US2962963A

US2962963A - Printer's proof press

Info

Publication number: US2962963A
Application number: US549247A
Authority: US
Inventors: Barney Freeman
Original assignee: Challenge Machinery Co
Current assignee: Challenge Machinery Co
Priority date: 1955-11-28
Filing date: 1955-11-28
Publication date: 1960-12-06
Anticipated expiration: 1977-12-06

Description

Dec. 6, 1960 Filed Nov. 28, 1955 F. BARNEY PRINTERS PROOF PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 mm W5 BL uhan;

(\Yfornq Dec. 6, 1960 F. BARNEY PRINTERS PROOF PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 28, 1955 o w NU O G O M\ o U Q a m Dec. 6, 1960 F. BARNEY PRINTERS PROOF PRESS 5 Sheets-$heet 5 Filed Nov. 28, 1955 E0 om & w Y Z 3 8 e 0 Y en zo |v lq m m fl Ynuwfor FrecmqnBomneg I B?) llmndmdm 2,962,963 PRINTERS PROOF PRESS Filed Nov. 28, 1955, Ser. No. 549,247 s Claims. (Cl.101284) This invention relates to a printers proof press which is for the purpose of printing proof sheets from type in small numbers, usually to determine the accuracy of the type set up before it is used to print copies in large numbers. I

The press comprises generally a frame on which is mounted a reciprocal bed which carries the type and a cylinder to which the paper is gripped. The cylinder and bed are geared together so that rotation of the cylinder causes reciprocation of the bed at the same peripheral speed of the bed.

The cylinder has two positions in one of which it is raised above the type on the bed and does not cause a printing impression of the type against the paper. The movement of the cylinder and bed with the cylinder raised is usually used to ink the type.

The other position of the cylinder is the impression position in which the cylinder is lowered so that it will press the paper against the type and make the print as the cylinder is rotated and the bed reciprocated. The rotation of the cylinder is usually made by a hand crank fixed to the cylinder shaft.

For simplicity in this description the movements of the cylinder and bed with the cylinder raised out of printing position will be called the OE stroke and the movements of these parts with the cylinder lowered to impression position will be called the on stroke.

The objects of this invention are to provide novel means for quickly and automatically changing the position of the cylinder from off to on at the beginning of each respective stroke and to provide means for raising the cylinder to off position at any part of the on stroke. In this machine the cylinder is tripped to on position at the beginning of the on stroke but it is often desirable, in order to correct errors, to lift the cylinder to off position at some part of the on stroke. This is done by simply pressing a foot pedal which actuates mechanism to hold the cylinder in oif position until the bed has been moved to the end of its oft stroke and commences its on stroke whereat the cylinder is automatically tripped to on position.

The details of the machine embodying the invention are hereafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the proof press embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, r

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the bed at the 2,962,963 Patented Dec. 6, 1960 end of its on stroke and ready to commence its ofi stroke, 1

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the bed at the end of its off stroke and ready to commence its on stroke.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

The machine has a frame 1 which is preferably provided with feet 2 which rest on a floor. The lower part'of the frame may have recesses or cupboards 3 to receive paper or other articles for the convenience of the operator. The frame has various longitudinal and cross members all indicated by the numeral 1.

A longitudinally reciprocal bed 4 is mounted above the frame and has longitudinaltracks 5 on its under side. Corresponding tracks 6 are on the upper side of the frame 1 and roller bearings 7 are interposed between the two sets of tracks 5 and 6 thus providing longitudinal bearings for reciprocal movement of the bed.

The printing or impression cylinder 8 has the respective ends of its shaft 9 journaled in bearings 10 which are vertically slidable in guides 11 attached at their lower ends to the frame 1 and extending upwardly therefrom. A crank 12 is attached to one end of the cylinder shaft 9 by which the cylinder 8 can be manually rotated in either direction.

Below the cylinder 8 is an eccentric shaft 13 which extends transversely across the frame and has its respective ends journaled in the side members thereof. An eccentric 14 is fixed to each end of the shaft 13 and each eccentric is surrounded by a sleeve 15. Each sleeve 15 is connected by a link 16 to the respective bearing 10 above it. Rotation of the eccentric shaft by means hereafter described, will raise or lower the cylinder 8 to on or off position relative to the type 17 located on the bed 4.

