Apparatus for exposing and developing printing plates

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR SUCCESSIVELY EXPOSING AND PROCESSING PRESENSITIZED PLANOGRAPHIC PRINTING PLATES TO PREPARE THE SAME FOR USE ON A PRESS COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF, EXPOSURE MEANS FOR EXPOSING A PRESENSITIZED PLATE TO ACTINIC RADIATION THROUGH A NEGATIVE TRANSPARENCY WHILE MAINTAINING SAID PLATE AND TRANSPARENCY UNDER INTIMATE PRESSURE-CONTACT DURING SAID EXPOSURE AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING A SAID PLATE AND TRANSPARENCY THROUGH SAID EXPOSURE MEANS AND TO A SEPARATING UNIT, MEANS DEFINING A SEPARATING UNIT FOR SEPARATING AN EXPOSED PLATE AND TRANSPARANCY, MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE SEPARATED TRANSPARENCY, CONVEYING MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE EXPOSED PLATE FROM SAID MEANS DEFINING SAID SEPARATING UNIT AND ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH, AND A SERIES OF PROCESSING STATIONS ARRANGED IN CLOSELY ADJACENT SUCCESSIVE ORDER ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED PATH FOR COMPLETING THE PREPARATION OF THE PLATE FOR PRESS USE AND COMPRISING: A COATING STATION HAVING A MECHANISM FOR APPLYING A COATING OF TREATING SOLUTION TO THE EXPOSED SURFACE OF THE PLATE, A SCRUBBING STATION HAVING A MECHANISM FOR SCRUBBING THE SURFACE OF THE PLATE WITH THE TREATING SOLUTION AS THE PLATE IS CONVEYED ALONG SAID PATH, A CLEANING STATION HAVING A RINSE APPLYING AND WASTE REMOVING MECHANISM FOR CLEANING THE SCRUBBED SURFACE OF THE PLATE, AND RECEPTOR MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE CLEANED PLATES FROM SAID CONVEYING MEANS AT THE END OF SAID PREDETERMINED PATH.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR SUCCESSIVELY EXPOSING AND PROCESSING PRESENSITIZED PLANOGRAPHIC PRINTING PLATES TO PREPARE THE SAME FOR USE ON A PRESS COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF, EXPOSURE MEANS FOR EXPOSING A PRESENSITIZED PLATE TO ACTINIC RADIATION THROUGH A NEGATIVE TRANSPARENCY WHILE MAINTAINING SAID PLATE AND TRANSPARENCY UNDER INTIMATE PRESSURE-CONTACT DURING SAID EXPOSURE AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING A SAID PLATE AND TRANSPARENCY THROUGH SAID EXPOSURE MEANS AND TO A SEPARATING UNIT, MEANS DEFINING A SEPARATING UNIT FOR SEPARATING AN EXPOSED PLATE AND TRANSPARANCY, MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE SEPARATED TRANSPARENCY, CONVEYING MEANS FOR ADVANCING THE EXPOSED PLATE FROM SAID MEANS DEFINING SAID SEPARATING UNIT AND ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH, AND A SERIES OF PROCESSING STATIONS ARRANGED IN CLOSELY ADJACENT SUCCESSIVE ORDER ALONG SAID PREDETERMINED PATH FOR COMPLETING THE PREPARATION OF THE PLATE FOR PRESS USE AND COMPRISING: A COATING STATION HAVING A MECHANISM FOR APPLYING A COATING OF TREATING SOLUTION TO THE EXPOSED SURFACE OF THE PLATE, A SCRUBBING STATION HAVING A MECHANISM FOR SCRUBBING THE SURFACE OF THE PLATE WITH THE TREATING SOLUTION AS THE PLATE IS CONVEYED ALONG SAID PATH, A CLEANING STATION HAVING A RINSE APPLYING AND WASTE REMOVING MECHANISM FOR CLEANING THE SCRUBBED SURFACE OF THE PLATE, AND RECEPTOR MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE CLEANED PLATES FROM SAID CONVEYING MEANS AT THE END OF SAID PREDETERMINED PATH.