US1097240A - Automatic-platen printing-press. - Google Patents

Description

A. LAGERMAN & V. LANDQVIST. AUTOMATIC PLATEN PRINTING PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1921.

Famed May 19, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COWWASHINUTON, n. c.

M {M M A. LAGERMAN & V. LANDQVIST.

AUTOMATIC PLATEN PRINTING PRESS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 13, 1911 Patented May 19, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER L-AGERMAN, OF TOMTEBERGET, LERUM, AND VICTOR LANDQVIST, 0F GOTTENBORG, SWEDEN, ASSIG-NORS TO AKTIEBOLAGE'I PRINCEPS, OF GO'ITENBORG,

SWEDEN, A CORPORATION OF SWEDEN.

AUTOMATIG-PLATEN PRINTING-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19-, 1914.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER LAGER- MAN, a subject of the King of Sweden, and resident of Tomteberget, Lerum, in the Kingdom of Sweden, and VIoToR LAND- QVIST, a subject of the King of Sweden, and resident of 50 Drottninggatan, Gottenborg, in the Kingdom of Sweden, have invented certain new and useful Improvement-s in Automatic-Platen Printing-Presses of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a device in automatic platen printing presses for bringing the platen automatically into its inoperative position. An automatic platen printing press is described in the U. S. Letters Patents Nos. 792523 and758453 and is so arranged, that it feeds the paper automatically, sheet by sheet, from the feed-table to the platen and delivers the same, so that the press can be run without any attendance except the supplying of paper sheets, when they have given out. It is, however, desired that presses of the said class operate automatically also in such manner, that the printing operation ceases, z. e. that the platen is not brought in contact with the form, if, for some reason, the paper feeding device should not function or if the pile of paper-sheets supplied to the press should have given out.

This invention consists in a device rendering the press automatic in the said respect. The paper feeding device is pneumatic and the feeding of the sheets is effected in such manner that the sheet is raised at one of its edges by a suction-pipe provided with mouthpieces, which pipe communicates with a suction-pump. The said sheet is then seized by grippers and conveyed by the same to the platen, as stated in the U. S. Letters Patent No. 792523. The device in question is based upon the said suction action in such manner, that a cylinder with piston communicates with the pump and that the said piston determines, whether an eccentricand lever arm-mechanism, which is connected with the platen and can move the same into an inoperative position, should operate or not. If during the suction operation there are sheets of paper on the feedtable and the top sheet is raised in the ordi If, on the other hand, there is no sheet of paper on the feed-table or the feed-device should fail, the said piston occupies a different position'and acts by means of a special mechanism upon the said eccentricand lever arm-mechanism in such manner, that the platen is caused to occupy an inoperative position with relation to the form. As the whole printing press is shown in the U. S. Letters Patent No. 7 92523, only such parts of the same are shown in the accompanying drawings as form or cooperate with the automatically operating device in question for bringing the platen into its inoperating position.

Figure 1 is a side view of the said device. Figs. 2 and 3 are plan views of some parts of the said device. Figs. 1 and 5 show some parts of Fig. 1 in other positions. Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are sections of the mouth-pieces.

The platen 1 oscillates, as usually, between an upper position, in which it bears against the form 2, and a lower position, in which the printed sheet is conveyed from the same by special mechanism. The said platen is oscillated by two pitmen 3, one at each side of the machine and connected with arms 4 respectively, which turn pivotally about studs at their lower ends and carry the platen. The platen embraces a shaft 5, which is journaled in the said arms and forms an eccentric, actuating the platen 1, so that by rotating the shaft the platen 1, when located in its upper position, can be moved from the form for such a distance, that it is out of contact with the same. From the shaft 5 a lever arm 6 extends, acted upon by a strong spiral spring 7, which tends to rotate the shaft in such direction, that the platen 1 is moved from the form. The shaft 5 is held in its opposite position, corresponding to the operating position of the platen 1 by a side projection 8 on the arm 6 hearing against the top arm 9 of a lever, which is pivoted to one of the arms 1 and the other arm of which extends downward in order to be acted upon, when necessary, by a catch, when the platen is in its lowered position, so that the said lever 9, 10 does not form a support to the arm 6 during the subsequent upward movement of the platen. To the outer end of the arm 6 a rod 11 is pivoted, which extends downward and passes freely through a support 12, pivoted to the frame of the printing press. Above the said support the rod 11 is provided with a ring 13, which is adjustable longitudinally of the rod and by means of which the rod can bear upon the support 12, thus forming a further support to the arm 6 in addition to the lever 9, 10. At a point nearer to the feed-table 14 a catch 15 is pivoted to the frame, which extends upward in an oblique direction into the path of the lever 9, 10 and is swung upward by a spring 16 as far as permitted by an abutment. The said catch 15 has a lateral pro jection 17 which, as the catch 15 is lowered, can be engaged by a catch 18, loosely mounted on a shaft 19. The said shaft 19 has an arm 20, which is connected with the rod of the piston 21 mentioned above and operating in the cylinder 22. A three-armed lever 24 is fixed to the end of the shaft 19.

