Apparatus for printing on curved surfaces

Claim 2

Printing apparatus comprising a rotatable print cylinder, a printing plate on said cylinder having a pattern printing surface extending helically around the axis of rotation of said cylinder and facing radially outwardly therefrom, and feeding means for feeding cup-shaped articles past said printing surface and in contact therewith comprising means for rotating said cup-shaped articles about their own axes while simultaneously advancing said articles into printing position and through a printing zone along a path parallel to the axis of the print cylinder with each said article oriented as it passes through the printing zone with its own axis in a common plane with the axis of the print cylinder and with the longitudinal element of its sidewall nearest the print cylinder at any moment being parallel to the axis of the print cylinder and in contact with said printing surface.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1, for imprinting cup-shaped articles having tapered sidewalls, wherein said feeding means comprises means for canting each article as it approaches the printing zone to bring said longitudinal element parallel to the axis of said print cylinder.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said feeding means comprises means for receiving a nested stack of said articles, and means for partially separating successive articles as they approach the printing zone to expose a print receiving surface on their sidewalls.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3, for imprinting cup-shaped articles having tapered sidewalls, wherein said feeding means comprises means for canting each article as it approaches the printing zone to bring said longitudinal element parallel to the axis of said print cylinder.

Claim 6

Printing apparatus comprising a rotatable print cylinder, a printing plate on said cylinder having a pattern printing surface extending helically around the axis of rotation of said cylinder and facing radially outwardly therefrom, and feeding means for feeding cup-shaped articles past said printing surface and in contact therewith comprising a plurality of cylindrical members mounted for synchronized rotation about individual axes all parallel to the axis of said print cylinder and defining with said print cylinder a feed path between them for receiving a nested stack of cup-shaped articles, each cylindrical member being provided with helical means for engaging a radially extending lip on said article, the respective helical means being relatEd for rotating the articles of said stack while advancing the stack past said printing surface.

Claim 7

Printing apparatus comprising a rotatable print cylinder, a printing plate on said cylinder having a pattern printing surface extending helically around the axis of rotation of said cylinder and facing radially outwardly therefrom, and feeding means for feeding cup-shaped articles past said printing surface and in contact therewith comprising a plurality of cylindrical members mounted for synchronized rotation about individual axes all parallel to the axis of said print cylinder and defining with said print cylinder a feed path between them for receiving a nested stack of cup-shaped articles, each cylindrical member being provided with helical means for engaging a radially extending lip on said article, the respective helical means being relatEd for rotating the articles of said stack while advancing the stack past said printing surface.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said cylindrical members are longer than said print cylinder extending in advance of the latter, and one of said cylindrical members is mounted on the opposite side of said feed path from said print cylinder for maintaining the articles as they pass the print cylinder in print receiving contact with said printing surface, the feed rates of all of said helical means at any given point along the feed path being identical with the exception of a section of the helical means of said one cylindrical member which is in advance of the print cylinder, said section having a different feed rate from the corresponding feed rate at the same point along the feed path of the other helical means for canting each article as it approaches the print cylinder to bring the longitudinal element of the sidewall of a tapered sidewall article, which element is nearest the print cylinder at any moment, into a position parallel to the axis of the print cylinder.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein all of said cylindrical members have helical means with the same diameters and are coupled for rotation at the same speed, the leads of all of said helical means at any given point along the feed path being identical with the exception of said section of the helical means of said one cylindrical member.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of cylindrical members comprise two members in addition to said one cylindrical member, said two members being arranged to engage said articles at points spaced more than 90* but less than 180* on opposite sides of the point at which said articles are engaged by said one cylindrical member. Apparatus according to claim 5, including a helical printing plate having a feed rate which is identical at any point in the direction of the feed path with the feed rates of all of said helical means corresponding to the same point.

Claim 11

Apparatus for conveying a cup-shaped article having a radially extending rim comprising three cylindrical members mounted for synchronized rotation about individual parallel axes all spaced equi-distant from a central axis defining a chute-like path therebetween for receiving and confining said article therealong, each cylindrical member being provided with helical means for engaging said rim of said article, the feed rates of all of said helical means at any given point along the chute-like path being identical at such point with the exception of a section of the helical means of one cylindrical member, said section having a different feed rate from the corresponding feed rate at the same point along the chute-like path of the other helical means for canting the article as it passes said section.

Claim 12

Apparatus for conveying a cup-shaped article having a radially extending rim comprising three cylindrical members mounted for synchronized rotation about individual parallel axes all spaced equi-distant from a central axis defining a chute-like path therebetween for receiving and confining said article therealong, each cylindrical member being provided with helical means for engaging said rim of said article, the feed rates of all of said helical means at any given point along the chute-like path being identical at such point with the exception of a section of the helical means of one cylindrical member, said section having a different feed rate from the corresponding feed rate at the same point along the chute-like path of the other helical means for canting the article as it passes said section.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said three cylindrical members have helical means with the same diameters and are coupled for rotation at the same speed, the leads of all of said helical means at any given point along the chute-like path being identical with the exception of said section of the helical means of said one cylindrical member.

Claim 16

The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of canting each article after said partial separation to bring an element of a tapered sidewall in parallel with the direction of travel past the printing zone.

Claim 17

Printing apparatus comprising a printing plate mounted for rotation about a predetermined axis, said plate having a pattern printing surface extending helically around saId axis and facing radially outwardly therefrom, drive means for rotating said plate around said axis and thereby moving each portion of said printing surface in a circumferential direction around said axis and feeding means for engaging the surface of a medium to be printed on with said printing surface and for simultaneously moving the portion of said surface of said medium which engages said printing surface both in the same direction and at the same rate as the portion of said printing surface which it engages is moved, thereby to cause them to move without slippage therebetween, and in a direction parallel to the direction of said axis.

Claim 18

Printing apparatus comprising a printing plate mounted for rotation about a predetermined axis, said plate having a pattern printing surface extending helically around saId axis and facing radially outwardly therefrom, drive means for rotating said plate around said axis and thereby moving each portion of said printing surface in a circumferential direction around said axis and feeding means for engaging the surface of a medium to be printed on with said printing surface and for simultaneously moving the portion of said surface of said medium which engages said printing surface both in the same direction and at the same rate as the portion of said printing surface which it engages is moved, thereby to cause them to move without slippage therebetween, and in a direction parallel to the direction of said axis.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 14 further comprising a second printing plate having a second pattern printing surface mounted for rotation co-axially with said first-mentioned printing plate but spaced axially therefrom, said second printing surface extending helically around said axis and facing radially outwardly therefrom, drive means for rotating said second plate around said axis and thereby moving each portion of said printing surface in a circumferential direction around said axis and feeding means for engaging the surface of a medium to be printed with said printing surfaces and for simultaneously moving the portion of said surface of said medium which engages said printing surfaces both in the same direction and at the same rate as the portions of said printing surfaces which it engages are moved, thereby to cause them to move without slippage therebetween, and in a direction parallel to the direction of said axis.

Claim 20

Apparatus according to claim 15 further comprising first means for inking one of said printing surfaces, and second means for inking the other of said printing surfaces.

Claim 21

Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the medium to be printed has a print receiving surface represented by a surface of revolution with a straight line generatrix, and said feeding means comprises means for orienting said medium such that its print receiving surface makes rolling line contact with said printing surface.