US 5,062,362 AGranted

Oscillating printing press roller having a plurality of separate annular pistons

AssigneeAdvanced Graphics Technologies, Inc.

InventorJames R. Kemp

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Abstract

A pneumatic axially oscillated, frictionally rotated roller is disclosed and may be used in the ink or damping systems of a printing press. The roller features an internal air piston-cylinder construction that causes the axial motion but permits the roller to freely rotate. Further, several air cylinders can be stacked on each side of the roller to permit even a small diameter roller to be pneumatically oscillated. The roller, when used as an ink form roller, may be operated to oscillate in synchronization with an adjacent oscillating, vibrating roller to continually diagonally redistribute the ink so as to eliminate or minimize "ghosting". The foregoing is accomplished by controlling the oscillation of the form roller to move axially in a direction opposite of that of the vibrating roller. The lengths of the strokes of the two rollers may differ or be the same. The length of axial movement or stroke of the form roller can be varied, while maintaining synchronization by varying the speed of the axial motion, a slower speed yielding a shorter stroke and a higher speed yielding a longer stroke for a given half cycle.

Claims25

Dependent claims

An oscillating roller for one of the ink and dampening fluid systems of a printing press, comprising an elongated axially extending roller shaft having two opposed outer ends, means on said outer ends of said roller shaft for mounting said roller shaft to a printing press, a plurality of annular cylinder heads located on and concentric with said roller shaft, said annular cylinder heads being axially spaced apart along said roller shaft, at least one of said annular cylinder heads being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, a plurality of separate annular pistons relatively non-rotatably mounted and relatively slidable on and concentric with said roller shaft, said plurality of separate annular pistons being axially spaced apart along said roller shaft, at least one of said separate annular pistons being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, a plurality of annular cylinder walls axially spaced apart along said roller shaft between said annular cylinder heads and said separate annular pistons, each of said separate annular pistons sliding in the adjacent said annular cylinder wall, said roller shaft extending through each of said pluralities of annular cylinder heads, separate annular pistons and annular cylinder walls, said pluralities of annular cylinder heads, separate annular pistons and annular cylinder walls cooperating to form a plurality of annular axially variable volumes about said roller shaft, at least one of said annular axially variable volumes being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, control means for admitting and exiting pressurized fluid from said plurality of annular axially variable volumes for causing axial oscillating motion of said plurality of separate annular pistons relative to said plurality of annular cylinder heads, a hollow roller core, said outer ends of said roller shaft extending beyond said hollow roller core, said pluralities of separate annular pistons, annular cylinder heads and annular cylinder walls being contained beneath said hollow roller core, said hollow roller core being spaced radially outwardly apart from each of said plurality of annular cylinder walls, and means for axially moving said hollow roller core with one of said plurality of annular cylinder walls and plurality of separate annular pistons, whereby operating said control means to admit and exit pressurized fluid from said plurality of annular axial variable volumes causes axial oscillating motion of said hollow roller core relative to said roller shaft.

An oscillating roller for one of the ink and dampening fluid systems of a printing press, comprising an elongated axially extending roller shaft having two opposed outer ends, means on said outer ends of said roller shaft for rotatably mounting said roller shaft to a printing press, a plurality of annular cylinder heads located on and concentric with said roller shaft, said annular cylinder heads being axially spaced apart along said roller shaft, at least one of said annular cylinder heads being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, a plurality of separate annular pistons relatively non-rotatably mounted and relatively slidable on and concentric with said roller shaft, said plurality of separate annular pistons being axially spaced apart along said roller shaft, at least one of said separate annular pistons being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, a plurality of cylinder walls axially spaced apart along said roller shaft between said annular cylinder heads and said separate annular pistons, each of said separate annular pistons sliding in the adjacent said cylinder wall, said roller shaft extending through each of said pluralities of annular cylinder heads, separate annular pistons and cylinder walls, said pluralities of annular cylinder heads, separate annular pistons and cylinder walls cooperating to form a plurality of annular axially variable volumes about said roller shaft, at least one of said annular axially variable volumes being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, control means for admitting and exiting pressurized fluid from said plurality of annular axially variable volumes for causing axial oscillating motion of said plurality of separate annular pistons relative to said plurality of annular cylinder heads, and a hollow roller core, said outer ends of said roller shaft extending beyond said hollow roller core, said pluralities of separate annular pistons, annular cylinder heads and cylinder walls being contained beneath said hollow roller core, said hollow roller core on its interior forming each of said plurality of cylinder walls, whereby operating said control means to admit and exit pressurized fluid from said plurality of annular axial variable volumes causes axial oscillating motion of said hollow roller core relative to said roller shaft.

An oscillating roller for one of the ink and dampening fluid systems of a printing press, comprising an elongated axially extending roller shaft having two opposed outer ends, means on said outer ends of said roller shaft for mounting said roller shaft to a printing press, a plurality of annular cylinder heads located on and concentric with said roller shaft, said annular cylinder heads being axially spaced apart along said roller shaft, at least one of said annular cylinder heads being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, a plurality of separate annular pistons relatively non-rotatably mounted and relatively slidable on and concentric with said roller shaft, said plurality of separate annular pistons being axially spaced apart along said roller shaft, at least one of said separate annular pistons being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, a plurality of cylinder walls axially spaced apart along said roller shaft between said annular cylinder heads and said separate annular pistons, each of said separate annular pistons sliding in the adjacent said cylinder wall, said roller shaft extending through each of said pluralities of annular cylinder heads, separate annular pistons and cylinder walls, said pluralities of annular cylinder heads, separate annular pistons and cylinder walls cooperating to form a plurality of annular axially variable volumes about said roller shaft, at least one of said annular axially variable volumes being located adjacent each of said outer ends of said roller shaft, said plurality of annular cylinder heads, said plurality of separate annular pistons and said plurality of annular cylinder walls being stackable on said roller shaft to form said plurality of annular axially variable volumes, control means for admitting and exiting pressurized fluid from said plurality of annular axially variable volumes for causing axial oscillating motion of said plurality of separate annular pistons relative to said plurality of annular cylinder heads, and a hollow roller core, said outer ends of said roller shaft extending outwardly beyond said hollow roller core, said pluralities of separate annular pistons, annular cylinder heads and cylinder walls being contained beneath said hollow roller core, whereby the force required to oscillate the oscillating roller may be increased by stacking said annular axially variable volumes on said roller shaft, and operating said control means to admit and exit pressurized fluid from said plurality of annular axial variable volumes causes axial oscillating motion of said hollow roller core relative to said roller shaft.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.