Roll carrier and elevating device for printing apparatus

Claim 1

A ROLL CARRIER FOR USE WITH PRINTING APPARATUS OF THE TYPE HAVING A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL PRINTING ROLLS SPACED ALONG THE PERIPHERY OF A BACKING CYLINDER, AND AXIALLY SPACED BEARING SUPPORTS FOR SHAFT ELEMENTS SUPPORTING PRINTING ROLLS, SAID CARRIER COMPRISING A FREME; A SUPPORT ELEMENT MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, SAID SUPPORT ELEMENT HAVING A CANDLE PORTION IN THE UPPER PORTION THEREOF PROVIDING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL EXTENDING CONCAVE SEATS SPACED ALONG THE UPPER SURFACE THEREOF WITH THE PARALLEL EXTENDING CENTERS OF SAID SEATS BEING SPACED ALONG AN ARC OPENING UPWARDLY OF SAID CARRIER, EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF SEATS OF SAID CRADLE PORTION BEING SPACED UPWARDLY OF THE FRAME LONGITUDINALLY ADJACENT THE ENDS THEREOF IN THE ELEVATED POSITION OF SAID SUPPORT ELEMENT, SAID CONCAVE SEATS PROVIDING FIRM SEATING FOR THE PERIPHERY OF A PLURALITY OF ASSOCIATED CYLINDRICAL ROLLS, SAID CRADLE PORTION BEING DIMENSIONED AND CONFIGURED TO LOCATE SIMULTANEOUSLY THE ROLLS CARRIED THEREON ALONG AN ARC IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE BEARING SUPPORTS OF AN ASSOCIATED PRINTING APPARATUS WHEN SAID SUPPORT ELEMENT IS ELEVATED RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME, SAID CRADLE PORTION BEING CONFIGURED AND ELEVATABLE RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME TO RAISE THE ASSOCIATED CYLINDRICAL ROLLS SEATED THEREON FROM A LOWERED POSITION TO A MOUNTING POSITION WHEREIN THE ROLLS ON SAID CRADLE PORTION ARE AXIALLY ALIGNED WITH THE BEARING SUPPORTS AND WITH THE ENDS OF THE ASSOCIATED ROLLS BEING FREELY ACCESSIBLE FOR INSERTION THEREINTO OF ASSOCIATED SHAFT ELEMENTS FOR MOUNTING THEROF IN THE BEARING SUPPORTS OF THE PRINTING APPARATUS; AND POWER MEANS FOR ELEVATING AND LOWERING SAID SUPPORT ELEMENTS RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME BETWEEN SAID LOWERED AND MOUNTING POSITIONS.