US3892176A — Rotary screen tensioner for single sided drive

Claim 1

Independent Claim 209 words

A rotating screen printing machine comprising a frame, means on said frame for supporting a web to be printed while advancing from one end of the machine to the other, a cylindrical seamless perforated screen of a thin, flexible material extending transversely of the direction of travel of the web, a rigid hollow sleeve connected to each of the opposite ends of said screen, a pair of spaced aligned bearing assemblies on said frame supporting said sleeves and said screen for rotation so that the screen bears in continuous printing relation upon the web during printing, a doctor blade within said screen and bearing against the inner side of the associated screen in opposed relationship to the web, means for introducing printing liquid within said screen behinD the associated doctor blade with respect to the direction of movement of the screen past the blade, means for positively and rotatably driving a said sleeve at only one end of said screen while the sleeve at the opposite end of the screen is freely rotatably supported, and means for maintaining said screen under tension axially thereof while being driven whereby the sleeve at the said opposite end of said screen is rotated by a positive driving torque transmitted through the screen.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 209 words

A rotating screen printing machine comprising a frame, means on said frame for supporting a web to be printed while advancing from one end of the machine to the other, a cylindrical seamless perforated screen of a thin, flexible material extending transversely of the direction of travel of the web, a rigid hollow sleeve connected to each of the opposite ends of said screen, a pair of spaced aligned bearing assemblies on said frame supporting said sleeves and said screen for rotation so that the screen bears in continuous printing relation upon the web during printing, a doctor blade within said screen and bearing against the inner side of the associated screen in opposed relationship to the web, means for introducing printing liquid within said screen behinD the associated doctor blade with respect to the direction of movement of the screen past the blade, means for positively and rotatably driving a said sleeve at only one end of said screen while the sleeve at the opposite end of the screen is freely rotatably supported, and means for maintaining said screen under tension axially thereof while being driven whereby the sleeve at the said opposite end of said screen is rotated by a positive driving torque transmitted through the screen.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 28 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said machine comprises a plurality of said screens each positioned transversely of the direction of travel of said web.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 34 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 2, and means for adjusting the position of the non-driven bearing assembly of each screen both transversely and longitudinally of the direction of travel of the web.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 62 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said adjusting means includes first means for shifting each pair of bearing assemblies together with the associated screen transversely of the direction of travel of the web, and second means for shifting only that bearing assembly associated with the non-driven end of each screen longitudinally of the direction of travel of the web.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 58 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 2 including a plurality of groups of screens, the driven sleeve associated with each screen of a first group of screens being disposed at one side of said frame and the driven sleeve of each screen of a second group of screens being disposed at the opposite side of said frame.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 32 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 5 wherein said first and second groups of screens are offset with respect to one another transversely of the direction of travel of the web.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 62 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 6 including rotatable support means, the non-driven ends of said screens being journaled in said rotatable support means and being disposed substantially in longitudinal alignment with respect to the direction of travel of the web, the screens of said two groups extending in opposite directions with respect to each other from the non-driven ends thereof.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 94 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein said means for maintaining said screens under tension comprising at least two rods extending between each pair of bearing assemblies, the rods between each pair of bearing assemblies being disposed adjacent diametrically opposite portions of the associated screen, each end of said rods being secured to one of the associated bearing assemblies, and spring means for resiliently acting between each rod and the other of the associated bearing assemblies, one of the rods associated with each pair of bearing assemblies being interconnected with said frame.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 50 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein the interconnection of each one of said rods with said frame comprises a threaded member mounted for rotation by the frame and held against axial movement with respect thereto, each of said rods being threaded into one of said threaded members.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 43 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 8, wherein said spring means includes a member slidably supported on the associated rod, a movable cam face engageable with said rod and a resilient member disposed between said slidable member and the adjacent bearing assembly.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 35 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 10, wherein said spring means includes a member which is a supporting block having an eccentric bore receiving said rod and which is rotatably mounted in said frame.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 52 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 2 including an elongated supporting member supporting said doctor blade within each screen, each supporting member having the opposite ends thereof projecting beyond the corresponding ends of the associated screen and sleeves, and support structure means for supporting the opposite ends of said supporting member.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 64 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein said supporting member includes a taPered finder nose at one end thereof, said support structure means having an upwardly slanting supporting face cooperating with said finder nose when the doctor blade is inserted in inverted position, and fastening means engaging the opposite end of said supporting member to hold the supporting member in operative position.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 66 words

A printing machine as claimed in claim 2 and comprising a supporting member for each of said doctor blades, said each one doctor blade and said supporting member therefor define a doctor blade assembly, said doctor blade assembly being supported independently of the associated screen and said sleeves having a dimension such that said doctor blade assembly can be mounted and dismounted endwise through said sleeves.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 160 words

In a rotating screen printing machine comprising a frame, means on said frame for supporting a web to be printed while advancing from one end of the machine to the other, a cylindrical seamless perforated screen of a thin flexible material extending transversely of the direction of travel of the web, relatively rigid hollow sleeves connected to opposite ends of said screen, a pair of spaced aligned bearing assemblies on said frame supporting said sleeves and said screen for rotation so that the screen bears in continuous printing relation upon the web during printing, means for positively and rotatably driving one of said sleeves at only one end of said screen while the sleeve at the opposite end of the screen is freely rotatably supported, and means for maintaining said screen under tension axially thereof while being driven whereby the sleeve at the said opposite end of the screen is rotated by a positive driving torque transmitted through the screen.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 160 words

In a rotating screen printing machine comprising a frame, means on said frame for supporting a web to be printed while advancing from one end of the machine to the other, a cylindrical seamless perforated screen of a thin flexible material extending transversely of the direction of travel of the web, relatively rigid hollow sleeves connected to opposite ends of said screen, a pair of spaced aligned bearing assemblies on said frame supporting said sleeves and said screen for rotation so that the screen bears in continuous printing relation upon the web during printing, means for positively and rotatably driving one of said sleeves at only one end of said screen while the sleeve at the opposite end of the screen is freely rotatably supported, and means for maintaining said screen under tension axially thereof while being driven whereby the sleeve at the said opposite end of the screen is rotated by a positive driving torque transmitted through the screen.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 57 words

In a printing machine as claimed in claim 15 and said tension maintaining means comprising a rod between said pair of bearing assemblies and one end of said rod being secured to one of the bearing assemblies, and spring means for resiliently acting between the other end of said rod and the other of the bearing assemblies.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1978-06-30	1978-12-30	1979-07-01	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1982-06-30	1982-12-30	1983-07-01	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1986-06-30	1986-12-30	1987-07-01	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Rotary screen tensioner for single sided drive

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