Patents Examined by Lynn D. Hendrickson
  • Patent number: 5404819
    Abstract: A blanket cylinder cleaning apparatus includes a pressure pad for pressing a cleaning fabric against a rotating blanket cylinder in a printing press to wipe away unwanted matter such as residual ink on the peripheral surface of the blanket cylinder. The pressure pad is hollow and filled with gelatinous viscoelastic material to stably bring the cleaning fabric into adequate contact with the blanket cylinder to efficiently clean the blanket cylinder. The viscoelastic material is solated with heat and readily injected into the inside space of the pressure pad.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 11, 1995
    Assignee: Nikka Limited
    Inventors: Toru Hishinuma, Hideyuki Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 5402722
    Abstract: A cylinder spindle is usable in a device for tensioning bodies on a printing cylinder. The cylinder spindle is divided into a plurality of cooperating spindle segments. These segments are able to be easily removed from the tensioning device through a space between the end of the cylinder and its typically associated bearer ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1995
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Georg Schneider, Wolfgang O. Reder
  • Patent number: 5402718
    Abstract: A printing machine comprises a turntable carrying a plurality of object supports in a circular arrangement, at least one of which object supports is adjustable in position on said turntable perpendicularly thereto. The printing machine may be a silkscreen printing machine, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: April 4, 1995
    Assignee: Societe D'Exploitation des Machines Dubuit
    Inventor: Pierre Rigodiat
  • Patent number: 5399036
    Abstract: A first power transmitting shaft is fitted to a second power transmitting shaft in such a manner as to be freely rotated independently of each other, The first power transmitting shaft is applied to a cartridge provided with a wide ribbon taking-up spool while the second power transmitting shaft 56 is applied to a cartridge provided with a narrow ribbon taking-up spool. First engaging portions engage with the locking grooves formed near the tip end on the inner circumference of the wide ribbon taking-up spool and are disposed on the outer periphery at the tip end of the first power transmitting shaft while second engaging portions engage with the locking grooves formed near the base end on the inner circumference of the narrow ribbon taking-up spool and are disposed on the outer periphery at the tip end of the second power transmitting shaft. Clutch springs are wound around the first power transmitting shaft and the second power transmitting shaft, respectively, for generating adequate slide torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 21, 1995
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koshiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 5396843
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for mounting flexible printing plates on a forme cylinder utilizes one or more insert bars that are positioned in cylinder grooves. Each insert bar has a pair of tensioning bars which are biased circumferentially toward each other. An inflatable tube is positioned between the tensioning bars and upon inflation will spread plate engaging hooked ends of the tensioning bars apart from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1993
    Date of Patent: March 14, 1995
    Assignee: Koenig & Bauer Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Reinhold R. Durr
  • Patent number: 5393150
    Abstract: A keyboard arrangement in which a conventional keyboard is divided into two sections, each of which is separately supported on a joint which is freely rotatable and pivotable. The joint in turn may have a supporting base adapted to rest on or to be clamped to a table top or other support surface. Alternatively, the joints supporting the respective keyboard sections may be mounted on a supporting based member, which may have an adjustable width so that the separation between the two keyboard sections can be varied. The sections may have palm rests thereon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1995
    Inventor: Chris Fort
  • Patent number: 5390602
    Abstract: A cleaning unit for cleaning ink-carrying surfaces in printing units of rotary printing machines comprises a supply reel carrying a web of washcloth; a take-up reel for receiving washcloth from the supply reel; a drive for driving the take-up reel and a coupling for mechanically coupling the take-up reel with the drive; a pivotable guide element, the guide element deflecting the web of washcloth extending between the supply and take-up reels; and a device for simultaneously pivoting the guide element towards a surface to be cleaned and for transporting a portion of the web of washcloth from the supply reel to the take-up reel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 21, 1995
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventor: Gerhard Gorl
  • Patent number: 5388921
    Abstract: A computer keyboard includes two symmetrical parts, each consisted of a bottom shell supported on a common base plate above a common bottom plate, and a top shell supported on the respective bottom shell, wherein the bottom shell has inverted T-rods made to slide in respective arched slots on the base plate, a locating block made to slide in a guide groove on the base plate; the base plate has a spring stop strip terminated to a projecting potion engaged into a serrated side wall of the locating block of the bottom shell; a lifting mechanism is connected between the top and bottom shells and controlled to turn the top shell on mounting lugs on the bottom shell permitting the top shell to be moved from a horizontal position to a sloping position or from the sloping position to the horizontal position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 1994
