Graphic arts film dryer

Claim 2

A film dryer comprising a frame having boxes at the sides thereof defining chambers therein, a roller assembly mounted on the frame between the said boxes and including rollers for feeding a film through the roller assembly and squeegeeing water from the film, means for driving the squeegee rollers, mounted in one of said chambers, means for producing an air stream, conduit means in the roller assembly for receiving air from said air stream and directing it onto a film in the roller assembly, the air stream producing means being mounted in another of said chambers, the dryer including a conduit on the underside of the frame communicating between the chambers for conducting air from one of the chambers to the other, the arrangement thereby including air spaces of substantial volume on three sides, namely the opposite sides of the dryer and under the frame, whereby to provide substantial insulation against noise from the operation of the dryer.

Claim 3

A film dryer according to claim 1 wherein said conduit includes a tunnel of substantial width from front to rear and of shallow depth, whereby the depth may be of minimum dimension while still providing substantial air-flow capacity resulting in relatively compact and simple construction of frame.

Claim 4

A film dryer according to claim 2 including means for driving the rollers and the means for producing an air stream to the rollers and are in respective ones of the chambers, and the air passing through the dryer passes over both of said motors, picking up heat therefrom and effectively cooling the motors, and the relatively heated air is directed onto the film and aids in the drying operation thereof.

Claim 5

A film dryer according to claim 3 wherein the means for developing said air stream includes motor-blower units in a second of the chambers, said motor-blower units being mounted on a plate removably placed in said second chamber and separating it into separate sub-chambers, the blower component of the motor-blower unit being in one of these sub-chambers and blowing air into the second of the sub-chambers, whereby the air in the second sub-chamber is of relatively greater pressure, thereby tending to force said plate into the first sub-chamber, the frame including a top closure plate for the second chamber removably mounted thereon, and said closure plate includes a flange engageable by the closure plate, when the closure plate is in position on the box, supporting said plate against displacement by the greater pressure in the second sub-chamber.

Claim 6

A film dryer according to claim 4 wherein the motors of the motor-blower unit are on the side of the plate opposite the blowers and have interior passages therethrough, and the construction and arrangement are such that the air stream is driven by the blowers through said interior passages for cooling the motors.

Claim 7

A film dryer according to claim 4 wherein the air conduit means in the roller assembly includes tubes communicating with said second sub-chamber whereby the air under pressure flows into the tubes, and the tubes have apertures for directing air onto a film passing through the roller assembly, and the total area of said apertures in each air tube is less than the total cross-sectional internal area of the air tube itself.

Claim 8

A film dryer comprising, a frame having front and rear sides and including a common floor providing a plurality of transversely spaced stations thereon, a plurality of pairs of squeegee rollers, each pair including an upper roller and a lower roller respectively above and below a film plane, air conducting means for receiving air and directing it onto a film in the film plane, the rollers and air conducting means being included in a self-contained roller assembly, the roller assembly being mounted in the frame in a first of said stations with the film plane positioned horizontally and extending from front to rear, the roller assembly being insertable in and removable from said first station as a unit, a drive motor included in a self-contained assembly mounted in the frame in a second of said stations, and being so mountable therein and removable therefrom as a unit, and having detachable driving connection with the rollers, and motor-blower means for impelling air through the air conducting means, and included in a self-contained unit mounted in a third of said stations, and being so mountable in and removable from its said station as a unit, and having detachable operable connection with the air conducting means, each of said self-contained units being mountable in and removable from their respective stations in upward directions, and thereby, because of the transverse spacing of the stations, being so mountable and removable each independently of each of the other units, and without interference with either of the other units,

Claim 9

A film dryer comprising, a frame having front and rear sides and including a common floor providing a plurality of transversely spaced stations thereon, a plurality of pairs of squeegee rollers, each pair including an upper roller and a lower roller respectively above and below a film plane, air conducting means for receiving air and directing it onto a film in the film plane, the rollers and air conducting means being included in a self-contained roller assembly, the roller assembly being mounted in the frame in a first of said stations with the film plane positioned horizontally and extending from front to rear, the roller assembly being insertable in and removable from said first station as a unit, a drive motor included in a self-contained assembly mounted in the frame in a second of said stations, and being so mountable therein and removable therefrom as a unit, and having detachable driving connection with the rollers, and motor-blower means for impelling air through the air conducting means, and included in a self-contained unit mounted in a third of said stations, and being so mountable in and removable from its said station as a unit, and having detachable operable connection with the air conducting means, each of said self-contained units being mountable in and removable from their respective stations in upward directions, and thereby, because of the transverse spacing of the stations, being so mountable and removable each independently of each of the other units, and without interference with either of the other units,

Claim 10

A film dryer according to claim 7 wherein the dryer is elongated transversely and has relatively shorter dimension from front to rear, the frame includes boxes at the sides of defining chambers therein which form said second and third stations respectively, and the boxes define a valley therebetween which forms said first station.

