US 6,000,337 A · Method and apparatus for an automated plate handler with elevator and table support mechanism

Abstract

The primary function of the optional handler is to make plates available on demand to the imaging engine. A multitude of plates are stored inside cassettes and these cassettes are loaded into the handler. There may be up to four cassettes residing in the handler. Inside a cassette there may be a protective interleaf sheet, sometimes called a slip sheet, between each plate which is removed by the handler and discarded. The handler receives commands from the engine control sequencer which provides instructions as to what cassette needs to be accessed to make a plate available to the picker mechanism so the plate may be conveyed to the imaging engine. Conversely the handler provides status information to the engine to make full interaction with the system possible.

Claims31

Dependent claims

A method for automatically selecting a plate for imaging in an automated plate handler, said plate handler storing a plurality of stacks of substantially flat printing plates in a column substantially one above another along a vertical axis of the plate handler comprising the steps of:

a. receiving an input command from a front end in communication with the plate handler said input command designating a plate characteristic required for an imaging job;
b. automatically positioning the plurality of stacks of plates stored in the column along the vertical axis of the plate handler in response to the input command and placing a stack of the plate characteristic required for the imaging job in an access position which allows access to the stack of the plate characteristic required without removing the stack of the plate characteristic required from the column;
and,
c. automatically separating and removing a single plate from the stack of plates in the access position and transferring the single plate out of the plate handler for imaging.

1 more element

A plate handler for storing a plurality of stacks of substantially flat printing plates in a column substantially one above another along a vertical axis of the plate handler and for automatically selecting a plate for imaging, comprising:

a. a device for automatically positioning the plurality of stacks of plates along the vertical axis of the plate handler in response to an input command designating a plate characteristic required for an imaging job and placing a stack of the plate characteristic required for the imaging job in an access position which allows access to the stack of the plate characteristic required without removing the stack of the plate characteristic required from the column;
and
a. a device for automatically separating and removing a single plate from the stack of plates in the access position and transferring the single plate out of the plate handler for imaging.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for an automated plate handler with elevator and table support mechanism

Life of this patent

Method and apparatus for an automated plate handler with elevator and table support mechanism

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims31