Ink supply apparatus for printing press and ink tray mounted on the same apparatus

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6418848
  • Patent Number
    6,418,848
  • Date Filed
    Friday, March 31, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, July 16, 2002
    22 years ago
Abstract
The present invention provides an ink supply apparatus for a printing press in which the ink supply amount from an ink fountain to an ink fountain roller is controlled by regulating a gap between ink blades and the ink fountain roller, wherein an integral type ink tray comprising a bottom portion covering portions of the upper faces of the ink blades excluding the distal end portions thereof and side portions covering the inside surfaces of side plates is provided, a first seal member is interposed between the inside surface of the side plate and the side portion, and a second seal member in slidable contact with the ink blades is interposed between the ink blades and the bottom portion of the ink tray.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates to an ink supply apparatus for a printing press and an ink tray mounted on the same apparatus and, more particularly, to an ink supply apparatus capable of being provided on a rotary press, a sheet-feed press, and the like, and an ink tray mounted on the same apparatus.




Also, the present invention relates to an ink tray suitably used for an ink supply apparatus provided with an ink fountain, and a method for mounting a contamination preventive surface cover to an ink tray.




Further, the present invention relates to an ink supply apparatus for a printing press such as a rotary press and a sheet-feeding press and, more particularly, to an ink supply apparatus provided with an ink tray detachably mounted on an ink fountain.




2. Description of Related Art





FIGS. 22 and 23

show a conventional ink supply apparatus provided on a printing press such as a rotary press and a sheet-feed press.




A conventional ink supply apparatus


51


has an ink fountain


53


arranged in front of an ink fountain roller


52


. The ink fountain


53


is composed of two side plates


53




a


(only one side is shown), which are located on both end sides in the axial direction (i.e. axial ends) of the ink fountain roller


52


, with a part of the front end of each side plate


53




a


being brought into slidable contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller


52


, an ink blade


54


forming the bottom surface of the ink fountain


53


, and the like.




The ink blade


54


is made up of a plurality of ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


divided in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller


52


. Each of the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


can independently be swayed, i.e., moved vertically by pivoting, around a support shaft


55


, and an ink amount regulating device is provided under each of the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n.


The ink amount regulating device is provided with an arm plate


59


engaging with the lower face at the distal end of each of the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


and a pusher


58


is in contact with the arm plate


59


and sways, i.e. causes pivoting and vertical movement of the arm plate


59


by extension and contraction. The pusher


58


is appropriately extended and contracted by turning a knob


56


or by a motor


57


arranged to turn the arm plate


59


, whereby each of the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


can be swayed vertically. By vertically swaying each of the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


in this manner, a gap between the ink key


54




a


to


54




n


and the ink fountain roller


52


can be regulated so that the thickness of ink film formed on the outer peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller


52


is made uniform in the axial direction of the roller


52


.




Ink


60


supplied into the ink fountain


53


passes through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller


52


and the distal end of the ink key


54




a


to


54




n


to adhere to the ink fountain roller


52


, and so that it can be transferred by the rotation of the roller


52


. Subsequently, the ink


60


is transferred to an ink roller group via a vibrating roller (not shown), which comes into contact with and separates from the ink fountain roller


52


, and is used for printing.




Leakage of the ink


60


from the ink fountain


53


in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller


52


is prevented by slidable contact made between the ink fountain roller


52


and the side plates


53




a


,


53




a


of the ink fountain


53


. Also, the ink


60


is prevented from flowing downwardly through gaps between the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


by slidable contact made between the adjacent ink keys


54




a


to


54




n.






Reference numeral


61


in

FIG. 22

denotes an ink recovery tray, and reference numeral


62


in

FIG. 23

denotes a frame for the ink supply apparatus


51


.




The above-described conventional ink supply apparatus


51


has the following problems:




First, a minute gap is provided between the adjacent ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


and between each of the end ink keys


54




a,




54




n


and each side plate


53




a


so that these elements are slidable. Therefore, ink sometimes intrudes into the minute gap by capillarity etc. Specifically, the ink


60


put in the ink fountain


53


intrudes into the gap between the adjacent ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


and solidifies. Thereby, the movement (vertical sway) of the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


sometimes becomes unstable. Further, the ink


60


put in the ink fountain


53


intrudes into the gap between the adjacent ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


over the whole region from the vicinity of liquid surface of the ink


60


to the distal end of the ink key


54




a


to


54




n,


so that there is a possibility of the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n


each becoming unmovable in the worst case. Therefore, it is impossible to carry out accurate control of ink film thickness.




Secondly when the ink fountain


53


is cleaned, it is difficult to remove the remaining ink


60


. In particular, it is difficult to remove the ink


60


having intruded into the gap between the adjacent ink keys


54




a


to


54




n.






Specifically, when the printing operation is completed or the ink is changed, the ink remaining in the ink fountain


53


must be wiped off with a waste cloth or the like or washed off with a cleaning fluid. However, it is difficult to remove the ink because of its high viscosity. In particular, it is difficult to remove the ink having intruded into the gap between the ink keys


54




a


to


54




n,


which leads to an increased burden to an operator performing the cleaning work. Further, in order to enhance the productivity, it is necessary to shorten the preparation time at the time of order change to increase the rate of operation of equipment. If the load caused by cleaning at the time of ink change is high, however, much time is consumed for cleaning. Therefore, the alleviation of burden to the operator by reduction in labor in cleaning work, the increase in rate of operation of equipment by shortened cleaning time, and the enhancement of productivity would be desirable.




OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and accordingly in one aspect thereof an object is to provide an ink supply apparatus for a printing press, in which ink keys forming the bottom portion of an ink fountain can be operated stably, and ink intruding into gaps between the adjacent ink keys can be removed easily.




In another aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink tray and a method for mounting a contamination preventive surface cover to the ink tray, in which labor saving and shortened work time for cleaning work for ink change etc. on the printing press can be achieved.




In still another aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide an ink supply apparatus in which labor saving for cleaning work for ink change etc. on the printing press can be achieved.




To address the above object(s), the present invention provides an ink supply apparatus for a printing press having an ink fountain formed by an ink fountain roller, a plurality of ink blades arranged in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller, and side plates holding the ink blades therebetween from both sides, so that the ink supply amount from the ink fountain to the ink fountain roller is controlled by regulating a gap between the ink blades and the ink fountain roller, wherein an integral type ink tray is provided comprising a bottom portion covering portions of the upper faces of the ink blades while not covering the distal end portions of the blades the ink tray for the comprising side portions covering the inside surfaces of the side plates, and a first seal member is interposed between the inside surface of the side plate and the side portion, and a second seal member in slidable contact with the ink blades is interposed between the ink blades and the bottom portion of the ink tray.




In one advantageous embodiment, the present invention provides an ink tray mounted in an ink fountain of a printing press which is formed, by an ink fountain roller, a plurality of ink blades arranged in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller, and side plates holding the ink blades therebetween from both sides, wherein the ink tray is integrally formed by a bottom portion covering portions of the upper faces of the ink blades while not covering the distal end portions thereof and by side portions covering the inside surfaces of the side plates, and the ink tray is mounted in the ink fountain in such a manner that a first seal member is interposed between the inside surface of the side plate and the side portion, and a second seal member is interposed between the ink blades and the bottom portion of the ink tray.




As described above, according to the ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention, in an ink supply apparatus for a printing press having an ink fountain formed by an ink fountain roller, a plurality of ink blades arranged in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller, and side plates holding the ink blades therebetween from both sides, so that the ink supply amount from the ink fountain to the ink fountain roller is controlled by regulating a gap between the ink blades and the ink fountain roller, an integral type ink tray comprising a bottom portion covering portions of the upper faces of the ink blades while not covering the distal end portions thereof and further comprising side portions covering the inside surfaces of the side plates, is provided, and a first seal member is interposed between the inside surface of the side plate and the side portion, and a second seal member in slidable contact with the ink blades is interposed between the ink blades and the bottom portion of the ink tray. Therefore, the effects described below can be achieved.




In the present invention, since most portions of the ink blades are covered by the ink tray, the region (area) of the ink keys that is in contact with the ink is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional apparatus. Thereby, the gaps between the adjacent ink keys are less clogged with ink, and the portions contaminated with ink are reduced. Therefore, the ink keys forming the bottom portion of the ink fountain can be operated stably, and the ink intruding into the gaps between the adjacent ink keys can be removed easily. Moreover, since the ink tray cleaning work and the ink changing work for order change etc. can be performed on the outside of the apparatus after the ink tray has been removed from the ink fountain, ink recovery and cleaning are made easy, so that labor saving and shortened work time can be achieved. Further, since a region where ink intrudes into the gaps between the adjacent ink keys is limited to a narrow region of only the distal end portions of the ink keys, the problem of the vertically swaying operation of the ink keys becoming unsmooth can be eliminated to the utmost.




Also, in the present invention, a plate-shaped elastic member is provided on the lower surface of the bottom portion of the ink tray, and the contact between the bottom portion of the ink tray and the ink keys is always maintained via the plate-shaped elastic member. Therefore, even if a change in height (change in relative vertical position) of the ink tray with respect to the ink fountain occurs, the contacting state between the bottom portion of the ink tray and the ink key can always be maintained by the plate-shaped elastic member.




Further, in the present invention, the shape of a step portion of the ink key in contact with the second seal member is formed into an arcuate curved face substantially concentric with a turning center around which the ink key is turned to regulate the amount of ink, or formed into a planar face approximate the tangential movement with respect to the curved face. Thereby, even if the position of the ink key is chanced in order to regulate the amount of ink, the contacting state between the second seal member and the seal face of the ink key is not changed. Therefore, the sealing state therebetween can be maintained.




Still further, in the present invention, since at least a portion of the first and second seal members contacting with the step portion of the ink key is formed of an elastic material, the contact between the first and second seal members and the step portion of the ink key can be maintained.




In addition, in the present invention, the first and second seal members are formed integrally from a single seal member, and the seal member is detachably installed in a holder provided on the ink tray, whereby the attachment/detachment work and replacement work of the seal member can be performed easily and rapidly. Specifically, for example, the cleaning work of the ink tray can be performed easily in a state in which the continuous seal member has been pulled out of the holder.




On the other hand, to achieve the above object, an ink tray in accordance with another advantageous aspect of the present invention includes a groove portion fitted with a seal member for sealing a gap between the distal end edge portions of the side walls and of a bottom plate of the ink tray, and the ink fountain, when the ink tray is mounted in the ink fountain. The groove portion is provided at the distal end edge portions of the ink tray, and the front end portion of the surface cover is held between the groove portion and the seal member to fix the surface cover to the ink tray.




In another advantageous aspect, the present invention provides a method for mounting a contamination preventive surface cover to an ink tray for an ink supply apparatus, in which a contamination preventive surface cover covering a portion of the tray to which ink adheres when the ink is put in an ink fountain, is mounted on the surface of the ink tray which is detachably mounted in the ink fountain for the ink supply apparatus, comprising the steps of: placing the surface cover on the upper surface of the ink tray; and holding the front end portion of the surface cover between a groove portion provided on the ink tray and a seal member fitted in the groove portion to fix the surface cover to the ink tray.




An ink tray provided in accordance with another advantageous aspect of the present invention is detachably mounted in an ink fountain of an ink supply apparatus. The ink tray comprises a groove portion fitted with a seal member for sealing a gap between the distal end edge portions of the side walls and of a bottom plate of the ink tray and the ink fountain when the ink tray is mounted in the ink fountain. The groove portion is provided at the distal end edge portions of the ink tray, and the groove portion and an essential portion in the vicinity of the groove portion are coated with a film capable of being peeled off.




An ink tray in accordance with another advantageous embodiment of the present invention is detachably mounted in an ink fountain of an ink supply apparatus, and is characterized in that a groove portion fitted with a seal member for sealing a gap between the distal end edge portions of side walls and of a bottom plate of the ink tray and the ink fountain when the ink tray is mounted in the ink fountain, is provided at the distal end edge portions of the ink tray, and the groove portion and at least portions of the tray in the vicinity of the groove portion are coated with a film less likely to be contaminated with ink i.e., a nonstick contact surface film.




In accordance with the above advantageous ink tray and with the above method for mounting a contamination preventive surface cover to an ink tray in accordance with the present invention, even when the ink tray is mounted in the ink fountain and ink is put in the ink fountain, the ink does not adhere to the surface of the ink tray because the surface of the ink tray is covered by the surface cover. At the time of cleaning, therefore, it is necessary only that the surface cover to which ink adheres be removed from the ink tray and replaced with a new surface cover. Therefore, the cleaning work is made easy at the time of ink change or at the completion of printing operation, so that the operator's burden is alleviated.




Also, according to the ink tray in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention, since the peripheral portion of the groove portion fitted with the seal member, which is especially difficult to clean when ink adheres, is coated with a film, the ink tray can be cleaned only by removing ink from the bottom plate and the side walls, from which ink can be removed relatively easily. Therefore, the cleaning work is made easy at the time of ink change or at the completion of printing operation, so that the operator's burden is alleviated.




Further, according to the ink tray in accordance with preferred embodiments of the present invention, since the peripheral portion of the groove portion fitted with the seal member is coated with a film less likely to be contaminated with ink, the portion from which ink is removed with special difficulty when ink adheres can be cleaned easily. Therefore, the cleaning work is made easy at the time of ink change or at the completion of printing operation, so that the operator'burden is alleviated.




On the other hand, yet another aspect of the present invention provides an ink supply apparatus for a printing press, comprising an ink fountain roller, right and left side plates which are in slidable contact with the peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller and form an ink fountain, and ink keys forming the bottom portion of the ink fountain, wherein an ink tray comprising side walls corresponding to the side plates and a bottom plate corresponding to the ink keys is mounted in the ink fountain so that the distal end portion of the side wall is disposed on the inside of the side plate in such a manner as to be lapped on the side plate.




According to one preferred embodiment of the above aspect of the present invention, a step portion is formed on the ink key, and the distal end of the bottom plate is caused to abut on the step portion.




According to another preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention, a step portion is formed on the side plate, and a seal member continuous from the distal end of the bottom plate to the outside surface of the side walls is provided on the ink tray, so that the seal member is brought into contact with the step portion formed on the ink key and the step portion formed on the side plate. Advantageously the distal end of the side wall is inclined with respect to the bottom plate.




It is also preferred that a step portion is formed on the side plate, and a portion of the seal member provided on the outside surface of the side wall is locked by the step portion of the side plate.




According to the ink supply apparatus in accordance with these advantageous aspects of the present invention, the contact area of the ink key with ink can be reduced significantly by mounting the ink tray in the ink fountain. Thereby, the possibility of ink protruding into the gaps between the ink keys is lessened to stabilize the operation of the ink keys, and also the inside of the ink fountain can be cleaned easily. Therefore, the cleaning time at the time of ink change is shortened, whereby the productivity can be enhanced.




Also, since the distal end portion of the side wall of the ink tray is disposed on the inside of the side plate of the ink fountain in such a manner as to be lapped on the side plate, the transverse positioning of the ink tray can be performed easily.




Also, since the distal end of the bottom plate is caused to abut on the step portion formed on the ink key, the longitudinal positioning of the ink tray can be performed easily.




Further, since the seal member is brought into contact with the step portion formed on the ink key, ink leakage through the gap between the distal end of the bottom plate and the step portion can be prevented reliably.




Further, in the embodiments wherein the distal end edge of the side wall is inclined with respect to the bottom plate, and the seal member is provided continuously from the distal end of the bottom plate at a position shifted rearward from the distal end edge on the outside surface of the side wall, even when the distal end edge of the side wall is inclined with respect to the bottom plate, the seal member can be set in a natural form without being bent into a three-dimensional, unnatural shape.




