Abstract: A carriage (1a) which supports a storage container (1) for holding a plurality of printing plates is movable in a path along the printing stations (101, 102, 103) of the rotary printing machine system; guide paths (4) extend parallel to the axes of rotation of plate cylinders (104 . . . 109) and plate handling apparatus (3) to apply or remove printing plates are movable between the plate cylinders (e.g. 105, 106) of neighboring printing stations. The plate handling apparatus removes printing plates after the carriage (1a) is moved to a plate pick-up position (121 . . . 124), applies the plate on the respective plate cylinder (e.g. 106), removes a used or old printing plate from another plate plate cylinder, if desired, and returns it back to the storage container on the carriage. The movement of the carriage can be controlled by a guide system (2a), and run along a fixed rail track, or guided by induction or radiation.

Abstract: To match the speed of a folding flap cylinder (12) folding sheets cut from a web in half to a slower speed of a gripper chain delivery system (17, 18), a transfer cylinder (15) with grippers (16) is provided which operates at a circumferentially non-uniform speed (FIG. 3, curve 30), in which the speed of the transfer cylinder (15), when receiving a sheet from the folding flap cylinder (12), is essentially synchronous therewith, and then decelerates to be essentially synchronous with the speed of the gripper chain delivery system (17), for subsequent acceleration to the speed of the folding flap cylinder. The circumferentially non-uniform speed is obtained by driving the transfer cylinder (15) through a worm transmission in which the worm has a non-uniform pitch or non-uniform angle of inclination of the worm groove or the respective worm lands defining the groove.

Abstract: To provide for selective printing by a five-cylinder printing machine either in single prism printing (1/0) or double prime printing (2/0) or prime-and-verso printing (1/1), at least one (3) of the printing cylinders can be selectively positioned by a crank arrangement (16, 15, 15a) which is coupled to a link (13) which link, in turn, operates a lever of an eccentric bearing (12) such that when the first printing cylinder (3) is to be, selectively, in engagement with either the impression cylinder (1) or the second blanket cylinder (2), the link is in a position at which the link passes through the axis of rotation of the crank so that reactive rotary forces from the blanket cylinder will not be transferred to the crank and hence will be isolated from an operating element (18) which moves the crank arrangement. Preferably, the crank arrangement is formed by a gear segment (15) which is rotated by a segmental gear (16), coupled to a linear piston--cylinder arrangement forming the operating element (18).

Abstract: An apparatus for printing the back, or "verso", side of a sheet being fed from a sheet-fed printing press into a delivery unit, the sheets being conveyed by an endless loop conveyor made up of a pair of laterally spaced conveyor chains. Cross members extend between the chains at regular intervals and carry grippers for gripping the leading edge of a sheet. The chains are guided so that they form a delivery run and a return run spaced apart and generally parallel to one another. An impression cylinder is journalled between the runs having an axial length which is shorter than the lateral spacing between the chains. A blanket cylinder is journalled outside of the delivery run in rolling engagement with the impression cylinder. A plate cylinder having inking and dampening systems is in rolling engagement with the blanket cylinder. The impression and blanket cylinders have mating longitudinal grooves of a size sufficient to provide free passage for the cross members and grippers.

Abstract: An elongated carrier or holder 11, in the form of an elongated, hollow channel profile, is screwed to the frame 2 of the printing machine. The carrier 11 is formed with a long slot 15 through which clamping bolts 17, 18, attached to clamping plates 16 internally of the channel 11, can pass. The clamping bolts clamp individual supports 19 to the channel, adjustable longitudinally of the machine and up and down since the slot is wider than the side of the bolts, the supports each carrying a synchronous motor 27, and a gear train 26, 24 meshing with gear 23 attached to the adjustment screws 7. A stop 28 prevents excessive travel. The connecting cable for the motors is located within the channel.