Device for axially moving fluid-distributing rollers

Claim 2

In a printing press, a rotary drive shaft, a hollow fluiddistributing roller coaxially surrounding anD spaced from said shaft, bearing means supporting said roller on said shaft for axial movement relative thereto, means rotating said roller with said shaft while freeing said roller for axial movement with respect to said shaft, a step-down transmission means housed at least partly within said roller and driven by said shaft to have an output speed which is less than the speed of rotation of said shaft, and cam means housed within said roller and rotatable about the axis of said shaft, said cam means being driven by said step-down transmission means and having an axial end face operatively connected to said roller for reciprocating the latter axially along said shaft through lateral movement cycles each of which includes movement of said roller axially first in one direction and then in an opposite direction while providing for each lateral movement cycle a time during which said roller and shaft rotate through more than one revolution.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said step-down transmission means includes a stationary inner ring gear surrounding said drive shaft and extending into said roller, a satellite gear meshing with said ring gear, means supporting said satellite gear not only for movement about its own axis but also for free rotary movement about the axis of said drive shaft while riding along said stationary ring gear, and said shaft fixedly carrying a gear of said step-down transmission which meshes with said satellite gear.

Claim 4

In a printing press, a rotary drive shaft, a hollow fluid-distributing roller coaxially surrounding and spaced from said shaft, bearing means supporting said roller on said shaft for axial movement relative thereto, means rotating said roller with said shaft while freeing said roller for axial movement with respect to said shaft, a step-down transmission means housed at least partly within said roller and driven by said shaft to have an output speed which is less than the speed of rotation of said shaft, said step-down transmission means includes a stationary inner ring gear surrounding said drive shaft and extending into said roller, a satellite gear meshing with said ring gear, means supporting said satellite gear not only for movement about its own axis but also for free rotary movement about the axis of said drive shaft while riding along said stationary ring gear, and said shaft fixedly carrying a gear of said step-down transmission which meshes with said satellite gear, and cam means housed within said roller, said cam means includes an elongated hollow tubular cam surrounding said drive shaft between said roller and drive shaft and formed with an axial slot, said means which supports said satellite gear for rotation about said drive shaft carrying a member received in said slot of said tubular cam to rotate the latter at the same speed that said satellite gear planetates around the axis of said drive shaft, said tubular cam having a camming end and an opposed bearing end, a cam roller having a stationary axis extending radially with respect to said drive shaft and engaging said camming end of said tubular cam, a bearing carried by said hollow roller in the interior thereof and engaging said bearing end of said cam so that the latter can turn at a slower speed than said roller, and spring means acting on said roller to urge the latter bearing into engagement with said cam, so that through said cam said roller is displaced on one axial direction while said spring means returns said roller in the opposite axial direction.

Claim 5

In a printing press, a rotary drive shaft, a hollow fluid-distributing roller coaxially surrounding and spaced from said shaft, bearing means supporting said roller on said shaft for axial movement relative thereto, means rotating said roller with said shaft while freeing said roller for axial movement with respect to said shaft, a step-down transmission means housed at least partly within said roller and driven by said shaft to have an output speed which is less than the speed of rotation of said shaft, said step-down transmission means includes a stationary inner ring gear surrounding said drive shaft and extending into said roller, a satellite gear meshing with said ring gear, means supporting said satellite gear not only for movement about its own axis but also for free rotary movement about the axis of said drive shaft while riding along said stationary ring gear, and said shaft fixedly carrying a gear of said step-down transmission which meshes with said satellite gear, and cam means housed within said roller, said cam means includes an elongated hollow tubular cam surrounding said drive shaft between said roller and drive shaft and formed with an axial slot, said means which supports said satellite gear for rotation about said drive shaft carrying a member received in said slot of said tubular cam to rotate the latter at the same speed that said satellite gear planetates around the axis of said drive shaft, said tubular cam having a camming end and an opposed bearing end, a cam roller having a stationary axis extending radially with respect to said drive shaft and engaging said camming end of said tubular cam, a bearing carried by said hollow roller in the interior thereof and engaging said bearing end of said cam so that the latter can turn at a slower speed than said roller, and spring means acting on said roller to urge the latter bearing into engagement with said cam, so that through said cam said roller is displaced on one axial direction while said spring means returns said roller in the opposite axial direction.

Claim 6

In a printing press, a rotary drive shaft, a hollow fluid-distributing roller coaxially surrounding and spaced from said shaft, bearing means supporting said roller on said sahft for axial movement relative thereto, means rotating said roller with said shaft while freeing said roller for axial movement with respect to said shaft, a step-down transmission means housed at least partly within said roller and driven by said shaft to have an output speed which is less than the speed of rotation of said sHaft, wherein said step-down transmission includes a gear fixed to said drive shaft for rotary movement therewith, a double gear having a driven gear portion meshing with said gear which is fixed to said drive shaft and a driving gear portion coaxial with said driven gear portion thereof, and cam means housed within said roller, said cam means including a rotary sleeve freely turnable on said drive shaft between the latter and said roller and carrying a gear which meshes with said driven gear portion of said double gear to be driven through said step-down transmission at a speed of rotation smaller than that of said drive shaft, said sleeve carrying a cam roller whose axis extends radially with respect to said drive shaft, so that said cam roller rotates around said drive shaft at a speed less than the speed of rotation thereof, and said cam means including an annular cam coaxially surrounding said drive shaft and fixed to said roller for rotary movement therewith.

Claim 7

In a printing press, a rotary drive shaft, a hollow fluid-distributing roller coaxially surrounding and spaced from said shaft, bearing means supporting said roller on said sahft for axial movement relative thereto, means rotating said roller with said shaft while freeing said roller for axial movement with respect to said shaft, a step-down transmission means housed at least partly within said roller and driven by said shaft to have an output speed which is less than the speed of rotation of said sHaft, wherein said step-down transmission includes a gear fixed to said drive shaft for rotary movement therewith, a double gear having a driven gear portion meshing with said gear which is fixed to said drive shaft and a driving gear portion coaxial with said driven gear portion thereof, and cam means housed within said roller, said cam means including a rotary sleeve freely turnable on said drive shaft between the latter and said roller and carrying a gear which meshes with said driven gear portion of said double gear to be driven through said step-down transmission at a speed of rotation smaller than that of said drive shaft, said sleeve carrying a cam roller whose axis extends radially with respect to said drive shaft, so that said cam roller rotates around said drive shaft at a speed less than the speed of rotation thereof, and said cam means including an annular cam coaxially surrounding said drive shaft and fixed to said roller for rotary movement therewith.

Claim 8

The combination of claim 4 and wherein said cam has an exterior periphery formed with a spiral cam groove which receives said cam roller so that during relative rotation between said cam and cam roller said fluid distributing roller will be axially reciprocated with respect to said drive shaft.