Apparatus for producing offset printing plates

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED FOR PRODUCING OFFSET PRINTING PLATES COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A ROLLER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A FIRST PAIR OF COUNTER-ROTATING ROLLS FOR FEEDING A PREVIOUSLY EXPOSED COPY NEGATIVE THEREBETWEEN, A SECOND PAIR OF COUNTER ROTATING ROLLS FOR FEEDING THEREBETWEEN A PRINTING PLATE TO WHICH THE LATENT IMAGE ON THE COPY NEGATIVE IS TO BE TRANSFERRED AND A THIRD PAIR OF COUNTER-ROTATING MAIN PRESSURE ROLLS FOR COMMONLY RECEIVING AND PRESSING THEREBETWEEN THE SHEETS FED THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ROLLS, SAID ROLLS BEING INTERCONNECTED FOR SYNCHRONOUS ROTATION ABOUT PARALLEL AXES WITH THE NIPS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ROLLS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER AND TO ONE SIDE OF THE COMMON PLANE OF THE AXES OF THE MAIN PRESSURE ROLLS, MEANS FOR SYNCHRONOUSLY DRIVING SAID SEVERAL PAIRS OF ROLLS FOR CONJOINTLY FEEDING SAID SHEETS THROUGH THE ROLLER ASSEMBLY AT A PREDETERMINEDLY FIXED LINEAR SPEED OF TRAVEL, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING PROCESSING SOLUTION TO SAID SHEETS AS THE SAME PASS THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ROLLS AND TOWARD SAID MAIN PRESSURE ROLLS, AND MEANS FOR SWINGABLY MOUNTING SAID ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR MOVEMENT INTO AN ELEVATED POSITION FREE OF SAID PROCESSING SOLUTION OR INTO A LOWERED POSITION IN WHICH THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ROLLS ARE COMPLETELY IMMERSED IN SAID SOLUTION FOR PROCESSING OF THE SHEETS PASSING THROUGH SAID SEVERAL PAIRS OF ROLLS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED FOR PRODUCING OFFSET PRINTING PLATES COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A ROLLER ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A FIRST PAIR OF COUNTER-ROTATING ROLLS FOR FEEDING A PREVIOUSLY EXPOSED COPY NEGATIVE THEREBETWEEN, A SECOND PAIR OF COUNTER ROTATING ROLLS FOR FEEDING THEREBETWEEN A PRINTING PLATE TO WHICH THE LATENT IMAGE ON THE COPY NEGATIVE IS TO BE TRANSFERRED AND A THIRD PAIR OF COUNTER-ROTATING MAIN PRESSURE ROLLS FOR COMMONLY RECEIVING AND PRESSING THEREBETWEEN THE SHEETS FED THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ROLLS, SAID ROLLS BEING INTERCONNECTED FOR SYNCHRONOUS ROTATION ABOUT PARALLEL AXES WITH THE NIPS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ROLLS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER AND TO ONE SIDE OF THE COMMON PLANE OF THE AXES OF THE MAIN PRESSURE ROLLS, MEANS FOR SYNCHRONOUSLY DRIVING SAID SEVERAL PAIRS OF ROLLS FOR CONJOINTLY FEEDING SAID SHEETS THROUGH THE ROLLER ASSEMBLY AT A PREDETERMINEDLY FIXED LINEAR SPEED OF TRAVEL, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING PROCESSING SOLUTION TO SAID SHEETS AS THE SAME PASS THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ROLLS AND TOWARD SAID MAIN PRESSURE ROLLS, AND MEANS FOR SWINGABLY MOUNTING SAID ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR MOVEMENT INTO AN ELEVATED POSITION FREE OF SAID PROCESSING SOLUTION OR INTO A LOWERED POSITION IN WHICH THE FIRST AND SECOND PAIRS OF ROLLS ARE COMPLETELY IMMERSED IN SAID SOLUTION FOR PROCESSING OF THE SHEETS PASSING THROUGH SAID SEVERAL PAIRS OF ROLLS.