Offset printing press

Claim 2

In a printing machine, printing means including at the printing station thereof rotatable curved blanket supporting and impression surfaces intermittently coactable during portions only of the rotatable movements thereof and operable while in coactable tangential relation to transfer image inkings from a blanket on said blanket supporting surface to a continuous web, means for rotating said blanket supporting and impression surfaces constantly at a uniform peripheral velocity, means for supporting a given length of the continuous web at spaced places on opposite sides of said station, means connected to said web supporting means and operable to translatorily reciprocate said web supporting means to translatorily reciprocate the given length of web through said printing station, means for actuating said reciprocating means to advance said web supporting means and the given length of web supported thereby through said station at a velocity equal to the peripheral velocity of said surfaces during the coaction of the latter and to retract such given length of web in the intervals between such coactable relation of said surfaces, means intermittently operable to positively lock said blanket supporting and impression surfaces and said web supporting means temporarily during the printing operation while the given length of web is advancing at said velocity, and means operative during the printing operation to prevent movement of the web generally relative to said web supporting means and during said intervals to feed given length portions of the continuous web.

Claim 3

In a printing machine as defined in claim 1, in which said web supporting means comprises two spaced flying rolls for supporting the ends of said given length of web, and said reciprocating means comprising pivotal means movably supporting said rolls for pivotal reciprocating movement in unison, said actuating means being connected to and reciprocating said pivotal supporting means.

Claim 4

In a printing machine as defined in claim 2, in which said web supporting means comprises a plurality of first substantially horizontally disposed members located between and connected to the ends of said flying rolls to hold the latter in given spaced relation, and said pivotal supporting means comprises a plurality of second substantially vertically disposed pivotal members pivotally connected to the assembly formed by said flying rolls and first members.

Claim 5

In a printing machine as defined in claim 3, in which said first members comprise a pair of spaced parallel members, and in which said second members are elongated members mounted at their lower ends for pivotal movement about fixed axes and connected at their upper ends to said assembly so the axes of their pivotal connections with the latter are coincidental with the flying roll axes.

Claim 6

In a printing machine as defined in claim 1, including a first cylinder having a printing impression of given length on its peripheral surface, a blanket cylinder having a blanket supporting segment providing said blanket supporting surface and having a working circumferential dimension equal to the circumferential length of the printing impression provided on said first cylinder, an impression cylinder having an impression segment providing said impression surface, said impression cylinder having a circumferential dimension such that when the circumferential dimension of said blanket segment is divided thereunto there will result a certain whole quotient greater than one, said rotating means locking said first, blanket and impression cylinders in revolving relationship during the printing operation, and in which said operable means includes first means movable to connect said rotating means to said web supporting means and lock the latter during its advancing movement to said first, blanket and impression cylinders, and second means operable to so move said first means during the advancing movement of said web supporting means at said velocity.

Claim 7

In a printing machine as defined in claim 1, in which said operable means comprises a member movably connected to said web supporting means and reciprocated with the latter and said given length of web, means mounted on said reciprocating member for connecting the latter with said rotating means, and means operable to move said reciprocating member relative to said web supporting means to effect such connection when said member is moving at said velocity equal to the peripheral velocity of said blanket supporting and impression surfaces.

Claim 8

In a printing machine as defined in claim 1, in which said operable means includes a member movably connected to said web supporting means and reciprocated therewith, said member having engaging means to connect the same to said rotating means, first means supporting said member for slidable reciprocating movement, second means supporting said first supporting means for movement transverse to such slidable movement, and means operable to move said second supporting means and said member in a direction to cause said engaging means to connect said member with said rotating means when said member is moving at the said velocity and in the middle portion of its sliding stroke, and to move said second supporting means and said member in a direction to disconnect said member and rotating means before said member reaches the ends of its stroke.

Claim 9

In a printing machine as defined in claim 6, including first means for supporting said web supporting means at spaced places for lengthwise translatory reciprocating movement, said actuating means being connected to and reciprocating said first supporting means, second means located between said spaced places for supporting said member for lengthwise translatory reciprocating movement, and means connecting said web supporting means and said member to enable relative movement of the same during the reciprocating movements thereof.

