US2948217A

US2948217A - Ink fountain

Info

Publication number: US2948217A
Application number: US707904A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edgar C Witt
Original assignee: Diamond National Corp
Current assignee: Diamond National Corp
Priority date: 1958-01-09
Filing date: 1958-01-09
Publication date: 1960-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 1977-08-09

Description

Aug. 9, 1960 E.' c. WITT 2,948,217

INK FOUNTAIN Filed Jan. 9, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l (Amp U TCBUQS INVENTOR ATTORNEY 2,948,217 Patented Aug. 9, 1960 INK FOUNTAIN "Edgar C. Witt, Granby, Mass., assignor to Diamond National Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 9, 1958, Ser. No. 707,904

6 Claims. (Cl. 101-364) ticularly to an ink supply fountain for rotary printing 7 machines. I Rotary printing machines employed for imprinting upon the surfaces of a procession of articles, such as a plurality of molded pulp egg cartons being advanced in succession along a conveyor, require a steady supply of ink fed at a uniform, controlled rate. For this purpose it is desirable to provide an ink supply fountain which can be quickly detached from the machine to facilitate cleaning and changing of the color of the ink. It is also important for the fountain to possess a leakproof construction.

Anobject of the present invention is to provide a new and improved ink supply fountain for rotary printing machines.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and 1 improved ink fountain for rotary printing machines which is quickly detachable therefrom and possesses ,a leakproof construction. H V Another important object of the invention is to provide new and improved ink supply fountains for rotary print: ing machines employed for imprinting upon the top and the side surfaces of a procession of molded pulp egg cartons being advanced in succession along a conveyor. 7

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the. following description taken in conjunction With the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of an ink supply fountain embodying the invention; a a p Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of thefountain.shown inFig, 1;. v 1

Fig. 3 is a plan elevation view of the fountain 'illus-' tratedinFigs.1and2; f Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4- -4 of Fig.1;

Fig. 5 is a plan elevation view of an ink supply fountain constituting a second embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation view of the fountainshown in Fig. 5.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 is particularly adapted for use on vertically disposed rotary printersforimprinting on the top surfaces of a procession of articles, while the embodiment shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is designed for use on printers disposed horizontally or at an inclination th'eretofor im printing on the side surfaces of sucharticles. Such top printers and side printers may be associated in tandem for printing successively upon the tops and the sides of each of a plurality of articles being advanced in succession along a conveyor. A combined top. and sideprinting machine of this type, which is particularly suitable for printing on molded pulp egg cartons, is disclosed and claimed in copending application Serial No. 777,782, field December 2, 1958, by Irvin L. Young, and titled Printing Machine. I;

In the first embodiment of the invention, illustrated in 2 Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, a generally rectangular opentopped trough 10 functions as an ink reservoir for a vertically disposed printing machine, of which only a vertical plate 12 forming a portion thereof is shown in Fig. 2. The trough 10 is provided with a pair of vertical side walls 14 which merge at one end of the trough into a single integral end wall 15. The opposite end of the trough 10 is not provided with a permanent end wall,

however, this open end is normally closed by a large roller '16 disposed horizontally with respect to said side walls. A flat bottom portion 18 of the trough 10 slopes gradually downwardly from the end wall 15 to the roller 16, as shown in Fig. 1, so that any ink contained in the trough 10 tends to flow by gravity towards the roller 16. A series of transfer rolls (not shown) transmit the ink from the roller 16 to the printing elements of the machine.

The trough 10 is pivotally mounted on the printing machine, but it is normally prevented from tilting to any substantial degree about its pivot point. A transversely elongated lug 20 projecting downwardly from the bottom portion 18 is provided at its lower end with a cylindrical bushing 22 which is adapted to fit over and loosely slidingly engage the outer end of a horizontal shaft 24 projecting outwardly from and secured to the vertical plate portion 12 of the printing machine, which shaft functions asrthe pivot point for the trough 10. The roller 16 is secured by a key 26 to a driven shaft 28 which projects horizontally from the plate 12 parallel to and spaced from the, shaft 24-. The side walls 14 of the trough 10 are each provided with anarcuate cutout portion 30 having a curvature corresponding to that of the roller 16, and adapted to fit tightly thereagainst to prevent leakage of ink past said side walls when the fountain is operatively positioned. The pivotal mounting of the trough 10, and the loose fitting engagement of bushing 22 on the shaft 24, enables the arcuate portions 30 of the side walls 14 to center themselves properly against the roller 16, thereby forming a tight liquid seal therebetween. Furthermore, the rotation of the roller 16,v which may have. a hardened steel surface, inevitably results in some wear, which. constantly tends to improve the liquid seal. 7 The roller 16 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, and in doing so ink is picked up on its periphery as it advances downwardly through the ink supply contained in the trough 10. It should be observed that the diameter of the roller 16 is sutficiently large and this roller is so positioned against the arcuate cutout portions 30 in the open end of the trough 10, that the roller 16 extends from the bottom of the trough 10 nearly to the top thereof, thereby enabling it to dam up a substantial quantity of ink withinv the trough. Above the cutout portions 30 the side walls 14 terminate in beveled ends 32.