Further, in the embodiments wherein the step portion is formed on the side plate, and a portion of the seal member provided on the outside surface of the side wall is locked by the step portion of the side plate, ink leakage through the gap between the side plate and the side wall can be prevented while the longitudinal positioning of the ink tray is performed reliably.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a longitudinal sectional view showing a first embodiment of an ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 2

is a perspective view showing the first embodiment of an ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention, especially showing a state in which an ink tray is mounted;





FIG. 3

is a plan view taken in the direction of the arrow A of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a plan view taken in the direction of the arrows along the line B—B of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 5

is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of an ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention;





FIG. 6

is a perspective view showing the second embodiment of an ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention, especially showing a state in which an ink tray is mounted;





FIG. 7

is a perspective view showing a third embodiment of an ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention, especially showing a state in which an ink tray is mounted;





FIG. 8

is a side view showing a fourth embodiment of an ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention, especially showing an ink tray therefor;





FIG. 9

is a front view of an ink tray viewed in the direction of the arrow C of

FIG. 8

;





FIG. 10

is a sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows along the line D—D of

FIG. 8

;





FIG. 11

is a side view showing a schematic construction of an ink supply apparatus provided with an ink tray in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 12

is a perspective view showing a construction of an ink tray body in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 13

is a side view showing a construction of an ink tray body in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 14

is a view showing an engagement of an ink fountain with an ink tray in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention, showing a bracket partially broken;




FIG.


15


A and

FIG. 15B

are views showing a construction of a surface cover put on an ink tray in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention, FIG.


15


(


a


) being a plan view showing a shape before mounting, and FIG.


15


(


b


) being a perspective view showing a shape at the time of mounting;





FIG. 16

is a perspective view showing a construction of an ink tray in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 17

is a perspective view showing another construction of a surface cover put on an ink tray in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 18

is a perspective view showing a construction of an ink tray in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 19

is a side sectional view showing an engagement of an ink fountain with the bottom plate of an ink tray for an ink supply apparatus in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 20A

, FIG.


20


B and

FIG. 20C

are sectional views showing an engagement of an ink fountain with the side wall of an ink tray devised in a process in which the present invention was made, FIG.


20


(


a


) being a view showing one example, FIG.


20


(


b


) being a view showing another example, and FIG.


20


(


c


) being a view for illustrating problems in FIGS.


20


(


a


) and


20


(


b


);




FIG.


21


A and

FIG. 21B

are views illustrating an engagement of an ink fountain with the side wall of an ink tray for an ink supply apparatus in accordance with the seventh embodiment of the present invention, FIG.


21


(


a


) being a side view showing a mounting state of a packing to the side wall of an ink tray, and FIG.


21


(


b


) being a sectional view showing an engagement of an ink fountain with the side wall of an ink tray;





FIG. 22

is a partially longitudinal sectional view of a conventional ink supply apparatus for a printing press; and





FIG. 23

is a plan view of a conventional ink supply apparatus for a printing press.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




An ink supply apparatus for a printing press and an ink tray mounted on the same apparatus, in accordance with the present invention, will be described now in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1

to


4


show a first embodiment of an ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention.




An ink supply apparatus


11


for a printing press of this embodiment is provided with an ink tray


13


detachably mounted in an ink fountain


12


. The ink fountain


12


is composed of side plates


12




a,




12




a


which are fixed to an apparatus frame and positioned on each of the end portions in the axial direction of an ink fountain roller


14


, an ink blade


15


forming the bottom surface of the ink fountain


12


, and the like (see FIG.


1


). The front end of each side plate


12




a,




12




a


is in slidable contact with the outer peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller


14


. The ink blade


15


is constructed so as to be divided into a plurality of ink keys


15




a


to


15




n


in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller


14


. These ink keys


15




a


to


15




n


each are pivotable vertically around a support shaft


16


by a plurality of drive units


17


.




The ink tray


13


is formed integrally by joining side portions


13




a,




13




a


covering the inside surface of the right and left side plates


12




a,




12




b


of the ink fountain


12


to a bottom portion


13




b


covering the ink blade


15


of the ink fountain


12


. The bottom portion


13




b


covers the upper face of the ink blade


15


excluding a distal end portion


15


′. The material forming the side portion


13




a


and the bottom portion


13




b


should preferably be, for example, a stainless steel sheet with a thickness of about 1 mm, but the material is not limited to this.




End portions


13




c,




13




c


on the side of the ink fountain roller


14


on the outside faces of the side portions


13




a,




13




a


of the ink tray


13


are fitted with a first seal member


18


along the depth direction of the ink fountain


12


. Also, on the lower surface of the end portion on the side of the ink fountain roller


14


of the bottom portion


13




b


of the ink tray


13


, a second seal member


19


is installed in parallel with the axial direction of the ink fountain roller


14


. The second seal member


19


is formed integrally with, so as to be continuous with the first seal member


18


using the same material as that of the first seal member


18


. The ink blade


15


is disposed, as described later, so as to be slidable with respect to the second seal member


19


at the contact portion with the second seal member


19


. The present invention is not limited to the above-described configuration, and the first and second seal members


18


,


18


,


19


may be installed on the side of the side plate


12




a


of the ink fountain


12


and on the side of the ink blade


15


.




In a state in which the ink tray


13


is mounted in the ink fountain


12


, the first seal member


18


,


18


is brought into contact with a step portion


20




a


on the side of the ink fountain roller


14


of a concave portion


20


formed on the inside face of the side plate


12




a,




12




a


on each side of the ink fountain


12


. Also, the second seal member


19


is brought into contact with a step portion


21




a


on the side of the ink fountain roller


14


of a substantially square-shaped concave portion


21


formed on the upper face of the ink blade


15


forming the bottom portion of the ink fountain


12


(see FIGS.


1


and


2


). Specifically, the second seal member


19


abuts on the step portion


21




a


of the ink blade


15


in the sliding direction with respect to the ink blade


15


(substantially in the direction of the arrow X of

FIG. 1

) and in the substantially perpendicular direction (in the direction of the arrow Y of FIG.


1


). By the first and second seal members


18


,


18


,


19


, a seal is provided between the side portion


13




a,




13




a


of the ink tray


13


and the side plate


12




a




12




a


of the ink fountain


12


, and between the bottom portion


13




b


of the ink tray


13


and the upper face of the ink blade


15


of the ink fountain


12


, on the side of the ink fountain roller


14


. Thereby, the ink in the ink tray


13


is prevented from leaking to between the ink tray


13


and the ink fountain


12


.




The step portion


21




a


of the ink key


15




a


to


15




n


is preferably formed into an arcuate curved face with the support shaft


16


, which is the turning center of movement of the ink key for regulating the amount of ink, being the center, or is preferably formed into a planar face e.g. tangential to the pivot direction approximate to the curved face. Since the distal end portion


15


′ turns around the support shaft


16


at the proximal end portion of the ink blade


15


, a gap between the second seal member


19


and the step portion


21




a


is kept constant by the shape of the step portion


21




a


formed as described above in the height difference direction, so that the sealing property between these elements can be enhanced.




For the first and second seal members


18


,


18


,


19


, at least portions that are in contact with the step portions


20




a,




21




a


is preferably formed of rubber or other elastic materials, for example, silicone rubber or NBR. The contact material may be any elastic material; besides the molded product, a blanket for blanket cylinder or the like can be used.




The drive unit


17


is composed, as shown in

FIG. 1

, of an arm plate


23


, a corner portion


23




a


of which is engaged with the lower face of the distal end portion


15


′ of the ink key


15




a


to


15




n


and which is i.e., rotated, around a support pin


22


, a pusher


26


, which engages with the lower end portion of the arm plate


23


and is extended and contracted back and forth by the turning of a knob


24


or a motor


25


, an encoder


27


for detecting the movement amount of the pusher


26


, and the like. The motor


25


turns a gear


28


fixed to the pusher


26


by means of a gear


29


installed at the shaft end of the motor


25


to extend and contract the pusher


25


. The encoder


27


measures the rotation (angle) transmitted from the gear


28


fixed to the pusher


26


via a gear


30


to detect the movement amount of the pusher


26


.




By appropriately turning the knob


24


of the drive unit


17


, the pusher


26


is extended or contracted (moved back and forth), by which the arm plate


23


is swayed. Accordingly, the distal end portion


15


′ of the ink key


15




a


to


15




n


that is brought into contact with the corner portion


23




a


of the arm plate


23


is moved vertically, so that a gap between the distal end of the ink key


15




a


to


15




n


and the outer peripheral surface of ink fountain roller


14


can be set at a desired dimension. Thereby, the film thickness of ink transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller


14


can be regulated easily, so that the ink film thickness can be made uniform over the whole region in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller


14


. The detection signal from the encoder


27


is fed back to the motor


25


via a controller (not shown) to control the rotational angle of the motor


25


, whereby accurate remote control can be carried out.




At the upper end of the side portion


13




a,




13




a


of the ink tray


13


, a bracket


31


,


31


is fixed which is directed to the outside, and a handle


32




a


is installed to the bracket


31


(see FIGS.


2


and


3


). On the upper face of the side plate


12




a,




12




a


on each side of the ink fountain


12


is fixed a bracket


33


,


33


, and a lever


35


is rotatably installed to the bracket


33


via a pin


34


.




The lever


35


can be turned horizontally around the pin


34


, and can be moved and set at a position parallel to the side plate


12




a


of the ink fountain


12


(in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the ink fountain roller


14


) (hereinafter, referred to as an operation position of the lever


35


) and at a position swung to the outside of the side plate


12




a


(to the direction parallel to the axial direction of the ink fountain roller


14


) (hereinafter, referred to as an open position of the lever


35


).




At one end (on the side of the pin


34


) of the lever


35


, a first plunger (positioning mechanism)


37


is disposed which is provided with a steel ball


36


at the tip end and incorporates a compression spring (not shown) therein. The steel ball


36


of the first plunger


37


which is pushed out and urged by the compression spring, is received into a conical hole formed in the bracket


33


, whereby the lever


35


can be fixed temporally at the operation position of the lever


35


.




At the other end (on the side of the swing end of the lever


35


) of the lever


35


is disposed a second plunger (suppressing mechanism)


38


. The second plunger


38


incorporates a spring


39


. When the ink tray


13


is mounted in the ink fountain


12


and the lever


35


is set at the operation position thereof, a plunger pin


38




a


is engaged with an inclined face


32




b


of the handle


32




a


by-the urging force of the spring


39


, so that the ink tray


13


is pressed


5


toward the ink fountain roller


14


. By this pressing force of the plunger pin


38




a,


the first and second seal members


18


,


18


,


19


of the ink tray


13


are pressed on the step portions


20




a,




21




a


of the ink fountain


12


.




The right and left handles


32




a


each are provided with a positioning bolt (positioning mechanism)


40


for the ink tray


13


. By causing the positioning bolt


40


to abut on the bracket


36


, the mounting position of the ink tray


13


can be regulated.




In the ink supply apparatus


11


of this embodiment, when ink is changed for order change etc., the apparatus


11


is first stopped, and the ink remaining in the ink fountain


12


is recovered in, an ink recovery tray


41


with a spatula or the like. Subsequently, the plunger pins


38




a


are raised to swing the levers


35


on both sides to the open positions thereof. Next, the ink tray


13


is removed from the ink fountain


12


by grasping the handles


32




a,




32




a,


and the removed ink tray


13


is cleaned by wiping off the ink.




The ink remaining at the bottom of the ink fountain


12


fixed to the apparatus


11


is wiped off with a waste cloth or the like. Subsequently, another ink tray


13


or the ink tray


13


having been cleaned is mounted and fixed in the ink fountain


12


by reversing the above procedure, and new ink is put in the ink fountain


12


.




According to the ink supply apparatus


11


of this embodiment, the configuration is such that the ink tray


13


fitted with the first and second seal member


18


,


18


,


19


as described above is detachably mounted in the fixed type ink fountain


12


. Therefore, most of the ink put in the ink fountain


12


is accommodated by the outer peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller


14


, and both of the side portions


13




a,




13




a


and the bottom portion


13




b


forming the ink tray


13


, so that some of the ink adheres to only the end portions on the side of the ink fountain roller


14


of the side plates


12




a,




12




a


of the ink fountain


12


and the distal end portions


15


′ of the ink keys


15




a


to


15




n.






As is apparent from the above description, the ink supply apparatus


11


of this embodiment has the following advantages:




(1) The region (area) of the ink keys


15




a


to


15




n


that is in contact with the ink is significantly reduced as compared with the conventional apparatus, and the amount of ink intruding into gaps between the adjacent ink keys is very small.




(2) Fewer portions on, for example, the ink keys


15




a


to


15




n,


the side plates


12




a,




12




a,


and the like, other than the ink tray


13


, are contaminated by the ink.




(3) Since the ink tray


13


can be cleaned on the outside of the apparatus


11


by being removed from the ink fountain


12


, the cleaning work can be performed easily and rapidly.




By the above advantages (1) to (3), ink recovery and cleaning are made easy when the ink is changed for order change etc., so that labor saving and shortened operation time can be achieved.




(4) Since region (length) where the ink intrudes into the gap between the adjacent ink keys


15




a


to


15




n


is limited to the distal end portions


15


′ of the ink keys


15




a


to


15




n,


there is no trouble such that the vertical swaying operation of the ink keys


15




a


to


15




n


becomes unsmooth.





FIGS. 5 and 6

show a second embodiment of the ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention. For convenience of explanation, in

FIGS. 5 and 6

, the same reference numerals are applied to the elements having the same function as that of the elements shown in

FIGS. 1

to


4


, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.




For the ink supply apparatus


11


for a printing press of this embodiment, the end portion


13




c


on the side of the ink fountain roller


14


of the side portion


13




a


of the ink tray


13


detachably mounted in the ink fountain


12


and the seal member


18


are curved so as to correspond to the shape of the outer peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller


14


. Thereby, portions contaminated by the ink in the ink fountain


12


are lessened, so that the ink changing operation for order change etc. can be made far easier. Other operation and effects are the same as in the above-described first embodiment.





FIG. 7

shows a third embodiment of the ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention. For convenience of explanation, in

FIG. 7

, the same reference numerals are applied to the elements having the same function as that of the elements shown in

FIGS. 1

to


4


, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.




For the ink supply apparatus


11


for a printing press of this embodiment, a plate-shaped elastic member


42


having a curved shape in cross section is provided on the lower face of the bottom portion


13




b


of the ink tray


13


. A tip end portion


42




a


of the plate-shaped elastic member


42


protrudes toward the ink fountain roller


14


beyond an end portion


13




d


of the bottom portion


13




b


of the ink tray


13


. Thereby, the bottom portion


13




b


of the ink tray


13


is always brought into contact with the ink keys


15




a


to


15




n


via the tip end portion


42




a


of the plate-shaped elastic member


42


. Therefore, even if a change in height (change in relative vertical position) of the ink tray


13


with respect to the ink fountain,


12


occurs, the contact state between the bottom portion


13




b


of the ink tray


13


and the ink blade


15


can always be kept good by the plate-shaped elastic member


42


.




In this embodiment, since the plate-shaped elastic member


42


is added to the ink fountain


12


of the first embodiment described above, and the plate-shaped elastic member


42


is provided at the end portion


13




d


of the ink tray


13


, almost all portions of the distal end portions


15


of the ink keys


15




a


to


15




n,


which have been exposed from the end portion


13




d


of the ink tray


13


in the first embodiment, are covered by the plate-shaped elastic member


42


. Therefore, contamination of the ink fountain


12


can be reduced significantly as compared with the first embodiment.




The plate-shaped elastic member


42


can be fixed by various installation methods. For example, it can be fixed with machine screws


43


together with the second seal member


19


, or it can be fixed with an adhesive. Also, the plate-shaped elastic member


42


may be installed so as to be detachable from the ink tray


13


.




