Ink metering apparatus with obtuse metering member

Claim 2

An inker for a lithographic printing press comprising: an applicator roller having a resilient surface urged into pressure indented relation with a printing plate; an-ink metering-member comprising an elongated -metallic strip; support means supporting said metering member to form a cantilever beam having an unsupported end urged into pressure indented relation with said resilient surface on the applicator roller; and means to rotate said applicator roller to move an excess of ink into engagement with the unsupported end of the cantilever beam, the improvement comprising: a metering portion on the unsupported end of the cantilever beam; a metering surface, a support surface and a trailing surface formed on said metering portion, said metering surface and said support surface being inclined at an obtuse included angle and intersecting at an apex to form a metering edge, and said trailing surface and said support surface intersecting at an apex to form a trailing edge; said support means positioning said support surface substantially parallel to a line tangent to the resilient roller surface and passing through the line of contact between the metering member and the resilient roller surface, said support means positioning the body of the metering member at an angle of less than 30° relative to the tangent line, said support means positioning said trailing surface such that the angle between the tangent line and the trailing surface is greater than 30°, and said support means positioning said metering surface such that the angle between the tangent line and the metering surface is less than 90°; said metering member and said applicator roller surface being positioned such that rotation of the applicator roller moves an excess of ink into impingement with said metering surface on the metering portion on the unsupported end of the cantilever beam and causes the ink to separate from said metering member at said trailing edge.

Claim 3

A liquid metering device for metering and controlling a finite, thin, uniform, liquid film, having a given viscosity, from a reservoir of an excess quantity onto a liquid carrier; an endless rotatable liquid-carrying member having a smooth, firm, resilient, outer cover which has a textured surface capable of supporting a continuous liquid film; an elongated metering member being substantially trapezoidal in cross section and flexible along the length thereof, said trapezoidal shape formed by two substantially parallel upper and lower surfaces, one surface being a top surface and the other a smooth, hard support surface, and further formed by a smooth, hard metering surface and a smooth, hard trailing surface, said support surface intersecting said metering surface and said trailing surface, forming two smooth, hard edges along the entire length of the support surface, wherein the metering surface forms an obtuse angle with the support surface such that a hard, durable, polished, obtuse edge is formed at the intersection thereof; said endless rotatable liquid-carrying member being indented by the support surface and both edges of the elongated flexible metering member, along the length thereof, wherein the metering surface of the metering member forms a barrier to the excess of liquid carried by the textured resilient outer cover surface of the liquid-carrying member and wherein the obtuse edge of the metering member is resiliently biased along the length thereof against the resilient cover of the liquid-carrying member and wherein the trapezoidal section is further rigidly supported in a plane substantially parallel to the support surface, opposing a force from the resilient cover against the obtuse edge and against the support surface of the metering member; means to rotate the endless carrier surface relative to the metering member such that the liquid is impinged by the barrier surface and obtuse metering edge of the metering member; wherein a thin, substantially unbroken, continuous film of liquid is sheared and metered onto and uniformly carried away from the trailing surface and trailing edge of the metering member by the textured surface of the outer cover of the carrier member; the resilient force acting upon the flexible, elongated support surface of the metering member being sufficient to resiliently indent the resilient cover of the carrier member along the edges of the metering member to cause the substantially unbroken, continuous film of liquid to be substantially constant along the length of the metering member and along the path of the metered film as it exits the trailing edge of the metering member; with the pressure acting on the liquid mass at the entrance of the metering surface of the metering member and the surface of the resilient surface of the outer cover of the carrier surface, adjacent the obtuse metering edge of the metering member, and the obtuseness of the metering edge, being preselected and sufficient to meter the liquid having a given rheology to a desired film thickness without significant indentation to cause rapid deterioration of above metering member or carrier surface.

