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AssigneeHoward W. DeMoore
InventorsHoward W. DeMoore, John Andrew Branson
Estimating the term…
Freshly printed sheets are transferred from one printing unit to another by transfer cylinders each having an ink repellent, electrically conductive, striped flexible jacket covering that is movable relative to the sheet support surface of the transfer cylinder. The jacket covering is made of a flexible fabric material that is pre-stretched, pressed flat, cut to size and treated with an ink repellent compound and is also treated with an anti-static ionic compound or is otherwise rendered electrically conductive by one or more conductive strands. Electrostatic charges carried by the freshly printed sheets are discharged through the ink repellent, electrically conductive, flexible jacket covering into the grounded transfer cylinder. A low friction, electrically conductive cylinder base covering that includes center alignment marks is secured to the transfer cylinder for engaging the flexible jacket covering. The ink repellent, electrically conductive flexible jacket covering is provided with alignment center marks and alignment stripes so that the flexible jacket covering can be precisely aligned with ease and secured over the gripper edge, tail edge and side edges of the transfer cylinder. The low frictional coefficient of the conductive cylinder base covering is further reduced by nodes and/or openings.
In a printing unit having a transfer cylinder for transferring a freshly printed substrate, and having a flexible jacket covering attached to the transfer cylinder for engaging the freshly printed substrate as it is transferred over the transfer cylinder, characterized in that the flexible jacket covering comprises a sheet of fabric material that is pre-stretched, pressed flat, pre-cut to predetermined length and width dimensions, and having alignment means for attaching the flexible jacket covering to the transfer cylinder in an operative position wherein the flexible jacket covering is movable relative to the support surface of the transfer cylinder, with the end play movement of the flexible jacket covering relative to the support surface being substantially the same at each attachment end portion.
A flexible jacket in combination with a succession of freshly printed substrates having freshly printed surfaces wherein each freshly printed surface is temporarily supported by contact with the flexible jacket while the substrates are moved along a path, wherein the flexible jacket comprises an individual sheet of flexible fabric material having spaced electrically conductive strands or threads whereby electrical charges delivered to the flexible fabric jacket by the succession of freshly printed substrates may be transferred to an underlying grounded surface for the purpose of reducing ink buildup on the jacket and reducing smearing of fresh ink on the freshly printed surfaces.
A flexible jacket in combination with a succession of freshly printed substrates having freshly printed surfaces wherein each freshly printed surface is temporarily supported by contact with the flexible jacket while the substrates are being moved along a printing path, wherein the flexible jacket comprises an individual sheet of flexible jacket material which has been prestretched, pressed flat and pre-cut to precise width and length dimension sufficient to support the entire freshly printed surface of the substrates, the flexible jacket having a plurality of conductive strands or threads, said conductive strands or threads being disposed in a pattern and being spaced apart with respect to each other whereby electrical charges delivered to the flexible jacket by the succession of freshly printed substrates may be transferred from the flexible jacket for the purpose of reducing ink build up on the jacket and reducing smearing of fresh ink in the freshly printed surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.