Other configurations such that the first and second seal members


18


,


18


,


19


are disposed on the ink tray


13


, and these seal members are pressed on the step portions


20




a,




21




a


of the ink fountain


12


are the same as in the case of the first embodiment.





FIGS. 8

to


10


show a fourth embodiment of the ink supply apparatus for a printing press in accordance with the present invention. For convenience of explanation, in

FIGS. 8

to


10


, the same reference numerals are applied to the elements having the same function as that of the elements shown in

FIGS. 1

to


4


, and the detailed description thereof is omitted.




For the ink supply apparatus


11


for a printing press of this embodiment, the first and second seal members


18


,


19


are formed continuously i.e., integrally, by different portions of one seal member, and the seal member formed continuously is detachably installed to the ink tray


13


.




Specifically, for the apparatus


11


, as is apparent from the figures, a holder


45


having a substantially U shape in cross section is provided at the end portions


13




c,




13




c,




13




d


on the side of the ink fountain roller


14


of the side portions


13




a,




13




a


and the bottom portion


13




b,


and the aforementioned continuous seal member (having respective end or leg portions and a central portion which form the first and second seal members


18


,


18


,


19


respectively) is fitted and held in the holder


45


. Thereby, when it is desired to clean the ink tray, for example, for ink change, the ink tray


13


is removed from the ink fountain


12


, and then the continuous seal member is pulled out of the holder


45


. Since the ink tray


13


can be cleaned in this state, a seal portion in the vicinity of the holder


45


of the ink tray


13


can be cleaned easily, so that the cleaning operation for the ink tray


13


can be performed easily and rapidly.




Also, another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.





FIGS. 11

to


16


show an ink tray in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11

is a side view showing a schematic construction of an ink supply apparatus provided with this ink tray,

FIGS. 12

to


14


are views showing a construction of this ink tray, and

FIGS. 15 and 16

are views showing a construction of a surface cover put on this ink tray.




First, the schematic construction of the ink supply apparatus provides with this ink tray will be explained. As shown in

FIG. 11

, an ink supply apparatus


2


is, as in the case of the first embodiment, provided with an ink fountain


123


formed by the peripheral surface of an ink fountain roller


120


, ink keys


121


, and side plates


122


, so that ink is stored in the ink fountain


123


and is supplied to the ink fountain roller


120


during the printing operation. The plurality of ink keys


121


are disposed in parallel in the width direction of the apparatus so as to be in close contact with each other, and the rear end portion of the ink key


121


is rotatably supported by a support shaft


118


provided on a support base


124


. The side plates


122


are fixed to the support base


124


so as to hold the ink keys


121


therebetween from both sides, and the front end of the side plate


122


is in slidable contact with the peripheral surface of the ink fountain roller


120


.




Also, a transverse beam


105


is provided under the ink fountain


123


to support members constituting the ink fountain


123


. The transverse beam


105


is provided with an ink regulating device


125


. The ink amount regulating device


125


is provided with an arm plate


126


engaging with the lower face at the distal end of each of the ink keys


121


, and a pusher


127


the distal end of which is in contact with the arm plate


126


and which is extended and contracted in the longitudinal direction by the turning of a knob


128


or a motor


129


. The pusher


127


is appropriately extended or contracted to vertically sway the arm plate


126


around a support pin


126




a,


whereby the distal end of the ink key


121


is swayed so that a gap between the ink key


121


and the ink fountain roller


120


is regulated to control the film thickness of the supplied ink. Under the distal end portion of the ink keys


121


, there are provided a first ink catcher


6


A for receiving ink dropping from the ink keys


121


, and guides


6


C and


6


D for guiding the ink in the first ink catcher


6


A to a second ink catcher


6


B.




For the ink supply apparatus


2


, an ink tray


130


is detachably mounted in the ink fountain


123


. As shown in

FIGS. 12

to


14


, the ink tray


130


comprises side walls


131


,


131


corresponding to the right and left side plates


122


,


122


of the ink fountain


123


, and a bottom plate


132


which is inclined downward toward the distal end thereof so as to correspond to the ink keys


121


forming the bottom portion of the ink fountain


123


.




The lower surface of the bottom plate


132


is reinforced by a reinforcement plate


133


. The rear end portion of the bottom plate


132


is extended downward to the outside, and this extension forms a cover


134


for preventing ink from adhering to the support base


124


. At the upper end of the side wall


131


,


131


of the ink tray


130


, a bracket


136


is fixed so as to be directed to the outside, and a handle


137


is installed on the upper face of the bracket


136


.




Most portions of the ink keys


121


and the side plates


122


are covered by the ink tray


130


(these portions are referred to as covered portions) so as to be prevented from being in direct contact with the ink in the ink fountain


123


. The upper face of the distal end portion of the ink key


121


which is in slidable contact with the ink fountain roller


120


via the liquid film of ink and the inside face of the distal end portion of the side plate


122


are not covered by the ink tray


130


, and are exposed so as to be in direct contact with the ink in the ink fountain


123


(these portions are referred to as exposed portions). That is to say, the inner peripheral surface of the ink fountain


123


is formed by the inside surface of the ink tray


130


, the upper faces of the exposed portions (distal end portions)


121


A of the ink keys


121


, the exposed portions


122


A of the side plates


122


, and the outer peripheral surface of the ink fountain rollers


120


.




Portions between the ink tray


130


and the distal end portions (exposed portions)


121


A of the ink keys


121


and portions between the ink tray


130


and the exposed portions


122


A of the side plates


122


form joints of the ink fountain


123


, so that these portions must be sealed. Therefore, the outside faces of the distal end portions of the side walls


131


,


131


and the bottom plate


132


are formed with concave grooves (groove portions)


131




c


and


132




c,


and a packing (seal member)


138


having a continuous seal face is fitted in the concave grooves


131




c


and


132




c.






In a state in which the ink tray


130


is mounted in the ink fountain


123


, apart of the packing


138


fitted in the concave groove


131




c


on the outside face of the distal end portion of the side wall


131


is pressed on a step portion


122




a


formed on the inside surface the side plate


122


of the ink fountain


123


, and a part of the packing


138


fitted in the concave groove


132




c


on the outside face of the distal end of the bottom plate


132


is pressed on a step portion


121




a


(see

FIG. 11

) formed on the upper face of the distal end portion of the ink key


121


.




By this packing


138


, a seal is provided between the distal end portion of the side wall


131


,


131


of the ink tray


130


and the side plate


122


of the ink fountain


123


, and between the distal end portion of the bottom plate


132


of the ink tray


130


and the upper faces of the ink keys


121


, so that the ink is prevented from leaking from the ink fountain


123


through the joints between the ink tray


130


and the ink keys


121


and between the ink tray


130


and the side plates


122


.




The ink tray


130


is fixed to the ink fountain


123


by a pressing member


140


(see

FIG. 11

) provided on the support base


124


. Specifically, by tightening a bolt


141


provided in the pressing member


140


, a rear inclined face


136




a


(see

FIG. 13

) of the bracket


136


is pushed toward the distal end of the ink tray


130


(toward the gap between the ink keys


121


and the ink fountain roller


120


), and the seal member


138


of the ink tray


130


is pressed on the step portions


122




a


and


121




a


of the ink fountain


123


, whereby the ink tray


130


is fixed.




Also, as shown in

FIGS. 11

to


14


, a positioning bolt


139


for the ink tray


130


is provided at a front end portion


136




b


of each of the right and left brackets


136


. By causing the positioning bolts


139


to abut on convex portions


122




b


provided on the upper faces of the side plates


122


, the longitudinal mounting position of the ink tray


130


is regulated. The longitudinal position of the ink tray


130


is adjustable by adjusting the tightening amounts of the positioning bolts


139


, and the vertical position thereof is adjustable by using height adjusting screws


135


provided in the brackets


136


.




