US2977875A - Printing machine ink pump - Google Patents

Description

April 4, 1961 c. A. HARLESS PRINTING MACHINE INK PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 3, 1958 INVENTOR %Z.%%z.w

; ZTTORNEYS April 4, 1961 c. A. HARLESS PRINTING MACHINE INK PUMP Filed March 3, 1958 INVENTOR 0447 d M ATFORNEYJ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 This invention relates to printing machine ink pumps.

1 ,More particularly, the invention is concerned with ink pumps of the type disclosed in prior Lamatsch Patent 2,360,502 and Stobb Patent 2,469,796 and in which ink is pumped in measured quantities by a number of pistons, generally one such piston being provided. for each column, and is supplied to the initial ink drum of. an ink motion, means being provided for supplying ink of different col- .orsto the various columns or pages.

The general object of thepresent invention is to provide an improved compartmented pump of the type specified together with means for regulating and changing the supply of ink. 1

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical section (on line 1-1 of Fig. 2), of a pump embodying the invention in .a preferred form and Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on the lines 2A, 2B and 2C of Fig. 1. r

The pump comprises a housing composed of a wall casting 10, bottom plate 11 and four separate top cover members ,12, and may be mounted on a machine frame element such as machine housing wall 13 in convenient relation to the ink motion. The housing is divided by internal walls 14 into four compartments A, B, C and D, each containing a pumping mechanism as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This mechanism includes, for each compartment, a set of pistons 20, each having a stroke regulating screw 21, a piston supporting and reciprocating member 22 and an eccentric drive shaft 23, all these parts being carried by the cover 12 or supported therefrom by a frame structure 24. Cooperating with the pistons are a cylinder plate 25 and valve plate 26, carried by the bottom 11 and discharging ink through connections 27 to the tubes (not shown) which connect to the ink rail. Pins 28 locate the cylinder plate 25 with reference to the piston carrying member 22. This pumping mechanism for each compartment is like that shown in Harless application Serial No. 565,950, filed February 16, 1956, now abandoned, for Ink Pumps for Printing Presses, and will not be further described herein, beyond noting that the entire mechanism for each compartment can be removed bodily with the cover 12, except for cylinder and valve plates 25, 26, thus facilitating ready cleaning and change of ink.

Each compartment A, etc. has a vertical drive shaft 30, which is rotatably journaled in the side wall casting 10 and drives eccentric shaft 23 by means of a gear pair 31. Surmounting the housing and over the various shafts 30 is a gear housing 32 containing the drive gears and clutches as later described. This housing has four generally rectangular sections separated by partition walls 33 and each of the shafts 30 carries a horizontal bevel gear 34 rotatably supported at its top by a bearing member 35 and releasably coupled to the shaft by clutch plate 36 carrying pins 37 which enter into recesses in the back of gear 34 in the position of Fig. 1 and are held in that position by a spring 38. A clutch operating member 39 rotatably carried in the housing 32 has an eccentric projection 40 positioned for engaging in clutch plate 36 and is formed with a hexagonal recess or socket 41 to permit Uni W Pa e 2,977,875 Patented Apr. 4,1964

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turning from outside the gear housing with the usual Allen wrench. As will be apparent from Fig. 1, turning the member .39 through about half a turn will press clutch plate 36, disengaging pins 37 in back of the gear 34 and permitting the gear 34 to rotate idly on the shaft 30. The pump drive may be taken into the gear housing above any of the compartments A-D which is found convenient in the particular machine and in the case chosen for illustration it is so taken into in compartment B. A horizontal drive shaft 42 is carried in bearings 43 in the gear housing 32 as shown and rotatably supports two bevel gears 44 and 45, which are constantly in mesh with the which may be turned by means of a wrench from outside the housing. In the position shown in Fig. 1, the member 46 occupies a central position so that the drive shaft 42 is completely disengaged from the ink pump. By

turning the member 49 in one direction, the member 46 will be slid to the left engaging cooperating clutch member 44', thus coupling the drive shaft 42 through bevel gear 44 to the bevel gear 34 previously referred to. Turning member 49 in the opposite direction will engage the shaft 42 with bevel gear 45, thus rotating gear 34 in the.

reverse direction. This permits running the ink pump in the same direction of rotation when the printing machine direction of rotation is reversed, as is common in various color printing arrangements. Shaft 42 is coupled to a cylinder of the printing machine or ink motion by means of gearing 50, 51, in a convenient manner.

