to rise alongside the same in spaced relation to it, a pair of splash guards arcuately contoured to overlie in closely spaced relation the tops of the cylinder end portions and projecting outwardly therefrom axially of the cylinder, a doctor blade, a bracket adapted to support said blade in wiping contact with the rear side of the cylinder and dimensioned to ex.- tend from beneath the doctor rearwardly to said rear fountain wall to substantially close the gap between such wall and the: blade, a slide reciprocable in parallelism with the cylinder axis, means supporting said bracket on said. slide to reciprocate therewith and for. adjusting movement about a pivotal axis paralleling the cylinder axis, and said splash guards having depending tailpieces thereon opposed. to the front edges of the. end portions of said bracket and curved along radii centered substantially on said pivotal axis, said depending tailpieces projecting downwardly inaxially spaced but overlapping relation with the respective ends of the design cylinder.

7. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intagho printing press having a printing couple including design and impression cylinders, the combination of a doctor blade, a reciprocable supporting bracket for positioning said blade to extend. along. the design. cylinder in wiping con.- tact with it, said bracket. projecting: beyond the ends of saidblade, means. supporting said bracket for adjustment about av ivotal axis, a pair of splash guards arcuately contoured to overlie and closely embrace the tops of the end portions of the design cylinder, said guards extending circumferentially of the design cylinder from a point adjacent the line of contact of said doctor blade with such cylinder to a point beyond the bite of the design cylinder with the coacting impression cylinder, said guards also having depending portions opposed in closely spaced relation to the ends of said bracket and curved with a radius of curvature centered substantially at said pivotal axis, said depending portions extending in axially spaced but overlapping relation with the respective ends of the design cylinder.

8. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain dimensioned to underlie the cylinder with front and rear walls rising on either side of the cylinder in spaced relation thereto, a cover structure for the top of said fountain having a rectangular open center through which the top of the cylinder is exposed, said opening being bordered on the front side and ends by Stationary portions of said cover structure which substantially close the top of said fountain along the front and ends of said cylinder, the rear side of said opening being bordered by a portion of said cover structure which is structurally separate from the first-mentioned portions, a doctor blade carried by said separate portion and coacting therewith in substantially closing the gap between the cylinder and rear Wall of the fountain, means adjustably supporting said separate portion for rise and fall of the same to vary the wiping pressure of said doctor blade on the cylinder, and a depending rear Wall on said separate portion of said cover structure disposed in closely adjacent overlapping relation with said rear wall of the fountain and dimensioned to remain in overlapping relation therewith throughout the range of rise and fall adjustment of said sep arate portion.

9'. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain dimensioned to underlie the cylinder with front and rear walls rising on either side of the cylinder in spaced relation thereto, a cover structure for the top of said fountain having a rectangular open center through which the top of the cylinder is exposed, said opening being of lesser length and width than the cylinder, said opening being bordered on the front side and ends by stationary portions of said cover structure which substantially close the top of said fountain along the front and ends of said cylinder, the end portions of said cover structure being arcuately contoured to extend over the tops of the cylinder ends in closely spaced relation, the rear side of said opening being bordered by a portion of said cover structure which is structurally separate from the first-mentioned portions, a doctor blade carried by said separate portion and coacting therewith in substantially closing the gap between the cylinder and rear wall of the fountain, means adjustably supporting said separate portion for rise and fall of the same to vary the wiping pressure of said doctor blade on the cylinder, and said arcuately contoured portions of the cover structure having depending tail pieces thereon presented to the forward edge of said separate cover portion throughout the range of rise and fall of the latter.

10. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain dimensioned to underlie the cylinder with front and rear walls rising on either side of the cylinder in spaced relation thereto, a cover structure for the top of said fountain having a rectangular open center through which the top of the cylinder is exposed, said opening being bordered on the front side and ends by stationary portions of said cover structure which substantially close the top of said fountain along the front and ends of said cylinder, the rear side of said opening being bordered by a portion of said cover structure which is structurally separate from the first-mentioned portions, a doctor blade carried by said separate portion and coacting therewith in substantially closing the gap between the cylinder and rear wall of the fountain, means adjustably supporting said separate portion for rise and fall of the same to vary the wiping pressure of said doctor blade on the cylinder, and generally vertically disposed barriers carried by at least one of said cover structure portions and in position to close the gaps between the opposed portions of said stationary and separate cover portions otherwise appearing as an incident to rise and fall adjustment of said separate portion.

