Apparatus for prewetting photoelectrostatic offset masters

Claim 1

APPARATUS ADAPTED FOR THE APPLICATION OF A PREWETTING SOLUTION TO AN IMAGE-BEARING SURFACE OF A PHOTOELECTROSTATIC MASTER SHEET, WHICH COMPRISES FIRST AND SECOND SHEET TRANSFER MEANS SPEED APART FROM EACH OTHER AND ADAPTED TO ADVANCE A PHOTOELECTROSTATIC MASTER SHEET FROM AN INPUT POSITION THROUGH A TREATING STATION AND TO AN EXIT POSITION, A GUIDE AND BEARING PLATE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND SHEET TRANSFER MEANS AND ADAPTED TO GUIDE SAID SHEET FROM SAID FIRST SHEET TRANSFER MEANS TO SAID SECOND SHEET TRANSFER MEANS, SCRUBBER MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID GUIDE AND BEARING PLATE AND ADAPTED TO CONTACT THE SURFACE OF A PHOTOELECTROSTATIC MASTER SHEET PASSING OVER THE SHEET GUIDE AND BEARING PLATE WITH RELATIVE MOTION BETWEEN THE SURFACE OF SAID PHOTOELECTROSTATIC MASTER SHEET AND SAID SCRUBBER MEANS, A RESERVOIR FOR CONTAINING A PREWETTING SOLUTION, AN ELONGATE NOZZLE DIRECTED TOWARD SAID GUIDE AND BEARING PLATE BETWEEN SAID SCRUBBER MEANS AND SAID SECOND SHEET TRANSFER MEANS AND ADAPTED TO SPRAY AQUEOUS PREWETTING SOLUTION ONTO A PORTION OF THE SAID PHOTOELECTROSTATIC MASTER SHEET ISSUING FROM BETWEEN SAID SCRUBBER MEANS AND SAID GUIDE AND BEARING PLATE, AND MEANS FOR CIRCULATING AQUEOUS PREWETTING SOLUTION FROM SAID RESERVOIR AND THROUGH SAID NOZZLE ONTO SAID PHOTOELECTROSTATIC MASTER SHEET AND FOR RETURNING SAID SOLUTION TO SAID RESERVOIR.