Each of the gear housing compartments between the partitions 33 previously referred to, contain similar wall structures, but the openings for the passage of the drive shaft 42 through these compartments are closed off by suitable cover plates such as the plates 52 in Fig. 2. A drive shaft 53 journaled in the partition wall 33 and end wall of the housing 32 passes through the gear housing over compartment A and the horizontal drive shaft 54 similarly journaled passes through the gear housing over compartments C and D, the shafts 53 and 54 being driven by bevel gears 55 and 56 from the gear 34 over compartment B, previously referred to. Each gear housing compartment over the compartments A, C and D contains a bevel gear 57 fixed to shaft 53 or 54 as the case may be and positioned for driving associated gear 34 in the same direction as the gear 34 over compartment B.

Each compartment is provided with an individual in inlet fitting 60 and discharge fitting 61 permitting the adding and removal of ink or circulation of ink if desired, since each compartment has its own inlet and outlet, the various compartments may be filled with different colcred inks for color printing. The mechanism is also provided with a manifold 63 for supplying ink through ports 64 to all compartments simultaneously and this manifold is rotatable in a bore 65 in the wall casting 11 so as to permit turning it to close off the port 64 or regulating the efiective size of-their opening. A diaphragm 66 to which is coupled the operating member 67 of a micro-switch 68 is also provided and this mechanism may be set so as to maintain a desired level of ink within the pumping mechanism as measured by the weight thereof on the diaphragm and controlled by regulating the action of a pump or other ink supplying mechanism accordingly.

What is claimed is:

1. Ink pumping mechanism comprising a reservoir hav- I 3 inginternal partitions defining a plurality of aligned compartments, an ink pumping mechanism within each said compartment and comprising a vertical drive shaft extending upwardly above the compartment, a gear housi'ng having a plurality ofcorresponding partitions defining a plurality of corresponding compartments and means attaching the same to the-reservoir. for receiving the upper ends of the said'verticalshafts within the said gear housing compartments, a bevel gear carried by each said vertical drive shaft at its upper end and within a said gear housing compartment, shafting extending along the said line of compartments through the partitions in the said gear housing and carrying bevel gears meshing with the first said bevel gears for driving the said vertical shafts, a drive shaft at right angles to the last said shafting and to the said vertical shaft, oppositely facing bevel; gears rotatably carried by the last saiddrive shaftand' meshingwith one of thebevel gears carried by the vertical drive shafts for driving the ink pumping mechanisms, and a clutch mechanism for selectively coupling the two said bevel gears carried by the last said drive shaft to the said drive shaft for selectively driving the ink pumping mechanism in a forward direction and reverse direction with respect to the last; said drive shaft.

2. Ink pumping mechanism comprising a reservoir having internal partitions defining a plurality of aligned compartments, an ink pumping mechanism within each said compartment and comprising a vertical drive shaft extending upwardly above the compartment, a gear housing having a plurality of corresponding partitions defining a plurality of corresponding compartments and means attaching the sameto the reservoir for receiving the upper ends of the said vertical shafts within the said gear housing compartments, a bevel gear rotatably carried by each said vertical drive shaft at its upper end and within a said gear housing compartment, clutch mechanism for coupling the said bevel gear to its said vertical drive shaft for driving the same and uncoupling it for silencing the pumping mechanism within the corresponding reservoir compartment, shafting extending along the said line of compartments through the partitions in the said gear housing and carrying bevel gears meshing with the first said bevel gears for driving the said vertical shafts, a drive shaft at right angles to the last said shafting and to the said vertical shaft, and a bevel gear carried by the last said drive shaft and meshing with one of'the bevel gears carried by the vertical drive shafts for driving the ink pumping mechanisms.

-3. Ink pumping mechanism according to claim 2, comprising also a second bevel gear carried by the last mentioned drive shaft and also meshing with the same bevel gear. carried by a vertical drive shaft, and clutch means for selectively connecting and disconnecting the two said bevel gearsv carried by the last mentioned drive shaft thereto and therefrom.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,978,285 Smith; Oct. 23, 1934 1,988,454 Lamatsch Jan. 22, 1935 2,039,992 Harold May 5, 1936 2,170,025 Jordhoy Aug. 22, 1939 2,360,502 Lamatsch Oct. 17, 1944 2,392,558. Souche Jan. 8, 1946 2,444,656 Lamatsch July 6, 1948 2,622,523: Dressel et al. Dec. 23, 1952 2,866,411 Reed et a1. Dec. 30, 1958

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