11'. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain dimensioned to underlie the cylinder with front and rear walls rising on either side of the cylinder in spaced relation thereto, a cover structure for the top of said fountain having a rectangular open center through which the top of the cylinder is exposed, said opening being bordered on the front side by a plate element of said cover structure fixed to the front wall of the fountain and projecting inwardly into closely spaced relation with the cylinder to substantially close the top of said fountain along the front of said cylinder, the ends of said opening being bordered by splash guard elements of said cover structure arcuately contoured to overlie the tops of the cylinder end portions in closely spaced relation, the rear side of said opening being bordered by a portion of said cover structure which is structurally separate from the previously mentioned elements, a doctor blade carried by said separate portion and coacting therewith in substantially closing the gap between the cylinder and rear wall of the fountain, means adjustably supporting said separate portion for rise and fall of the same to vary the wiping pressure of said doctor blade on the cylinder, said splash guards having depending tailpieces on their rear ends presented to the adjacent parts of said separate cover portion throughout the range of rise and fall of the latter, and a depending rear wall on said separate portion of said cover structure disposed in closely adjacent overlapping relation with the rear fountain wall.

1'2. In aninking mechanism for a rotary intaglio design cylinder, the combination with a doctor supporting bracket adapted to extend along one side of the cylinder and pivoted for adjustable swing about an axis generally paralleling that of the cylinder, of guards overlying the tops of the cylinder ends and having portions extending downwardly in front of the ends of said bracket, the latter having depending end walls thereon with their forward edges closely spaced from said downwardly extending portions of said 14 guards, and both the latter portions of said guards and said edges of said bracket end Walls opposed thereto being curved with radii of curvature centered substantially upon said axis of pivotal adjustment, said downwardly extending portions of said guards lying in overlapping but axially spaced relation with the respective ends of the design cylinder.

13. In an inking mechanism for a rotary in-' taglio design cylinder journaled between a pair of press side frames, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain positioned beneath the cylinder and having an upstanding rear wall rising in spaced relation with the cylinder to a level adjacent the top of the latter, a doctor blade extending longitudinally of the cylinder in edge contact with it, a supporting bracket for said doctor having a top wall dimensioned to extend beyond the ends thereof and rearwardly from the doctor into proximity with the upper edge of said rear fountain. wall, said bracket also having a depending rear wall overlapping said rear fountain wall in closely spaced relation to it, means for reciprocating said doctor and its supporting bracket endwise, said doctor and bracket being of lesser length than the spacing between the side frames to afford end clearance for reciprocation,

and seal plates projecting inwardly from respective ones of said side frames in overlapping relation with said carrier to substantially close the clearance gaps between the ends of said carrier and the side frames.

14. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio design cylinder journaled between a pair of press side frames, the combination of a generally trough shaped fountain positioned beneath the cylinder and having an upstanding rear wall rising in spaced relation with the cylinder to a level adjacent the top of the latter, a doctor blade extending longitudinally of the cylinder in edge contact with it, an imperforate carrier for said doctor dimensioned to extend substantially the full length thereof and outwardly from the doctor into proximity with the upper edge of said rear wall, to thereby coact with the doctor in closing the gap between the cylinder and said rear wall, means for reciprocating said doctor and its carrier endwise, said doctor and carrier being of lesser length than the spacing between the side frames to afford end clearance for reciprocation, and fiat finished seal plates projecting inwardly from respective ones of said side frames in overlapping relation with the end portions of said carrier to substantially close the clearance gaps between the ends of said carrier and the side frames, the end portions of said carrier having fiat finished sealing surfaces complemental to said flat finished seal plates.

i 15. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design jcylinder journaled between a pair of opposed press side frames, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positioned beneath. the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain rising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a doctor blade and supporting bracket therefor positioned to overlie the space between the cylinder and said rear wall of said fountain, said bracket presenting longitudinally extending flat finished surfaces on its end portions, non-reciprocatory sealing plates having fiat surfaces thereon slidably contacting said surfaces on said bracket, said sealing plates being dimensioned to extend inwardly from points adjacent the inner faces of the side frames into sufficient overlap with said bracket to remain in overlapping relation with the latter throughout the range of reciprocatory movement of said bracket, and means pivotallyi supporting both said bracket and said sealing plates for rocking adjusting motion about substantially aligned axes in an up and down direction.

16. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder journaled between a pair of opposed press side frames, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain rising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a doctor blade and supporting bracket therefor positioned to overlie the space between the cylinder and said rear wall of said fountain, said bracket presenting flat finished surfaces projecting longitudinally from its end portions, non-reciprocatory sealing plates having complemental flat finished surfaces there on slidably contacting said surfaces on said bracket, said sealing plates being dimensioned to extend inwardly from points adjacent the inner faces of said press side frames into sufficient overlap with said bracket to remain in overlapping relation with the latter throughout the range of reciprocatory movement of said bracket, and means for yieldably retaining said sealing plates constantly in sliding contact with said bracket.

17. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder journaled between a pair of opposed press side frames, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain rising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a doctor blade and sup porting bracket therefor positioned to overlie the space between the cylinder and said rear wall of said fountain, said doctor blade being in wiping contact with the cylinder and extending outward with reference to the latter, said bracket presenting longitudinally extending flat finished surfaces on its end portions, non-reciprocatory sealing plates having flat surfaces thereon slidably contacting said surfaces on said bracket, said sealing plates being dimensioned to extend inwardly from points adjacent the inner faces of the side frames into sufficient overlap with said bracket to remain in overlapping relation with the latter throughout the range of reciprocatory movement of said bracket, means pivotally supporting both said bracket and said sealing plates for rocking adjusting motion about substantially aligned axes in an up and down direction, and means for adjusting said pivots in a plane paralleling that of said blade.

18. In an inking mechanism for a rotary in taglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder journaled between a pair of opposed press side frames, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain rising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a doctor blade and supporting bracket therefor positioned to overlie the space between the cylinder and said rear wall of said fountain, said bracket presenting longitudinally extending flat finished surfaces on its end portions, non-reciprocatory sealing plates having flat surfaces thereon slidably contacting said sur faces on said bracket, said sealing plates being dimensioned to extend inwardly from points adjacent the inner faces of the side frames into sufficient overlap with said bracket to remain in overlapping relation with the latter throughout the range of reciprocatory movement of said bracket, means pivotaliy supporting both said bracket and said sealing plate; for rocking adjusting motion about substantially aligned axes in an up and down direction, a pair of splash guards arcuately contoured to overlie in closely spaced relation the tops of the end portions of the cylinder, and said splash guards having depending tailpieces thereon presented to the front edges of said sealing plates and end portions of said bracket, said tailpieces being generally arouate in shape with radii of curvature centered on said pivotal axes.

19. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of an ink fountain adapted to be positioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall on the fountain rising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a supporting bracket with a doctor holder thereon carrying a' doctor blade, said holder including upper and lower clamping plates with the doctor blade sandwiched therebetween, said lower plate having its front edge notched beneath a'major portion of the length of the blade and having finger portions projecting forwardly beyond the side edge of the blade at its ends, a pair of splash guards overlying the tops of the end portions of the cylinder, means for rockably adjusting said bracket about a pivotal axis generally paralleling the cylinder axis, and depending tailpieces on said splash guards presented to the noses of said fingers and curved substantially about said pivotal axis as a center.

20. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a fountain adapted to be positioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall of the fountain rising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a supporting bracket with a doctor holder thereon carrying a doctor blade, a depending rear guard wall on said bracket overlapping the upper portion of said rear fountain wall, means supporting said doctor mechanism for pivotal adjusting movement about an axis generally paralleling that of the cylinder and lying outside said fountain at the rear thereof, and said guard well being curved with a radius of curvature centered substantially upon said axis.

21. In an inking mechanism for a rotary intaglio printing press'having a rotatable design cylinder, the combination of a fountain adapted to be positioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall of the fountain rising alongside the cylinder, a reciprocable doctor mechanism including a supporting bracket with a doctor holder thereon carrying a doctor brade, a depending rear guard wall on said bracket overlapping the upper portion of said rear fountain wall, said bracket also having depending end guard walls thereon projecting forwardly in overlapping relation with the ends of the cylinder, splash guards overlying the tops of the cylinder end portions and having tailpieces thereon projecting down in front of the forward edges of said end guard walls, means supporting said doctor mechanism for pivotal adjusting movement about an axis generally paralleling that of the cylinder and lying outside said fountain at the rear thereof, and said rear guard wall, tailpieces and front edges of said guard end walls all being curved with radii of curvature centered substantially upon said axis.

cylinder, the combination of a fountain adapted to be positioned beneath the cylinder with the rear wall of the fountain rising alongside the cylinder, a'reciprocable doctor mechanism ineluding a supporting bracket with a doctor holder thereon carrying a doctor blade, a depending rear guard wall on said bracket overlapping the upper portion of said rear fountain wall, said bracket also having end guard Walls thereon projecting forward from said rear guard wall and rising to a level closely beneath the plane of said blade, and said blade having end portions projecting outward beyond the ends of said holder above 18 said end guard walls in position to be gripped for stretching the blade.

CURTIS S. CRAFTS. EMORY W. WORTHINGTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

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