A plate 34 removably secured by a lurality of bolts 36 to the inside of the bottom portion 18 of the trough 10, and having one end thereof spaced closely to the surface of the roller 16, serves as a doctor blade therefor. The plate 34 covers substantially the entire area of the bottom of thetrough 10, which renders it easier to clean any dirt or other deposits therefrom. The opposite side edges of the plate 34 are elevated slightly as they approach the roller 16, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, for the purpose of directing the ink flow inwardly from the ends of the roller 16. The spacing between the roller 16 and the adjacent edge of the plate 34 is accurately adjustable by means of a plurality of spring loaded bolts 38 which threadedly extend through the lug 20 into engagement with the bottom of the plate 34 at an acute angle thereto near the doctoring edge thereof.

Thet'rough 10 is detachably locked into its operative position against the roller 16 by means of a handle mech-. anism, indicated generally at 40. The handle 40 includes a pair of side arms 42 having one end thereof journalled on the shaft 28 on opposite sides of the trough l0, and having their opposite end connected by a tie bar 44. A collar 46 secured to the outer end of the shaft 28 retains the arms 4-2 and the roller 16 thereon. The side arms 42 are eachv provided with a downwardly projecting barrel &8 housing a spring loaded detent plunger 50 which is adapted to engage a socket 52 formed in a block 54. Two of the blocks 54 are secured to opposite sides of the trough it? on the outside of the side walls 14 thereof by a plurality of bolts 56.

The handle 46 is readily movable from its locking position, shown in full lines in Fig. l, to its releasing position, shown in dotted lines therein, merely by manually grasping the handle 48 and pivoting it about the shaft 28, which action requires only moderate pressure to slide the detent plungers an out of the sockets 52. With the handle as in its releasing position, the entire trough may be detached from the printing machine by tilting it slightly away from the roller 16, and then pulling it transversely away from the plate 112 to disengage the bushing 22 from the shaft 24.

The second embodiment of the invention, shown in Figs. 5 and 6, includes a generally trapezoidal opentopped trough 66 serving as an ink reservoir for a printing machine, of which only a plate 62 is shown in'Fig. 6, and which is intended to be disposed at an angle of about 30 to horizontal, as indicated by a dotted horizontal reference line therebelow. The trough 66 is provided with a sloped bottom and a pair of side walls 64 which merge at one end of the trough into an integral end wall 66 disposed perpendicularly to the side walls 64. At the other end of the trough 60 an inclined end wall 63 is joined to one of the side walls 64. Between the other side wall 64 and the inclined end wall 68 no permanent wall is provided, but the tops of these walls are joined by a web 69 and the open portion of the trough 60 below the web 6% is normally closed by a large roller 70, which corresponds to the roller 16 described in the first embodiment of the invention. The roller 76 is disposed vertically with respect to the side and end walls of the trough 6i), and this roller is mounted on a driven shaft 72 journalled in the plate 62. Any ink contained in the trough 66 tends to flow by gravity towards the roller 70, from which it is carried by a series of transfer rolls (not shown) to the printing elements of the machine.

An eccentric bushing 76 mounted rotatably within a lug 78 projecting from the end wall 68 fits over and loosely slidingly engages the outer end of a shaft 80 projecting from the plate 62 parallel to and spaced from the shaft 72, thereby providing a pivotal mounting for the trough 60. The bushing 76 is adjustably secured within the lug 73 by a set screw 81, and an exterior hexagonal head 82 formed on the bushing 76 enables its position to be adjusted rotatably when the set screw 81 is released, thereby providing an adjustment for the position of the entire trough 6% with respect to the roller 70. An arcuate cutout portion 83 formed in the web 69 and in the bottom between the side and end walls of the trough 60 possesses a curvature corresponding to that of the roller 76 and is adapted to fit tightly thereagainst to prevent leakage of ink. These elements create and maintain a liquid seal in the same manner described for the first embodiment of the invention.

