Abstract: A digital communication network (10) with a multiple space storage, time space-time configuration defined by a first, or input, time stage (12), a second, or output, time stage (14) and a preselected number of space stages (16, 22, 24) interconnected between the time stages 12, 14) that introduce time delays which are compensated for by means for time shifting the data in a shadow memory (32) relative to data in a regular memory (34). On-line expansion is accomplished by operating the network (10) off of one of the regular memory and the shadow memory (32) during the expansion, introducing the amount of compensation required by the expansion and then shifting operation over to the other memory. The selection between memories (34, 32) is achieved by means of a trislatable device (38).

Abstract: A cover mounting (10) for a printing press (14) having a rotatably mounted roll (12) having an elongated lateral recess (16) extending from an outer surface (18) of the roll (12), a bracket (20) having a pair of outwardly directed flanges (22) and (24) in said recess (16), and a blanket (30) for covering said roll (12), said blanket (30) having a pair of clips (44) and (46) adjacent opposed ends of the blanket (30), with each of said clips (44) and (46) having a pair of opposed spaced resilient clipping members (48) and (50) for placement on each of the bracket flanges (22) and (24) in said recess (16).

Abstract: A printing press (10) having a delivery fly (12) having a plurality of laterally adjustable arcuate fingers (32) mounted on a shaft (34) and defining a plurality of pockets (33) extending peripherally around the fly (12) to receive a printed article (A) in the pockets (33). The press (10) has a device (42) for rotating the shaft (24), and a belt (18) for moving the articles (A) to a position (14) adjacent the pockets (33) of the fly (12) for depositing the articles (A) in the pockets (33), and a belt (26) for receiving the articles (A) from the pockets (33) of the fly (12), and for transporting the articles (A) away from the fly (12). The press (10) has a hinge (58) for moving the fly (12) to a position away from the belt (18) to provide access to the pockets (33).

Abstract: A direct-to-press imaging system for use in lithographic printing wherein a master-image printing cylinder is used with separate application of ink and water onto its surface to enable repetitive conveyance of image-formatted ink films onto substrates for printing purposes. The imaging system includes a master-image printing cylinder adapted for receiving a hydrophilic coating layer on its surface and a device for laying down a uniform layer of hydrophilic material on the surface of this cylinder. An apparatus is also provided for applying oleophilic material in image-formatted patterns on top of the layer of hydrophilic material on the master-image printing cylinder to form a printing structure having separate hydrophilic and oleophilic areas of the format to be printed.

Abstract: Method and ultrasonic ink metering system for applying ink to a roller 14 in a printing press; the system comprising: an ink supply 20 containing ink; means 22 for pressurizing said ink in said ink supply 20; at least one ink metering device 10 having an internal passageway 30, said internal passageway 30 having an input 32 connected to said ink supply 20 and having an output 36, said metering device 10 also having a nozzle 34 connected to said output 36 of said internal passageway 30 l; at least one piezoelectric transducer 26 attached to said nozzle 34; and variable means 24 for operating said at least one piezoelectric transducer 34 in a power input range; wherein at least the power input of operation of said at least one piezoelectric transducer 34 determines the quantity of ink applied to the roller 14.

Abstract: An inking roller or ink metering roller comprised of a base roller, a substantially continuous hard and wear-resistant microporous ceramic coated layer bonded to the base roller and an interdiffused and immobilized oleophilic and hydrophobic essentially organic polymeric based material affixed to the surfaces and interstices of the microporous layer.

Abstract: A tone and announcement PCM code generator (10) outputs to selected multiple channels of a TDM telephonic switching system (12) selected tones and voice announcements stored in a message memory (16) according to command signals from a telephonic switching system central controller (12A) through a share memory (20) to a state machine, or sequencer, (22). The sequencer controls the message memory (16) to provide selected tones and voice announcements through a serial interface (24) on the selected TDM channels. The entire repertoire of tones and announcements can be down loaded from a central memory (12B) of the telephonic switching system (12), and customer designed voice messages from any channel of the telephonic switching system can be stored in the message memory (16) for later local playback or for up loading to the central memory (12B). All tones and announcements are processed uniformly and any tone or announcement can be preselected to any or all channels simultaneously for maximum system flexibility.