    Date of Patent: February 14, 1995
    Assignee: Silitek Corporation
    Inventor: Stephen Chung
  • Patent number: 5387042
    Abstract: A multilingual keyboard system (10) including a customized keyboard unit (12) is provided to operate in conjunction with a central processing unit (14) and a logic system (16) having unique software in order to facilitate multilingual typing from a single keyboard. The keyboard (12) includes customized keys (20) which are shaped to receive label panels (70) on one of several selectable templates (18). Each template (18) corresponds to a particular character set which the user desires to utilize as an alternate character set to that appearing on the key labels (52) on the keyboard (12). The keyboard (12) also includes a keyboard mode toggle key (36) for toggling between a standard mode of operation and the selected alternate mode. The logic system (16) includes software having keymapping schemes associated with each selectable alternate mode. Changing templates (18) permits usage of multiple alternate modes with the same equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Inventor: Carl W. Brown
  • Patent number: 5387261
    Abstract: A semilunar recess affixed to a key cap of a keyboard switch is snapped over a swing rod, rotatably affixed to a key seat, during assembly of the keyboard switch. The swing rod is supported by the key seat in a position permitting the semilunar recess to snap onto it. This arrangement permits single-step assembly of keys to a keyboard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 7, 1995
    Assignee: SMK Corporation
    Inventors: Kazunori Yamada, Fumio Watanabe, Hidemasa Sakurada
  • Patent number: 5383404
    Abstract: A printing cylinder cleaning apparatus includes a brush roller having brush fibers planted on its outer surface and opposed to a printing cylinder for movements to and away from a position where the brush fibers contact a surface of the printing cylinder, and includes a rotational driver for rotating the brush roll. The brush roller is contained in a casing which also contains a scraper for biting contact with the brush roll and a dust collector for receiving dust removed by the scraper. The scraper is rotationally supported to casing to follow and rotate with rotation of the brush roll or to be rotationally driven by a motor. The scraper may be an elongated polygonal bar twisted in an intermediate portion, or having a splined or knurled outer circumferential configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 24, 1995
    Assignee: Nikka Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tsutomu Nambu
  • Patent number: 5380107
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a base fabric for an ink ribbon having excellent durability of the welded part of an ink ribbon used an impact printer.Practically, it is characterized by a constitution wherein at least one yarn of the warp and the weft constituting the base fabric is constituted of a core/sheath-type composite yarn wherein the core is a polyamide polymer and the sheath is a polyamide polymer with a melting point being lower than that of said polyamide polymer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 10, 1995
    Assignee: Toray Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Nobutake Hiroe, Tetsuya Kato
  • Patent number: 5377585
    Abstract: Multiple drive for a sheet-fed rotary printing press having in-line printing units with drive gears driven via a closed gear train, the gear train connecting the printing units to one another and having two power-branching, interdependently controlled power-input locations includes two electric motors connected to said two power-input locations, respectively, at each one of two printing units, which have a third printing unit disposed therebetween, for driving the two printing units with directionally constant power flows of a divided and interdependently controlled driving power of the two electric motors meeting in the third printing unit disposed between the two driven printing units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Helmut Kipphan, Uwe Tessmann
  • Patent number: 5377591
    Abstract: A washing apparatus for cleaning the surface of cylinders in a printing machine includes a fresh-cloth roller, a washing roller and a dirty-cloth roller. A washing cloth is transported from the fresh-cloth roller via the washing roller to the dirty-cloth roller. A spring-band freewheel in the form of a helical coil spring is wound non-positively on the shaft of the fresh-cloth roller. The spring-band freewheel free-wheels during the rotation of the shaft in the direction of tension applied to the washing cloth and blocks the shaft from rotating in the opposite direction. The necessary cloth tension is guaranteed, at the same time, by means of the resilient effect of the spring-band freewheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 3, 1995
    Assignee: Man Roland Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Andreas Lippold, Marco Bergmann
  • Patent number: 5375520
    Abstract: A device for fastening a flexible printing plate (11) on a form cylinder includes a plurality of leaf-shaped springs (5) disposed in a slot (2) of the form cylinder (1). The springs (5) have two legs (6, 7) which rest in the slot (2), one leg (6) being elongated and tensioning the edges (12, 13) of the printing plate (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Assignee: MAN Roland Druckmaschinen AG.
