Plate clamping system for a duplicating machine
AssigneeA. B. Dick Company
InventorsLeonard I. Tafel, Joseph S. Nowik, Siegfried H. Lebherz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An improved plate clamping assembly for a duplicating machine which utilizes a pivoted or cantilevered beam in the leading edge plate clamp assembly and a calibrated cocking screw to enabling skewing of the plate on the plate cylinder by moving one end of the pivoted or cantilevered beam. The improved assembly also coordinates the leading and trailing edge assemblies during installation of the plate by automatically adjusting the trailing edge plate clamp assembly to accommodate for an adjustment in skewing of the leading edge of the plate by the leading edge clamp assembly. Finally, it utilizes spring assemblies to enable self-adjustment for different plate thicknesses.
Claims21
In a duplicating machine having a plate cylinder rotatably mounted on a frame with plate clamp assemblies having clamps to hold the leading and trailing edges of a plate therein, an improved plate clamping system comprising:
- means for attaching the leading edge plate clamping assembly only at one end to the plate cylinder such that the leading edge plate clamping assembly has no axial movement;
- means for adjusting only the other end of the leading edge plate clamping assembly in a direction laterally with respect to its longitudinal axis to enable skewing of the leading edge plate as required;
- and
- means coupling the leading edge plate clamp assembly to the trailing edge plate clamp assembly such that laterally adjusting only the other end of the leading edge plate clamp assembly to skew the leading edge plate automatically moves the trailing edge clamp assembly only axially to cause it to be in proper alignment with the trailing edge of the skewed plate.
In a duplicating machine having a plate cylinder frame with leading and trailing edge plate holding assemblies thereon, improved plate skewing apparatus comprising:
- means for attaching only one end of the leading edge plate holding assembly to the plate cylinder frame in a cantilevered fashion;
- and
- a bell crank for coupling the other end of the leading edge plate holding assembly to the trailing edge plate holding assembly such that by adjusting only the other end of the leading edge assembly about said attaching means to skew the leading edge of the plate, the trailing edge assembly is automatically adjusted only axially by the bell crank to properly receive the plate trailing edge.
The duplicating machine of claim wherein the means for adjusting the beam comprises:
- a calibrated adjustment screw mounted in the other end of the beam with its distal end in engagement with the plate cylinder frame such that rotation of the screw moves the other end of the beam laterally;
- and
- means on the proximal end of the adjustment screw enabling calibrated rotation thereof during the lateral movement in which only the other end of the beam is tangentially moved with respect to the plate cylinder frame to cause skewing of the plate.
In a duplicating machine having a plate cylinder frame with leading and trailing edge plate holding assemblies thereon, an improved plate clamping system comprising:
- means for adjusting only one end of the leading edge plate holding assembly laterally to enable skewing of the leading edge plate as desired while maintaining the other end of the plate holding assembly stationary;
- and
- an adjustment link coupling the leading edge plate holding assembly to the trailing edge plate holding assembly such that an adjustment of only the one end of the leading edge plate holding assembly laterally causes the link to automatically adjust the trailing edge plate holding assembly for only axial movement an amount sufficient to cause it to be in proper alignment with the trailing edge of the skewed plate.
In a duplicating machine having a plate cylinder frame with leading and trailing edge plate clamps thereon, an improved plate clamp comprising:
- an elongated beam coupled to the plate cylinder frame only at one end in a cantilevered fashion;
- an elongated clamp element associated with the beam for selective engagement with the beam to clamp or release the leading or trailing edge of a plate therein;
- and
- spring means interposed between the beam and the clamp element for automatically compensating for variations in the thickness of the plate being clamped as the clamp is moved from the open to the clamped position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.