One side of the bed 4 has attached to it a rack 18 having teeth on its upper edge and the corresponding end of the cylinder 8 has a gear 19 whose teeth mesh with those of the rack 18. The pitch diameter of the gear 19 is the same as that of the diameter of the cylinder 8 so that rotation of the cylinder causes reciprocation of the bed 4 at the same speed as the periphery of the cylinder. The lower edge of the rack 18 runs in a groove 20 in the frame 1 and guides the bed against transverse movement.

Directly above the eccentric shaft 13 a stub shaft 21 is fixed to the frame 1 and projects inwardly therefrom. The hub 22 of a gear 23 is journaled on the stub shaft and meshes with a gear 24 fixed to the eccentric shaft 13. Oscillation of the gear 23 causes like oscillation of the gear 24 and shaft 13 in the opposite direction.

The side of the bed 4 adjacent the rack 18 has two

recesses

25 and 26, one near each end of the bed, and in each recess is mounted a

pawl

27 and 28 and having a

pivot

29 and 30, the pawls extending away from their pivots toward the respective ends of the bed. The free ends of the pawls drop by gravity, their downward movements being limited by pins 31 in oversized holes 32 in the pawls.

The hub 22 of the gear 23 has attached to it a lever 33 having a tooth 34 which extends upwardly into the path of the free ends of the

pawls

27 and 2%. Oscillation of the lever 33 in one direction or the other will,

cause like oscillation of the shaft 13 and its eccentrics '14 but in the opposite direction and such oscillation of the eccentrics moves the impression cylinder 8 up or down into either off or on position. This up or down movement of the cylinder 8 is accomplished through the links 16 which connect the eccentric sleeves 15 with the vertically slidable bearings 10 in which the cylinder shaft 9 is journaled.

Midway across the machine the shaft 13 is provided with a spring detent and stop which yieldably hold the shaft 13 and its eccentrics 14 in either of the positions to which they are oscillated. This detent comprises a hub 35 fixed to the shaft 13 and having a downwardly extending bifurcated arm 36 between the forks of which a roller 37 is mounted.

Below the shaft 13 a bracket 38 is fixed to the frame 1 which bracket has a vertical cylinder 39 in which is located a plunger 40 thrust upwardly by a spring 41. The upper end of the plunger 40 has a roller 42, the upper part of whose periphery is located in the path of the roller 37 and the roller 42 and plunger 40 must be depressed against action of the spring 41 as the roller 37 swings from one position to the other. The lower parts of the arm 36 has shoulders 43 which engage corresponding shoulders 44 on the bracket 38 to limit the movement of the arm in either direction, thus holding the shaft 13 and its eccentrics 14 accurately in either of the two positions to which they are turned.

In normal operation the cylinder 8 is rotated, first to move the bed outward to the end of the off stroke, Figs. 1 and 6, and then backward to the end of the on stroke, Fig. 5. At the beginning of the off stroke which follows a preceding on stroke, Fig. 5, the cylinder 8 is in the lower or on position and the pawl 28 has ridden over the toothed lever 33 which is in the on position. But very soon after the beginning of the off stroke the end of the pawl 28 strikes the tooth 34 and swings the lever 33 to its opposite position which acts through the

gears

23 and 24 to oscillate the shaft :13 raising the cylinder 8 to the off position as heretofore described. Then during the off stroke the cylinder does not engage the type and near the end of that stroke the pawl 27 rides over and past the lever 33 which is in the o position.

While the type is exposed on the off stroke, it is inked by suitable means not shown which forms no part of this invention. Paper is gripped to the cylinder 8 before the beginning of the on stroke by suitable means which likewise forms no part of this invention.

The cylinder is then rotated to move the bed inwardly on the on stroke and shortly after the beginning of this stroke the pawl 27 strikes the tooth 34 on the lever 33 and swings it to its opposite or on position in which the cylinder is lowered so that the paper upon it will be pressed against the type 17 and makes a printing impression.

The foregoing is a description of the normal operation of the proof press and the mechanism by which it is accomplished. This mechanism is simple and positive in operation. It automatically lifts or lowers the cylinder 8 into off or on positions at the beginning of each off or on stroke of the bed and the parts may be so constructed that the lifting and lowering movements of the cylinder will occur very soon after the beginning of each respective stroke. It will be understood that the type 17 does not extend the full length of the bed 4 so that there is leeway at the beginning of each stroke in which lifting or lowering of the cylinder is not necessary.

