Take-up shaft for cleaning cylinder device

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6817565
  • Patent Number
    6,817,565
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, March 14, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, November 16, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A novel apparatus and method of a take-up shaft used in the cleaning of a cylinder of a printing press. The take-up shaft includes features that allow the securing of a cleaning fabric from a supply roll without the need to physically fix or mount the fabric to the supply roll with screws or other fasteners that could cause the fabric to tear.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to a take-up shaft used for the cleaning of a cylinder of a printing press and more particularly, to a novel device and method of attaching a cleaning cloth to the take-up shaft for small printing presses.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




One of the more difficult and time consuming tasks in the operation to clean a cylinder used in a printing press is the need to periodically remove and replace the cleaning fabric used in cleaning the cylinder.




In a cylinder cleaner in which a supply of cleaning fabric is supplied to a cleaning fabric take-up roll, the cleaning fabric historically is drawn off a supply roll and secured to the take-up shaft by means of a plurality of nails or screws. The supply shaft containing the cleaning fabric is then installed onto two support members bolted to the main frame of the printing press.




In order to install or remove the supply roll and take-up roll from the support members, an operator first inserts the supply roll onto the support members and then attaches the cleaning fabric to the take-up roll by physically hammering or screwing the cleaning fabric to the take-up roll. This is accomplished by drawing out some of the cleaning fabric from the supply roll, attaching the cleaning fabric to the take-up roll and then rolling up the excess cleaning fabric onto the take-up roll, and then connecting the take-up roll to the support members. Alternatively, the cleaning fabric is attached to the take-up shaft before the supply roll is attached to the support members.




In order to remove the cleaning fabric from the take-up shaft, the cleaning fabric must be physically taken off the take-up shaft which can ruin the take-up shaft or rip the cleaning fabric. Since space is limited, especially in small printing presses, the ability to hammer or screw the cleaning fabric to the take-up shaft is problematic. Therefore, a need exists for a cleaning fabric take-up shaft that easily secures the cleaning fabric to the take-up shaft without the need to physically hammer or screw the fabric to the take-up shaft.




Additionally, the used cleaning fabric is typically removed from the cleaning device by unwinding the used fabric from the take-up shaft, which is permanently secured to the support frame. Therefore, a need exists for an efficient system for securing the supply roll and take-up shaft onto the printing press frame.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




The shaft solves these and other needs associated with a cleaning cylinder device. The shaft was developed to maximize production time by reducing press down time during which the operators of a printing press insert and remove cleaning fabric supply roll and used cleaning fabric of a cylinder cleaner.




Features of the shaft for a cylinder cleaning device include a rigid one piece frame. Generally described, the rigid one piece frame supports a cleaning fabric supply roll, a cleaning fabric take-up shaft, and an inflatable bladder assembly. The shaft includes a rod that may be mounted or disposed by a locking connection and an axial groove for securing the cleaning fabric from the supply roll to the take-up roll. Both the supply roll and the take-up shaft are removably attached to the one piece frame.




In addition, shaft includes a rod that may be mounted or disposed by a sliding connection, inserted into a cylindrical sockets for securing the cleaning fabric from the supply roll to the take-up roll.




The take-up shaft further includes a first member and a second member. The first member has a planar section and a first end and a second end. The first end is larger than the second end. The second member has a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end is larger than the proximal end. In addition, the overall length of the second member is smaller than that of the first member. The second member is disposed over the first member in such a way that the proximal end of the second member is adjacent to the second end of the first member and the distal end of the second member is adjacent to the first end of the first member.




These, and other aspects of the shaft, are described in the following brief and detailed description of the drawings.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




Further aspects of the instant invention will be more readily appreciated upon review of the detailed description of the preferred embodiments included below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which:





FIG. 1

is an exploded view of a take-up shaft.





FIG. 2

is a side perspective view of the assembled shaft of FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is another side perspective view, partly sectional, of the assembled shaft of

FIGS. 1 and 2

.





FIG. 4

is an enlarged perspective of a portion of the shaft of

FIGS. 1-3

.





FIG. 5

is an exploded view of a take up shaft retaining mechanism.





FIG. 6



a


is a top view of a take-up shaft retaining mechanism.





FIG. 6



b


is a front view of a take-up shaft retaining mechanism.





