Abstract: A method and apparatus for making booklet type labels having at least one printed inner sheet includes apparatus for printing and assembling three webs which includes the provision of folding stations to enable a single web to be immediately and continuously folded after printing to produce one more inner label portions making up the booklet sheets. The press includes vertically stacked web support drums with associated printing stations wherein one of the drums is reversible to enable the simultaneous printing of two webs by the stack assembly including the printing of one web on both sides.

Abstract: To permit radial removal of a cylinder, roller or similar element in a printing machine from between the side walls (1) thereof, the cylinder or roller (9) is formed with two stub shafts (8) coupled by separable half-shells (5, 6) to the ends of shaft elements (3) passing through the side wall (1) of the printing machine. One of said shaft elements can be coupled to a drive gear (4). In accordance with the invention, and to permit rolling off of the stub shaft (8) of the cylinder over the half-shell, the separating surfaces (10, 11, 12, 13) between the half-shells are formed to extend essentially tangentially with respect to the part-circular clamping surfaces (14, 15) which clamp the stub shaft to the shafts (3) passing through the side wall, one of the half-shells being secured to the shaft elements.

Abstract: Printing apparatus includes a print drum having a raised image for printing disposed on the circumference thereof and having a central bore, a shaft dimensioned for engagement with the central bore in the print drum and a scissor linkage supporting each end of the shaft. Each scissor arrangement comprises first and second pivotably connected arms, the opposite ends of the first and second pivotably connected arms are respectively connected to the shaft and the mounting plate and first and second pneumatic cylinders pivotably connected to the mounting plate and the respective ends of the shaft.

Abstract: To permit re-lining of a printing machine cylinder (9), while retaining the printing machine cylinder in adjusted position with respect to a reference, for example an associated cylinder, the side wall (1) of the printing machine is formed with an opening (2) sufficiently large to permit placing of a sleeve (14) over the cylinder. The cylinder shaft (8) is retained, prior to re-lining, in eccentric adjustment by a jaw chuck (3), preferably having three jaws (16, 17, 18) arranged in a star pattern and surrounding the shaft or the bearing, or an eccentric element thereof; the jaws of the jaw chuck are so placed that they can be withdrawn to clear the opening.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for loading a mandrel-mounted roll into an uncoiler, which utilizes a pair of rotating contoured plates for engaging the ends of the mandrel. The rotating plates each having a lifting hook, a placing hook and a cam surface between the hooks, with the cam surface contoured to clear obstructions between the loading position and the production position as the plates rotate to translate the respective hooks therebetween.

Abstract: The stubs at the ends of the printing cylinder in a rotary printing press can roll along the upper surfaces of two arms each of which carries a plate with two mutually inclined upwardly diverging grooves for a pair of reciprocable stops. The stops can be shifted by cams to assume operative positions in which they flank the respective stubs and maintain them in predetermined positions for attachment of bearings to or for removal of bearings from the stubs. The stops are retractible to levels below the upper surfaces of the respective arms so as to allow for rolling of the stubs along the arms, either to advance the cylinder to its operative position or to roll the cylinder to a position in which it can be lifted off the arms. Detents are provided to yieldably hold the stops in selected positions.

Abstract: An ink-applying mechanism comprises an ink pad which supplies ink from an ink source to a single series of sequentially contacting kneading rolls, the last roll in the series comprising a distributing roll which applied ink to first and second ink rolls through intervening rolls of a number ensuring rotation of the ink rolls in opposite directions. A pair of smoothing rolls are provided intermediate the printing rolls to ensure equal application of ink to each of the first and second rolls.

Abstract: A radially deflectable impression cylinder, such as an impression cylinder for cooperation with a rotogravure printing cylinder. The impression cylinder includes a shell which is freely rotatably mounted on a stationary axle by means of annular members carrying a plurality of spaced rolling element bearings. At least an intermediate one of said annular members is radially displaceable in order to deflect the shell of the cylinder so that it assumes a bowed shape when viewed from the side.

Abstract: A printing apparatus for applying a coding on a surface which is transported past the printing apparatus, comprising a text roll for the coding characters, supported by a frame and rotatably mounted on a shaft. Said text roll is drivable by the passing surface. The printing apparatus further comprises a rotatable inking means for inking the coding characters. The text roll is movable backwards and forwards in radial direction, wherein a driving means is provided for rotating the text roll and moving the text roll in radial direction from a rest position, in which the text roll is completely free of the surface to be coded, to a working position, in which the text roll engages the surface to be coded, when a surface to be coded comes up to the text roll. The driving means is adapted to return the text roll in radial direction and to rotate the text roll to the rest position from an end position reached by the coding operation after applying the coding.