Abstract: An oscillator apparatus for imparting axial oscillations to a roller (10). The roller (10) has at least a cylindrical outer core (12) rotatable about a stationary shaft (14), that is, the shaft (14) is stationary relative to the outer core (12) of the roller (10). The oscillator apparatus is connected to a supply (46) for providing a pressurized medium. The oscillator apparatus has at least one reciprocating assembly (30, 32) having a substantially stationary portion attached to the stationary shaft (14) and a moveable portion attached to the outer core (12), the reciprocating assembly (30, 32) also having at least first and second ports (52, 54) connected to the supply (46). The supply (46) alternately provides the pressurized medium to the first and second ports (52, 54) to activate the reciprocating assembly (30, 32).

Abstract: A lock-up mechanism for use in securing a flexible printing plate 14 in a printing press, the flexible printing plate 14 having a leading edge 14 and a trailing edge 16. The lock-up mechanism has a plate cylinder 10 having a longitudinal groove 20 in an outer surface thereof and a lock-up body 22 contained in the longitudinal groove 20 of the plate cylinder 10. The lock-up body 22 has a longitudinal slot 24 having a narrow opening 26 formed by opposed nose sections 28, 30 of the lock-up body 22, the nose sections each having an inner surface, 36, 38. A rotatable mechanism 40 in the longitudinal slot 24 releasably secures the leading and trailing edges 16, 18 of the flexible printing plate 14, the flexible printing plate 14 being wrapped around the outer surface of the plate cylinder 10. A first apparatus 48, 51, 55, 36 provides at least one predetermined lock position of the rotatable mechanism 40 wherein the leading and trailing edges 16, 18 of the flexible printing plate 10 are secured.

Abstract: An inking roller or ink metering roller comprised of a base roller, a substantially continuous hard and wear-resistant microporous ceramic coated layer bonded to the base roller and an interdiffused and immobilized oleophilic and hydrophobic essentially organic polymeric based material affixed to the surfaces and interstices of the microporous layer.

Abstract: A cluth device (20) for a printing press (22) having a rotatably mounted elongated drive shaft (24), a device (26) for rotatably driving the shaft (24), a bearing member (30) rotatably mounted on the shaft (24), a pulley (32) rotatably mounted on the bearing member (30), and a clutch member (54) for selectively securing the pulley (32) to the drive shaft (24) in an operatng condition of the press (22) to drive said pulley (32), and for locking the pulley (32) to a stationary member (48) of the press (22) with the pulley (32) being maintained stationary with respect to said shaft (24) and bearing member (30).

Abstract: An ultrasonic printing fluid input apparatus and method for use in a keyless lithographic printing press. The system has a rotatable metering roller 20 having at least an olephilic and hydrophobic surface and a source 100 of printing fluid. A metering blade 62 for applying a thin film of printing fluid to the surface of the metering roller 20 has at least one device 63 for imparting ultrasonic vibrations to the metering blade 62 such that a thickness of the thin film of printing fluid is a function of the amplitude of ultrasonic vibrations. A control 65 for varying the amplitude of ultrasonic vibrations is connected to the device 63 for imparting ultrasonic vibrations. A fixed end of the metering blade 62 is attached to a stationary support 42 via a decoupling material 65. A printing fluid removal device 73 is also provided for substantially removing a return printing fluid film on the oleophilic and hydrophobic surface of the metering roller 20.

Abstract: An ultrasonic ink seal for use in a printing press having a metering roller (20) having an outer surface (40) and at least first and second devices (60, 62) for applying first and second inks, respectively, to the outer surface (40) of the metering roller (20). The ultrasonic ink seal has a plurality of piezoelectric transducers (91, 92, 93) and a deflecting device (96, 100, 102) for deflecting the ultrasonic sound waves produced by the piezoelectric transducers (91, 92, 93) toward a predetermined area (70) on the surface (40) of the metering roller (20). The ultrasonic sound waves cause the first and second inks to be forced away from the predetermined area (70) thereby providing a separation of the first and second inks. In a preferred embodiment the deflecting device (96, 100, 102) has a horn (96) having a curvature approximately equal to a curvature of the outer surface (40), of the metering roller (20), the horn (96) having at least first and second deflecting surfaces (97, 98).