A three-armed lever 24: is fixed to the end of the shaft 19. A spring 23 connected to one arm of said lever, tends to rotate the lever and shaft 19, to the right as the drawing is held. An oppositely extending arm of the lever 24, is connected by a spring with the catch 18, tending to draw the catch to the left and hold it yieldingly against the middle arm of the lever 24. The spring 23, when there is no vacuum beneath the piston 22, will hold the catch 18, through its engagement with the middle arm of the lever 24, cut of operative engagement with the projection 17 of the catch 15. The said spring 23, however, is so weak, that the tension of the same is overcome by the piston, when moved downward owing to a vacuum created in the cylinder. The catch 18 is thereby swung toward the projection 17. The suction device comprises a pump a, the piston b of which is caused to reciprocate in the ordinary manner. The pump a communicates through a tube 0 with the suction pipe 26. From the tube 0, a tube cl extends to the cylinder 22. By the suction stroke of the pump a, the piston 21 is lowered, provided the mouthpieces of the pipe 26 be covered by a sheet as already described, and a rotatablepipe 26 extending longitudinally of the feed-table 14, and a plurality of sleeves 27 mounted on the pipe and shaped to mouth-pieces, each of which can be rotated around the pipe. The end surface of the mouth-piece is straight and provided with a plurality of holes 28. In the pipe 26 an opening is provided, corresponding to the cavity of the mouth-piece.

\Vhen the mouth-piece is swung downward, the mouth-piece communicates with the pipe through the said opening, and when the mouth-piece is swung upward (in a lateral sense), the said opening is closed. Consequently, the mouth-piece forms a kind of cock, which permits the atmospheric air to enter the pipe 26 through the mouth-piece or shuts ofi the same. According to the greater or less width of the paper-sheet or to the number of piles located on the feedtable, at the side of each other, which table may be divided transversely into a plurality of compartments, a corresponding number of mouth-pieces are used, which are directed downward toward the paper, while the other mouth-pieces are closed. A closed mouth-piece is shown at the right hand side of Fig. 6. During the suction, effected by the pump, the paper-sheet is raised and placed against the straight end surface of the mouth-piece, so that its holes 28 are closed. During the continued operation of the pump the vacuum is increased in the pipe 26 and the cylinder 22, which through a pipe communicates with the pipe 26 or with the conduit, connecting the pipe 26 with the pump. Owing to the said increased vacuum the piston 21 is moved downward. If, on the other hand, there is no paper on the feedtable 14, the holes of the corresponding, downward extending mouth-pieces are not closed. Consequently, the said increased vacuum is not effected and the piston 21 is not moved downward.

