Patents Examined by Eugene H. Eickholt
  • Patent number: 6668719
    Abstract: An adjustable bearing arrangement is used for the remote controlled adjustment of an inking roller or a dampening roller with respect to a second, contacting roller. The journal of the roller to be adjusted is secured to an adjusting element. A pre-settable adjusting force is transferred from one roller to the other. In the adjustment position, the receiving element or elements are locked so that it is temporarily impossible for the now adjusted roller to move either in, or opposite to the direction of adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Wolfgang Otto Reder, Georg Schneider
  • Patent number: 6668724
    Abstract: A method for controlling a quantity of medium transferable from a screen roller of a printing machine onto a roller that is in contact with the screen roller includes exerting an influence upon a difference in circumferential speed between the screen roller and the roller in contact therewith, and further includes controlling the difference in the circumferential speed as a function of the printing speed of the printing machine, so that printed medium density remains at least approximately constant at least within a wide printing speed range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Martin John Callahan, Wolfgang Schönberger
  • Patent number: 6666593
    Abstract: There are provided a tape printing apparatus and an image forming method and a label producing method for the tape printing apparatus. A second print image area as an affixing area for having a second print image affixed thereto, is set in an area of the first print image, such that the second print image can be affixed to the affixing area, the second print image being printed on a second tape having a width equal to or smaller than that of the first tape. A first print image having the second print image area provided therein is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Masao Akaiwa
  • Patent number: 6666137
    Abstract: There is provided a removable ink cassette for a flexographic printing press containing an ink pan and a meter roll. The ink pan and the meter roll are removed from the printing press together by removing the ink cassette from the printing press. The ink pan may be removed from the printing press without first removing the anilox roll and the meter roll.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Delaware Capital Formation, Inc.
    Inventors: Mikhail Goldburt, Dave Telken
  • Patent number: 6659006
    Abstract: A tension control device for a printing press having an adjustment roller, with a web of the press passing from a supply roll of the web to the adjustment roller. Means are provided for measuring the tension on opposed sides of the web passing downstream from the adjustment roller, and means are provided responsive to the measuring means for automatically approximately equalizing the tension of the web by adjustment of the adjustment roller on one end only of the adjustment roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Goss Graphic Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth R. Brennan, Theodore Costopolous, Frederick J. Whiting, Thaddeus A. Niemiro, Xin Xin Wang
  • Patent number: 6655279
    Abstract: An anilox roll 15 is disposed such that an outer peripheral surface thereof contacts an outer peripheral surface of a fountain roll 13 positioned in an ink pan 11. Ink I transferred to the outer peripheral surface of the anilox roll 15 is transferred to a plate cylinder 16, and predetermined printing is performed on printing paper P passing between the plate cylinder 16 and a platen 17. One end side of a support shaft 20 of the fountain roll 13 and the anilox roll 15 is removably coupled to a rotating shaft 32 via coupling means 29, and the other end side of the support shaft 21 is supported by urging means 59. The urging means 59 includes a moving shaft 45 that is movable in the axial direction. Moving the moving shaft 45 permits removal of the fountain roll 13 and/or the anilox roll 15.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Lintec Corporation
    Inventor: Katsuhide Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 6655287
    Abstract: A printing apparatus has a take-out shaft and a rolling-up shaft to supply an intermediate transfer ribbon provided with a transfer layer having a first area in a prescribed pattern and a blank and transparent second area, a printer portion to print prescribed data on the transfer layer of the supplied intermediate transfer ribbon, and a transfer portion to transferr the printed prescribed data on an image receiving medium (a passbook) 1 jointly with the transfer layer. The printer portion and the transfer portion are controlled independently in a first mode to cover the entire image receiving medium and in a second mode to cover the image receiving medium by the first area and the second areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yosuke Jojima, Kenichi Araki, Hiroyuki Mori
  • Patent number: 6655271
    Abstract: A sealable vacuum chamber has an outlet. A template within the chamber includes flow guides for guiding colorant under vacuum across and into porous material when in contact therewith toward the outlet to create a pattern in the porous material. The flow guides allow for at least slight variation in the pattern without being altered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Inventor: Charles E. Contompasis
