Abstract: The present invention concerns a mattress-like apparatus whose firmness is adjustable by the user. This goal is attained by enclosing the polyurethane foam core of the mattress within an airtight cover chamber, and varying the negative air pressure (vacuum) applied into it. As a result, the mattress is adjustable as to firmness measured in terms of Indentation Force Deflection (IFD, or spring-back force) and support (density).

Abstract: The intaglio printing machine comprises a plate cylinder (4) with a plurality of engraved printing plates equipped with intaglio cuts representing the elements of a main design and with less deep and finer intaglio cuts representing the elements of a safety background, an impression cylinder (3), a wiping device (10) and a multicolor inking system. This inking system consists of a collector inking cylinder (5) having an elastic surface interacting with the engraved plates mounted on the plate cylinder (4) and having the same diameter as this. The collector inking cylinder (5) is inked by as many selective color inking cylinders (7) as there are colors to be printed, these selective color inking cylinders (7) having reliefs corresponding to the colored zones of the safety background and of the main design, an inking device (8) being associated with each selective color inking cylinder (7).

Abstract: A printing machine comprising an indirect printing device, a drying device, a sheet transfer and turning device actuated according to requirements, and an intaglio printing machine. It permits printing in a single pass through the device a simultaneous recto-verso printing, namely on one side according to the color collecting printing method, an image with juxtaposed colors, and on the other side according to the offset printing method an image with superposed colors and designs, notably for creating safety background on bank notes, and after drying and, if necessary, turning the sheets, an image printed by intaglio printing on one of the sides, notably for creating a main design on the bank note. The multicolor printing on the side receiving the image with juxtaposed colors may be completed in the device by a monochrome wet offset printing. Moreover, a register control device is incorporated between the sheet transfer and turning device and the intaglio printing machine.

Abstract: According to the machine and method, one of the paper sides is printed with a collect print image with juxtaposed colors by means of a typographic plate cylinder inked by a collecting cylinder inked in turn by selective color inking cylinders of which the number corresponds to the number of colors, and on the other side an image with superposed colors and designs by means of offset plate cylinders contacting an offset blanket cylinder and of which the number corresponds to the number of colors and designs of the image. For this purpose the machine comprises another blanket cylinder contacting the typographic plate cylinder and pressed against the offset blanket cylinder, the paper passes between this cylinder and the other blanket cylinder. The multicolor collect print side may be completed by at least one monochrome wet offset print. In additional embodiments, the geometrical arrangement of the blanket cylinders is changed to enable additional printing units to contact the other blanket cylinder.

Abstract: The machine comprises an indirect printing device, a drying device, a sheet transfer and turning device actuated according to requirements, and an intaglio printing machine. It permits of printing--in a single pass--through device a simultaneous recto-verso printing, namely on one side according to the color collecting printing method, an image with juxtaposed colors, and on the other side according to the offset printing method an image with superposed colors and designs, notably for creating safety background on bank notes, and after drying and, if necessary, turning the sheets, an image printed by intaglio printing on one of the sides, notably for creating a main design on the bank note. The multicolor printing on the side receiving the image with juxtaposed colors may be completed in device by a monochrome wet offset printing. Moreover, a register control device may be incorporated between the sheet transfer and turning device and the intaglio printing machine.

Abstract: The machine can print on one of the paper sides an image with juxtaposed colors by means of a typographic plate cylinder inked by a collecting cylinder inked in turn by selective color inking cylinders of which the number corresponds to the number of colors, and on the other side an image with superposed colors and designs by means of offset plate cylinders contacting an offset blanket cylinder and of which the number corresponds to the number of colors and designs of this image. For this purpose the machine comprises another blanket cylinder contacting the typographic plate cylinder and pressed against the offset blanket cylinder, the paper passes between this cylinder and the other blanket cylinder. The multicolor printing on the side receiving the image with juxtaposed colors may be completed by a monochrome wet offset print.

Abstract: The printing machine has a multi-color offset printing unit, behind this a sheet conveying device, and an intaglio printing unit to which the sheets printed and provided with register marks in the first printing unit are transferred by the conveying device. The conveying device comprises a detector system responding to these register marks, and a register drum. Each of the two printing units and the register drum have their own drive mechanisms mechanically independent of each other. The drive mechanism for the second printing unit is controlled in dependence upon the speed of the first printing unit, and the drive mechanism for the register drum is controlled on the one hand in dependence upon the speed of the second printing unit and on the other hand in dependence upon the register deviation measured in the circumferential direction. Further, on the register drum are disposed devices for correcting side register and any skew of a sheet in dependence upon the measured register deviations.