Thus, the contact area between the ink and the ink keys


121


is reduced significantly by detachably mounting the ink tray


130


in the ink fountain


123


. Therefore, the possibility of the ink intruding into a gap between the ink keys


121


,


121


is lessened, so that the operation of the ink key


121


becomes stable. Also, the time for cleaning the inside of ink fountain


123


can be shortened, so that the rate of operation of the equipment is increased, whereby the productivity can be enhanced.




As described above, by the use of the ink tray


130


, the cleaning work for the ink fountain


123


is made easy, and the cleaning time is shortened. However, work for cleaning the contaminated ink tray


130


is created newly. Since the ink tray


130


can be replaced with a new one, the contaminated ink tray


130


need not be cleaned at the time of ink change. After being replaced with a new one and removed from the ink fountain


123


, the contaminated ink tray


130


can be cleaned regardless of the operation of the equipment. In order to achieve labor saving for the whole operation and to enhance the productivity, however, it is also important to achieve the labor saving for the work for cleaning the ink tray


130


.




Accordingly, for the ink tray


130


of this embodiment, a contamination preventive surface cover


110


is mounted on the surface thereof as shown in FIG.


15


. The surface cover


110


is formed of paper or a resin film such as polyethylene and vinyl, and is composed of a rectangular portion


110


A corresponding to the bottom plate


132


of the ink tray


130


and triangular portions


110


B on both sides corresponding to the side walls


131


as shown in FIG.


15


(


a


).




When the surface cover


110


is mounted on the ink tray


130


, as shown in FIG.


15


(


b


), the surface cover


110


is bent at the boundary lines between the rectangular portion


110


A and the triangular portion


110


B so as to match the shape of the inside surface of the ink tray


130


, and further distal end portions


110




a


and


110




b


of the rectangular portion


110


A and tile triangular portions


110


B are bent toward the outside. After the packing


138


mounted at the distal end portion of the ink tray


130


is once removed from the concave grooves


131




c


and


132




c,


the surface cover


110


is mounted on the inside of the ink tray


130


, and then the packing


138


is again mounted in the concave grooves


131




c


and


132




c


so as to hold the distal end portions


110




a


and


110




b


of the surface cover


110


as shown in FIG.


16


.




Thus, by holding the distal end portions


110




a


and


110




b


in the concave grooves


131




c


and


132




c


by means of the packing


138


, the surface cover


110


is fixed on the inside of the ink tray


130


, so that the surface of the ink tray


130


is covered by the surface cover


110


. The ink tray


130


is installed in the ink fountain


123


with the surface cover


110


being mounted in this manner.




Since the ink tray in accordance with the fifth embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, even when the ink tray


130


is mounted in the ink fountain


123


and ink is put in the ink fountain


123


, the ink does not adhere directly to the ink tray


130


because the surface of the ink tray


130


is covered by the surface cover


110


.




Therefore, at the time of cleaning operation, it is necessary only that the surface cover


110


and the packing


138


, to which ink adheres, be removed from the ink tray


130


, and the surface cover


110


and the packing


138


be replaced with new ones. Also, since the surface cover


110


can be thrown away after use, only the packing


138


has to be cleaned. When the surface cover


110


is mounted on the ink tray


130


, wrinkles are produced between the distal end portion


110




a


of the rectangular portion


110


A and the distal end portion


110




b


of the triangular portion


110


B. However, this does not lead to the occurrence of ink leakage etc., so that no problem occurs in practical use.




According to the ink tray of this embodiment, since the surface of the ink tray


130


is covered by the surface cover


110


, even when ink is put in the ink fountain


123


, the ink does not adhere directly to the ink tray


130


, and the surface cover


110


can be thrown away and need not be cleaned. Therefore, the cleaning work is made easy at the time of ink change or at the completion of printing operation, so that the operator's burden is alleviated.




Moreover, the surface cover


110


is fixed to the ink tray


130


by being fitted in the concave grooves


131




c


and


132




c


for the packing


138


so that the front end portion of the surface cover


110


is held between the packing


138


and the concave grooves


131




c


and


132




c


(method for mounting a contamination preventive surface cover to an ink tray in accordance with this embodiment). Therefore, the work for mounting the surface cover


110


is easy, and a new structure for fixing the surface cover


110


is unnecessary, which eliminates a complicated construction of the ink tray


130


and restrains an increase in cost.




The shape of the surface cover


110


is not limited to the shape such that the ink tray


130


is developed as in the above embodiment, and can be any shape at least having a size enough to cover a portion of the tray


130


to which ink adheres when it is put in the ink fountain


123


.




Also, although the surface cover


110


of the above embodiment has a plane shape consisting of the rectangular portion


110


A and the triangular portions


110


B on both sides, a surface cover Ill of a three-dimensional shape matching the inside shape of the ink tray


130


may be used as shown in FIG.


17


.




When the three-dimensionally shaped surface cover


111


is used, unlike the case where the plane-shaped surface cover


110


is mounted on the ink tray


130


, no wrinkle is produced between the distal end portion


110




a


of the rectangular portion


110


A and the distal end portion


110




b


of the triangular portion


110


B, so that the surface cover


111


can be brought into closer contact with the ink tray


130


. Therefore, when the remaining ink is scraped off with a spatula or the like while the ink tray


130


is mounted in the ink fountain


123


, the possibility of the surface cover


111


being broken is lessened.




Next, an ink tray in accordance with a sixth embodiment will be described.

FIG. 18

is an explanatory view for illustrating this embodiment. The construction of an ink tray body of this embodiment is the same as that of an ink tray body described in the above-described fifth embodiment.




In this embodiment, as shown in

FIG. 18

, the surface of the ink tray


130


is coated with a film


112


capable of being peeled off. The portion coated with this film


112


is the portion to which ink adheres when it is put in the ink fountain


123


, and specifically is a portion including the surfaces of the bottom plate


132


and the side walls


131


, the inside of the concave grooves


132




c


and


131




c


in which the packing


138


is fitted, and the vicinities thereof.




If the surface of the ink tray


130


is coated with the film


112


, ink does not adhere to the surface of the ink tray


130


, but adheres to the film


112


formed on the surface. Therefore, when the ink tray


130


is cleaned, the film


112


has only to be peeled off together with the adhering ink.




Thus, according to the ink tray of this embodiment, since the surface of the ink tray


130


is coated with the film


112


, even when ink is put in the ink fountain


123


, the ink does not adhere directly to the ink tray


130


, and the ink can be removed merely by peeling off the film


112


. Therefore, the cleaning work is made easy at the time of ink change or at the completion of printing operation, so that the operator's burden is alleviated.




Although the film


112


is preferably formed on all portions to which ink adheres when it the tray


130


is put in the ink fountain


123


in the above-described embodiment, only the portions which are especially difficult to clean, for example, the insides of the concave grooves


132




c


and


131




c


in which the packing


138


is fitted and the vicinities thereof can be coated with the film


112


if desired. In this case as well, the ink tray


130


can be cleaned only by cleaning the surfaces of the bottom plate


132


and the side wall


131


from which ink can be removed relatively easily. Therefore, the cleaning work is made easy at the time of ink change or at the completion of printing operation, so that the operator's burden is alleviated.




The above is a description of two embodiments of the ink tray in accordance with the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, both of the surface cover


110


and the film


112


can be used. Specifically, the ink tray


130


coated with the film


112


can be mounted with the surface cover


110


.




Also, in the above-described embodiments, the cleaning work for the ink tray


130


is made easy by preventing ink from adhering to the body of the ink tray


130


. However, even when ink adheres to the body of the ink tray


130


, the cleaning work can be made easy if the adhering ink can be removed easily. Therefore, it can be thought that the surface of the ink tray


130


is coated with a film having a reduced affinity for ink as compared to the tray surface, i.e., a film made of an antistick contact surface material with a low coefficient of friction. Specifically, the surface of the ink tray


130


may be coated with a film made of an antistick, nonwetting contact surface resin with a low coefficient of friction, such as fluoropolymer resins and silicone resins. The coating of fluoropolymer resin can be made by the dispersion method, for example. With this method, a powder of fluoropolymer resin is suspended in a solvent to yield dispersion, and after spray coating, the dispersion is evaporated and dried and then the coating is heated in a heating oven. The portions coated with the film of the ink tray


130


are portions to which ink adheres when it is put in the ink fountain


123


. Specifically, the portions are the surfaces of the bottom plate


132


and the side walls


131


, the insides of the concave grooves


132




c


and


131




c


in which the packing


138


is fitted, and the vicinities thereof.