A plate 84 serving as a doctor blade is secured to the end wall 68 by a plurality of bolts 86, and one end of the plate 84 is spaced closely to the surface of the roller 70. A plurality of spring-loaded bolts 68 extend through the lug 78 and engage the doctoring end of the plate 84 at an acute angle thereto for adjusting the spacing between said plate and the surface of the roller 74 A simple latch is provided for releasably securing the trough 60 on the plate 62 and properly positioned against the roller 76, said latch comprising a spiral spring 9% having a hook 92 at one end thereof adapted to engage a stud 94 mounted on the plate 62, the other end of said spring being secured to the end Wall 66 of the trough 60.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An ink fountain for rotary printing machines, comprising an open-topped trough having peripheral side and end walls and having an opening formed near the bottom of one end thereof, said opening extending between one end wall and one side wall thereof, a web defining one side of the opening and connecting the trough walls between which the opening extends, said opening having arcuate sides formed in the web and in the bottom of the trough, a roller mounted vertically adjacent to the trough and adapted to fit into said opening in sealing contact with the arcuate sides thereof but permitting feeding of ink from the bottom thereof upon rotation of the roller, said trough being removably pivotally mounted for movement toward and away from the roller for adjusting the position of the trough with respect to the roller to maintain said sealing contact, and a quickly releasable spring connected latch for detachably locking the trough yieldably in operative position against the roller.

2. The ink fountain defined by claim 1, wherein the latch comprises a stud mounted near the trough, and a hook yieldably connected by a spring to the trough and adapted to engage the stud.

3. The ink fountaindefined by claim 1, wherein the pivotal support for the trough comprises a shaft mounted parallel to and spaced from the roller, and an eccentric bushing mounted rotatably on the trough, said bushing being adapted to fit over and loosely slidingly engage said shaft.

4. An ink fountain for rotary printing machines, comprising an open-topped trough having peripheral side and end walls and having a transverse opening extending across the trough at one end thereof, said opening including arcuate cutouts formed in opposite side walls of the trough, a roller mounted adjacent to the trough and adapted to fit into said opening in sealing contact with the arcuate sides thereof but permitting feeding of ink therefrom upon rotation of the roller, said trough being removably pivotally mounted in loose sliding engage ment upon a fixed shaft disposed parallel to and spaced from the roller, and yieldable connection means for detachably holding the trough against the roller, including a quickly releasable spring connected catch for urging the trough against the roller.

5. An ink fountain for rotary printing machines, comprising an open-topped trough having peripheral side and end walls and having a transverse opening extending across the bottom of the trough at one end thereof, said opening including arcuate cutouts formed in opposite side walls of the trough, an ink-feed roller mounted horizontally adjacent to the trough and adapted to fit into said opening in sealing contact with the arcuate sides thereof but permitting feeding of ink from the bottom thereof upon rotation of the roller, a cylindrical bushing secured to the trough and adapted to fit slidably onto a fixed shaft mounted parallel to and spaced from the roller for removably pivotally mounting the trough adjacent to said roller, and a latch for detachably locking the trough against the roller, including a handle bar mounted pivotally with respect to the roller, a plurality of springloaded detent plungers mounted on the handle bar, and a plurality of sockets provided on the trough for quickly releasably engaging said plungers.

6. An ink fountain for rotary printing machines, comprising an open-topped trough having peripheral side and end walls and having a transverse opening extending across the bottom of the trough at one end thereof, said '5 openingincludin'g arcuate cutouts formed in opposite side walls of the trough, an ink-feed roller mounted horizontally on a shaft adjacent to the trough, said roller being carried on the bar, and a plurality of sockets mounted on the trough for quickly releasably engaging said plungers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 258,290 Gage May 23, 1882 8 28,760 Mercer Aug. 14, 1906 992,690 Rolle May 16, 1911 2,451,634 Ranger Oct. 19, 1948 2,514,556 Peyreb-rune et al. July 11, 1950