Abstract: There is disclosed in this application a printing apparatus including small balls of magnetic material prepared in large numbers as printing elements for forming characters or symbols. a wheel having a surface made of ferromagnetic material, a magnetizing head for magnetizing the surface of the wheel to cause the small balls to be magnetically attracted thereto, and an erasing head for demagnetizing the surface of the wheel to remove the magnetically attracted small balls therefrom. As the wheel is brought into pressing engagement with sheets while rotating, images of characters or symbols are formed on the sheets in the form of a pattern formed from a combination of the small balls. The trouble of noise production when printing is carried out can be eliminated because the sheets are brought into pressing engagement with the surface of the wheel while the wheel is rotating.

Abstract: A printing press is provided with a safety device mounted in the vicinity of a gap formed between two counter printing rollers for preventing the gap from intrusion by foreign elements, such as a mop or the hand of an operator. The device includes a four-link transmission unit operatively interconnected between pivotable guard plates and a cam switch adapted to actuate an end switch of the printing press to shut the latter off. The guard plates are swung away from the rollers so that the gap is enlarged.

Abstract: The machine comprises a table for guiding paper to be printed which table is bordered by two vertical side walls supporting a rotary drum. A part of the outer surface of the drum includes ribs for hooking elastic printing forms carrying portions in relief. The table also includes a transverse slot for receiving a colored litho chalk against which chalk the reliefs press the paper so that the pattern of these reliefs are printed thereon and the paper is driven along.

Abstract: An arrangement for facilitating the mounting of printing plates on a plate cylinder of an offset printing machine. Two arms are mounted atop the machine at the opposite lateral sides thereof and have free ends provided with hooks. A rail is suspended from these hooks and carries quick-coupling devices which engage the trailing edge of a printing plate to be mounted. The hooks are suspended on ropes which are wound upon rollers mounted on the free ends of the arms; turning of the rollers in a sense causing unwinding of the ropes is resisted by torque springs or similar devices; this resistance can be varied to compensate for printing plates of different weights. Thus, the weight of the printing plate cannot cause the ropes to unwind; however, when the leading edge of the printing plate is connected to the plate cylinder and the cylinder is slowly rotated to take the plate up on it, the pull exerted by the cylinder causes unwinding of the ropes.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided for printing games such as poker hands on two-piece frustoconical containers with four cards up and one down on the container sidewall and a hole card or draw card on the bottom of the container. The sidewalls are formed from blanks printed in a sequence by four, five, six and seven-around printing cylinders, all of which impress one card identity indicia on each printed cup blank on a strip of stock passed through the array of cylinders. A strip of bottom blanks each bearing a single card identity are printed in sequence by an eleven-around printing cylinder and the sidewall blanks and bottom blanks are assembled in the printed sequence to provide at least 4,620 cups all bearing poker hands with no two cups bearing identical hands. None of the card identity indicia on the several rolls is repeated. A total of thirty-three different indicia is used in the present method and apparatus.

Abstract: A mail canceling device which has at least one canceling die roller pair behind a mail receiving slot therein to cancel the mail as it is inserted into the mailbox. The one or more pairs of rollers can include postmark applying segments as well as canceling dies. The rollers can be provided along opposite edges of the slot. A finger space is positioned centrally in the slot and between the rollers so that the mailer's finger can be used to assure that the envelope or postcard passes completely through the rollers and falls into the storage portion of the mailbox.

Abstract: An operator safety device includes a plurality of covers for covering parts of a machine to protect an operator against contact with these parts when the machine is in operation. At least some of the covers are movable between a closed position where the covers do not cover these parts and the latter are readily accessible and constitute a danger of accidents. A switch is operable for shutting down the machine when at least one of the covers moves from the closed into the open position. A linkage connects the covers with the switch for actuating the latter whenever at least one of the covers moves from the closed into the open position.

Abstract: Means for displacing elements, such as the rollers of printing machines, located between the upright frames of a pedestal machine. A rotatable drive shaft is supported in each of the frames parallel to the direction in which the displacement is to proceed, and is drive connected to the said elements. Adjusting shafts having hand wheels attached to their free ends and coupled to the drive shafts extend, when in working position, into the space between the upright frames. In rest position, they are displaceable out of said space, which is thereby cleared for access to the equipment.

Abstract: A positioning system for a roller cart adjacent a transfer cart in a roller storage and retrieval system of a printing plant has a positioning screw at the pickup station where rollers are transferred between the pickup cart and the transfer cart. This positioning screw has a longitudinal axis extending parallel to the path followed by the pickup cart at the station and is formed with a pair of screw formations which are of opposite hand and which are axially spaced from each other with a gap between their inner confronting ends. An entrainment element on the cart is engageable with these screw formations and can fit between the inner ends thereof. The pickup cart then can be positioned in the station and the screw rotated to displace this cart so that the entrainment element is moved into the space between the ends, for exact positioning of the pickup cart at the station.