  • Patent number: 6652171
    Abstract: A sheet-like printing medium with easy-separating means which enables one to easily separate the printing medium into separate portions. When an image is formed on the printing medium having easy-separating means disposed inside and entirely along the peripheral edge thereof, a print area is extended slightly to the peripheral edge beyond the easy-separating means. When the width of a non-print area left in the peripheral edge of the print area is separated at a part of the easy-separating means, an image is formed spaced from the sides of each of the non-print areas by a predetermined distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2003
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Onishi
  • Patent number: 6648533
    Abstract: A label making inkjet printer applies print imaging directly to the adhesive side of a media provided in sheet-form and in reel-form. Because inkjet printing is a non-contact printing method, print imaging may be applied to the adhesive side of the media. According to one embodiment, a user manually pulls tape-form media through the printer while encoding signals detect linear movement of the media and provide basis for synchronizing operation of an inkjet print head. According to another embodiment, a motorized media transport carries tape-form media on a pair of media transport belts past an inkjet print head. The resulting adhesive label when applied to a contact surface substantially disappears due to its transparent nature leaving visible only print imaging applied thereto and captured between the protective tape media and contact surface therebelow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Clement C. Lo, Thomas A. Saksa, Andrew S. P. Chiu
  • Patent number: 6647874
    Abstract: The present invention pertains to the register coordination of cylinders of a web-fed rotary printing press which print on a web, wherein a first cylinder printing on one side of the web is driven by a first motor and a second cylinder printing on the same side of the web is driven by a second motor. An angular position of the second cylinder is coordinated with the first cylinder in good register by a controller. In the case of a change in a production condition, at least one controller parameter (kP, kD, kI, kf) of the controller is changed and the controller setting is adapted to the production condition as a result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Maschinenfabrik Wifag
    Inventors: Walter Siegl, Andreas Helfenstein
  • Patent number: 6647878
    Abstract: An apparatus for applying printed matter to the running web of cigarette paper or the like in a machine for making rod-shaped smokers' products employs a roller train which transfers printing ink from one or more sources to a rotary carrier of one or more stamps serving to apply trademarks, manufacturer's names and/or other printed matter to longitudinally spaced apart portions of the running web. At least one roller of the roller train has a resilient cylindrical outer layer which contacts the peripheral surface of at least one other roller of the train and surrounds an adjustable rotary eccentric which biases the cylindrical outer layer against the at least one other roller with a force determined by a prestressed coil spring. The eccentric is oscillatable axially against the opposition of a second spring, such as a diaphragm spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Hauni Mashinenbau AG
    Inventors: Mathias Blau, Wolfgang Steiniger, Hans-Hugo Severin
  • Patent number: 6647885
    Abstract: There is provided a marking apparatus, a marking method, and a marking system that enable the position of a marking target to be accurately shown, and that reliably enable only that portion containing the marking target to be removed. The marking system has a detector that detects a marking target on a subject material and acquires the position thereof, a marking apparatus having heads capable of marking an optional position in the transverse direction of the subject material, and a control apparatus that sends a marking instruction to the marking apparatus when the position of the marking target in the transverse direction arrives at the marking apparatus, and the position of the marking target matches the position of a head of the marking apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Tomoegawa Paper Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chikara Murata, Tomohisa Yamamoto, Masami Hirabayashi
  • Patent number: 6644873
    Abstract: There are provided a printing apparatus and a printing method which are capable of setting the print line width on a tape such that the widths of the print lines are adapted to the ruled line spacing defined by a predetermined standard, as well as discriminating and printing only designated data on a group-by-group basis. The printing apparatus is capable of printing characters of a desired size on a print medium while feeding the print medium contained therein. A print line width is set such that the print line width is adapted to a ruled line spacing defined by a predetermined standard. The characters are printed in the set print line width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroyasu Kurashina
  • Patent number: 6644184
