Marking device for sheet side edges in a rotary printing machine

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6601507
  • Patent Number
    6,601,507
  • Date Filed
    Friday, October 20, 2000
    24 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, August 5, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
A device for laterally aligning a sheet in a sheet-processing machine, includes a marking device for automatically identifying a sheet side edge.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Field of the Invention




The invention relates to a marking device for automatically identifying a sheet, in particular a side edge of a sheet.




In order to finish printed sheets, such as by cutting them, folding them, and so forth, it is necessary to know which side of a sheet was aligned before the sheet was fed to the printing machine.




From the prior art, it has become known to align sheets laterally to the lefthand or righthand sides by a lateral pulling device after the sheets have been singly separated from a sheet pile and before they are fed to a printing machine. A lateral pulling device of this general type is shown, for example, in the published German Patent Documents DE 42 42 731 A1 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,256) and DE 195 01 798 A1 (which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,123).




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




It is an object of the invention to provide a marking device for side edges of sheets in a rotary printing machine, wherein laterally aligned sheets are automatically identified.




With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a device for laterally aligning a sheet in a sheet-processing machine, comprising a marking device for automatically identifying a sheet side edge.




In accordance with another feature of the invention, the marking device includes a stamp pad.




In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the stamp pad is connected to an ink reservoir.




In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the marking device includes an ink ribbon.




In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the aligning device includes a drivable winding device provided for the ink ribbon.




In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the ink ribbon is stored in a replaceable cassette.




In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the marking device is disposed on a line in common alignment with the lateral stop.




In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the marking device itself serves as a lateral stop.




Thus, it is advantageous for the invention that the printed sheet and the sheet pile, respectively, for subsequent further processing, are automatically given an identification or mark which permits a determination to be made as to which side of a sheet was aligned laterally. This identification avoids the necessity for performing so-called test cuts during the finishing of the print, which would otherwise be required in order to determine the so-called “good side”.




The measure according to the invention therefore saves material and time.




In an advantageous feature of the invention, provision is made for assigning a device for providing an identification or mark for the sheet directly to a lateral stop.




The device for providing the identification or mark may be, for example, a stamp pad, or an ink or inking ribbon.




In a beneficial feature, the stamp pad is equipped with an ink reservoir, in order to supply the stamp pad with ink even over a relatively long time period.




The ink ribbon is advantageously provided with a transporting and winding device.




Configuring the ink reservoir as an ink cartridge permits simple maintenance.




Forming the ink ribbon as a cassette permits a simple replacement of a used cassette by a new one.




Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.




Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a marking device for sheet side edges in a rotary printing machine, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.











The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:




BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a sheet-fed rotary printing machine incorporating the invention of the instant application;





FIG. 2

is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of

FIG. 1

, showing a lateral sheet-pulling device;





FIG. 3

is a top plan view of

FIG. 2

, also showing diagrammatically a control mechanism for the lateral pulling device;





FIG. 3A

is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a marking device according to the invention, which is formed as an ink or inking ribbon; and





FIG. 3B

is a view like that of

FIG. 3A

showing a different embodiment of the invention wherein the marking device is formed as a stamp pad.











DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS




Referring now to the drawings and, first, particularly to

FIG. 1

thereof, there is shown therein a sheet-fed rotary printing machine


1


having a feeder


2


, at least one printing unit


3


,


4


, two printing units


3


and


4


being illustrated as an example, and a delivery


6


. From a feed pile


7


belonging to the feeder


2


, sheets


9


are singly separated by a separating unit


11


and are fed to the sheet-fed rotary printing machine


1


via a feed table


12


. At one end of the feed table


12


, facing towards the printing machine, a lateral pulling device


10


for laterally aligning the sheets


9


, as well as front stops


13


for aligning the leading edge of the sheets


9


, are provided. After the alignment operation has been performed, the sheets


9


are taken over by a pivotably arranged pregripper


14


, which transfers the sheets to a gripper device


15


of a feed drum


16


belonging to the sheet-fed rotary printing machine


1


.




The lateral pulling device


10


has two pulling bars or rails


17


, to which vacuum is preferably applied in order to be able to exert a holding force on the sheet


9


to be aligned. The pulling bars


17


, respectively, are disposed opposite one another in the lateral handling region of the sheet


9


to be aligned, underneath the transport plane of the sheet


9


in the feed table


12


.




As viewed in the sheet transport direction, a lateral stop


19


is provided at the lefthand side and at the righthand side, respectively, at which the sheet


9


is selectively aligned.