Abstract: This marking press for sheet metal articles and stock comprises a frame structure having a vertically adjustable cross member supporting an oscillatable embosser carrying the marking punch and, underneath, a roller for driving the sheets to be marked. Springs compensate the weight of the oscillatable embosser, cross member and fly bearings. A fluid-actuated cylinder and piston unit is provided for maintaining the oscillatable embosser in its downstream end position after the marking step proper and returning said oscillatable embosser to its upstream end position before the next marking step, without interfering with the driving of said oscillatable embosser by the passing sheet. Worms and nuts are provided for adjusting the position of said cross member as a function of the sheet thickness.

Abstract: A printing machine operates at a variable speed, and includes a rotary reference component. Activation and deactivation of positioning units for printing cylinders and other functional units for the printing machine is performed in synchronization with the rotation of the rotary reference component. The positioning units exhibit dead times in their response to applied activating or deactivating signals. The duration of each such dead time expressed in terms of the extent of angular movement of the rotary reference component varies in dependence upon printing machine operating speed, tending to produce improper synchronization between activation and deactivation of positioning units, on the one hand, and machine operation, on the other hand.

Abstract: An arrangement on screen printing machines for interchangeable holding and lengthwise tensioning of rotary screens which have face-side end sections that can be connected to rotary holding sections. The holding sections are mounted on nonrotary bearing housings which are connected to at least one lengthwise carrier. The latter is located on the outside of the rotary screen, parallel to the screen axis, and fastened to the machine frame. The rotary holding sections enclose the nonrotary bearing housing peripherically from the outside. The bearing housings are connected to the lengthwise carrier by cross arms. The nonrotary bearing housing comprises a nonrotary hollow cylinder which projects beyond the rotary holding sections in axial, lenthwise, direction of the screen axis. The hollow cylinder, furthermore, may have at least two cylinder sections and a ring-shaped elastomer intermediate member located between the cylinder sections.

Abstract: A design painting kit having a paint roller which carries an embossed rubber-like mat upon the rotatable cylindrical surface thereof. The embossing includes design indicia and numerical indicia which signifies the color of paint to be applied to discreet areas of the design. An ink roller is removably affixed to the handle of the paint roller having the ink laden exterior surface thereof adapted to coat the embossed surfaces of the rubber mat as the rubber mat is rolled upon the surface of a wall, thereby applying an ink depiction of the pattern and numerical indicia thereto. The kit also includes a hand operated block or plate which can carry a rubber-like mat and is useful in applying the embossed indicia surfaces upon small surfaces to be decorated or upon otherwise inaccesible portions of the wall. The kit also provides a container including a supply of ink, a quantity of individually colored paints in separate containers, and a quantity of brushes.

Abstract: There is disclosed a printing press comprising an ink reservoir above the plurality of ink feed rollers in communication with said reservoir, at least one inking roller disposed below and in communication with said feed rollers, a plurality of ink application rollers displaceable into communication with said at least one inking roller by swing arms connected at one end to said ink application rollers and having tension springs attached to their other ends, a printing roller beneath said ink application rollers having a horizontal center support laid in a center notch or a carrier frame, a plurality of rollers supporting said frame for reciprocating movement towards and backwards on a horizontal rail, a paper feeding device arranged to feed paper periodically and in sequence with said movement of the frame beneath a printing block on the printing roller, entrainment means for said printing roller to rotate it at the same peripheral speed as the speed of the frame movement, and driving means for driving the fra

Abstract: Removable guard on a printing press cylinder formed with a cylinder gap and having end plates at the axial ends thereof includes cover means having a longitudinal split therein, and spring means carried by the cover means, the cover means being yieldingly foldable along the split against the biasing force of the spring means and insertable into the cylinder gap wherein it is unfoldable along the split under the biasing force of the spring means and engageable with the cylinder end plates so as to cover and bridge the cylinder gap.

Abstract: A printing machine is provided for printing a discontinuously moved, flat web in which the mass of the components which must be moved in a reciprocating manner is reduced significantly. A shaft which is affixed to the printing block carrier is movably guided in a fixed frame between a pair of extreme positions of linear movement during the printing process. A stationary inking device is disposed at one extreme position and there contacts the printing block. Cam surfaces on the frame and printing block carrier guide the carrier through superimposed rotational and reciprocating linear movements.

Abstract: A rotary duplicator includes a handwheel for manually moving the cylinders to insert and remove masters, to make adjustments, etc. To minimize risk to the operator when the machine is running, there is provided a means for disconnecting the handwheel automatically and holding it stationary whenever the machine is turned on.