Mechanism for clamping flexible printing plates to the cylinders of printing machines

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A PRINTING CYLINDER PROVIDED IN ITS PERIPHERY WITH A SLOT FOR RECEIVING FLANGES EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM ADJACENT EDGES OF A FLEXIBLE PRINTING PLATE APPLIED TO SAID CYLINDER AND WHICH FLANGES ARE FORMED WITH OUT-TURNED LIPS EXTENDING TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER; TWO CLAMPING COMPONENTS HOUSED IN SAID SLOT AND MOUNTED ON SAID CYLINDER FOR PIVOTING MOVEMENT ABOUT THE ENDS OF SAID CLAMPING COMPONENTS WHICH ARE DISPLACED INWARDLY FROM THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CYLINDER; A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CLAMPING ELEMENT FORMED WITH GROOVES FOR RECEIVING SAID PLATE FLANGE LIPS; AND TWO FLEXIBLE RESILIENT DEVICES INDEPENDENTLY INFLATABLE BY FLUID PRESSURE AND BEING HOUSED IN SAID SLOT AND RESPECTIVELY LOCATED BETWEEN SAID CLAMPING COMPONENTS AND THE WALLS OF SAID SLOT AT POSITIONS BETWEEN THE PIVOTAL MOUNTINGS OF SAID CLAMPING COMPONENTS AND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID CYLINDER, SAID FLEXIBLE RESILIENT DEVICES WHEN INFLATED DISPLACING SAID CLAMPING COMPONENTS RELATIVELY TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO SAID CLAMPING ELEMENTS FOR CLAMPING THE FLANGED ENDS OF THE PRINTING PLATES BETWEEN SAID CLAMPING COMPONENT AND SAID CLAMPING ELEMENT THEREBY TO TENSION SAID PRINTING PLATE.