FIG. 7

is a side view of a two pronged take-up shaft.





FIG. 8

is an exploded view of a take-up shaft, with a rod that may be mounted or disposed by locking with take-up shaft.





FIG. 9

is a perspective view of the assembled shaft of FIG.


8


.





FIG. 10

is an enlarged perspective view of the tab and slot relationship between the rod and the take-up shaft.





FIG. 11

is an exploded view of the gear side assembly, or securing mechanism, of the take-up shaft.





FIG. 12

is an exploded view of the operator side assembly of the take-up shaft.





FIG. 13

is a perspective view of an assembled take-up shaft in the housing.





FIG. 14

is a perspective view of a take-up shaft having a rod.





FIG. 15

is a perspective view of the take-up shaft of FIG.


13


.





FIG. 16

is an exploded view of the gear side assembly shown in FIG.


14


.





FIG. 17

is a perspective view of the take-up shaft and cloth take-up ring.





FIG. 18

is a side view of the rod shown in FIG.


14


.





FIG. 19

is a front view of the cloth take-up ring shown in FIG.


14


.





FIG. 20

is a side view of the cloth take-up ring shown in FIG.


14


.





FIG. 21

is an exploded view of a take-up shaft with a rod that is assembled onto the take-up shaft.





FIG. 22

is a perspective of the take-up shaft with a fabric assembled between the rod and the take-up shaft.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




In

FIG. 1

, a cylinder cleaning device


100


is shown. In general, the cleaning device


100


includes a frame


10


for holding a cleaning fabric take-up shaft


20


, a cleaning fabric supply shaft


30


, and an inflatable bladder assembly


40


, for pressing cleaning fabric against the cylinder to be cleaned. It is to be understood that any mechanism other than the inflatable bladder


40


, such as a blade, may be used to contact the cleaning fabric with the cylinder to be cleaned.




More specifically, the frame


10


is removably attachable to a printing press frame (not shown). The frame


10


defines a rigid cartridge housing containing the cleaning fabric take-up shaft


20


and the cleaning fabric supply shaft


30


. The rigid cartridge housing includes two side members


16


and a brace member


18


. The side members


16


include a first pair of sockets


12


for receiving the take-up shaft


20


and a second pair of sockets


14


for receiving the supply shaft


30


. The brace member


18


connects the two side members


16


, enabling the cleaning fabric take-up shaft


20


and the cleaning fabric supply shaft


30


to be attached to the frame


10


prior to insertion into the printing press frame. The rigid cartridge housing also supports the inflatable bladder. assembly


40


. Thus, the frame


10


supporting the cleaning fabric take-up shaft


20


, the cleaning fabric supply shaft


30


and the inflatable bladder assembly


40


is inserted and removed from the printing press frame as a complete unit. The frame


10


is constructed using one sheet of material, i.e. aluminum or steel, although in alternate embodiments, the frame


10


includes other metals, alloys or composites generally known in the art, molded plastic, or the like.




The take-up shaft


20


is used for the winding of cleaning fabric after it has been used to clean the cylinder. The shaft


20


includes a hingeably mounted rod


22


and an axial groove


24


. As illustrated, the rod


22


aligns with the groove


24


so that the rod


22


may be inserted in the groove


24


. Preferably, a magnet is imbedded into the groove


24


to secure the rod


22


in place, although other securing means, such as a latch or adhesive, may be used. The take-up shaft


20


also includes a rectangular extension


26


, which preferably includes an extension of the groove


24


. The extension


26


is engageable with a cleaning cloth advancement mechanism


28


, which serves to rotate the take-up shaft


20


. In general, the cleaning fabric advancement mechanism


28


includes a one-way clutch and an advancement arm, which can be actuated by any number of means, such as a hydraulic piston or motor. The cleaning cloth advancement mechanism


28


may be any of the known advancement mechanisms, such as that described U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,080, herein incorporated by reference, or in U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,792, herein incorporated by reference.




Depending on the implementation, a take-up shaft


90


is used for the winding of cleaning fabric after it has been used to clean the cylinder. As illustrated in

FIG. 7

, the shaft


90


includes a support member


92


and two pronged members


94


. The two pronged members


94


protrude from the support member


92


and extend parallel to each other. The take-up shaft


90


also includes a securing mechanism


80


. The securing mechanism


80


for the take-up shafts will be described in greater detail below.