Claim 10

In a printing machine as defined in claim 5, in which said operative means includes means downstream of said station in the direction of feed of the web for intermittently drawing the web portions in the intervals when said blanket and impression segments are not in coactable relation, and web retaining means upstream of said station in the direction of feed of the web and coacting with said drawing means during the printing operations to place the length of web therebetween under tension and to prevent movement of the web generally relative to said web supporting means.

Claim 11

In a printing machine as defined in claim 1, in which said rotating means comprises a shaft for supporting said impression surface for rotatable movement about the longitudinal axis thereof, and in which said operative means comprises a first member secured to said shaft, a second member mounted for pivotal movement about a fixed axis spaced from said shaft axis, a link extending from said first member to said second member, means connecting one end of said link to said first member in offset relation to said shaft and the other end of said link to said second member in offset relation to said fixed axis so that said link is operable by the first member to pivotally reciprocate said second member about said fixed axis, said connecting means connecting one end of said link to one of said members for adjustment of such connection relative to the axis of movement of such one member, a pair of feed rolls for the web, and means for connecting said second member to said feed rolls to enable such second member to drive said feed rolls in one direction of its pivotal movement to advance the web a given length portion.

Claim 12

In a printing machine, printing means including at the printing station thereof rotatable curved blanket supporting and impression surfaces intermittently coactable during portions only of the rotatable movements thereof and operable while in coactable tangential relation to transfer image inkings from a blanket on said blanket supporting surface to a continuous web, means for rotating said blanket supporting and impression surfaces at a uniform peripheral velocity, web supporting means for forming in the continuous web an open loop of given size having its central part extending through said printing station, means hingedly supporting said web supporting means to enable it to reciprocate and impart to such web loop an oscillatory movement such that the central part of such loop is advanced and retracted in a translatory fashion through the printing station, actuating means for reciprocating said web supporting means to cause the translatory advance of the central loop part through the printing station at a velocity equal to the peripheral velocity of said surfaces during the intervals in which the latter are in coactable relation and and to retract such central loop part in the intervals between such coactable relation of said surfaces, means intermittently operable to positively lock the central part of such loop temporarily to said blanket and said impression surfaces during the printing operation while said central loop part is advancing at said velocity, and means operative during the intervals between the transfer of image inkings by said blanket and impression surfaces for feeding into and removing from such loop given length portions of the continuous web.

Claim 13

In a printing machine, printing means including at the printing station thereof rotatable curved blanket supporting and impression surfaces intermittently coactable during portions only of the rotatable movements thereof and operable while in coactable tangential relation to transfer image inkings from a blanket on said blanket supporting surface to a continuous web, means for rotating said blanket supporting and impression surfaces at a uniform peripheral velocity, web supporting means for forming in the continuous web an open loop of given size having its central part extending through said printing station, means hingedly supporting said web supporting means to enable it to reciprocate and impart to such web loop an oscillatory movement such that the central part of such loop is advanced and retracted in a translatory fashion through the printing station, actuating means for reciprocating said web supporting means to cause the translatory advance of the central loop part through the printing station at a velocity equal to the peripheral velocity of said surfaces during the intervals in which the latter are in coactable relation and and to retract such central loop part in the intervals between such coactable relation of said surfaces, means intermittently operable to positively lock the central part of such loop temporarily to said blanket and said impression surfaces during the printing operation while said central loop part is advancing at said velocity, and means operative during the intervals between the transfer of image inkings by said blanket and impression surfaces for feeding into and removing from such loop given length portions of the continuous web.

Claim 14

In a printing machine as defined in claim 11, in which said loop supporting means comprises a first pair of spaced web guide rolls supporting the ends of said central loop part, means linking said spaced rolls to move in unison, a pair of means mounted for pivotal movement about two fixed axes adjacent to the ends of the sides of the open web loop and supporting said rolls in an elevated position with relation to such fixed axes, the connection between said rolls and said pair of means enabling movement of the latter relative to said linking means, said actuating means being connected to said pair of means and reciprocatIng said pivotally mounted pair of means about said fixed axes.