Thus, if the surface of the ink tray


130


is coated with the film less likely to be contaminated with ink, even when ink adheres to the body of the ink tray


130


, the adhering ink can be removed easily. Therefore, the cleaning work is made easy at the time of ink change or at the completion of printing operation, so that the operator's burden is alleviated. Also, in this case as well, only the portions which are especially difficult to clean, for example, the insides of the concave grooves


132




c


and


131




c


in which the packing


138


is fitted and the vicinities thereof may be coated. Further, the surface cover


110


may be mounted on the ink tray


130


coated with the film less likely to be contaminated with ink, which makes the cleaning work easier.




Also, the shape of the ink tray


130


is not limited to the above-described one if the ink tray


130


is detachable from the ink fountain


123


, and contamination on the inside surface of the ink fountain


123


can be prevented.




Further, another embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.





FIG. 19

shows an ink supply apparatus in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the present invention, showing a construction of an ink tray for the ink supply apparatus. The schematic construction of this ink supply apparatus and the construction of the ink tray are the same as those of the above-described fifth embodiment shown in

FIGS. 11

to


13


, so that only different constructions will be described.




The ink tray


130


is mounted in the ink fountain


123


by placing the right and left brackets


136


,


136


on the side plates


122


,


122


of the ink fountain


123


, and the ink tray


130


is locked and positioned by locking portions formed in the ink fountain


123


. Here, as the locking portions, the step portion


122




a


(see

FIG. 21

) is formed on the inside surface of the side plate


122


, and the step portion


121




a


is formed on the upper face of the distal end portion of the ink key


121


constituting the bottom portion of the ink fountain


123


.




Various positional relationships can be provided between the step portions


122




a


and


121




a


and the ink tray


130


. For the step portion


121




a


formed on the ink key


121


, considering that the remaining ink is scraped off with a spatula or the like when the ink fountain


123


is cleaned, the distal end portion (exposed portion)


121


A of the ink key


121


should preferably be flush with the bottom plate


132


of the ink tray


130


as shown in FIG.


19


. Also, in order to prevent ink leakage through the gap between a distal end


132




a


of the bottom plate


132


and the step portion


121




a,


it is preferable that a holder


232




c


be provided at the lower part of the distal end


132




a


to hold the packing


138


so that the packing


138


is brought into contact with the step portion


121




a.






On the other hand, for the step portion


122




a


formed on the side plate


122


, it is advantageous that the exposed portion


122


A of the side plate


122


of the ink fountain


123


is made flush with the side wall


131


of the ink tray


130


as shown in FIG.


20


(


a


). In this case, however, the positioning in the transverse direction must be performed visually by the operator, so that it is difficult to perform positioning always accurately. Also, for the transverse positioning, it can be advantageous that a holder


231




c


for holding the packing


138


is caused to abut on the side plate


122


as shown in FIG.


20


(


b


). In this case, however, the holder


231




c


is installed to the ink tray


130


afterward, so that a larger manufacturing error than the body of the ink tray


130


is produced, and sometimes the holder


231




c


interferes with the side plate


122


, whereby the ink tray


130


cannot be mounted.




Further, as shown in FIGS.


20


(


a


) and


20


(


b


), when the exposed portion


122


A of the side plate


122


is attempted to be made flush with the side wall


131


, if a distal end


131




a


of the side wall


131


is inclined with respect to the bottom plate


132


, the packing


138


must be bent into a three-dimensional, unnatural shape as shown in FIG.


20


(


c


) to seal the gap between the side wall


131


and the side plate


122


. Therefore, it becomes difficult to hold the packing


138


at the connecting portion between the side wall


131


and the bottom plate


132


.




Thereupon, in the ink supply apparatus


2


of this embodiment, when the ink tray


130


in which the distal end


131




a


of the side wall


131


is inclined with respect to the bottom plate


132


, pot at right angles thereto, as shown in

FIG. 13

is provided, the positional relationship between the step portions


122




a


and


121




a


and the ink tray


130


is set as described below. Specifically, for the step portion


121




a


formed on the ink key


121


, the packing


138


is held by the holder


232




c


provided on the lower surface of the bottom plate


132


, and the packing


138


is protruded so as to be in contact with the step portion


121




a,


whereby the distal end portion (exposed portion)


121


A of the ink key


121


is made flush with the bottom plate


132


.




On the other hand, for the step portion


122




a


formed on the side plate


122


, as shown in FIG.


21


(


a


), the holder


231




c


is provided at a position shifted slightly rearward from the distal end


131




a


of the side wall


131


, and the packing


138


held by the holder


232


C provided on the lower surface of the bottom plate


132


is bent to be held by the holder


231




c.


By providing the holder


231




c


so as to be shifted rearward from the distal end


131




a


of the side wall


131


in this manner, the packing


138


is withdrawn slightly rearward from the distal end


131




a


of the side wall


131


. However, the packing


138


can be set in a natural form.




As shown in FIG.


21


(


b


), an outside width W


1


between the side walls


131


,


131


of the ink tray


130


is set to be slightly narrower than an inside width W


2


between the side plates


122


,


122


, and the distal ends


131




a,




131




a


of the side walls


131


,


131


are inserted between the side plates


122


,


122


, whereby the portion of the packing


138


held between the holder


231




c


is brought into contact with the step portion


122




a.


At this time, a lapping portion


131




b


of the side wall


131


, which laps on the exposed portion


122


A, is produced on the inside of the exposed portion


122


A of the side plate


122


. When the ink tray


130


moves transversely, the lapping portion


131




b


abuts on the exposed portion


122


A of the side plate


122


to regulate the movement of the ink tray


130


. That is to say, the distal ends


131




a,




131




a


of the side walls


131


,


131


are inserted between the side plates


122


,


122


so that the packing


138


comes into contact with the step portion


122




a.


Thereby, the positioning of the ink tray


130


in the longitudinal direction and in the transverse direction is performed at the same time.




If a length •L of the lapping portion


131




b


is too long, the side wall


131


may be stuck to the side plate


122


by the intruding ink. Therefore, in the ink supply apparatus


2


of this embodiment, the length •L of the lapping portion


131




b


is set to a degree such that transverse positioning can be performed (for example, about 1.0 mm). Also, a gap width •W of the lapping portion


131




b


is set to a degree such that there is no difficulty in mounting the ink tray


130


caused by the interference of the distal end


131




a


of the side wall


131


with the step portion


122




a


(for example, about 0.5 mm).




Next, the fixation of the positioned ink tray


130


to the ink fountain


123


will be described. The ink tray


130


is fixed by the pressing member


140


(see

FIG. 11

) provided on the support base


124


. Specifically, by tightening the bolt


141


provided, in the pressing member


140


, the rear inclined face


136




a


of the bracket


136


is pushed toward the distal end of the ink tray


130


. Thereby, the seal member


138


held by the holders


231




c


and


232




c


is pressed on the step portions


122




a


and


121




a


of the ink fountain


123


, whereby the ink tray


130


is fixed.




Also, the positioning bolt


139


for the ink tray


130


is provided at the front end portion


136




b


of each of the right and left brackets


136


. By causing the positioning bolts


139


to abut on the convex portions


122




b


provided on the upper faces of the side plates


122


, the longitudinal mounting position of the ink tray


130


is regulated. The longitudinal position of the ink tray


130


is adjustable by adjusting the tightening amounts of the positioning bolts


139


, and the vertical position thereof is adjustable by using the height adjusting screws


135


provided in the brackets


136


.




