Cleaning system for wetting tank rollers

Claim 2

In a wetting system for applying a liquid to a length of material travelling along a path past said system, apparatus comprising a tank for holding a supply of said liquid at a predetermined level therein, an applicator roll, means mounting said roll on said tank at a location at which said roll is partially immersed in said liquid to cause said roll to carry wetting liquid from said tank to the surface of material travelling thereby, an element mounted for reciprocating movement adjacent to said roll, means for reciprocating said element and means responsive to reciprocation of said member for concomitantly scrubbing the surface of said roll while rotating said roll.

Claim 3

Apparatus as in claim 1 including means responsive to the presence of material adjacent to said wetting system for disabling said reciprocating means.

Claim 4

Apparatus as in claim 1 in which said element comprises a pile fabric, the pile of which is adapted to engage the surface of said roll.

Claim 5

Apparatus as in claim 3 in which said fabric is generally arcuate in cross sectional shape and in which said fabric has a length approximating that of said roll.

Claim 6

Apparatus as in claim 4 including means for rapidly reciprocating said pile fabric toward and away from said roll.

Claim 7

Apparatus as in claim 5 in which said reciprocating means comprises a solenoid and means for pulsing said solenoid.

Claim 8

Apparatus as in claim 6 including an armature associated with said solenoid and a rod connecting said armature to said fabric.

Claim 9

A wetting system for an electrostatic copier having means for moving a length of copy material back and forth past said system including in combination, a tank for holding a supply of developer carrier liquid, a first roll, a second roll, means mounting said rolls on said tank for rotary movement with the axis thereof generally perpendicular to the direction of movement of said moving means relative to the system, said rolls being partially immersed in the liquid in said tank, respective lengths of pile material associated with said rolls, means mounting said pile material length adjacent the respective rolls for reciprocation relative thereto in directions generally perpendicular to the roll axes between positions in engagement with the roll surfaces and positions out of engagement with the roll surface, and means for driving said pile material lengths between said positions concomitantly to scrub said rolls and to impart rotary movement thereto.

Claim 10

A wetting system for an electrostatic copier having means for moving a length of copy material back and forth past said system including in combination, a tank for holding a supply of developer carrier liquid, a first roll, a second roll, means mounting said rolls on said tank for rotary movement with the axis thereof generally perpendicular to the direction of movement of said moving means relative to the system, said rolls being partially immersed in the liquid in said tank, respective lengths of pile material associated with said rolls, means mounting said pile material length adjacent the respective rolls for reciprocation relative thereto in directions generally perpendicular to the roll axes between positions in engagement with the roll surfaces and positions out of engagement with the roll surface, and means for driving said pile material lengths between said positions concomitantly to scrub said rolls and to impart rotary movement thereto.

Claim 11

Apparatus as in claim 8 including means responsive to the presence of said moving means over said system for disabling said driving meanS.

Claim 12

Apparatus as in claim 8 including a wiper blade associated with one of said rolls, means mounting said blade for movement between an operative position in engagement with said one roll and an inoperative position away from said one roll, a solenoid adapted to be energized to move said blade from its inoperative position to its operative position and means responsive to movement of said moving means in one direction relative to said system and to the presence of said moving means over said system for energizing said solenoid.

Claim 13

A system as in claim 8 in which said driving means comprises respective solenoids and means for pulsing said solenoids.

Claim 14

A system as in claim 11 including means for varying the rate at which said solenoids are pulsed.

Claim 15

A system as in claim 8 in which said lengths of pile material are arcuate in cross section.