Printing – Rolling contact machines – Rotary
Reexamination Certificate
2003-11-12
2004-12-21
Evanisko, Leslie J. (Department: 2854)
Printing
Rolling contact machines
Rotary
C101S219000, C101S178000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06832549
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary printing press having a multiple-printing unit which includes printing devices arranged vertically in layers and which can print on a plurality of paper webs.
2. Description of the Related Arts
A conventional multiple-printing unit configured such that a plurality of printing devices are arranged vertically in layers is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. H07-73908 as a multicolor printing apparatus of small installation area. In conjunction with an increase in multicolor-printed newspaper pages, such a multicolor printing apparatus has come into wide use in the field of newspaper printing.
The printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. H07-73908 is configured such that four printing devices are arranged vertically in layers. Each of the four printing devices includes two combinations of a plate cylinder and a blanket cylinder. The two blanket cylinders are disposed in such a manner as to be able to come into contact with each other. Thus, each of the printing devices can simultaneously print images borne on the plate cylinders onto the opposite sides of a paper web via the corresponding blanket surfaces. A paper web is sequentially threaded between the blanket cylinders of the four printing devices, whereby images in four colors are printed in a superposed manner on the opposite sides of the paper web.
The above-mentioned printing apparatus can simultaneously print on two or more paper webs by means of a single multiple-printing unit, for example, as follows. A single paper web is threaded through at least a single printing device of the four printing devices, while another paper web is threaded through at least a single printing device among the remaining printing devices.
Meanwhile, in order to simultaneously print on two or more paper webs by means of a single multiple-printing unit, two or more paper webs must be simultaneously fed to the multiple-printing unit. A rotary printing press-having a structure for such simultaneous feed of paper webs is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. H08-451, Japanese Patent No. 2577309, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. H10-296946.
Each of the rotary printing presses disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. H08-451, Japanese Patent No. 2577309, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. H10-296946 includes a plurality of multiple-printing units, a single folding machine, and a plurality of web feed units. Each of the multiple-printing units is configured such that a plurality of printing devices are arranged vertically in layers. The folding machine is provided at the same level as the multiple-printing units and is adapted to superpose paper webs which have undergone printing in the multiple-printing units, to cut the superposed paper webs, and to fold resultant printed sheets. The web feed units are provided underneath the multiple-printing units and the folding machine in a number of at least two times the number of multiple-printing units. Two or more paper webs are fed to each of the multiple-printing units, whereby each of the multiple-printing units can simultaneously print on the paper webs.
In the rotary printing press disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. H08-451, a web roll support apparatus includes a web feed unit capable of supporting a web roll such that the axis of the web roll is in parallel with a row of multiple-printing units. Also, structures each having two mutually adjacent web feed units corresponding to a single multiple-printing unit are arranged along the row of multiple-printing units.
In the rotary printing press disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2577309, a web roll support apparatus includes a web feed unit capable of supporting a web roll such that the axis of the web roll is perpendicular to a row of multiple-printing units. Also, structures each having two vertically arranged web feed units corresponding to a single multiple-printing unit are arranged along the row of multiple-printing units.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. H10-296946 does not specifically illustrate a web feed unit of the disclosed rotary printing press. However,
FIG. 1
of the publication shows a web roll support apparatus similar to that of the rotary printing press disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2577309.
In the rotary printing press disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. H08-451, a web roll transport path for a web roll transport device for transporting a web roll to be supported by the web roll support apparatus must be provided for each of the two web feed units corresponding to a single multiple-printing unit. In order to provide web roll transport paths at the opposite sides of a row of structures each having two mutually adjacent web feed units, the corresponding planar spaces are required. Therefore, a large planar installation space is required. Additionally, two rows of web roll transport path mechanisms are required. Thus, equipment cost and maintenance cost increase.
In the rotary printing press disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2577309, the web roll transport path for transporting a web roll to be supported by the web roll support apparatus must be provided for each structure having two vertically arranged web feed units corresponding to a single multiple-printing unit. Alternatively, a single web roll transport path must be provided for every two adjacent structures. Additionally, at least a single web roll transport path into which these web roll transport paths merge must be provided. Thus, the web roll transport path configuration is complicated, thereby increasing equipment cost and maintenance cost.
In view of similarity in the structure of the web roll support apparatus, it cannot be denied that the rotary printing press disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. H10-296946 involves a problem similar to that involved in the rotary printing press disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2577309.
As mentioned previously, a multiple-printing unit having printing devices arranged vertically in layers originally uses different inks for the individual printing devices, thereby performing multicolor printing by use of as many inks as printing devices arranged vertically in layers. Therefore, it is highly improbable that a rotary printing press having a plurality of multiple-printing units is operated in such a manner that printing operation is performed, while a plurality of paper webs are threaded through all of the multiple-printing units.
Therefore, in the case of the rotary printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (kokoku) No. H08-451, Japanese Patent No. 2577309, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. H10-296946, which are configured such that two web feed units are provided for each of the multiple-printing units, one or more web feed units become idle during printing. Provision of such web feed units is wasteful, and even such idle web feed units require maintenance, thereby incurring additional maintenance materials and labor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a rotary printing press in which a plurality of printing units including at least one multiple-printing unit having a plurality of printing devices arranged vertically in layers with plate cylinders of the printing devices arranged in parallel with one another are arranged in a row and which includes, in addition to a first web feed unit, a second web feed unit corresponding to the multiple-printing unit so as to allow the multiple-printing unit to print on a plurality of paper webs, wherein a web roll transport path for feeding a web roll to each of the two web feed units corresponding to a single multiple-printing unit is provided in a minimal planar space in a simple, shortest-route arrangement involving low equipment and maintenance costs.
Another object of the present invention is to provide
Evanisko Leslie J.
Tokyo Kikai Seisakusho Ltd.
LandOfFree
Rotary printing press having printing units each having... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Rotary printing press having printing units each having..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Rotary printing press having printing units each having... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3273069