The device operates in the following manner. As the platen (the arms 4) is swung downward in the direction, indicated by the arrow in Fig. l, the end of the lever-arm 10 is placed on the shoulder 30 of the catch 15 and forces the catch downward to the position, indicated by dotted lines. At the same 'time the rod 11 has been pushed downward through the support 12, owing to the fact that the top end of the arm 4 approaches the support 12 during the said movement downward. Consequently, the ring 13 strikes the support 12, so that the rod 11 is prevented from being moved farther downward through the said support but swings the arm 6 upward, thus releasing the lever 9, 10, so that it can easily be swung, when acted upon by the catch 15. While the catch 15 is swung downward, its projection 17 is moved into such a position, that the catch 18 can engage the same. If there is a paper-sheet on the feed-table, the piston 21 is so moved, that the catch 18 engages the projection 17 and prevents the catch 15 from being swung upward from the position indicated by the dotted lines, as the platen (the arms a) is again swung upward. Owing to this fact the catch 15 does not actuate the lever 9, 10, so that the latter will again support the arm 6, While the platen 1s moved upward and the ring 13 is raised from the support 12. The printing operation is now effected in the ordinary manner, as the platen reaches the form. If, on the other hand, there is no paper-sheet under any one of the downward extending mouth-pieces or, for some reason, the sheet is not raised, the holes 28 are not closed and consequently the piston 21 is not moved downward and the catch 18 not actuated. As the platen is swung upward, after the catch 15 has been depressed to the position indicated by dotted lines, the catch 15 (acted upon by the spring 16) actuates the lever 9, 10 by means of its inner side 15*, so that the lever 9, 10 for a short period is held in such a position, that it forms no support to the projection 8, see Fig. 5. During the continued upward movement of the platen the shaft 5 is rotated by the spring 7 acting upon the arm 6, so that the platen is not brought into contact with the form when reaching its uppermost position. During the next downward movement of the platen the catch 15 is again depressed. If the catch 18 has engaged the catch 15 during the previous stroke of the platen, the catch 18 is now released and swung backward by the sprin r 23, whereupon the catch 18 is again broug it into its engaging position, if necessary, with relation to projection 17 during the succeeding suction operation, according as there is a sheet of paper on the feed-table or not, as explained above. Instead of the cylinder 22 with the piston 21 a pair of bellows or any other suitable device may be used for moving the catch 18 during the suction operation. It may be observed that the suction operation will last only for a short period, until the paper sheet has been caught by the gripper mechanism, in consequence whereof the vacuum in the cylinder 22 is neutralized immediately, permitting the spring 23 to act. The pipe 26 can oscillate around an axis coinciding with the rear edge of the mouth-piece located in its operating position, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. Owing to this arrangement the action of the pipe can be adjusted to the stiffness of the paper.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of a carrier, an eccentric thereon, a platen on said eccentric, a springactuated lever arm mechanism tending to turn the eccentric and move the platen into its inoperative position, a movable support for the said lever arm mechanism, a pneumatic paper sheet feeding device, a vacuum operated mechanism communicating with the said pneumatic feeding device and means under the control of the said vacuum 0perated mechanism for moving aside the said movable support and causing the eccentric and lever arm mechanism to operate when no feed of the paper is efiected.

2-. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of oscillating arms, a platen carried thereby, an eccentric shaft adapted to move the platen into and out of operative position with relation to said arms, a lever arm on said shaft, a spring connecting the lever arm with said oscillating arms and tending to move the platen out of its operative position, a lever pivoted to the said oscillating arms, the aforesaid lever arm being supported by said lever for holding the platen in its operative position, a pneumatic sheet feeder, a vacuum operated mechanism connected with the pneumatic sheet feeder, a movable catch for the said lever, which catch in one position does not move the said support for the lever arm and in another position does move the said support, the positions of said catch being determined by the vacuum forming mechanism.

8. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of the oscillating platen, its carrier, an eccentric, a lever arm and a spring for moving the platen out of its operative position with relation to its carrier, a lever pivoted to the said carrier forming an upper support for the lever arm for holding the platen in its operative position, a rod, a guide through which the rod can slide, the said guide forming a lower support arranged to be substituted for the aforesaid upper support during a part of the downward movement of the platen, a pneumatic sheet feeder, a catch pivoted to the frame, and a vacuum operated mechanism for controlling the catch.

4. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of an eccentric, a lever arm mechanism for moving the platen, a spring, a support for the lever arm mechanism to permit the platen to operate, a support acting alternately with the former support for relieving it when the platen has os cillated backward, a pneumatic sheet feeder, a cylinder with its piston, the cylinder communicating with the said pneumatic feeder to produce a vacuum in the cylinder, intercoacting catches one of which occupies different positions according as a vacuum is created or not in said cylinder and indirectly under the control of a sheet being fed or not fed, one of the catches when a sheet has been fed being held in position by the other catch, but in the event a sheet has not been fed, being acted upon by a spring, and a spring for acting upon the catch to move aside the relieved support, thereby permitting the lever arm mechanism to move the platen to its inoperative position.

5. In an oscillating platen printing press, the combination of an eccentric, a lever arm mechanism, a platen, a platen carrier, a spring arranged to act upon the lever arm mechanism to move the platen to its inoperative position with relation to its carrier, a disengageable catch for the said lever mechanism arranged to oscillate with the platen, means located in the path of said catching device for disengaging it,

a vacuum operated mechanism for actuating the said means, a pneumatic sheet feeder provided with adjustable mouth pieces and connected with the said vacuum operated device whereby the said Vacuum operated device is placed under Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

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