The supply shaft


30


includes one or more projections


32


extending from the circumference therefrom. The projections


32


are in the form of three wheels spaced along the axis of the supply shaft


30


. The circumference of each wheel


32


extends beyond that of the supply shaft


30


. Although the wheels


32


are in axial alignment, it is to be understood that each wheel


32


may be spaced at different points on the circumference of the supply shaft


30


. Additionally, fewer or more than three wheels


32


may be used. The projections may include one or more ridges extending part of or the entire length of the shaft


30


.




Cooperating with the supply shaft


30


is a spring loaded securing mechanism


36


,


38


. This mechanism will be described in greater detail with reference to FIG.


4


. Also cooperating with the supply shaft


30


is a series of nylon-tipped screws


34


. When the supply shaft


30


is inserted into the opening


14


in the frame


10


, the nylon-tipped screws


34


are tightened around the shaft


30


, thereby supplying a braking force. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such a braking force prevents bunching of cleaning fabric.




The assembled device


100


is shown in

FIGS. 2 and 3

. As illustrated, a cleaning fabric supply roll


50


can be inserted on the supply shaft


30


. In general, the supply roll


50


comprises cleaning fabric


52


wound on a cardboard core


54


. The procedure for inserting the supply roll


50


on the supply shaft


30


will be described in greater detail below.




The supply shaft


30


and the core of the supply roll


50


interlock in a key arrangement. For example, the shaft


30


includes a ridge, and the core include a mating groove.




A close-up of a socket


14


will now be described in greater detail with reference to FIG.


4


. As shown, the securing mechanisms


36


,


38


are secured together with mechanism


38


extending through the socket


14


. Furthermore, the securing member


38


includes a cupped or hollow surface for receiving the end of the supply shaft


30


. Additionally, a U-shaped support


60


is secured to the interior surface of the frame


10


when the securing mechanism


36


is drawn away from the frame


10


, mechanism


38


is partially drawn out of the socket


14


. As discussed in greater detail below, when the mechanism


36


is released, a spring (not shown) draws the mechanism


38


back into the socket


14


and the mechanism


36


back towards the frame


10


.





FIG. 5

illustrates a mechanism for securing the take up shaft in place. As shown, an extension, here formed as a wedge,


70


is rotatably secured to the end of the take up shaft


20


by means of a screw


72


or rivet. The securing mechanism also includes a rod


74


having a groove


76


cut therein. The rod


74


is secured to either the frame end or the press frame (not shown) in a position such that when the take up shaft


20


is inserted into the frame


10


, the wedge


70


may be rotated and engaged with the groove


76


. Engagement of the wedge


70


with the groove


76


prevents the shaft


20


from withdrawing axially through the frame


10


.




Depending on the implementation, the mechanism for securing the take up shaft in place may be as shown in FIG.


6


A and FIG.


6


B. The take up shaft securing mechanism


80


comprises a rotatable sleeve


82


attached to the end of the take up shaft


20


. As shown, the sleeve has a diameter greater than the socket


12


. Furthermore, the sleeve


82


includes a threaded portion on its interior surface which may engage external threads on the socket


12


. An extension of the take up shaft


20


, which is narrower than the shaft


20


itself, extends through a hole in the center of the sleeve


82


.




The securing mechanism


80


further includes a knob


88


fixably secured to the extension of the take up shaft which passes through the sleeve


82


. As such, the knob


88


secures the sleeve


82


to the take up shaft


20


while allowing the sleeve


82


to rotate on the extension.




In operation, a cleaning fabric supply roll


50


is inserted axially onto the supply shaft


30


. Such insertion is relatively easy, as the wheels


32


exert a relatively low friction force against the cardboard core


54


of the supply roll


50


. Additionally, it has been found that the wheels


32


deform the relatively soft cardboard core


54


.




Once the cleaning cloth supply roll


50


is inserted on the supply shaft


30


, the supply shaft


30


is inserted into the frame


10


. This is performed by inserting one end into the socket


14


not having the securing mechanism


36


,


38


. The other end of the supply shaft


30


is secured into place by first drawing the securing mechanism


36


,


38


away from the supply shaft


30


and frame


10


. The supply shaft


30


is then rested on the U-shaped support


60


. With the supply shaft


30


in position, the securing mechanism


36


,


38


is then released and drawn back towards the supply shaft


30


by the spring. The hollow, cupped end of the mechanism


38


thus engages the end of the supply shaft


30


, thereby securing it in place. It should be noted that the U-shaped support


60


provides the added benefit of limiting axial movement of the supply roll


50


by abutting the cardboard core


54


.