As viewed in the sheet transport direction, there is disposed immediately upline of the pulling bar


17


or cooperating directly with the pulling bar


17


, respectively, a pressure roller


22


that is pivotable cyclically in rhythm with the printing-machine cycle. The pressure roller


22


is mounted in a housing


24


. The pulling bar


17


is mounted so that it is displaceable transversely with respect to the sheet transport direction, the pulling movement being initiated by a control roller


26


, which is rotatably mounted on an arm of the pulling bar


17


. The control roller


26


cooperates with an end control face


27


of a control disk


28


that is driven at the machine cycle rate. The control disk


28


includes a control cam


29


having a height b which is corresponds to the length of the pull travel.




The housing


24


for the pressure roller


22


is rotatably mounted at one end of a lever


31


that is pivotable approximately about the center thereof. Provided at the other end of the lever


31


is a rotatably mounted control roller


32


, which is in rolling contact with a control surface


33


of a control disk


34


that is drivable at the machine cycle rate. The control disk


34


has a control valley


36


formed therein. In order to align the sheet


9


laterally, the pressure roller


22


is lowered in the direction of the pulling bar


17


. The control roller


32


thereby rolls on the control face


33


in the region of the control valley


36


. Following the alignment, the control roller


32


is lifted off the pulling bar


17


and releases the sheet


9


, in order to permit the latter to be aligned without hindrance in the circumferential direction at the front lays


13


.




As

FIG. 2

illustrates, the lateral stop


19


for the lateral alignment is affixed to the housing


24


. In order to set the format, the complete pulling device


10


with the housing


24


is arranged so that it is displaceable transversely to the sheet transport direction by a non-illustrated spindle. The lateral stop


19


is fastened to the housing


24


.




Each lateral stop


19


has a marking device


41


assigned thereto in accordance with the invention, for the purpose of identifying or marking the sheet edge


9




a


. The marking device is located on an alignment line A in common with the lateral stop


19


.




In a first exemplary embodiment shown in

FIG. 3B

, the marking device


41


is formed as a stamp pad


42


. The stamp pad


42


has an ink reservoir


43


, which is connected to the stamp pad


42


via a connecting line


44


, so that the pad


42


is continually supplied with ink. The ink reservoir


43


can be constructed as a refillable container or as a replaceable cartridge.




In a second exemplary embodiment shown in

FIG. 3A

, the marking device is formed as an ink or inking ribbon


46


, which is provided with a drive


47


and a winding device


48


. If the ink ribbon


46


is stored in a cassette


49


, a simple replacement of the used ink ribbon


46


is possible.




During the lateral alignment of the sheet


9


, for example by pulling the sheet


9


against the lateral stop


19


by the lateral pulling device


10


, the sheet edge


9




a


comes into contact with the marking device


41


. Due to this measure, a location on the sheet edge


9




a


is marked with a color. Following the formation of the printed sheet pile


50


in the delivery


6


of the printing machine, the pile


50


, therefore, has a colored marking extending vertically in the form of a stripe


51


. During the finishing of the print, this stripe


51


indicates the side whereon the sheets


9


which were in the feeder sheet pile


7


were aligned.



Claims
  • 1. A device for laterally aligning a sheet with a sheet side edge in a sheet-processing machine, comprising:a marking device automatically marking the sheet side edge for identification while being aligned in the sheet-processing machine.
  • 2. The aligning device according to claim 1, wherein said marking device includes a stamp pad.
  • 3. The aligning device according to claim 2, wherein said stamp pad is connected to an ink reservoir.
  • 4. The aligning device according to claim 1, wherein said marking device includes an ink ribbon.
  • 5. The aligning device according to claim 4, including a drivable winding device provided for said ink ribbon.
  • 6. The aligning device according to claim 4, wherein said ink ribbon is stored in a replaceable cassette.
  • 7. The aligning device according to claim 2, wherein said marking device is disposed on a line in common alignment with a lateral stop.
  • 8. The aligning device according to claim 2, wherein said marking device itself serves as a lateral stop.
  • 9. The aligning device according to claim 1, wherein said marking device is an integral part of the sheet-processing machine.
  • 10. The aligning device according to claim 1, wherein said marking device marks the sheet side edge with a colored marking.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
199 50 407 Oct 1999 DE
US Referenced Citations (14)
Number Name Date Kind
1696999 Cannon Jan 1929 A
4021876 Engelhardt May 1977 A
4145967 Marozzi Mar 1979 A
4352554 Kaye Oct 1982 A
4423680 Bishop Jan 1984 A
4949999 Ke-hui Aug 1990 A
5053814 Takano et al. Oct 1991 A
5085417 Copham Feb 1992 A
5243394 Matsuno et al. Sep 1993 A
5419256 Pollich May 1995 A
5429391 White, II Jul 1995 A
5517777 Gagnon, Jr. May 1996 A
5717976 Chowdry et al. Feb 1998 A
5820123 Gihr et al. Oct 1998 A
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number Date Country
39 38 138 May 1991 DE
42 42 731 Jun 1994 DE
195 01 798 Jul 1996 DE
2 273 490 Jul 1996 GB