Claim 4

A liquid metering device for metering and controlling a finite, thin, uniform, liquid film, having a given viscosity, from a reservoir of an excess quantity onto a liquid carrier; an endless rotatable liquid-carrying member having a smooth, firm, resilient, outer cover which has a textured surface capable of supporting a continuous liquid film; an elongated metering member being substantially trapezoidal in cross section and flexible along the length thereof, said trapezoidal shape formed by two substantially parallel upper and lower surfaces, one surface being a top surface and the other a smooth, hard support surface, and further formed by a smooth, hard metering surface and a smooth, hard trailing surface, said support surface intersecting said metering surface and said trailing surface, forming two smooth, hard edges along the entire length of the support surface, wherein the metering surface forms an obtuse angle with the support surface such that a hard, durable, polished, obtuse edge is formed at the intersection thereof; said endless rotatable liquid-carrying member being indented by the support surface and both edges of the elongated flexible metering member, along the length thereof, wherein the metering surface of the metering member forms a barrier to the excess of liquid carried by the textured resilient outer cover surface of the liquid-carrying member and wherein the obtuse edge of the metering member is resiliently biased along the length thereof against the resilient cover of the liquid-carrying member and wherein the trapezoidal section is further rigidly supported in a plane substantially parallel to the support surface, opposing a force from the resilient cover against the obtuse edge and against the support surface of the metering member; means to rotate the endless carrier surface relative to the metering member such that the liquid is impinged by the barrier surface and obtuse metering edge of the metering member; wherein a thin, substantially unbroken, continuous film of liquid is sheared and metered onto and uniformly carried away from the trailing surface and trailing edge of the metering member by the textured surface of the outer cover of the carrier member; the resilient force acting upon the flexible, elongated support surface of the metering member being sufficient to resiliently indent the resilient cover of the carrier member along the edges of the metering member to cause the substantially unbroken, continuous film of liquid to be substantially constant along the length of the metering member and along the path of the metered film as it exits the trailing edge of the metering member; with the pressure acting on the liquid mass at the entrance of the metering surface of the metering member and the surface of the resilient surface of the outer cover of the carrier surface, adjacent the obtuse metering edge of the metering member, and the obtuseness of the metering edge, being preselected and sufficient to meter the liquid having a given rheology to a desired film thickness without significant indentation to cause rapid deterioration of above metering member or carrier surface.

Claim 5

An inker for a lithographic printing plate comprising: a resilient covered applicator roller; means to urge the applicator roller into pressure indented relation with the lithographic printing plate; a metering member having a metering surface, a support surface and a trailing surface intersecting to form an obtuse metering edge and a trailing edge; means to rotate said applicator roller to move ink on the roller surface toward said metering surface on the metering member; means to position the support surface substantially tangent to and in engagement with the surface of the roller such that the angle between the metering surface and a line extending radially of the roller is in a range between 10° and 70°, the metering surface being inclined from the radial line toward the approaching roller surface, said metering edge being formed to assure that a change in the angle between the metering surface and the radial line will change the thickness of a film of.ink formed adjacent said metering edge on said roller surface; and means to urge said metering edge and said,trailing edge into pressure indented relation with the resilient roller surface.

Claim 6

An inker for a lithographic printing plate comprising: a resilient covered applicator roller; means to urge the applicator roller into pressure indented relation with the lithographic printing plate; a metering member having a metering surface, a support surface and a trailing surface intersecting to form an obtuse metering edge and a trailing edge; means to rotate said applicator roller to move ink on the roller surface toward said metering surface on the metering member; means to position the support surface substantially tangent to and in engagement with the surface of the roller such that the angle between the metering surface and a line extending radially of the roller is in a range between 10° and 70°, the metering surface being inclined from the radial line toward the approaching roller surface, said metering edge being formed to assure that a change in the angle between the metering surface and the radial line will change the thickness of a film of.ink formed adjacent said metering edge on said roller surface; and means to urge said metering edge and said,trailing edge into pressure indented relation with the resilient roller surface.