The take up shaft


20


must also be secured to the frame


10


. To secure the shaft


20


to the frame


10


, the take up shaft


20


is inserted through the sockets


12


until the sleeve


82


abuts the socket


12


. By rotating the sleeve


82


, the threaded section


84


of the sleeve engages the threaded section of the socket


86


, thereby drawing the take up shaft further through the sockets


12


and into an operational position. It should be noted that engagement of the sleeve


82


with the socket


12


secures the take up shaft


20


in place, while allowing rotation of the shaft


20


through either actuation of the advancement mechanism


28


or manual rotation of the knob


88


. With the take up shaft secured in place, the cleaning fabric


52


can be wound through the device


100


and secured to the take up shaft


20


.




To wind the cleaning fabric


52


through the device


100


, it is drawn off of the supply roll


50


, threaded around the pad


40


, and secured to the take up shaft


20


. It should be noted that when drawing the cleaning fabric


52


from the roll


50


, the roll


50


and supply shaft


30


rotate together. This occurs because the wheels


32


, although having little frictional force axially, have edges that engage the cardboard core


54


and provide a relatively greater radial or angular frictional force. Thus, the cardboard core


54


cannot rotate without also rotating the supply shaft


30


.




Securing the cleaning fabric


52


to the take up shaft


20


involves first lifting the rod


22


from the groove


24


. The cleaning fabric


52


is then inserted underneath the rod


22


, between the rod


22


and take up shaft


20


. The rod


22


is then reinserted into the groove


24


, thereby securing the cleaning fabric


52


between the rod


22


and take up shaft


20


. The magnet helps retain the rod


22


in the groove. Next, the cleaning cloth


52


is prevented from being drawn out of the groove


24


by rotating the take up shaft


20


approximately one revolution. Such revolution may be performed manually by either grasping the take up shaft


20


or rotating the knob


88


.




When the supply roll


50


is expended and the used cleaning fabric


52


is completely wound on the take up shaft


20


, the present invention allows easy removable of the used cloth


52


. First, the take up shaft


20


is unsecured from the device. This is done by either rotating the wedge


70


, shown in

FIG. 5

, out of engagement with the rod


74


, or unscrewing the sleeve


82


, shown in

FIG. 6



a


, from the threaded socket


12


. Second, the take up shaft


20


is simply drawn out of the socket


12


a few inches. By drawing the take up shaft


20


out of the frame


10


, the used fabric


52


is automatically forced off of the take-up shaft


20


by the force exerted on the fabric


52


by the frame


10


and/or socket


12


. With the take-up shaft


20


drawn out of the frame


10


a few inches, the used fabric


52


is freed from the end of the take-up shaft


20


opposite the securing mechanism. Third, the press operator simply pulls the expended cloth


52


off the take-up shaft


20


in an axial direction. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that such removal of the used cleaning fabric


52


represents an improvement over the prior art because no time is taken for the unwinding of the used cleaning fabric.




The cleaning fabric of the take-up shaft


90


, drawn off the supply roll


30


, is inserted between the two pronged members


94


protruding from the support member


92


of the take-up shaft


90


. The two pronged members


94


retain the cleaning fabric by mechanically locking or pinching the cleaning fabric between the members


94


. The take-up shaft is then rotated approximately one revolution to prevent the cleaning cloth from being pulled out of the space between the pronged members


94


. Such revolution may be performed manually by either grasping the take-up roll


90


or rotating the knob


88


. The take up shaft


90


is secured to the frame in the same manner as described above for the take-up shaft


20


.





FIG. 8

shows the components of a fully assembled take-up shaft


800


, having a first member


820


and a second member


822


, wherein the second member may be, but is not necessarily a rod, according to one embodiment of the present invention. As opposed to the rod


22


, mounted or disposed by hinging, of the take-up shaft


20


, the second member


822


, is mounted or disposed to the take-up shaft


820


, by locking to the first member


820


. An exploded view of a gear side assembly


827


, or securing mechanism, is shown, wherein the second member


822


is attached. Also, an exploded view of an operator side assembly


828


is shown, wherein the first member


820


is attached. Additionally, as shown in

FIGS. 9 and 10

, the first member


820


is attached to the gear side assembly


827


by connecting with the second member


822


.