In order to make such corrections as may be desired or to stop the printing impression at any point of movement of the bed the following described mechanism is provided which coacts with that aforedescribed to lift the cylinder 8 to off position merely by depressing a foot pedal.

Offset from the stud shaft 21 a throw-out shaft 45 extends across the machine and has its opposite ends jour- -naled in the frame 1. At the side of the machine opposite the

pawls

27 and 28 the shaft 45 has a gear 46 fixed to it. A bar 47 is slidably mounted on the frame 1 and above the gear 46 a rack 48 is fixed to the lower side of the bar 47 having its teeth in mesh with the gear 46. A throw-out lever 49 is attached to the eccentric shaft 13 extending upwardly therefrom and having a pin 50 at its upper end in the path of movement of the rack 48 one end of said rack engaging the pin 50 when the rack is slid to move the throw-out lever 49 from on to off position.

The sliding bar 47 extends to the left of the machine, looking toward which the operator stands to turn the crank 12, and near that end a block 51 is attached to the lower side of the bar and a spring 52 coiled about a guide rod 53 is interposed between the block 51 and an end member of the frame 1. A bell

crank having arms

54 and 55 is pivoted to the frame 1 at 56, the arm 54 having a pin 57 which engages the block 51 and the arm 55 is connected by a link 58 to a pedal 59 which is positioned to be easily reached and depressed by a foot of the operator.

The throw-out shaft 45 has attached to it a lifting cam 60 located in the same vertical plane as the lever 33 and the

pawls

27 and 28. By turning the shaft 45 this cam 60 may be positioned over a part of the end of the lever 33 so that it will cause the pawl 27 to lift and ride over the tooth 34 preventing movement of the lever 33 from off to on position at the beginning of the on stroke of the bed 4.

Upon release of the pedal 59 the spring 52 will return the bar 47 to its normal position of Fig. 3, rotating the shaft 45 and swinging the lifting cam 60 away from the lever 33 but the detent 3642 will hold the eccentric shaft 13 against movement so that the cylinder 8 will be in raised or off position where it will remain until the bed 4 ha been returned to the end of its off stroke, Fig. 6, whereupon, at the beginning of the on stroke the pawl 27 will strike and move the lever 33 to on position.

This mechanism provides simple, etfective, and automatic means, operative during normal operation of the machine, to raise or lower the impression roller into or out of printing impression at the beginning of the respective movements of the type bed. It also provides means operative by simply depressing a foot pedal to raise the roller out of impression at any part of the printing stroke of the bed and to hold it out of impression until the bed has been moved to start another impression stroke.

The invention is to be considered as comprehensive of all forms of mechanism coming within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In a proof press having a frame, a type carrying bed reciprocably mounted on said frame, an impression cylinder rotatably mounted on said frame and movable toward and away from said bed, and means rotating said cylinder and reciprocating said bed in unison, the improvement comprising cylinder moving means positionable into two positions, said cylinder moving means being actuable responsive to normal reciprocation of said bed and being effective thereby to move said cylinder away from said bed at the beginning of movement of said bed in one stroke of its reciprocation and to move said cylinder toward said bed at the beginning of movement of said 'bed in the other stroke of its reciprocation, and manually operable means on said frame for moving said cylinder away from said bed at any point of said other stroke, said manually operable means including means effective to position said cylinder moving means into one of its two positions to maintain said cylinder away from said bed while permitting free reciprocation of said bed.

2. The device of claim 1, in which said bed comprises members for engaging said cylinder moving means upon reciprocation of said bed, and said manually operable means includes means for preventing one of said members from engaging said cylinder moving means.

3. The device of claim 1, in which said cylinder moving means include a lever rockable between two extreme positions, said lever having a tooth formed thereon, a pawl mounted on each end of said bed, one of said pawls being operative to engage said tooth to push said lever into one of its extreme positions, and the other of said pawls being operative to engage said tooth to push said lever into its other extreme position; and in which said manually operable means include a cam which can be moved into the path of one of said pawls in such a manner as to prevent it from engaging said tooth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,181,581 Droitcour May 2, 1916 1,380,469 Droitcour June 7, 1921 1,638,544 Morse Aug. 9, 1927 1,806,591 Allen May 26, 1931 2,162,816 Lee et a1. June 20, 1939