Printing plate registering apparatus and method

Claim 1

IN PRINTING PLATE REGISTERING APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DISCLOSED, A FRAME, A VACUUM BOX SUPPORTED THEREON FOR MOUNTING A PRINTING PLATE, A PROOF MOUNTING ASSEMBLY CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND SUPERPOSABLE ON SAID PRINTING PLATE AND COMPRISING A THIN TRANSPARENT SHEET FOR CONTACT WITH THE PRINTING SURFACE THEREOF, MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID ASSEMBLY FOR ACCURATE ASSUMPTION OF A PREDETERMINED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME WHEN SO SUPERPOSED, SAID SHEET HAVING REGISTER MEANS CARRIED THEREBY AND ADAPTED TO PHYSICALLY COACT WITH REGISTER MEANS OF A TRANSPARENT PROOF OF ONE PRINTING PLATE OF A SET OF PRINTING PLATES WHEN SAID TRANSPARENT PROOF IS POSITIONED TO OVERLIE SAID SHEET, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID VACUUM BOX AND THEREBY SAID PRINTING PLATE RELATIVE TO SAID TRANSPARENT PROOF TO REGISTER THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE PRINTING PLATE WITH THAT OF THE PROOF, SAID PROOF MOUNTING ASSEMBLY BEING MOVABLE OUT OF CONTACT WITH SAID PRINTING PLATE, SAID PRINTING PLATE BEING MOVABLE TO A NEW AND PREDETERMINED POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME, AND MEANS AT SAID NEW POSITION AND FIXED RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME FOR APPLYING REGISTER MEANS TO SAID PRINTING PLATE WHEREBY SUCCESSIVE PRINTING PLATES OF THE SET MAY EACH BE REGISTERED WITH SAID TRANSPARENT PROOF AND THEN WITH SAID REGISTER MEANS AND THE SAME APPLIED THERETO, AND THE REGISTER MEANS FOR ALL PLATES OF THE SET WILL BE LOCATED SIMILARLY WITH RESPECT TO THE SAME SUBJECT MATTER ON EACH OF THE PLATES.