US3641933A — Registry mechanism for printing units

Claim 1

Independent Claim 223 words

In a printing press having a single drive shaft and a plurality of printing units for acting in succession on a web of paper and each having a bevel-type driven gear, a drive coupling interposed between the drive shaft and driven gear comprising, in combination a first sleeve and a second sleeve telescoped over the shaft, said sleeves having a helical spline connection between them, said first sleeve having a slidable keyed connection with the shaft and said second sleeve having a beveltype drive gear formed on one end thereof for drivingly engaging the associated driven gear, said second sleeve having a shiftable yoke connected thereto, means for shifting said yoke for positioning the drive gear in a driving position in which the gears are meshed and a retracted position in which the gears are unmeshed so that the driven gear may be freely rotated to make gross changes in the phase position thereof, said first sleeve having a positioning yoke connected thereto with means for blocking said positioning yoke against rotation, means for adjusting said positioning yoke for imparting to the sleeve slight axial movement thereby to adjust the degree of engagement of the splines when the bevel gear is drivingly meshed with the driven gear to achieve small changes in phase position of the gears with respect to the drive shaft.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 223 words

In a printing press having a single drive shaft and a plurality of printing units for acting in succession on a web of paper and each having a bevel-type driven gear, a drive coupling interposed between the drive shaft and driven gear comprising, in combination a first sleeve and a second sleeve telescoped over the shaft, said sleeves having a helical spline connection between them, said first sleeve having a slidable keyed connection with the shaft and said second sleeve having a beveltype drive gear formed on one end thereof for drivingly engaging the associated driven gear, said second sleeve having a shiftable yoke connected thereto, means for shifting said yoke for positioning the drive gear in a driving position in which the gears are meshed and a retracted position in which the gears are unmeshed so that the driven gear may be freely rotated to make gross changes in the phase position thereof, said first sleeve having a positioning yoke connected thereto with means for blocking said positioning yoke against rotation, means for adjusting said positioning yoke for imparting to the sleeve slight axial movement thereby to adjust the degree of engagement of the splines when the bevel gear is drivingly meshed with the driven gear to achieve small changes in phase position of the gears with respect to the drive shaft.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 23 words

The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the positioning yoke has threaded means for achieving axial adjusting movement of the yoke.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 47 words

The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the positioning yoke is in the form of a collar blocked against rotation and being an opposed thrust bearing connection with the first sleeve, the collar being threaded and engaged for adjustment purposes by an axially captive nut.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 84 words

The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the helical splines on the second sleeve are correspondingly angled in a direction opposite to the helical teeth on the drive gear so that the endwise thrust applied to the second sleeve by the helical spline is in a direction opposite to the reaction thrust applied to the second sleeve by the helical teeth on the driven gear resulting in a minimum of net thrust on the second sleeve even under conditions of high-torque transmission.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 185 words

In a drive for a printing press unit having a driven gear and plurality of cylinders including a plate cylinder, the combination comprising a drive shaft having first and second sleeves mounted thereon, the first sleeve being slidably keyed to the drive shaft and having a helical spline, said second sleeve being telescoped over the first sleeve and having a cooperating helical spline meshing with the spline on the first sleeve and having a bevel-type gear formed on one end for drivingly meshing with the driven gear, means for shifting the second sleeve between an engaged position in which the bevel gear meshes with the driven gear and a second position in which the bevel gear is retracted from the driven gear accompanied by relative movement at the splines, and a positioning yoke in the form of a collar teLescoped over the first sleeve and coupled to it for movement in the axial direction, and normally adjustable means for axially positioning the yoke and hence the degree of engagement of the splines to change the phase position of the gears with respect to the shaft.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 185 words

In a drive for a printing press unit having a driven gear and plurality of cylinders including a plate cylinder, the combination comprising a drive shaft having first and second sleeves mounted thereon, the first sleeve being slidably keyed to the drive shaft and having a helical spline, said second sleeve being telescoped over the first sleeve and having a cooperating helical spline meshing with the spline on the first sleeve and having a bevel-type gear formed on one end for drivingly meshing with the driven gear, means for shifting the second sleeve between an engaged position in which the bevel gear meshes with the driven gear and a second position in which the bevel gear is retracted from the driven gear accompanied by relative movement at the splines, and a positioning yoke in the form of a collar teLescoped over the first sleeve and coupled to it for movement in the axial direction, and normally adjustable means for axially positioning the yoke and hence the degree of engagement of the splines to change the phase position of the gears with respect to the shaft.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1975-02-14	1975-08-16	1976-02-15	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1979-02-14	1979-08-16	1980-02-15	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1983-02-14	1983-08-16	1984-02-15	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Registry mechanism for printing units

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