Abstract: This direct plate printing or copperplate machine comprises a plate carrier cylinder with at least one engraved or etched plate provided with cuts corresponding to the elements of a main design and shallower, finer cuts corresponding to the elements of a safety background, an impression cylinder, an inking roller cooperating with an inking unit and being in direct contact with the plate for inking the cuts corresponding to the elements of the main design, a pre-wiping device and a wiping device, and an inking system for inking the cuts corresponding to the safety background in several colors.

Abstract: Piles of freshly printed sheets of multiple bank-notes are cut into bundle strips and then these bundle strips are cut into individual bundles of bank-notes; a band station is located between the cutting unit cutting the piles of sheets into bundle strips and the cutting unit cutting these bundle strips into bundles of bank-notes and comprises as many banding device operating in synchronism and located in one row as there are individual bank-notes per strip, so that the bundles of each strip are banded before this strip is cut into bundles.

Abstract: A method of making a plate cylinder for a web printing press in which a hollow cylinder with a conical interior is formed of ductile steel. Two nickel printing plates are formed to shape so that they will fit virtually exactly around the cylinder without joins between them being readily apparent. A cylindrical mould having two semi-cylindrical mould halves is formed with its inner diameter equal to the outer diameter of the plate cylinder being produced. One mould half is placed with its semi-cylindrical inner surface facing upwards and a printing plate is placed inside. Then the hollow cylinder coated with epoxy resin is placed on this plate, and the other printing plate is placed on the cylinder. The second mould half is secured to the first half, and a conical core is forced into the cylinder to expand it radially so that the plates are held under pressure against the mould surface. Then the mould is heated and the resin allowed to set under conditions of temperature and pressure.

Abstract: A combined rotary printing press comprises an offset printer and a direct plate printer arranged in tandem. The offset printer comprises a transfer cylinder, a plurality of plate cylinders for applying an image to the transfer cylinder and an impression cylinder. The direct plate printer comprises a plate cylinder, inking means and a further impression cylinder. Paper handling means comprises a conveyor drum for feeding paper to the transfer cylinder in proper registration and means for conveying paper from the transfer cylinder of the offset printer to the impression cylinder of the direct plate printer. The impression cylinders of the offset printer and the direct plate printer are adjustable independently of one another and independently of the paper handling means so that each can be independently adjusted to provide the pressure desired without disturbing the paper registration.

Abstract: A wiping cylinder is coated with a synthetic resin plastic composition by rotating the cylinder downwardly past a straight-edge blade on which the plastic composition is supplied so that a thin uniform layer is spread onto the cylinder. The blade is progressively retracted from the cylinder so that successive layers are applied to provide the desired total thickness. Provision is made for first heating and then cooling a layer after it has been applied.

Abstract: Piles of sheets printed with numbered banknotes are cut into bundles, and the bundles are stacked in magazines of a rotary-drum bundle collector to form packets in which the notes are sequentially numbered, these packets being wrapped and then arranged in a serial ordinator. The bundle collector has two drums, one of which is slowly rotated to receive the successive bundles while the other previously-loaded drum is rotated step-by-step for unloading the successive packets. The basic installation may treat only perfectly printed sheets, but can be adapted to treat sheets with marked spoiled notes, by including a bundle-deviation line in which the spoiled notes of deviated bundles are replaced and the bundles remade and reinserted in respective gaps in the delivery before the collector, or a replacement station for simply removing bundles including spoiled notes and replacing them with bundles of notes from a star series.

Abstract: An intaglio printing plate is prepared by coating a copperplate-engraved plate having a superficial chromium layer with an ink-accepting material such as a hardenable epoxy or acrylic resin, an enamel varnish, or a chemically or electrolytically deposited metal, and removing said layer from the non-grooved parts by treatment in a ball-graining machine. The ink-accepting material remaining in the grooves forms concave recesses suitable for wet offset printing with the precision, complexity and fineness of a copperplate design.

Abstract: Piles of sheets printed with numbered banknotes are cut into bundles, and the bundles are stacked in magazines of a rotary-drum bundle collector to form packets in which the notes are sequentially numbered, these packets being wrapped and then arranged in a serial ordinator. During delivery to the collector, bundles containing previously marked spoil notes are detected and deviated. The spoil notes are replaced at a substitution station and the bundles remade. Dummy bundles are inserted in gaps left in the delivery line, so as to maintain the correct sequence in the collector, and are removed at the collector output and replaced by the respective remade bundles.