Plate clamp registering mechanism

Claim 1

In a rotatable plate-carrying cylinder having a body member and a longitudinal gap in the periphery thereof which gap is defined in part by a side surface of said body member, a plate clamp member mounted in the gap and extending longitudinally along said side surface of the gap and laterally adjustable transversely of the gap in opposite directions from a predetermined plate-receiving position spaced from said side surface of the gap toward and away from said side surface, first means for positively adjusting said clamp member away from said side surface including at least one rotatable screw threadedly engageable with said clamp member and having means associated therewith contacting said side surface so that upon rotation thereof said clamp member moves away from said side surface, second means for continuously urging said clamp member toward said side surface in opposition to said screw, plate-registering elements mounted on said clamp member for approximately registering a flexible plate having cooperating plate-registering elements to the clamp member when it is located in said predetermined plate-receiving position, and means for accurately locating said clamp member in said predetermined position comprising an indicator means carried by said screw and rotatable therewith and located in a predetermined angular position of said screw when said clamp member is in its predetermined platereceiving position, said screw being rotatable in a first direction from said predetermined position to move the clamp away from the side surface and rotatable from said predetermined position in the opposite direction to permit the second means to move the clamp toward the side surface, said first and opposite directions thus providing movement of said plate and clamp member from approximate registering position as provided by said plateregistering elements transversely of the gap to a final position accurately registering said plate to said cylinder, and said indicator means, upon subsequent removal of said plate and rotation of the screw back to said predetermined position, providing by means of its angular position a visual indication that said clamp member has been accurately restored transversely of the gap to its said original predetermined plate-receiving position, adjusting means releasably securing said indicator means to said screw so that when released said indicator means may be angularly moved with respect to said screw and when secured to said screw rotates therewith, said at least one screw member having a threaded stem portion threadedly engaged with said clamp member and a head thereon located within said gap, and said adjusting means including means for releasably clamping said indicator means to said head to locate said indicator means within said gap, said indicator means comprising an indicator member having an opening therethrough, the stem of said screw member extending through said opening, and said means for releasably clamping said indicator member to said head comprising a clamp ring located on the side of said indicator member opposite the side adjacent said head and fastener means extending through said opening in said indicator member for securing said clamp ring, said indicator member and said head together and when released enabling said indicator member to be angularly moved relative to said screw member, clamp ring and head.