Method of making an ink roller assembly with capillary ink supply
OwnerJohn R. Kesslerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ink applying sleeve of resilient micro-porous ink retaining material is confined between a pair of circular flanges mounted on a connecting support hub. A cylindrical ink retaining unit is also mounted on the center hub and is confined between the flanges to support the sleeve. The unit includes a stack of thin plastic discs which define concentric annular ink retaining capillary passages or chambers for receiving a supply of ink. The concentric chambers are interconnected by a series of radially extending passages which control the outward radial flow of ink from the concentric chambers into the micro-porous sleeve. In one form, the thin plastic discs are heat-formed from thin sheet plastics material and have a center hole for receiving the support hub.
Claims7
A method of producing an improved ink roller assembly adapted to provide a uniform application of ink over an extended period of use, comprising the steps of forming a plurality of generally circular thin discs each having a series of radially spaced and generally circumferentially extending capillary ink retaining chambers, arranging the discs in a stack to form a generally cylindrical ink retaining unit, inserting the ink retaining unit into a flexible sleeve of porous ink retaining material, forming on each of the discs a plurality of peripherally spaced and outwardly extending capillary passages connecting the corresponding chambers for directing a flow of ink from the chambers outwardly into the sleeve, and confining the ink retaining unit between a set of axially spaced flange members.
A method of producing an improved ink roller assembly adapted to provide a uniform application of ink over an extended period of use, comprising the steps of forming a plurality of generally circular thin discs of plastics material with each disc having a generally uniform wall thickness and defining a series of radially spaced and generally circumferentially extending capillary ink retaining chambers, arranging the discs in a stack to form a generally cylindrical ink retaining unit, inserting the ink retaining unit into a flexible sleeve of porous ink retaining material, forming on each of the discs a plurality of peripherally spaced and outwardly extending capillary passages connecting the corresponding chambers for directing a flow of ink from the chambers outwardly into the sleeve, and confining the ink retaining unit between a set of axially spaced flange members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.