Claim 11

A film dryer according to claim 7 wherein the air conducting means includes a plurality of air tubes respectively interspersed with adjacent rollers both above and below the film plane and having apertures for directing air streams passing therethrough onto a film in the film plane.

Claim 12

A film dryer according to claim 9 wherein said air tubes communicate with the chamber in the box at the third station, the box at the third station is provided with a closure plate confining the chamber in the box except for an intake opening and openings forming communication with the air tubes, the motor-blower means is confined in such confined chamber and such positioning of the motor-blower means and the communication between the chamber and air tubes constituting the operable connection between the motor-blower means and the air conducting means.

Claim 13

A film dryer according to claim 10 wherein the box at the second station is provided with a closure plate confining the chamber except for an intake opening and an opening forming communication with the chamber in the box at the third station, the motor-blower means operatively drawing air from the chamber in the box at the second station and impelling it into the air tubes, said boxes have interfacing walls at the sides of the valley, said walls having notches therein and the roller assembly having outer plates fitted in said notches whereby those walls support the roller assembly and said plates effectively close the notches against the passage of air therethrough.

Claim 14

A film dryer according to claim 8 and including a cover over said roller assembly, said cover substantially closing the upper side of said valley over the rollers in the assembly, and cooperating with the rollers in confining air from the roller assembly substantially against escape to the front and directing the air toward the rear for escape in that direction.

Claim 15

A film dryer according to claim 12 wherein the cover is mounted on the roller assembly and supported thereby, and is carried by the roller assembly in the movements of the latter in being mounted in and removed from the frame, the cover is also mounted on the roller assembly for swinging hinged movement, and detachably mounted thereon for removal therefrom.

Claim 16

A film dryer according to claim 12 and including a drip pan on the floor of the frame and extending substantially the full width of the valley thereof and having a baffle cooperating with the rollers in the roller assembly for confining air from the roller assembly substantially against escape to the front and directing it rearwardly for escape in that direction, said drip pan also having a portion under at least certain of the rollers for receiving water squeegeed from the film.

Claim 17

A film dryer according to claim 14 and including a feed roller removably mounted on the frame in a position over the drip pan and in front of the rollers of the roller assembly, said feed roller extending higher than the frontmost element of the drip pan for supporting the trailing portion of a film, being fed to the rollers, above the frontmost edge of the drip pan.

Claim 18

A roller assembly for incorporation in a film dryer comprising, a plurality of pairs of rollers, each pair including a roller above and below a common film plane, the pairs of rollers being distributed along the film plane from a front side to a rear side, the rollers in the assembly being operative for feeding a film in said film plane between rollers of a pair to those of each successive pair, each roller including a shaft and a sleeve of resilient and frictional material, the sleeve being formed of a plurality of axially aligned and butted sections leaving slits between adjacent sections, and a plurality of breakaway clips, one clip having a first end positioned in each of said slits and a second end extending radially beyond the sleeve in the direction of the film plane, the roller assembly including means for supporting the second ends of the clips, such clips having edges adjacent said film plane for confining the film being passed between the rollers against wrapping around any of the rollers, each clip having an open-ended recess at each the first end and the second end of the clip, the recess at the first end receiving the shaft of the corresponding roller and the recess at the second end receiving the corresponding supporting means, the clips being detachably mounted in position, and each being removable therefrom by withdrawing the first end in direction opposite the open end of the recess therein, and withdrawing the second end from the corresponding supporting means in direction opposite the open end of the recess in the second end, whereby each clip can be inserted into position and removed therefrom independently of all the other clips, and without interfering with the mounting of the roller assembly or any of the parts thereof.

