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US 4,304,180 AGranted
Bottle printer
AssigneeAmerican Screen Printing Equipment Company
InventorsLouis A. Lala, Efim Motev
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bottle printer includes a carriage reciprocated along a fixed screen and a squeegee and flood bar carried by the carriage. A bottle support and a nose cone are adjustably supported on the carriage to accommodate bottles of different sizes. A bottle registration mechanism is supported on the carriage and moves with the carriage.
Claims8
A printing press for applying ink to generally cylindrical-shaped bottles comprising:
- a frame;
- a carriage mounted for reciprocal movement along said frame;
- screen support means fixed to said frame with a printing press screen mounted therein;
- bottle support means mounted to said carriage beneath said printing screen, said bottle support means being formed to receive the base of said bottle, said bottle support means being movable with said carriage along the length of said printing screen;
- bottle feeding means including a bottle supply located below and offset from said bottle support means, transfer means including arm means pivoted about a fixed axis below said bottle support means and movable along an arcuate path to move bottles from said supply into alignment with said bottle support means;
- registration means associated with said bottle support means and engageable with the base of said bottles, said registration means including a rotatable shaft having one end connected to said bottle support means with a gear wheel connected to an opposite end, said gear wheel being movable along the length of said screen, a motor supported on said shaft and having an output shaft connected to said bottle support means to rotate said bottle support means independent of said shaft, clutch means interposed between said bottle support means and said shaft, said clutch means being operable to interconnect said shaft and said bottle support means as said registration means engages the base of said bottle, whereby as said bottle contacts said bottle support means and engages said registration means, said clutch means operates to interconnect said shaft and said gear wheel with said bottle support means for unitary movement along the length of said screen;
- nose cone means mounted to said carriage in alignment with said bottle support means, means for moving said nose cone means into the neck of said bottle to grip said bottle between said nose cone means and said bottle support means, said nose cone means being movable with said carriage in unison with said bottle support means and cooperating therewith to support said bottle for rotational movement along the length of said printing screen;
- and
- a printing assembly mounted to said carriage above said printing screen and being movable therewith, said printing assembly including a squeegee and flood bar, said squeegee being operable to contact said printing screen to force ink therethrough for printing said bottle, whereby said printing assembly, said bottle support means and said nose cone means cooperate to print said bottle while moving in unison with said carriage along the length of said printing screen.
6 more elements
A printing press for applying ink to generally cylindrical-shaped bottles comprising:
- a frame;
- a guide member fixed to said frame;
- a carriage suspended for reciprocal movement along said guide member;
- drive means for reciprocating said carriage along said guide member;
- screen support means having a printing screen mounted therein and supported in a fixed position on said guide member;
- bottle support means mounted on a lower end of said carriage beneath said printing screen, said bottle support means being formed to receive the base of said bottle, said bottle support means being movable with said carriage along the length of said printing screen;
- nose cone means mounted to said carriage in alignment with said bottle support means with an open space between and below said nose cone means and said bottle support means, said nose cone means being insertable within the neck of said bottle to suspend said bottle below said printing screen for movement along the length of said printing screen, said nose cone means being movable with said carriage in unison with said bottle support means to move said bottle along said screen;
- a drive member fixed to said frame, and a driven member on said bottle support means engaging said drive member to rotate said bottle;
- adjustment means between said carriage, said bottle support means and said nose cone means to accommodate bottles of different sizes;
- bottle feeding means for feeding bottles into said space to be gripped between said bottle support means and said nose cone means;
- and,
- a printing assembly mounted to said carriage above said printing screen and being movable therewith, said printing assembly including a squeegee and flood bar, said squeegee being operable to contact said printing screen to force ink therethrough for printing said bottle, whereby said printing assembly, said bottle support means and said nose cone means cooperate to print said bottle while moving in unison with said carriage along the length of said printing screen.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.