    Inventors: Ingo Kobler, Klaus T. Reichel
  • Patent number: 5372443
    Abstract: A printer assembly that can handle media of different width and thicknesses has a pivotable platen with a lower body portion and a curved upper portion which extends from the lower portion. The curved portion is pivoted forward to contact the carrier material. A wound torsion spring, with one end held against a stop and the other end free to move the platen, is utilized to urge the platen in a forward direction to contact the carrier strip. The spring pressure is sufficient to keep the platen from being moved by the force of printing elements striking the material to be printed on. The assembly is also provided with spring-mounted edge guides for handling different widths of printing media to be fed through the printer assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: Brady USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence R. Borucki, Jr., Robert L. Schanke
  • Patent number: 5372442
    Abstract: A key unit includes a key a hollow housing securely mounted on a base frame of a computer keyboard, an actuating member, and a spring member. The hollow housing includes a top wall with an opening, a first pair of opposed side walls, and a second pair of opposed side walls. A vertical track is formed in each of inner surface of the first pair of opposed side walls. A resounding plate is mounted on an inner surface of one of the second pair of opposed side walls. The actuating member includes an upper column which extends through the opening in the housing and is adapted to engage with the key. An extension projects outward from each of two opposed sides of the upper column for engaging with the associated vertical track in the housing. The spring member includes an axle which is pivotally mounted between the first pair of opposed side walls and first and second arcuate members projecting outward from the axle and extending away from each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Inventor: Kun-Chu Wang
  • Patent number: 5372440
    Abstract: A printing machine wherein printing onto a substrate is effected by a first movement of a print head (1) downwardly into contact with the substrate and then by a second movement over the surface of the substrate while thermal printing elements within the print head (1) are selectively energized. The first movement is controlled by downward movement of a pair of rollers (6,7) operated by synchronized angular movement of a pair of eccentric shafts (8,9) one of which is freely mounted within each roller (6,7). The first and second movements are driven by a first and second stepper motor respectively. The rollers may be coupled by drive belts (4,5).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 13, 1994
    Assignee: ITW Limited
    Inventor: David G. Slater
  • Patent number: 5370468
    Abstract: A dust cover assembly for a computer keyboard includes a shell body which is attached to a longitudinal side of the keyboard. A slit is longitudinally formed on a peripheral upperside of the shell body. A hollow spindle is rotatably mounted in the shell body. A plug is fitted in a first end of the spindle. A flexible screen has a first end attached to the spindle and has a distal end with an elongated slat mounted thereon. A first cap member is attached to a first end of the shell body. A rod has a first end securely fitted in the first cap member and has a second end mounted in the spindle through the plug. A torsional spring is rotatably mounted around the rod and has a first end securely attached to the plug to rotate therewith and a second end fixed to the second end of the rod. A second hollow cap member is attached to a second end of the shell body and has a slot formed in an upper side thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1994
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Inventors: Tony Chern, Sheng H. Cheng
  • Patent number: 5370050
    Abstract: A printing cylinder utilizes a magnetic surface to support a portion of a ferro-magnetic endless printing sleeve which has a circumferential length greater than that of the printing cylinder on which it is supported. A sleeve tightening assembly supports that part of the endless sleeve which is not in contact with the periphery of the printing cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 6, 1994
    Assignee: Albert-Frankenthal Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Roland Reffert