Printing – Inkers – Roller
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-23
2004-08-31
Hirshfeld, Andrew H. (Department: 2854)
Printing
Inkers
Roller
C101S208000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06782819
ABSTRACT:
This application is based on Patent Application No. 2001-159043 filed May 28, 2001 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inking apparatus used for a printing machine such as a rotary press and a side plate constituting part of the inking apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An inking apparatus provided with a plurality of rollers is incorporated in a printing machine, for supplying ink of a film form having a uniform thickness to a plate cylinder. This inking apparatus includes an ink fountain roller, an ink fountain blade and a pair of side plates. An ink fountain for storing ink is formed by the ink fountain roller, the ink fountain blade and the pair of side plates. In the inking apparatus, ink stored in the ink fountain and supplying the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller is made even by the plurality of rollers into a film form having a uniform thickness and supplied to the plate cylinder.
In the prior art inking apparatus to be incorporated into the printing machine, the ink fountain is formed to be fit to the maximum width of a printing sheet capable of being printed by the printing machine. Accordingly, if the printing is carried out while using a printing sheet of a smaller width, ink adhered to the widthwise opposite end portions of the rollers disposed from the ink fountain roller to the plate cylinder is not consumed but left as it is. Thus, the ink adhered to the widthwise opposite end portions of the rollers is gradually in an excessively supplied state, and flows toward the opposite ends of the respective rollers as it rotates to contaminate the printing machine.
In the prior art, to avoid such an inconvenience, a gap between a front end of the ink fountain blade for adjusting an amount of ink to be supplied from the ink fountain and the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller is precisely adjusted by a plurality of gap-adjustment screws.
The precise adjustment of the gap between the front end of the ink fountain blade and the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller requires a skillful technique. In the prior art, this adjustment is troublesome and may cause the decline of the operating efficiency of the rotary press.
The inking apparatus into which an ink fountain division control device is incorporated is free from such an inconvenience. However, the ink fountain division control device is extremely expensive to disturb the effort for lowering a cost of the rotary press. While the ink fountain division control device could divide the ink fountain, a width of the printing sheet must be selected in correspondence to the divided number of the ink fountain. Further, there may be a case wherein the width of the printing sheet could not be accurately matched with that of the ink fountain. Therefore, the incorporation of such an ink fountain division control device into a cheap and small-sized printing machine has not yet been popular by taking account of the comparison of the cost increase for incorporating the ink fountain division control device with the effect obtainable from the incorporation of the ink fountain division control device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an inking apparatus capable of optionally and easily varying a width of an ink fountain at a very low cost without replacing an ink fountain blade or others, and a side plate constituting part of the inking apparatus.
A first aspect of the present invention is an inking apparatus comprising an ink fountain roller, an ink fountain blade, a front end of which is position-adjustable to be located close to the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller, a pair of side plates, each standing upright from the ink fountain blade so that an arcuate front end surface encircles part of the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller to form an ink fountain for storing ink in cooperative with the ink fountain roller and the ink fountain blade, characterized in that a permanent magnet is embedded in a bottom surface of each the side plate in contact with the ink fountain blade for fixing the side plate to a desired position of the ink fountain blade so that the pair of side plates are movable relative to the ink fountain blade along an axis of the ink fountain roller.
In the first aspect of the present invention, when an ink adhesion area on the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller is to be changed, the pair of side plates are released from the magnetic force of the permanent magnet, moved to the desired position on the ink fountain blade and fixed again to the ink fountain blade by using the magnetic force of the permanent magnet.
According to the present invention, it is possible in advance to prevent ink from excessively being supplied to the ink fountain roller solely by varying a distance between the pair of side plates in accordance with the width of the printing medium. Also, it is possible to shorten a time required for preparation of a proofing operation because the replacement of the ink fountain blade is unnecessary. Further, it is possible to avoid the number of parts from increasing.
In the first aspect of the present invention, another permanent magnet embedded in the front end surface of each the side plate may be provided for holding the front end surface in tight contact with the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller, so that the ink is prevented from leaking out of the ink fountain.
Each the side plate may have a slope formed on an upper side of the front portion thereof to be slanted toward the ink fountain, so that the ink excessively adhered to the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller is smoothly guided to the ink fountain.
Preferably, each the side plate is made of a material having a hardness lower than that of a material forming the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller, so that the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller is prevented in advance from being damaged by the front end surface of the side plate.
A partitioning member interposed between the pair of side plates is further provided for defining an area in which the supply of ink to the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller is inhibited, which partitioning member has an arcuate front end surface encircling part of the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller, a bottom surface slidably contacting with the ink fountain blade, and a permanent magnet embedded in the bottom surface thereof for fixing the partitioning member at a desired position of the ink fountain blade, so that the area in which the supply of ink is inhibited is formed at an optional position on the ink fountain roller. In this case, the partitioning member may have a further permanent magnet embedded in the front end surface thereof for holding the front end portion in tight contact with the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller, so that the leakage of ink into the area on the ink fountain roller in which the supply of ink is inhibited is restricted. The partitioning member may have a pair of slopes formed on an upper side of the front end surface thereof, so that the ink excessively adhered to the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller is smoothly guided to the ink fountain to inhibit the ink from flowing into the area in which the supply of ink is inhibited. Preferably, the partitioning member is made from a material having a hardness lower than that of a material forming the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller, so that the outer circumference of the ink fountain roller is prevented in advance from being damaged by the front end surface of the partitioning member.
At least an upper surface of the ink fountain blade is preferably made from a ferromagnetic material, so that a magnetic force of the permanent magnet is effectively operative to favorably maintain the tight contact of the side plate and the partitioning member with the ink fountain blade.
A second aspect of the pres
Maeda Yasunobu
Maezawa Hideyuki
Oumiya Nobuyoshi
Hinze Leo T.
Hirshfeld Andrew H.
Lintec Corporation
Workman Nydegger
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