Background of the Invention
[0001] Field of the Invention. The process of lithographic printing utilizes inks which
are extremely viscous, indeed almost essentially plastic, so that for a uniform film
of ink to ultimately be supplied to the form roller from which the impression is received,
the original viscous ink must be worked through a plurality of rollers comprising
the inking train into a semi-liquid condition.
[0002] Description of the Prior Art. In the past, there have been several types of ink fountains
which have been used in the lithography. For example, there is in existence an open
fountain inker, often referred to as "undershot" in which the fountain works in conjunction
with a slow speed fountain roller which is generally constructed of steel or some
equally hard surfaced material. Acting in conjunction with this hard roll is a doctor
or metering blade, which can be either segmented or continuous, that scrapes excess
ink from the surface of the fountain roller to provide the desired thickness of ink
on the roller while at the same time forming an ink reservoir. Fountains of this type
have limitations in that they must be refilled by hand, or subject to ink leakage
and, finally, since they are open, they are subject to contamination by water and
paper dust from the traveling web.
[0003] A second type of open fountain inker that has been used in the past is referred to
as an "overshot" inker and the mechanism of generating an ink film is akin to that
of the undershot inker with the exception that leakage can be avoided by placing the
ink in a separate pan and then locating the doctor blade above the fountain roll.
As was the case with the undershot inker, the overshot inker must also be refilled
by hand and an additional limitation is that its use is limited to inks which are
thinner than those normnlly used in the lithographic process.
[0004] A third type of inking, arrangement that has been used is called the injector inker
and in this construction a rigid injector rail having a face that is curved to conform
to the radius of curvature of the fountain roll is set about .008 inches away from
the high speed copper covered fountain roller. Ink in this arrangement is supplied
from positive displacement ink pumps through connecting hoses coming from appropriate
ink sources. Because of the speed involved, the roller shears the applied ink into
a thin film and passes it on into the rest of the inking train. The difficulty with
this type of inker is that the high speed of the fountain roll results in ink being
thrown at the rail-roller interface, i.e., an ink mist is generated which generally
contaminates or dirties surrounding apparatus.
Summary of the Invention
[0005] A principal object of this invention is to provide an inking apparatus for a lithographic
press in which no metering blade is used to apply a film to the fountain roller.
[0006] Another object of this invention is to provide an ink fountain for a rotary printing
press in which the fountain roll has a resilient ink receiving outer surface and which
is operated at a slow speed.
[0007] A further object of this invention is to provide an ink fountain for a rotary printing
press in which the fountain rail has a flexible blade to smooth the surface of ink
which has been applied to the fountain roll without affecting any metering or accumulation
thereof.
[0008] Yet another object of this invention is to provide an ink fountain for a rotary printing
press in which the fountain roll can be operated in either a clockwise or in a counterclockwise
direction and still effect smoothing of the ink which has been applied to the fountain
roller.
[0009] Yet a further object of this invention is to provide an ink fountain where actuators
are provided to move flexible ink smoothing elements into operating position against
the fountain roll.
[0010] Other objects and advantages of this invention will be in part obvious and in part
explained by reference to the accompanying specification and drawings in which:
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0011]
Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of'an ink fountain of this invention showing the
manner in which it is mounted on the side rails of the press;
Fig. 2 is an elevation of the view of Fig. 1 with the frame of the press removed for
clarity;
Fig. 3 is an end elevation with portions removed to illustrate the manner in which
the flexible ink smoothing elements can be actuated to move into operating position
against the fountain drum; and
Fig. 4 is a fragmented partially schematic view showing yet another way in which the
flexible ink smoothing elements can be actuated.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment
[0012] It was earlier mentioned that prior art inking systems generally were of two types,
one type being of the open inking roller in which a steel or other hard surfaced fountain
roll was used in conjunction with a rigid metering blade which acted to reduce the
thickness of the ink on the fountain drum to that desired for transfer on into the
remainder of the inking chain. These systems were less than optimal due to problems
such as dust and water accumulation, leakage, etc. The other general type of inking
system is that utilizing an inking rail having a plurality of outlet orifices extending
across its width, generally one orifice for each print column, these orifices being
connected through rubber hoses to positive displacement pumps which supplied ink under
pressure. As mentioned, the ink in this case was deposited onto a high speed rotating
copper plate drum and dispersion with contamination of surrounding equipment was the
result.
[0013] For a more detailed understanding of the present invention, reference is made to
Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings where the numeral 10 identifies the fountain roller
and the numeral 11 is a layer of elastomeric material which has been applied to the
outer surface of roll 10. Any type of elastomeric or metallic or any other material
will be suitable so long as it is ink receptive. A fountain roll, of course, extends
across the entire printing width of the press so that the entire plate surface which
is to receive ink from it will be affected by the roll.