Claim 19

A roller assembly for incorporation in a film dryer comprising, a plurality of pairs of rollers, each pair including a roller above and below a common film plane, the pairs of rollers being distributed along the film plane from a front side to a rear side, the rollers in the assembly being operative for feeding a film in said film plane between rollers of a pair to those of each successive pair, each roller including a shaft and a sleeve of resilient and frictional material, the sleeve being formed of a plurality of axially aligned and butted sections leaving slits between adjacent sections, and a plurality of breakaway clips, one clip having a first end positioned in each of said slits and a second end extending radially beyond the sleeve in the direction of the film plane, the roller assembly including means for supporting the second ends of the clips, such clips having edges adjacent said film plane for confining the film being passed between the rollers against wrapping around any of the rollers, each clip having an open-ended recess at each the first end and the second end of the clip, the recess at the first end receiving the shaft of the corresponding roller and the recess at the second end receiving the corresponding supporting means, the clips being detachably mounted in position, and each being removable therefrom by withdrawing the first end in direction opposite the open end of the recess therein, and withdrawing the second end from the corresponding supporting means in direction opposite the open end of the recess in the second end, whereby each clip can be inserted into position and removed therefrom independently of all the other clips, and without interfering with the mounting of the roller assembly or any of the parts thereof.

Claim 20

A roller assembly according to claim 16 and including a plurality of air tubes operative for directing air onto a film in the film plane, the air tubes including one associated with each of the rollers and positioned rearwardly of the respective roller, said air tubes constituting said means for supporting said second end of the breakaway clips.

Claim 21

A roller assembly according to claim 17 wherein each breakaway clip has at its said first end transversely extending fingers defining the recess at that end and that recess thereby extending transversely of the clip and opening through a side of the clip, whereby the clip is removable at its first end, as stated above, by moving the first end transversely of itself and transversely of the shaft of the roller, said recess at the first end extending slightly beyond 180° for normally retaining that end of the clip on the shaft of the roller, but enabling snapping of the clip from the shaft, the clip having at its said second end a pair of longitudinally extending fingers defining the said recess at that end, that recess opening longitudinally of the clip, that recess having an arcuate extent of 180° and the fingers extending in parallel direction beyond a diameter represented by the extremities of that arcuate extent, whereby each clip can be removed from said supporting means by withdrawing it longitudinally, after its said first end has been removed from the corresponding roller.

Claim 22

A film dryer comprising, a frame, a roller assembly mounted in the frame and including a plurality of pairs of rollers, each pair including a roller above and a roller below a common horizontal film plane extending from a front side to a rear side of the dryer, means operable for positively driving each of the rollers individually, and all of them in unison, and the driving means being operable for driving the rollers in each pair at the same peripheral speed, and those in successive pairs, progressing in direction from front to rear, at increasingly greater peripheral speeds, the rollers in each pair being in effective interengaging relation at said film plane and operable for gripping a film in that plane, and feeding it through the dryer from each pair of rollers to the next, from front to rear, and also for squeegeeing water from the film, whereby, due to the greater peripheral speeds of succeeding pairs of rollers, the rollers are operable for retaining the film in taut condition, and the dryer including means for directing a stream of air onto a film passing through the dryer.

Claim 23

A film dryer comprising, a frame, a roller assembly mounted in the frame and including a plurality of pairs of rollers, each pair including a roller above and a roller below a common horizontal film plane extending from a front side to a rear side of the dryer, means operable for positively driving each of the rollers individually, and all of them in unison, and the driving means being operable for driving the rollers in each pair at the same peripheral speed, and those in successive pairs, progressing in direction from front to rear, at increasingly greater peripheral speeds, the rollers in each pair being in effective interengaging relation at said film plane and operable for gripping a film in that plane, and feeding it through the dryer from each pair of rollers to the next, from front to rear, and also for squeegeeing water from the film, whereby, due to the greater peripheral speeds of succeeding pairs of rollers, the rollers are operable for retaining the film in taut condition, and the dryer including means for directing a stream of air onto a film passing through the dryer.

Claim 24

A film dryer according to claim 19 wherein the rollers are of resilient material, and of successively greater diameters from front to rear, and the driving means is operable for driving all of the rollers at the same angular speed and whereby because of the increase in diameter of the successive rollers, the peripheral speeds of the rollers are increased progressively in the direction stated.