FIG. 9

shows the components of a fully assembled take up shaft


800


, wherein the second member


822


is placed into an axial groove


824


of the first member


820


. A tab


821


is located on the end of the first member


820


that is to be placed into a slot


823


of the second member


822


, and thereby attached to the gear side assembly


827


, or securing mechanism. The other end of the first member


820


attaches to the operator side assembly


828


. The tab and slot connection may contain fewer components, thereby reducing cost of production and improving reliability of repair.

FIG. 10

shows a close up view of the tab and slot connection, as described in FIG.


9


.





FIG. 11

shows the components of the gear side assembly


827


, or securing mechanism, for the take-up shaft


820


of the present invention. The cylindrical end of the second member


822


slides into the cylindrical opening of a wedge


870


. A plate


873


is attached to the cylindrical end of the second member


822


by a screw


872


, thereby immobilizing the gear side assembly


827


, or securing mechanism.





FIG. 12

shows the components of the operator side assembly


828


for the take-up shaft


800


of the present invention. The first member has a cylindrical extension


826


that slides into the cylindrical opening of an axial rod


830


, having an axial rod cylindrical extension


831


. The axial rod cylindrical extension


831


passes through a circular opening of a handle


832


and is fastened to the handle


832


with a fastener


833


. A brace


829


slides over the axial rod


830


, and the handle


832


slides over the brace


829


, therefore rendering the operator side assembly


828


immobile.





FIG. 13

shows the fully assembled take-up shaft


800


, comprising the first member


820


, the gear side assembly


827


,or the securing mechanism, and the operator side assembly


828


, in the housing


810


. An operator of the fully assembled take-up shaft


800


would operate at the operator side assembly


828


, using the handle


832


. Fabric is secured between the second member


822


and the first member


820


as is described above.




As shown in

FIG. 14

, a take-up shaft


1400


has a first member


1420


and a second member


1422


, wherein the second member may be, but is not necessarily a rod. The second member is mounted or disposed to the first member


1420


by a sliding attachment. Both ends of the first member


1420


have a rectangular extension


1421


for connecting purposes. One end of both the second member


1422


and the first member


1420


slide into a cloth take-up ring


1423


, wherein the second member


1422


is above the first member


1420


and both are held immobile within a cylindrical hole of the cloth take-up ring


1423


. The top of the first member


1420


is substantially flat, such that the second member


1422


rests on top of it. In other embodiments of the present invention, the first member


1420


may have an axial groove to secure the second member


1422


. The tab and slot connection shown requires no connecting pieces between the second member


1422


and the first member


1420


.





FIG. 15

shows one end of the first member


1420


and the second member


1422


attached to a handle


1424


, for operator use. The other side of the first member


1420


and the second member


1422


, being the same side connected to the cloth take-up ring


1423


, are further attached to a gear assembly


1425


, or securing mechanism. Fabric is secured between the mounted second member


1422


and the first member


1420


as is described above.





FIG. 16

shows an exploded view of the gear assembly


1425


, or securing mechanism that is attached to the first member


1420


. A support socket


1426


attaches at one end to a support pin


1428


, having a support pin cylindrical extension


1430


. The other end of the support socket


1426


, attaches to the cloth take-up ring


1423


, as shown in FIG.


14


.





FIG. 17

is a side perspective of the second member


1422


and the cloth take-up ring


1423


, without the first member


1420


. One end of the second member


1422


attaches to the cloth take-up ring


1423


at an axial groove


1429


(seen in

FIG. 19

) of the cloth take-up ring


1423


.

FIG. 18

is a side view of the second member as shown in

FIG. 14

, without any attachment to either the first member


1420


or the cloth take-up ring


1423


. One end of the second member


1422


, being the end that is to be attached to the cloth take-up ring


1423


has a larger diameter than a second end of the second member


1422


. The second end of the second member


1422


has an extension


1431


. FIG.


