Apparatus for changing and indicating the rotary and axial position of a printing member

Claim 2

Apparatus for changing and indicating the angular phase and axial position of a printing member comprising; a driving member for said printing member rotatable relative to said printing member; phase shifting apparatus having an input coupled to said driving member and rotatably driven thereby and having an output coupled to said printing member and further having a wavegenerator between said input and said output for changing the angular phase of said output with respect to said input; said phase shifting apparatus including: a. a rigid circular spline secured for rotation with said driving member and having internal spline teeth thereon; b. a flexible circular spline of smaller diameter than said rigid spline supported within said rigid spline and having external spline teeth thereon; c. an elliptical wave generator supported within said flexible spline and adapted to deflect said flexible spline to a correspondingly elliptical shape for urging said external teeth into meshing engagement with said internal teeth substantially opposite the foci of said elliptical wave generator; power means having a primary output coaxially coupled to said printing member through said wave-generator and said flexible spline for selectively rotating said wave-generator in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction during rotation or nonrotation of said driving member thereby changing the radially angular position of meshing engagement between said internal and external teeth; said power means including a secondary output axially opposite to said primary output; phase indicator means coupled to said secondary output and rotated thereby in a direction and at a distance corresponding to the direction and distance of rotation of said primary output for indicating the angular relation of said printing member with respect to said driving member; said power means including an output shaft coupled to said printing member through said elliptical wave-generator and said flexible spline; axial end-adjustment means coupled to said power means for axially shifting said output shaft during rotation or nonrotation of said driving member to thereby axially shift said printing member; and axial indicator means associated with said power means for indicating the axial position of said printing member.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said driving member is a spur gear to rotatably mounted on one end of said printing member.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said power means is a gear-motor mounted coaxially with said phase shifting apparatus.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said phase shift indicator means includes a worm coupled with a secondary output of said gear-motor for driving a worm wheel associated therewith and printing member graduated dial coupled to said worm wheel for indicating the direction and distance of the phase shift of said printing member with respect to said driving member.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said end-adjustment means includes: first and second worm gears fixed in rotatable operative engagement in a stationary housing; a movable support secured to said gear-motor and adapted for sliding engagement within said housing along the axis of said printing member; said gear-motor including an output shaft coupled to said printing member through said elliptical wave-generator and said flexible spline; said first worm gear having internal screw threads in operative engagement with corresponding external threads on said movable support; and a handwheel coupled to said second worm gear for rotating said first worm gear through said second gear whereby said first worm gear axially shifts said movable support to thereby shift said printing member through said output shaft coupled to said printing member.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said axial indicator means includes a pointer secured to said movable support and a graduated scale secured to said stationary housing adjacent said pointer whereby axial movement of said support moves said pointer along scale for Indicating the axial shift of said printing member.