[0014] The ink injector rail which is associated with the ink fountain is identified in
Fig. 1 of the drawings by the numeral 15. As was the case with the fountain roll,
the ink injector rail extends across the entire width of the press and is, in fact,
mounted between press frame members 12. The elongated body portion 16 of ink rail
15 is mounted at each end by means of mounting brackets 17 to which the body portion
16 is attached by means of recessed cap screws 18. The mounting brackets 17 are (as
best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings) provided with a raised boss 19 on each end.
The boss has generally opposing edge surface portions 20 and 21, which are provided
for reasons that will be explained later.
[0015] Each mounting bracket 17 is pivotally joined to a press frame member 16 by means
of a trunnion 22. The purpose of providing trunnions 22 is to permit the entire ink
injector rail assembly to be moved between an operative position immediately adjacet
fountain roll 10 and a second or inoperative position removed from a location adjacent
fountain roll 10 when it is desired to shut the apparatus down and effect cleanup
or for whatever other purpose it may be desired.
[0016] As can be seen most clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the injector rail 15 is held
in engaged position by means of the lock pins 25 which can be threaded inwardly against
the trunnion 22 so that when the rail 15 is in the desired position, it can be locked
there without concern for its being accidently moved. The lock pins 25 extend upwardly
from an appropriate recess in the block member 26 which is rigidly attached to frame
member 12 by means of bolts 27 or the like. Referring once again to Fig. 2 of the
drawings, it can be seen that the edge 21 of the boss member 19 is in contact with
the lower edge of block member 26, thus providing a positive stop preventing further
rotation of the ink rail toward the fountain roll 10. Obviously, upon pivoting the
ink rail in the counterclockwise direction, the lower edge surface 20, as viewed in
the Figure, will, with continuing rotation, finally also come into abutting relationship
with the lower surface of block 26 thereby providing a positive stop for locating
the ink rail in its non-operative position.
[0017] Turning now to Fig. 3 of the drawings, for a clearer understanding of the construction
of the ink injector rail body 16, it will be seen that the body has an inner wall
30 that is configurated to approximate the curvature of the outer surface of the fountain
roll 10. Obviously, this inner surface is not arcuate as is the outer surface of the
roll but is instead comprised of a plurality of planar surfaces which are interconnected
at angles that do, in fact, result in wall 30 approximating the curvature of the surface
of fountain roll 10. The principal purpose for utilizing a series of interconnected
planar faces is merely to provide additional clearance for certain mounting parts
as explained subsequently.
[0018] In the construction illustrated in Fig. 3, the inner wall 30 on the elongated body
16 is comprised of at least three individual faces 31, 32 and 33. There are in addition
two smaller planar faces located beyond the outermost of the two planar faces 31 and
33 but there is no particular significance attached to the angular disposition of
these faces. The elongated body 16, in addition to having its inner face 30 configured
to approximate the curvature of the fountain roll 10, also includes a plurality of
ink supply openings 35 (connected to ink supply pumps not shown) which are positioned
at locations along the length of the rail that correspond to a column of printed matter.
These holes extend completely from the outside surface to the inside surface of body
16 and are preferably countersunk on the inner side to provide for a better distribution
of ink on the roll to conform roughly to the column width.
[0019] The elongated body 16 also includes, on each side of the ink supply passage 35, fluid
conducting conduits 36, which are connected to a source of pressurized fluids not
shown. The supply conduits 36 are connected to bag- or bellows-like elements 37 that
are positioned within recesses 38 extending inwardly from the inner surface 30 of
the rail. The function of the bellows 37 is to expand and exert a force against the
upper surface of spring elements 40 and to move them downwardly against the outer
surface of rail 10, when desired. The spring elements 40 are constructed in the form
of one continuous element that extends across the entire lateral width of the fountain
roll and are constructed of a springlike resilient material that cannot exert any
sort of metering effect on the ink that is being introduced through the supply passage
35. By constructing elements 40 of a springlike resilient material, no metering can
be effected, as already noted, and further there can be no accumulation of ink behind
the resilient leaf which would case the ink to spread out laterally in each direction.
This is an important result in the present invention since it provides for the utilization
of different colors of ink in different columns without any of the colors being moved
laterally.
[0020] Again referring to the drawings, it will be seen that each of the springs 40 is attached
to the planar surface 31 or 33 adjacent the central planar surface 32 only along that
edge which is nearest to the ink supply openings. Attachment of the spring elements
40 to their respective inner faces 31 and 33 is shown as being accomplished by threaded
fastening members 41 but it is obvious that any sort of suitable fastening means could
be utilized. The ink injector rail is provided with a smoothing element 40 on each
side of the central face 32 so that, depending upon which one of the bellows 37 is
actuated, the roll can be rotated in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction.
[0021] Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings, there is shown an alternative construction
for effecting movement of the spring elements 40 away from the inner surface 30 of
injector ink rail 15 toward the surface of the fountain roll 10. Specifically, recesses
similar to the recesses that receive the bellows 36 in the type of apparatus shown
in the other figures are provided. In this case, however, the recesses have a generally
circular configuration and receive cams 45 which can be mechanically turned to depress
one or the other of the spring elements 40, as illustrated in the drawing. When the
cam is returned to the recessed position, the natural resiliency of the elements 40
will, as is the case in the alternative configuration, cause it to be returned to
the' uppermost position against the face of the injector rail.