19


and

FIG. 20

are a side view and front view of the cloth take-up ring


1423


as shown in

FIG. 14

, without any attachment to either the second member


1422


or the first member


1420


. The cloth take-up ring


1423


has a first ring


1432


, having a first end and a second end, where the first end is substantially cylindrical and the second end is substantially conic, a second ring


1435


, being substantially cylindrical and having a smaller diameter than the first ring and an axial groove


1429


for attaching to the second member


1422


, where the axial groove


1435


extends through both the first ring


1432


and the second ring


1435


.





FIG. 21

shows an exploded view of a take-up shaft


2100


having a first member


2120


and a second member


2122


, wherein the second member may be, but is not necessarily, a rod. The second member


2122


is wedged in an axial groove


2123


of the first member


2120


. The axial groove


2123


is of substantially equal length to that of the second member


2122


. The second member


2122


is fit into the axial groove


2123


of the first member, wherein a fabric


2130


is placed underneath the second member


2122


, as shown in FIG.


22


. The weight of the second member


2122


maintains is large enough to maintain enable on a rotation of the second member


2122


about and axis of its length A, without substantial motion in a transverse direction B. No components or fasteners are necessary to attach the second member


2122


to the first member


2120


, or to have the fabric


2130


remain between the second member


2122


and the first member


2120


.




It should be understood that the above description is only representative of illustrative examples of embodiments and implementations. For the reader's convenience, the above description has focused on a representative sample of all possible embodiments, a sample that teaches the principles of the present invention. Other embodiments may result from a different combination of portions of different embodiments. The description has not attempted to exhaustively enumerate all possible variations. The alternate embodiments may not have been presented for a specific portion of the invention, and may result from a different combination of described portions, or that other undescribed alternate embodiments may be available for a portion, is not to be considered a disclaimer of those alternate embodiments. It will be appreciated that many of those undescribed embodiments are within the literal scope of the following claims, and others are equivalent.



Claims
  • 1. An apparatus, for securing a cleaning fabric to a take-up shaft for use in a cylinder cleaning device, comprising:a take-up shaft, for receiving a fabric, having a first member and a second member, the first member having a planar section, a first end and a second end such that the first end is substantially equal in a size to that of the second end, the second member, having a proximal the proximal end and a distal end, such that the first end is substantially equal in a size to that of the the distal end, wherein the length of the second member is substantially equal to the length of the first member, and such that the second member is disposed over the planar surface of the first member; and wherein the second member is a rod; and wherein both the first member and the second member are secured to a cloth take-up ring, by their respective ends; and wherein the cloth take-up ring is secured to a gear assembly.
  • 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gear assembly comprises:a support socket; and a support pin having a support pin cylindrical extension, wherein the support pin is attached to the support socket.
  • 3. An apparatus, for securing a cleaning fabric to a take-up shaft for use in a cylinder cleaning device, comprising:a take-up shaft, for receiving a fabric, having a first member and a second member, the first member having a planar section, a first end and a second end such that the first end is substantially equal in a size to that of the second end, the second member, having a proximal the proximal end and a distal end, such that the first end is substantially equal in a size to that of the distal end, wherein the length of the second member is substantially equal to the length of the first member, and such that the second member is disposed over the planar surface of the first member; and wherein both the first member the second member are both secured to an operator assembly by their respective ends.
  • 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the operator assembly further includes a handle.
  • 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first member further includes a rectangular extension that attaches to the operator assembly.
  • 6. A method, of securing a cleaning fabric to a take-up shaft for use in a cylinder cleaning device, comprising:receiving a fabric in a take-up shaft, having a first member and a second member, the first member having a planar section, a first end and a second end such that the first end is substantially equal in a size to that of the second end, the second member, having a proximal end and a distal end, such that the proximal end is substantially equal in a size to that of the distal end, wherein the length of the second member is substantially equal to the length of the first member, and such that the second member is disposed over the planar surface of the first member; and rotating the second member of the take-up shaft in order to secure the fabric between the first member and the second member; and rotating an operator assembly that is attached to the first member and the second member of the take-up shaft in order to rotate the second member to receive the fabric.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation in part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/442296 (now abandoned) entitled Cylinder Cleaning Device filed in the name of Avi Ben-Porat et al. on Nov. 19, 1999, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

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Continuation in Parts (1)
Number Date Country
Parent 09/442296 Nov 1999 US
Child 10/098252 US