Movably positionable cylinder arrangement for indirect printing presses

Claim 1

A cylinder arrangement for an offset press and for similar presses for printing on one or both sides, comprises a machine frame, a plate cylinder mounted on said machine frame, a pair of laterally spaced side plates pivotally positionabLe about the axis of said plate cylinder, an eccentric bushing rotatably positioned in each of said side plates, a rubber cylinder rotatably mounted at its opposite ends within said eccentric bushings, means secured to said side plates and to said eccentric bushings associated therewith for rotating said eccentric bushings and moving said rubber cylinder between an operative position in contact with said plate cylinder and an inoperative position spaced from said plate cylinder, means for limiting the movement of said rubber cylinder between its operative and inoperative positions, a pair of spaced stops formed on said machine frame, a pair of spaced lugs formed on each of said side plates with each of said lugs arranged to engage one of said stops on said machine frame, a shifting device mounted on said machine frame and articulated to said side plates for selectively displacing said lugs into engagement with said stops on said machine frame for pivoting said side plates and moving said rubber cylinder between a position for printing on one side and another position for printing on both sides in both of which positions said rubber cylinder can be displaced between its operative and inoperative positions, said shifting device including means for assuring full displacement of said lugs on said side plate into engagement with the respective said stops on said machine frame when said rubber cylinder is displaced between the positions for printing on one side and on both sides and including a pair of axially aligned shafts mounted within said machine frame, an adjustable coupling interconnecting said shafts, said machine frame having an opening in each of its opposite sides in alignment with said shafts and each of said shafts extending through the opening in one of the opposite sides of said machine frame, a worm drive mounted and being axially displaceable on each of said shafts and located within one of the openings in said machine frame, a pair of worm gears each mounted on an opposite side of said machine frame and each said worm gear associated with and arranged to be driven by one of said worm drives, a spindle rotatably mounted within each of said worm gears and extending therefrom toward said side plate on the same side of said machine frame, and a link pin articulated to said spindle and to said side plate for pivoting said side plate so that one of said lugs formed thereon is displaced into contact with a corresponding said stop on said machine frame.