Abstract: A dampening system for a lithographic printing press is provided in which the source of water is separate from the dampener rollers and all the dampener rollers have surfaces that possess both oleophilic and hydrophobic properties.

Abstract: A narrow gap printing plate mounting apparatus includes a printing plate (10) with a substantially curved, preferably involute tail member (24) at one end of a printing plate body (12) which is received through a narrow mating gap (20) in a rotary cylinder (18) and held against correspondingly curved cavity wall (28) by means of a resilient locking member (30). The locking member (30) presses the curved tail member (24) against the curved wall (28) in a direction which is substantially normal thereto to reduce longitudinal strain on the tail member (24). Another tail member (22) is inserted at the leading edge (20A) of the gap (20) while the curved tail member (24) presses against the lagging edge (20B) of the slot (24). When removing the plate from the cylinder (18), the curved tail member (24) at the lagging edge (20B) is removed first.

Abstract: The folding cylinder assembly has: rotatable folding cylinder having three pin lever shaft assemblies spaced substantially equally about the folding cylinder, each of the pin lever shaft assemblies having at least one pin and a cam follower positioned on a first end of the folding cylinder; one piece cam for interfacing with the cam followers, the one piece cam rotationally mounted on the first end of the folding cylinder, the one piece cam having two lobes which periodically contact the cam followers as the cam rotates; mechanism for rotating the folding cylinder and the cam such that the cam and the folding cylinder have a first relative angular velocity for the first mode of operation and second relative velocity for the second mode of operation, wherein in the first mode of operation the folding cylinder rotates at a substantially constant angular velocity and the cam rotates at one and one-half times the substantially constant angular velocity in the same direction of rotation as the folding cylinder, an

Abstract: A processor interconnect network (PIN) for operating a printing press having a plurality of different modules each containing a processor. The PIN has: a control for communicating having a plurality of ports connected to the plurality of processors in the modules of the printing press in a one-to-one correspondence and each of the modules being equivalent to a node in a local area network and having a unique address. In the processor interconnect network the control and the plurality of modules form substantially a star network. Addition modules can be connected to unused available ports of the control without substantial change to opeating the star network.

Abstract: A pair of coacting blanket cylinder assemblies (13', 14') employed in a high speed printing press are each provided with a resilient blanket (13, 14) wrapped around a cylinder (15, 16) and held in place by magnets (35, 26) carried by the cylinders (15, 16). The magnets (35, 36) attract and hold magnetic portions (31, 32, 33, 34) of a metal backing plate adjacent the ends of the blankets (13A, 13B, 14A, 14B) which are separated by a gap (43, 44) of a size selected according to the thickness of blanket and natural frequency of the cylinder (15, 16) to obtain a residual response for gap disturbances that is less than a maximum threshold response at which streaking occurs during printing operation at high speed.

Abstract: A digital echo suppression circuit in a four-wire digital telephony circuit having an echo from a local or remote connection to a two-wire circuit or other echo source. The invention incorporates a simple method of using the sample pairs from the first and second sampling circuit to produce a control signal from a control circuit. If the subscriber signal is "louder" than the network signal, then the subscriber signal is passed through. If the network signal is louder than the subscriber signal, the interrupter is activated and a zero level is substituted for the subscriber signal in transmissions toward the network. The invention uses the scheme of comparing instantaneous signal amplitude and using the larger amplitude to set a threshold value. The signal setting the threshold then remains the "loudest" until such time as the other signal can exceed the threshold.

Abstract: A semi-floating AC/DC active termination circuit with current sink. A voice frequency transmission line termination circuit has at least tip and ring terminals and provides an AC termination impedance and a DC termination resistance. The circuit has at least a first resistance element connected between the tip and ring terminate which forms the DC termination resistance. A first resistor/capacitor series circuit, having at least a resistor and capacitor connected in series, is connected between the tip terminals and a first virtual ground terminal, and a second resistor/capacitor series circuit, having at least a resistor and capacitor connected in series, is connected between the ring terminal and a second virtual ground terminal. The first resistance element and the first and second resistor/capacitor series circuits form the AC termination impedance.