[0022] Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred
embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted
to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in
the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered
to be within the purview and scope of the invention and the appended claims.
1. In a rotary printing press including plate and blanket rolls and inking rolls,
the combination of an improved inking system, said improved inking system comprising:
(a) an ink fountain roll;
(b) an ink injector rail mounted adjacent said fountain roll for movement between
an operative position where ink can be deposited on said fountain roll and an inoperative
position where it is not, said ink injector rail having resilient means dependent
therefrom to smooth the surface of ink deposited on the surface of said fountain roll
without effecting metering thereof; and
(c) an ink metering pump connected to a source of ink and to said injector rail to
supply metered amounts of ink to said injector rail for subsequent uniform deposition
on said fountain roll.
2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said ink injector rail includes operator
means to move said resilient means into contact with the surface of said fountain
roll.
3. The combination as defined in claim 2 wherein said operator means is mechanically
actuated.
4. The combination as defined in claim 2 wherein said operator means is fluid actuated.
5. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said ink injector rail comprises
an elongated body having a plurality of ink supply openings extending therethrough
at locations along the length of said body corresponding to the locations of the columns
of matter to be printed and wherein there is an individual metering pump connected
to each of said ink supply openings.
6. A rotary printing press as defined in claim 1 wherein said ink fountain roll has
a resilient outer surface.
7. The combination as defined in claim 5 wherein there are two of said resilient means
dependent from said ink injector rail to smooth the surface of ink deposited on the
fountain roller, each of said two dependent means being attached to said rail adjacent
said ink supply openings so that they can be operated selectively to enable operation
of the fountain roll in each direction of rotation.
8. In an ink fountain for a rotary printing press in which ink is supplied by a pressurized
metering system the combination of:
(a) a fountain roller having a resilient outer ink receiving surface or an ink receptive
metallic or any other ink receptive surface; and
(b) an ink injector rail mounted adjacent said fountain roller for movement between
operating and non-operating positions with respect to said fountain roller, said ink
rail comprising:
1) an elongated body having ink supply openings extending therethrough at locations
along its length which corresponds to a column of print and having an inner wall configured
to approximate the curvature of the outer surface of said fountain roll;
2) a flexible ink deflector blade of a length approximating the width of said fountain
roller;
3) means securing that side of said deflector blade nearest to the ink supply openings
to the inner wall of said elongated body so that the opposite end thereof is free
for movement toward and away from the outer surface of said fountain roll; and
4) operator means carried by said elongated body to move the non-secured edge of said
ink deflector blade into operative contact with the outer surface of said fountain
roll to smooth out ink as it is introduced from the ink supply.
9. An ink fountain as defined in claim 1 wherein there are two ink deflector blades,
each blade being attached to said inner wall only on its end nearest to the ink supply
openings.
10. An ink fountain as defined in claim 1 wherein said operator means includes a rotatable
cam element to exert actuating force against said ink deflector blade.
11. An ink fountain as defined in claim 1 wherein said operator means includes an
element having a surface that is movable substantially linearly against said ink deflector
blade to move said blade into operating position.
12. An ink fountain as defined in claim 4 wherein said element having said moving
surface includes an inflatable body.
13. In an ink fountain for a rotary printing press in which ink is supplied by a pressurized
metering system the combination of:
(a) a fountain roller having an resilient outer ink receiving surface; and
(b) an ink injector rail mounted adjacent said fountain roller for movement between
operating positions with respect to said fountain roller, said rail comprising:
1) an elongated body having ink supply opening extending therethrough at locations
along the length of said body corresponding to the location of the column of matter
to be printed, said openings further being located approximately midway between longitudinally
extending side walls of said body;
2) an inner wall on said elongated body having at least three individual faces that
are interconnected and are oriented toward the outer surface of said fountain roller
in such a way that said inner wall approximates the curvature of the outer surface
of said fountain roll;
3) a flexible ink deflector blade attached to each of the two faces located on each
side of the central most of the said three faces, said blades being attached only
along the edge adjacent said central face.
4) means defining a cavity located in said elongated body in back of each of said
deflector blades; and
5) operator means contained with each said cavity for urging the associated deflector
blade toward said fountain roller when desired.
14. An ink fountain as defined in claim 6 which wherein said three individual faces
of said inner wall are planar.
15. An ink fountain as defined in claim 6 wherein the plane of each of said three
faces comprising said inner wall are substantially normal to a radius originating
from the axis of rotation of said fountain roller.
16. An ink fountain as defined in claim 6 wherein the central most of said three planar
faces is located closer to the axis of rotation of said fountain roller when said
rail is in operating position than are the other two of said three faces.
17. An ink fountain as defined in claim 6 wherein said operator means are expandable
by the introduction of fluid from a suitable source.
18. An ink fountain as defined in claim 6 wherein said operator means is a rotatable
cam.