Claim 8

Apparatus for changing the angular phase of first and second printing rollers with respect to driving means therefor and with respect to each other and for changing the axial position of said rollers comprising, in combination: a first spur gear mounted on one end of said first printing roller rotatable relative thereby by said driving means; a second spur gear mounted on one end of said second printing roller rotatable relative thereby by said first spur gear; substantially identical phase shifting apparatus coaxially coupled to each of said spur gears, each shifting apparatus having an input rotatably driven by its associated spur gear and an output coupled to its respective printing roller, each shifting apparatus having a coaxial wave-generator radially aligned between said input and said output for changing the angular phase of said output with respect to said input whereby the angular phase of said first printing roller is changed with respect to said driving means upon rotation of its associated wave-generator and the angular phase of said second printing roller is changed with respect to said first printing roller upon rotation of its associated wave-generator; each of said phase shifting apparatus including: a. a rigid circular spline secured for rotation with said driving member and having internal spline teeth thereon; b. a flexible circular spline of smaller diameter than said rigid spline supported within said rigid spline and having external spline teeth thereon; c. an elliptical wave-generator supported within said flexible spline and adapted to deflect said flexible spline to a corresponding elliptical shape for urging said external teeth into meshing engagement with said internal teeth substantially opposite the foci of said elliptical wave-generator; a gear-motor for each of said phase shifting apparatus having a primary output coaxially coupled to its respective printing member through said wave-generator and said flexible spline for selectively rotating said wave-generator in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction during rotation or nonrotation of said driving member thereby changing the radially angular position of meshing engagement between said internal and external teeth; axial end-adjustment means for each of said printing rollers including: first and second worm gears fixed in rotatable operative engagement in a stationary housing; a movable support secured to said gear-motor and adapted for sliding engagement within said housing along the axis of said printing member; said gear-motor including an output shaft coupled to said printing member through said elliptical wave-generator and said flexible spline; said first worm gear having internal screw threads in operative engagement with corresponding external threads on said movable support; each of said second worm gears having a handwheel coupled thereto for rotating said worm gears whereby said first worm gear axially shifts its associated movable support to thereby shift its associated printing roller; indicator means coaxially coupled to each of said gear-motors including a third worm coupled with a secondary output of said gear-motor for driving a fourth worm wheel in operative rotatable engagement therewith and a graduated dial coupled to said fourth worm wheel for indicating the direction and distance of the phase shift of the associated printing roller; and axial indicator ma means associated with each of said gear-motors including a pointer secured to said movable support and a graduated scale secured to said stationary housing adjacent said pointer whereby axial movement of said support by said handwheel moves said pointer along said scale for indicating the axial shift of each of said printing rollers.

Claim 9

Apparatus for changing the angular phase of first and second printing rollers with respect to driving means therefor and with respect to each other and for changing the axial position of said rollers comprising, in combination: a first spur gear mounted on one end of said first printing roller rotatable relative thereby by said driving means; a second spur gear mounted on one end of said second printing roller rotatable relative thereby by said first spur gear; substantially identical phase shifting apparatus coaxially coupled to each of said spur gears, each shifting apparatus having an input rotatably driven by its associated spur gear and an output coupled to its respective printing roller, each shifting apparatus having a coaxial wave-generator radially aligned between said input and said output for changing the angular phase of said output with respect to said input whereby the angular phase of said first printing roller is changed with respect to said driving means upon rotation of its associated wave-generator and the angular phase of said second printing roller is changed with respect to said first printing roller upon rotation of its associated wave-generator; each of said phase shifting apparatus including: a. a rigid circular spline secured for rotation with said driving member and having internal spline teeth thereon; b. a flexible circular spline of smaller diameter than said rigid spline supported within said rigid spline and having external spline teeth thereon; c. an elliptical wave-generator supported within said flexible spline and adapted to deflect said flexible spline to a corresponding elliptical shape for urging said external teeth into meshing engagement with said internal teeth substantially opposite the foci of said elliptical wave-generator; a gear-motor for each of said phase shifting apparatus having a primary output coaxially coupled to its respective printing member through said wave-generator and said flexible spline for selectively rotating said wave-generator in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction during rotation or nonrotation of said driving member thereby changing the radially angular position of meshing engagement between said internal and external teeth; axial end-adjustment means for each of said printing rollers including: first and second worm gears fixed in rotatable operative engagement in a stationary housing; a movable support secured to said gear-motor and adapted for sliding engagement within said housing along the axis of said printing member; said gear-motor including an output shaft coupled to said printing member through said elliptical wave-generator and said flexible spline; said first worm gear having internal screw threads in operative engagement with corresponding external threads on said movable support; each of said second worm gears having a handwheel coupled thereto for rotating said worm gears whereby said first worm gear axially shifts its associated movable support to thereby shift its associated printing roller; indicator means coaxially coupled to each of said gear-motors including a third worm coupled with a secondary output of said gear-motor for driving a fourth worm wheel in operative rotatable engagement therewith and a graduated dial coupled to said fourth worm wheel for indicating the direction and distance of the phase shift of the associated printing roller; and axial indicator ma means associated with each of said gear-motors including a pointer secured to said movable support and a graduated scale secured to said stationary housing adjacent said pointer whereby axial movement of said support by said handwheel moves said pointer along said scale for indicating the axial shift of each of said printing rollers.