Since the ink supply apparatus in accordance with the seventh embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, when ink is changed for order change etc., the apparatus is first stopped, and the ink remaining in the ink fountain


123


is recovered with a spatula or the like. Then, the fixation of the ink tray


130


by the pressing member


140


is released, and the ink tray


130


is removed from the ink fountain


123


by grasping the handles


137


.




After the ink tray


130


is removed, the remaining ink adhering to the distal end portions of the ink keys


121


and the side plates


122


is wiped off with a waste cloth or the like or washed off with a cleaning fluid. The removed ink tray


130


is cleaned on the outside of the ink change process. After the inside of the ink fountain


123


has been cleaned, a new ink tray


130


is brought and mounted in the ink fountain


123


.




The ink tray


130


is mounted into the ink fountain


123


by the following procedure. First, the right and left brackets


136


,


136


of the ink tray


130


are placed on the right and left side plates


122


of the ink fountain


123


, by which the ink tray


130


is temporarily mounted in the ink fountain


123


. Next, while checking the positional relationship between the step portions


122




a


of the right and left side plates


122


and the side walls


131


, the distal ends


131




a,




131




a


of the right and left side walls


131


,


131


are inserted between the step portions


122




a,




122




a.


Then, the ink tray


130


is pushed forward until the packing


138


comes into contact with the step portions


121




a


and


122




a.






When the longitudinal positioning has been completed, the bolts


141


in the pressing members


140


are tightened to press the packing


138


on the step portions


121




a


and


122




a.


Thereby, the ink tray


130


is fixed to the ink fountain


123


while providing a seal between the ink tray


130


and the ink fountain


123


. At this time, the tightening amounts of the positioning bolts


139


and the height adjusting screws


135


are adjusted to control the position of the ink tray


130


, if necessary.




Thus, according to the ink supply apparatus of this embodiment, by mounting the ink tray


130


in the ink fountain


123


, the contact area of the ink keys


121


with ink can be reduced significantly. Therefore, the possibility of ink intruding into the gap between the ink keys


121


,


121


is lessened, so that the operation of the ink keys


121


is stabilized. Also, the cleaning work in the ink fountain


123


is made easy.




Also, the contaminated ink tray


130


need not be cleaned at the time of ink change, but is replaced with a new one, having only to be cleaned on the outside of the ink change process after being removed. Therefore, the cleaning time at the time of ink change can be shortened, so that the rate of operation of the equipment is increased, whereby the productivity can be enhanced.




Further, according to the ink supply apparatus of this embodiment, the positioning of the ink tray


130


in the ink fountain


123


is accomplished merely by inserting the distal ends


131




a,




131




a


of the right and left side walls


131


,


131


between the step portions


122




a,




122




a


and by pushing the ink tray


130


forward until the packing


138


comes into contact with the step portions


121




a


and


122




a,


so that the ink tray


130


can be mounted in the ink fountain


123


easily and accurately. Therefore, the possibility of ink leakage though the gap between the ink tray


130


and the ink fountain


123


is lessened, and also the time taken for the mounting of the ink tray


130


is shortened, whereby the productivity can further be enhanced.




The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the distal end


131




a


of the side wall


131


is inclined with respect to the bottom plate


132


has been described as an exemplary shape of the ink tray


130


in the above embodiment. However, the present invention can be applied to the case where the distal end


131




a


of the side wall


131


is at right angles to the bottom plate


132


or at any angle thereto. In this case as well, by providing the lapping portion between the side wall


131


and the bottom plate


132


, the transverse position can be determined mechanically.



Claims
  • 1. An ink supply apparatus for a printing press having an ink fountain formed by an ink fountain roller, a plurality of ink blades arranged in the axial direction of said ink fountain roller, and side plates positioned at opposite ends of said plurality of ink blades, so that the quantity of ink fed from said ink fountain to said ink fountain roller is controlled by regulating a gap between said ink blades and said ink fountain roller, wherein an ink tray comprising an integrally formed bottom portion covering portions of upper faces of said ink blades excluding distal end portions thereof and integrally formed side portions respectively covering inside surfaces of said side plates is provided, wherein for each side portion of said side portions of said ink tray a respective first seal member is interposed between said side portion and the inside surface of said side plate that is covered by said side portion, and a second seal member in slidable contact with said ink blades is interposed between said ink blades and the bottom portion of said ink tray.
  • 2. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 1, wherein said ink tray is detachable from said ink fountain.
  • 3. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 2, wherein said first and second seal members are installed on said ink tray.
  • 4. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 3, wherein said first and second seal members are detachable from said ink tray.
  • 5. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 3, wherein said first and second seal members are positioned in the vicinity of ends of the side portions and bottom portion of said ink tray.
  • 6. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 5, wherein said first and second seal members are a continuous integral seal member.
  • 7. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 5, wherein said second seal member abuts on said ink blades.
  • 8. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 7, wherein a plate-shaped elastic member, whose tip end portion protrudes toward said ink fountain roller beyond the bottom portion of said ink tray, is mounted on a lower face of the end portion of said ink tray, and the tip end portion of said plate-shaped elastic member is positioned to abut on said ink blades, whereby the bottom portion of said ink tray is brought into contact with said ink blades via the tip end portion of said plate-shaped elastic member.
  • 9. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 1, wherein each of said ink blades has a distal end portion and an opposite proximal end portion, and the proximal end portion is mounted for pivoting.
  • 10. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 9, wherein said second seal member is installed on the lower face of the end portion of the bottom portion of said ink tray adjacent the edge of said ink fountain roller, and for each of said ink blades a substantially square-shaped concave portion is formed on the upper face of said ink blade, and said second seal member is positioned to abut on a step portion of said concave portion on the side of the concave portion closest to the ink fountain roller.
  • 11. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 10, wherein said second seal member is made of an elastic material.
  • 12. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 11, wherein for each of said ink blades the step portion defines an arcuate curved shape for engaging the second seal member.
  • 13. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 1, wherein a positioner is provided for positioning said ink tray with respect to said ink fountain.
  • 14. The ink supply apparatus for a printing press according to claim 1, further comprising a suppressing mechanism for urging said ink tray toward said fountain roller.
  • 15. An ink tray mounted in an ink fountain for a printing press formed by an ink fountain roller, a plurality of ink blades arranged in the axial direction of said ink fountain roller, and side plates positioned at opposite ends of said plurality of ink blades, wherein said ink tray is integrally formed by a bottom portion covering portions of upper faces of said ink blades excluding distal end portions thereof and side portions respectively covering inside surfaces of said side plates, and said ink tray is mounted in said ink fountain in such a manner that for each side portion of said side portions of said ink tray a respective first seal member is interposed between said side portion and the inside surface of said side plate that is covered by said side portion, and a second seal member is interposed between said ink blades and the bottom portion of said ink tray.
  • 16. The ink tray according to claim 15, wherein said ink tray is detachable from said ink fountain.
  • 17. The ink tray according to claim 16, wherein said first and second seal members are installed on said ink tray.
  • 18. The ink tray according to claim 17, wherein said first and second seal members are detachable from said ink tray.
  • 19. The ink tray according to claim 18, wherein said first and second seal members are portions of a continuous integral seal member.
  • 20. The ink tray according to claim 17, wherein said second seal member is installed at an end of the bottom portion of said ink tray and said first seal members are respectively installed at ends of said side portions of said ink tray.
Priority Claims (3)
Number Date Country Kind
11-090624 Mar 1999 JP
11-168112 Jun 1999 JP
11-219835 Aug 1999 JP
US Referenced Citations (7)
Number Name Date Kind
3318239 Wintzer May 1967 A
3788220 Laben et al. Jan 1974 A
5167188 Lindblom Dec 1992 A
5327830 Gelinas et al. Jul 1994 A
5481974 Sarazen et al. Jan 1996 A
5727463 Deschner et al. Mar 1998 A
5979321 Koppelkamm et al. Nov 1999 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number Date Country
04022639 Jan 1992 JP
4-234654 Aug 1992 JP
07309004 Nov 1995 JP
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry
Translation of Official Action dated Oct. 21, 1999 from Japanese Patent Office.