Plate clamping device of web-fed rotary printing press

A device for clamping a printing plate having first and second ends adapted to be held by clamping means on a web-fed rotary printing press comprising:

• a plate cylinder, said plate cylinder being provided with a longitudinal slot having a narrow opening on a peripheral surface of said plate cylinder, said slot having a cross section formed by a semicircular bottom surface, outward diverging surfaces extending from the edges of said semicircular bottom and first and second oppositely inclined converging plane side walls interconnecting opposite edges of said opening and said diverging surfaces;
• a round plate clamping shaft in said slot sized to provide substantial clearance from the inner walls of said slot thereby to loosely fit into said slot beneath the peripheral surface of said plate cylinder, said plate clamping shaft having:
• a plurality of radially projecting spring loaded balls contacting said semicircular bottom to urge said shaft against said converging side walls as said shaft is rotated each of said balls being partially contained in an opening in said shaft, a peripheral surface including a flat surface generally parallel to the radial direction of movement of said spring loaded balls, the flat surface in a first position of rotation of said shaft allowing space for said first end of said printing plate to being inserted between said first side wall and said shaft, and a groove in said shaft opposed to said opening when said shaft is in said first position for receiving said second end of said printing plate;
• wherein for said first position said spring loaded balls urge said plate clamping shaft against said second side wall to provide said space for said first end of said printing plate to be inserted between said first side wall and the flat surface of said shaft, and
• wherein for a second position of rotation of said shaft said spring loaded balls urge said plate clamping shaft against both said first and second walls to hold both ends of said printing plate securely between said first side wall and said shaft.