Printing plate support device and printing plate removably mounting apparatus as well as methods of operating the same

A rotary printing press system, comprising:

• a plate cylinder that is displaceable in its axial direction, said plate cylinder being rotatable in both a normal drive direction and a reverse drive direction and being capable of being stopped in a predetermined phase of rotation, and said plate cylinder having a printing plate lock-up means formed on a periphery thereof and in parallel to its axis;
• a printing plate formed with a plurality of lock-up hook portions for being hooked onto and off of said printing plate lock-up means;
• and
• an apparatus for removably mounting said printing plate on said plate cylinder, said apparatus comprising:
• a printing plate support means disposed at a position along said plate cylinder and spaced from the periphery thereof by a predetermined distance for supporting said printing plate in a predetermined positional relationship with said plate cylinder such that a said printing plate lock-up hook portion lies in parallel to the axis of said plate cylinder and is matched with an axial displacement of said plate cylinder while mounting said printing plate on said plate cylinder in such a manner that the printing plate when detached therefrom can be guided towards an outlet direction;
• a printing plate displacement means which is disposed in the vicinity of said printing plate supported on said printing plate support means for retaining said printing plate supported by said printing plate support means and for mounting said printing plate so as to freely advance at least one of said lock-up hook portions so that said printing plate can be fed out towards said plate cylinder along a surface generally in contact with said periphery of the plate cylinder;
• a printing plate press means disposed in the vicinity and in front of the periphery of said plate cylinder for being displaced into and out of contact with said periphery of the plate cylinder, and for displacing a said printing plate lock-up hook portion towards said printing plate lock-up means for said plate cylinder and pressing said printing plate against said periphery of the plate cylinder to mount said printing plate to said plate cylinder by winding said printing plate around said plate cylinder with a rotation thereof;
• and
• a printing plate lock-up operating means disposed in the vicinity of said printing plate lock-up means for said plate cylinder and selectively operative upon a stoppage of said plate cylinder in said predetermined phase of rotation for operating said printing plate lock-up means to mount said printing plate with said hook portion hooked thereto on said plate cylinder while said plate cylinder is stopped in said predetermined phase of rotation.