    Abstract: A web-fed offset printing machine includes printing units having at least one form cylinder and one transfer cylinder; and at least one folder unit; and wherein, for each printing unit, at least one of the form and transfer cylinders has a drive connection to a separate electric motor, the at least one cylinder has either no mechanical drive connection to a further one of the cylinders in case the further cylinder is driven directly or indirectly by a further separate electric motor, or a mechanical drive connection to one of the further cylinders in case the further cylinder is non-driven; the printing machine further includes a motor control system for the at least one electric motor for adjusting a printing group and for presetting the printing units for adaptation to either a different web path or production configuration, the motor control system has an input side; and a computing and memory unit for storing a plurality of cylinder positions connected to the input side of the motor control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Man Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Josef Hajek, Johann Königer, Michael Schramm, Peter Gröbner
  • Patent number: 6644185
    Abstract: A flexographic rotary platen printing press for printing indicia on a web of flexible material moving along a longitudinal axis. The flexographic rotary platen printing press includes a print drum assembly that is affixed to a trolley that is moveable in a linear direction across the web generally transverse to the direction of the web movement. When the web is stopped, the print drum is caused to roll across the web that is sandwiched between the print drum and a flat, planar platen to print indicia onto the web in a line contact. A linear drive system causes the movement of the print drum assembly. The speed of the transverse movement is electronically coordinated to the speed of the rotation of the print drum as it moves across the web to carry out the printing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Greydon Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory P. Rochon, Wayne F. Fickes, Thomas Glatfelter
  • Patent number: 6644193
    Abstract: A high speed web cutting and tuck folding machine feeds webs downstream between overlying and underlying runs of feed belts having cutting and tuck folding openings spaced along the belts. Lead segments of the webs are cut at a cutting station and are fed downstream to a tuck fold station where they are drawn through tuck fold openings, folded and stacked. The machine is readily adjusted to vary the length of the cut segments and the relative lengths of the legs of the segments when folded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Elsner Engineering Works, Inc.
    Inventor: Bertram F. Elsner
  • Patent number: 6644189
    Abstract: A multicolor printing method and system including a master making device having plurality of removable ink drums replaceable with each other and a printing device. The plurality of removable ink drums are fed with respective masters to be used for printing, by fixed master feeding devices smaller in number than the removable ink drums. The removable ink drums fed with respective masters are then used by the printing device for printing onto paper. The method and system provides multicolor printing with lower cost, reduced size and accurate registration between the respective masters, as compared to conventional methods and systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Tohoku Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu Takasawa, Manabu Wakamatsu
  • Patent number: 6644183
    Abstract: A multicolor printing method and system including a master making device having plurality of removable ink drums replaceable with each other and a printing device. The plurality of removable ink drums are fed with respective masters to be used for printing, by fixed master feeding devices smaller in number than the removable ink drums. The removable ink drums fed with respective masters are then used by the printing device for printing onto paper. The method and system provides multicolor printing with lower cost, reduced size and accurate registration between the respective masters, as compared to conventional methods and systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2003
    Assignee: Tohoku Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironobu Takasawa, Manabu Wakamatsu
  • Patent number: 6640703
    Abstract: A gravure printing method is provided for printing characters or patterns with desired colors and tones on a base material with a printing drum set with 200 to 400 mesh lines and the depth in the range from 10 to 17&mgr;. The ink may be process color of aquatic gravure ink in which coloring materials for indigo blue, red, yellow, black, and white colors are printed once or repeatedly in the overlaid state or specially toned inks. Another aspect of the invention provides an ink pan structure and arrangement for a gravure printing machines using aquatic or oil gravure ink. The ink pan structure has an ink pool sized for only a furnisher roll to be dipped therein and a cooperating printing drum is always maintained outside the ink pool. A furnisher roller unit and arrangement for a gravure printing machine is also provided. The unit may include a plurality of furnisher rollers. A doctor knife unit and arrangement for a gravure printing machine is also provided. The unit may include a plurality of doctor knives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2003
    Assignee: Japan Patent Management Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Fukumori, Michiyoshi Shimizu, Toshiyuki Torasawa, Katsumi Nakaya, Kimio Sugiyama